Curtiss dive bomber
“Helldiver!” What a great name!”
Tough to fly, poorly designed, and delivered too slowly, the early models of the Curtiss SB2C would have come somewhere near the top of most lists of “Worst Aircraft of World War Two.” Of course, that judgement is no reflection on the crews who had to fly “The Beast,” who were as brave, skilled, and resourceful as any other pilots - perhaps more so!
But since its “teething” came under the scrutiny of wartime, some of the initial deficiencies, were compared to it predecessor, the SBD. Among these criticisms were:
- “weak structure”
- “poor handling”
- “inadequate stability”
- “unacceptable stall characteristics”
- “severe buffeting in dives”
- “sluggish ailerons”
The later models corrected these items which improved its handling, strengthened the structure, larger tail and automatic slots remedied the stall characteristics. Despite its size, the SB2C was much faster than the SBD it replaced. It could keep up with the cruise speed of the fighters. It also had substantially increased range over its predecessor. Unlike the SBD, the SB2C also had the added advantage of having folding wings and twin 20mm cannons. Although production problems persisted throughout its initial combat service, pilots soon changed their minds about the potency of the Helldiver.
The Curtiss aircraft manufacturing company produced 29, 269 aircraft during the war. They also produced 142,840 aircraft engines and 146,468 electric propellers. Among the aircraft it produced were the P-40, the C-46 and 7140 SB2C Helldivers. After WWII, the company never sought any more significant military business, and
eventually became a specialty supplier to the aircraft industry.
All that being said, the Helldiver was delivered in large numbers (7,140), equipped many US Navy squadrons, and inflicted a lot of damage on the enemy. It was responsible for more shipping kills than any other aircraft. After the war, it also served in the Greek and Italian Naval Air Forces and served with the French in Viet Nam.
I have been privileged to receive an email from Bob Barnes, a Helldiver pilot in World War Two. He offers this view of the plane:
I really feel that some websites and Mr. Tillman’s book were unjustly critical of the Helldiver. Apparently the early SB2C-1’s, as the first built, had their problems and probably as a result I think there was a reluctance of some of the commanders to accept the Helldiver as a replacement for the reliable SBD Dauntless. The SB2C-3’s that came out were much improved. From my experience it was a great dive bomber. It was faster than the SBD, easily carried 1000 lb bombs, could carry drop fuel tanks for long range missions. On one mission they needed more fighters to strafe an airfield, so they hung two pods of dual 50 cal machine guns under the wings. These were in addition to the two 20mm cannons and the 500 lb bomb already on our Helldivers. It was a very versatile aircraft.
More of Mr. Barnes’ experiences flying the Helldiver follows below.
Development
Designed in response to a 1938 U.S. navy spec for a dive bomber, to replace the original SBC biplane, also known as “Helldiver,” the SB2C was built around the Wright R-2600-8 engine. (In these preliminary respects, it seemed much like the ultimately much more successful Grumman Avenger torpedo bomber.) So anxious was the Navy for a modern dive bomber, that it gambled on Curtiss’ reputation and placed an order for 200, even before the prototype flew on Dec. 18, 1940. The prototype crashed on Feb. 8, 1941, when its engine failed on approach. With the pressure to keep moving, Curtiss had to rebuild the plane. They lengthened the fuselage, enlarged the tail, added an autopilot, incorporated self-sealing gas tanks, added more armor, and replaced the two .30 calibers above the cowling with four wing-mounted .50 calibers. It started flying again in October. Curtiss missed its original goal, to begin delivering production aircraft in Dec. 1941. On the 21st, the prototype broke up in the air; the test pilot, B.T. Hulse, parachuted to safety.
Production
The SB2C program struggled to stay in the game. Since Curtiss’ main plant in Buffalo, NY was dedicated to the P-40, the company opened a new facility in Columbus, Ohio, just for the Helldiver. Curtiss also arrange for two Canadian companies to license-build the plane. The first “production” Helldivers rolled off the line in June, 1942. The changes made from the prototype (larger tail, self-sealing tanks, more guns, etc.) increased the weight of the plane by 40%, from 7,122 lb. to 10,220.
The first Navy squadron, VS-9, to be equipped was in December, 1942.