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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 1645.PDF
JUNE 24TH, 1943 FLIGHT 661 ANGLO-AMERICAN : A formation of Vought SB2U-3 dive bombers. These are known as Chesapeakes in the Fleet Air Arm. *The Dive Bomber Development and Pioneer Work in U.S.A. : British Day Bombers Stressed for Diving : Italian and French Types By "HELLDIVER" (Concluded from page 633, Jane 17th.) U.S.A. The pioneer work of the U.S. Navy in formulating the design of dive bombers and in evolving tactics for their employment stands as the most notable contribution to dive bomber development prior to the ensuing period of in tensive research in Germany. It has been said that dive bombing in America was first suggested as an extension to the principle of fixed gunnery, i.e., that it is easier to aim a mancevrablc aircraft than to "point" a free gun. This is probably true, for the first dive bombers to be tried out by the U.S. Navy were adaptations of fighter biplanes of the period—Curtisses and Boeings of 1926 vintage adapted to carry small bombs under their wings. . '-*• Thanks largely to the high factors to which U.S. fighters were—and still are—designed these experimental aircraft gave promising results. It is significant, in view of the foregoing remarks, that the first U.S. Navy aircraft de- signed specifically for dive bombing \^as, nevertheless, officially classed as a fighter; this was the original Curtiss " Helldiver" (U.S. Navy designation XF8C-2). It is satisfactory that the name '' Helldiver'' was in common usage in the U.S.A. long before " Stuka". appeared in German tactical manuals, and it is not sur- prising that the Curtiss concern has retained the name to designate subsequent types of dive bombers which differ vastly in design from their forerunner. The first '' Helldiver'' was made famous by the film " Hell Divers," in which dive-bombing tactics against war- ships were demonstrated. It was a compact, two-seater, single-bay biplane with a very pronounced sweep-back on the top wing. The engine was a direct-drive Wasp and the armament two front guns (-the standard fighter armament of the period) and a free gun in the rear cockpit. A single bomb of up to 500 lb. was carried beneath the fuselage on displacement gear which, took the form of two hinged arms engaging with lugs on the bombs. Dive-brakes were not necessary due to the low aerodynamic efficiency of the airframe. The basic design was progressively developed, and byJ 933 a two-row engine had been adopted and other refine- ments of the period incorporated. By that time "Hell- divers" were also used by the Marine Corps. The following three years saw the complete redesign of the "Helldiver," the 'official' designation of which then became XSBC-3. The new model had a notably cleaner wing structure (there being only one interplane strut on each side of the fuselage); double-split trailing-edge flaps to provide an aerodynamic braking effect in the dive; a retractable undercarriage which could be raised, Grumman fashion, into the sides of the fuselage; a Twin Wasp Junior two-row radial, and a constant-speed Hamilton airscrew, the latter being a most important advance as the diving r.p.m., which had previously tended to rise to undesirably high figures, could be controlled. Split Trailing-edge Brakes It is of interest to note that the fitting of dive-brakes was a direct result of refinement in aerodynamic design, though bomb stowage was still external. In the double- split form of dive-brake employed, the trailing-edge of the wing inboard of the ailerons was split fanwise, the two halves opening like the leaves of a book. For landing, only the bottom "leaf" was operated, to give a normal split-flap effect, but for diving both sections could be extended to present the maximum braking area to the airstream. ' As the SBC-3, the " Helldiver" was operated,for about The Curtiss SBC-4 or Cleveland of 1939 vintage. It carried a1,000 lb. bomb^slung externally.
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