An SBD Dauntless dive bomber flies over Roudnice Nad Labem, Czech Republic, during an airshow in June 2020. The Dauntless’ finest hour came during the Battle of Midway, when it helped to sink four Japanese aircraft carriers. (Shutterstock/chorche de prigo)

A Dauntless Dive Bomber Survived Pearl Harbor—and Got Its Revenge at Midway

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The BuNo 2106 aircraft had a remarkable life: it survived Pearl Harbor and fought at Midway, was later lost in an accident in the Great Lakes, and was eventually resurrected.

With a top speed of just 250 miles per hour, the Douglas SBD Dauntless certainly wasn’t the fastest aircraft of World War II. Yet despite its modest performance envelope, the Dauntless became one of the most successful naval attack aircraft ever built—sinking hundreds of Japanese ships throughout the course of the Pacific War.

But the Dauntless’ finest hour came during the Battle of Midway in June 1942, when it helped to sink all four Japanese fleet carriers, fundamentally changing the course of the war in the Allies’ favor. Remarkably, one of the Dauntless bombers involved in the battle had been stationed at the US naval airbase at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. That aircraft—designated BuNo 2106—escaped destruction at the time, but had been powerless to fight back against the Japanese planes ravaging the US battleship fleet. Six months later, the tables were turned.

Introducing the SBD Dauntless

Year Introduced: 1940 (SBD-1)

Length: 33 ft 1 in (10.1 m)

Wingspan: 41 ft 6 in (12.6 m)

Weight (MTOW): 10,700 lb (4,853 kg)

Engine: One Wright R-1820 Cyclone radial piston engine

Top Speed: 255 mph (410 km/h)

Range: 1,115 mi (1,794 km) ferry range

Service Ceiling: 25,530 ft (7,780........

© The National Interest