{"id":32094702,"date":"2026-11-10T10:24:14","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T09:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/sbd-dauntless-dive-bomber-battle-of-midway-1942-akagi-kaga-soryu-hiryu\/"},"modified":"2026-11-10T10:25:23","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T09:25:23","slug":"sbd-dauntless-dive-bomber-battle-of-midway-1942-akagi-kaga-soryu-hiryu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/sbd-dauntless-dive-bomber-battle-of-midway-1942-akagi-kaga-soryu-hiryu\/","title":{"rendered":"SBD Dauntless: The Slow Dive Bomber That Won the Battle of Midway"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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His two squadrons of dive bombers from USS <em>Enterprise<\/em> had been searching for the Japanese carriers without finding them, and they were burning fuel they would need to get home. Then, far below, he spotted a single Japanese destroyer steaming at full speed, its white wake pointing like a finger.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>He followed it. Minutes later, on the morning of 4 June 1942, the Imperial Japanese Navy&rsquo;s carrier striking force came into view, and the aircraft McClusky&rsquo;s men were flying went into the history books. It was the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/sbd-dauntless\/\">Douglas SBD Dauntless<\/a>, a two-seat scout and dive bomber that was neither fast nor glamorous, and that knocked out four Japanese fleet carriers in a single day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>This is the story of the plane its own crews nicknamed &ldquo;Slow But Deadly&rdquo;, and of the young men who rode it straight down.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> Douglas SBD Dauntless, two-seat carrier scout and dive bomber<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Designer:<\/strong> Ed Heinemann&rsquo;s team at Douglas, developed from the Northrop BT-2<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>In service:<\/strong> SBD-1 to the Marine Corps late 1940; SBD-2 to the Navy early 1941<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Engine (SBD-5):<\/strong> One Wright R-1820-60 Cyclone radial, 1,200 hp<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Top speed (SBD-5):<\/strong> 255 mph (410 km\/h)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Dive:<\/strong> About 70 degrees, slowed by perforated split dive flaps<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Midway:<\/strong> 4 June 1942: SBDs sank or fatally damaged Akagi, Kaga, S&#333;ry&#363; and Hiry&#363;<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Built:<\/strong> Nearly 6,000; the last left El Segundo on 21 July 1944<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A bomber built to fall<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The SBD grew out of the Northrop BT-1 and BT-2, and when Douglas took over Northrop in 1937, a team under Ed Heinemann turned the design into the Dauntless. The Marine Corps got the first SBD-1s in late 1940 and the Navy its SBD-2s in early 1941. By the time Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the Dauntless was the US Navy&rsquo;s main carrier-based scout and dive bomber.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Its secret was in the wings. Big perforated split flaps opened like a cheese grater and acted as dive brakes. According to the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, they let an SBD dive at about 70 degrees while holding its speed to around 240 knots, slow enough for the pilot to keep correcting his aim as the ship below twisted and turned. Bombs were released at roughly 1,500 to 2,000 feet, followed by a pull-out of up to six g.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/sbd-3-dauntless-vb-6-takeoff-uss-enterprise-may-1942.jpg\" alt=\"A Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 6 taking off from the deck of USS Enterprise in May 1942, perforated dive flaps visible\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An SBD-3 of Bombing Squadron 6 (VB-6), Dick Best&rsquo;s squadron, takes off from USS <em>Enterprise<\/em> in May 1942, weeks before Midway. Note the perforated flaps along the wing trailing edge. Still from US Navy film 428-NPC-2704 \/ public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The Dauntless was also unusual for what it lacked. Its wings did not fold, a choice Douglas made in favour of structural strength. That cost deck space, but it gave the Navy an aircraft tough enough to survive the violence of a near-vertical dive, again and again.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>It had another trick. With two forward-firing .50-calibre guns and one or two .30-calibre guns for the gunner in the back, the SBD could look after itself. The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum counts it among the few bombers in history with more air combat victories than losses.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dsZWPELYtAI\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Smithsonian Channel explains the physics, and the danger, of the near-vertical dive-bombing attacks flown in aircraft like the SBD Dauntless.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The morning of 4 June 1942<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>By the time McClusky found the enemy, the Battle of Midway had already been brutal for the Americans. Land-based bombers from Midway Atoll had attacked without result. The torpedo squadrons had gone in low and slow, mostly without fighter cover, and had been cut to pieces by the Japanese Zero fighters, a sacrifice Afterburner told in <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/tbd-devastator-torpedo-squadron-8-midway\/\">The Torpedo Bombers Sent to Die at Midway<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>That sacrifice was not wasted. When the dive bombers arrived, the Japanese combat air patrol was down low, chasing the last torpedo planes of Yorktown&rsquo;s VT-3. Three SBD squadrons, McClusky&rsquo;s VS-6 and VB-6 from <em>Enterprise<\/em> and Lieutenant Commander Max Leslie&rsquo;s VB-3 from <em>Yorktown<\/em>, arrived almost at once and from different directions. Below them, the Japanese hangar decks were crowded with fuelled and armed aircraft, with bombs and torpedoes stacked nearby.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/sbd-3-dauntless-vb-3-bottomley-midway-aircraft-1942.jpg\" alt=\"A US Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 3 in flight over the sea with its pilot and gunner visible\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An SBD-3 of <em>Yorktown<\/em>&rsquo;s VB-3 with Lt. Harold S. Bottomley Jr. and AMM2c Daniel F. Johnson aboard, the same aircraft they flew at Midway. VB-3 wrecked <em>S&#333;ry&#363;<\/em> on 4 June 1942. US Navy photo \/ public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>At 10:22 the <em>Enterprise<\/em> squadrons tipped over. A mix-up sent both squadrons at the carrier <em>Kaga<\/em>, which took several direct hits; one landed on or just in front of her bridge and killed her captain. Leslie&rsquo;s VB-3 went for <em>S&#333;ry&#363;<\/em> and scored at least three hits. Within six minutes, both carriers were ablaze from stem to stern.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Dick Best and the bomb that killed Akagi<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Lieutenant Richard &ldquo;Dick&rdquo; Best, commanding VB-6, saw the error as it happened. He and his two wingmen pulled out of their dive on <em>Kaga<\/em>, judged that she was finished, and headed for the flagship <em>Akagi<\/em> instead. Three Dauntlesses against a fleet carrier.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><em>Akagi<\/em> took only one direct hit, almost certainly Best&rsquo;s. It struck the edge of the midships elevator and burst in the upper hangar among the armed and fuelled aircraft. The fires could not be stopped. Aboard was Mitsuo Fuchida, who had led the attack on Pearl Harbor six months earlier.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;A look-out screamed: &ldquo;Hell-Divers!&rdquo; I looked up to see three black enemy planes plummeting towards our ship. Some of our machineguns managed to fire a few frantic bursts at them, but it was too late.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Mitsuo Fuchida<\/strong> &mdash; Japanese aviator aboard Akagi on 4 June 1942, in his post-war account (as quoted by Wikipedia, Battle of Midway)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In the late afternoon, a scout found the last Japanese carrier, <em>Hiry&#363;<\/em>, after her aircraft had crippled <em>Yorktown<\/em>. <em>Enterprise<\/em> launched 24 dive bombers, including <em>Yorktown<\/em>&rsquo;s orphaned VB-3. Four or possibly five bombs hit her, and she burned until she sank the next morning. Best flew on that strike too, and according to historian Stephen L. Moore he may have been the first pilot to bomb two Japanese carriers in one day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;Midway was revenge, sweet revenge for Pearl Harbor.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Richard &ldquo;Dick&rdquo; Best<\/strong> &mdash; Commander of VB-6 at Midway, looking back on the battle (via HistoryNet)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Best never flew in combat again. That night he began coughing blood; caustic soda from a faulty oxygen system had activated latent tuberculosis, and he was medically retired in 1944. In the view of Admiral Chester Nimitz, McClusky&rsquo;s decision to keep searching &ldquo;decided the fate of our carrier task force and our forces at Midway.&rdquo;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/sbd-2-dauntless-vmsb-241-midway-atoll-june-1942.jpg\" alt=\"A battle-worn US Marine Corps SBD-2 Dauntless coded 6 of VMSB-241 parked on Midway Atoll in June 1942\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A Marine Corps SBD-2 of VMSB-241, coded 6, on Midway Atoll in June 1942. Its official Navy description identifies it as BuNo 2106, the bomber Daniel Iverson and Wallace Reid brought home with more than 200 holes. US Navy photo \/ public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The plane with more than 200 holes<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Not every Dauntless at Midway was flown by veterans. The Marines of VMSB-241, flying from the atoll itself, had only just converted to the SBD and were not trained in its dive-bombing technique. They used shallower glide attacks instead, and many were shot down, including the aircraft of their commander, Major Lofton Henderson.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>One of their aircraft, SBD-2 BuNo 2106, was flown by First Lieutenant Daniel Iverson with Private First Class Wallace Reid as his gunner. They attacked <em>Hiry&#363;<\/em> without scoring a hit, Reid was wounded in the foot, and Iverson brought the bomber home to a one-wheel landing with more than 200 bullet holes in it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;I selected a carrier target and peeled off through a thin cloud.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>1st Lt. Daniel Iverson<\/strong> &mdash; VMSB-241 pilot of SBD-2 BuNo 2106, describing the 4 June 1942 attack (via Vintage Aviation News)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>BuNo 2106 survived the battle, only to be ditched in Lake Michigan during carrier training in June 1943. Divers raised it in January 1994, and after seven years of restoration it went on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum at <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/pensacola\/\">Naval Air Station Pensacola<\/a>. It is the last surviving aircraft known to have fought in the Battle of Midway.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MW8tQ_6dqS8\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">John Ford&rsquo;s Oscar-winning 1942 documentary <em>The Battle of Midway<\/em>, filmed on the atoll during the Japanese attack.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Slow, but deadly to the end<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Midway was not the Dauntless&rsquo;s only big day. SBDs had already sunk the light carrier <em>Sh&#333;h&#333;<\/em> at the Coral Sea a month earlier, and they went on to sink the carrier <em>Ry&#363;j&#333;<\/em> in August 1942 and fight through the whole Guadalcanal campaign. The newer <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/sb2c-helldiver\/\">SB2C Helldiver<\/a> began replacing them in 1944, yet many pilots preferred the lighter, better-handling Dauntless for carrier landings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Nearly 6,000 were built before the last one left Douglas&rsquo;s El Segundo plant on 21 July 1944. The record they left with <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/united-states-naval-aviation\/\">US Naval Aviation<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/united-states-marine-corps-aviation\/\">Marine Corps<\/a> includes, by the Navy&rsquo;s wartime count, six Japanese carriers, 14 cruisers and six destroyers sunk.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>It was never the fastest aircraft over the Pacific. It did not need to be. On one June morning in 1942, a few dozen of them fell out of the sky at 70 degrees, and the war in the Pacific turned with them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: Wikipedia (Douglas SBD Dauntless; Battle of Midway; Richard Halsey Best), Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, HistoryNet, Vintage Aviation News, US Navy (Naval History and Heritage Command photo records)<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What was the SBD Dauntless?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Douglas SBD Dauntless was a two-seat American carrier scout plane and dive bomber built by Douglas from 1940 to 1944. It was the US Navy&rsquo;s main carrier-based scout and dive bomber from mid-1940 to mid-1944 and was also flown by the Marine Corps. Nearly 6,000 were built.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How did the SBD Dauntless win the Battle of Midway?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On 4 June 1942, SBD Dauntless squadrons from USS Enterprise and USS Yorktown dived on the Japanese carriers while their fighters were down low chasing American torpedo planes. Kaga and S&#333;ry&#363; were set ablaze within six minutes, Akagi was fatally hit, and Hiry&#363; was hit in a second strike that afternoon.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why was the SBD Dauntless called Slow But Deadly?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Crews turned the SBD designation, which stood for Scout Bomber Douglas, into the nickname Slow But Deadly. The Dauntless was not fast, with a top speed of about 255 mph in its SBD-5 form, but its steep, accurate dives made it the most effective American ship-killer of the early Pacific War.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Who sank the Japanese carrier Akagi at Midway?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Akagi was hit by a single bomb, almost certainly dropped by Lieutenant Richard Dick Best of VB-6 from USS Enterprise, who dived on her with two wingmen. The bomb burst in the upper hangar among armed and fuelled aircraft, and the fires could not be controlled.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How steep did the SBD Dauntless dive?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The SBD Dauntless dived at about 70 degrees. Its large perforated split flaps acted as dive brakes, holding the dive speed to roughly 240 knots, according to the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. Pilots released their bombs at around 1,500 to 2,000 feet and pulled out at up to six g.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Is there a surviving SBD Dauntless from the Battle of Midway?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. SBD-2 BuNo 2106, flown at Midway by Marine First Lieutenant Daniel Iverson and gunner Wallace Reid, came home with more than 200 bullet holes. It sank in Lake Michigan in 1943, was raised in 1994, and has been displayed at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola since 2001.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What replaced the SBD Dauntless?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver began replacing the SBD Dauntless in 1944. The Helldiver was faster and carried a heavier bomb load, but many dive-bomber pilots preferred the lighter Dauntless for its better low-speed handling, which mattered most when landing on a carrier.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was the SBD Dauntless?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Douglas SBD Dauntless was a two-seat American carrier scout plane and dive bomber built by Douglas from 1940 to 1944. It was the US Navy\u2019s main carrier-based scout and dive bomber from mid-1940 to mid-1944 and was also flown by the Marine Corps. Nearly 6,000 were built.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How did the SBD Dauntless win the Battle of Midway?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"On 4 June 1942, SBD Dauntless squadrons from USS Enterprise and USS Yorktown dived on the Japanese carriers while their fighters were down low chasing American torpedo planes. Kaga and S&#333;ry&#363; were set ablaze within six minutes, Akagi was fatally hit, and Hiry&#363; was hit in a second strike that afternoon.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why was the SBD Dauntless called Slow But Deadly?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Crews turned the SBD designation, which stood for Scout Bomber Douglas, into the nickname Slow But Deadly. 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The Helldiver was faster and carried a heavier bomb load, but many dive-bomber pilots preferred the lighter Dauntless for its better low-speed handling, which mattered most when landing on a carrier.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/tbd-devastator-torpedo-squadron-8-midway\/\">The Torpedo Bombers Sent to Die at Midway<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/tbf-avenger-midway-debut-vt-8-bert-earnest\/\">TBF Avenger at Midway: Six Went Out, One Came Back<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/coral-sea-carrier-battle-1942-lexington-shoho-yorktown\/\">Battle of the Coral Sea: The Carrier Duel Fought Over the Horizon<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/sb2c-helldiver-big-tailed-beast-dive-bomber\/\">The Big-Tailed Beast the Navy Loved to Hate<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 4 June 1942, Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers from Enterprise and Yorktown sank four Japanese fleet carriers at Midway. The story of the plane its crews called Slow But Deadly.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":32094130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32094702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SBD Dauntless: The Dive Bomber That Won Midway | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SBD Dauntless: how Douglas dive bombers from Enterprise and Yorktown sank four Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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