Best dive-bomber of the pacific

[tbfighterpilot]

What was the best dive-bomber of the pacific theater in WWII, between the Val, Judy, SBD, SB2C, or anything else?

[FLYBOYJ]

Best in performace or what it achieved?

[tbfighterpilot]

Both performance and what it achieved.

[buffnut453]

I voted "Other" 'cos you missed the Vengeance off the list. It did outstanding work in Burma - very accurate, carried a decent load and was reliable and rugged in combat conditions. Now I accept that Burma wasn't really "the Pacific" but it's close enough for me...and since there were no other dive bombers in CBI except, perhaps, a few A-36s, we should include it.

[Wildcat]

I voted "Other" 'cos you missed the Vengeance off the list. It did outstanding work in Burma - very accurate, carried a decent load and was reliable and rugged in combat conditions. Now I accept that Burma wasn't really "the Pacific" but it's close enough for me...and since there were no other dive bombers in CBI except, perhaps, a few A-36s, we should include it.

RAAF Vengeances saw action in New Guinea and over New Britain, so it definatley qualifies.

[buffnut453]

Hi Wildcat,

I thought you'd be on my side! Thanks for the additional info. I'd forgotten about those other operational areas. Hope you're proud of me, though, for not including the Wirraway's dive bombing efforts in Malaya!

Cheers,
Bravo-November

[Wildcat]

Hi Wildcat,Hope you're proud of me, though, for not including the Wirraway's dive bombing efforts in Malaya!

A fearsome dive bomber if there ever was one! On the Vengeance, here is some nice footage of IAF/RAF aircraft in Burma Vultee Vengeance - YouTube

[syscom3]

And the Vengence accomplished what in the naval role?

The war in the Pacific was primarily a naval war. Anything that sinks ships will win the land war.

[davebender]

Lack of adequate fighter escort prevented this fine dive bomber from achieving it's full potential but it was probably the best CV based dive bomber of WWII.

[Arossihman]

I'm compelled to vote helldiver here. Sure it had some issues but it had good armament,internal bombays ,and was faster than the dauntless. Itwas involved in the final push to destroy the japanese navy although the dauntless held the line in those critical early days and performed very well and was well liked by its crews.

[gjs238]

Add the F4U to the list.

[davebender]

Could all F4Us bomb accurately or just the Korean War AU-1 variant?

[Catch22]

Could all F4Us bomb accurately or just the Korean War AU-1 variant?

All of them could, though in WW2 the -1D was more effective due to an increase in hardpoints. The AU-1 simply had high performance components removed from the engine, but otherwise the only difference between it and the -5 were upgraded bomb racks and increased armor on the belly. That said, I wouldn't really call it the best dive bomber of the war as it did not really dive bomb in the same way a traditional dive bomber would and could. A true dive bomber would be better at the job in question. The Corsair's strength was in its versatility, being an effective fighter while also being effective at ground support, but not almost vertical bombing. One of the issues is they did not have dive brakes, however the landing gear was often lowered to slow it down in dives.

EDIT: That being said, I'd rather replace my complement of Helldivers on a carrier with F4Us, but I'm not an admiral.

[davebender]

IMO that makes no difference. The point of bombing is to place explosives on target.

Ju-87Bs with average pilots could place 25% of bombs within 30 yards of the target. If the F4U could bomb with a similiar level of accuracy then it's a dive bomber as far as I'm concerned.

It's my understanding that early F4Us employed the standard Mk 8 gunsight for bombing, which was nowhere near dive bomber accuracy. At the end of WWII they got a new bombsight which turned an excellent fighter aircraft into an excellent fighter-bomber. By comparison, the USN SBD and IJN VAL had proper dive bomber sights when they first entered service.

[Thorlifter]

While I do have a soft spot for "The Beast", this is why I won't vote for it.

From Wiki...."In operational experience it was found that the U.S. Navy's F6F Hellcat and F4U Corsair fighters were able to carry an equally heavy bomb load against ground targets and were vastly more capable of defending themselves against enemy fighters"

I agree with Admiral Catch . I'd rather have the Corsair, which could do anything well, than a plane that could only do 1 or 2 things and be a liability defending itself and require Hellcats and Corsairs for cover.

So.....If I have to pick from your list, I'd pick the Dauntless. Otherwise, give me the Corsair.