Douglas SBD Dauntless (1940-1944): One of the great carrier planes of all time, this rugged Douglas dive- bomber was one of the few American naval aircraft not inferior in performance to its enemy counterparts at the outbreak of World War II. Designed by a team headed by the famous Ed Heinemann, the SBD made its first flight on May 1,1940.

The Dauntless was the only U.S. combat aircraft to see action in every major naval engagement of the war in the Pacific. It sunk more enemy ships than any other aircraft, and had the lowest loss ratio of any carrier-based plane.

The Dauntless’ greatest day was June 4, 1942, when, during the battle of Midway, SBDs from the aircraft carriers Enterprise and Yorktown sank four Japanese carriers. Though not designed as fighters, SBDs were credited with downing 138 enemy planes in air-to-air combat.

Built at the Douglas El Segundo plant at Mines Field (now Los Angeles International Airport), production peaked at 11 aircraft a day. A total of 5,936 SBDs were delivered to the Navy, Marines Corps, and Army Air Forces (as the A-24).