The Douglas SBD Dauntless dive‐bomber’s place in military aviation history is often over‐shadowed by the more well‐known and iconic aircraft of World War II. In Britain, the Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster are revered. For Americans, the Boeing B‐17 Flying Fortress and P‐51 Mustang are seen as the key war‐winning machines of the conflict. Japan’s Mitsubishi […]
August 15, 1945 just hours before the Japanese surrender broadcast, the last two dogfights of World War II occurred above and around Tokyo Bay. The American’s claim it was the Hellcats from US Navy squadron VF-88, the British say it was the Seafires from the 24th Naval Fighter Wing. Both groups of fighters encountered Japanese […]
The Seafire took the reputation of its land-based forebear, the Spitfire, to sea as an interceptor par excellence. Such a specialized role was unique to the Royal Navy; the American and Japanese navies expected more range and versatility from their carrier fighters. After a resurgent British fleet returned to the Pacific in 1945, however, and […]
