Did the SBD Dauntless dive bomber ever...

Steve Crewdog · **Joined:** Tue Dec 02, 2008 7:14 pm **Posts:** 52

Did the SBD Dauntless dive bomber ever score any air-air kills? Need to settle a bet.

TIA,

Steve

Nathan · **Posted:** Tue Dec 22, 2009 9:45 pm

Yes they did. I think even a few Val vs. SBD encounters.

Holedigger · **Posted:** Tue Dec 22, 2009 10:12 pm

Came across this, think they made an episode of "Dogfights" about it.

US Navy pilot Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa, who during the Battle of the Coral Sea shot down three A6M Zeros with a Dauntless SBD, managed to down seven Japanese planes in one sortie in the Battle of Santa Cruz flying an F4F Wildcat.

flyboyj · **Joined:** Sat Oct 10, 2009 1:01 pm **Posts:** 157

Swede Vejtasa shot down 3 zeros while flying an SBD. John Leppla and his gunner shot down 4 Zeros, all duriing the Battle of Coral Sea

Steve Crewdog · **Joined:** Tue Dec 02, 2008 7:14 pm **Posts:** 52

Ok, reason I ask is on the other side of this model are some kill flags under the cockpit, I didn't think it was possible. Especially Zero kills, but then I was only thinking about the forward guns, not the gunner.

Nathan · **Posted:** Tue Dec 22, 2009 10:44 pm

SBD forward guns did down Japanese planes. Several accounts of it. Attempts where made as early as Pearl Harbor with VS-6.

JDK · **Posted:** Tue Dec 22, 2009 10:45 pm

flyboyj wrote:

Swede Vejtasa shot down 3 zeros while flying an SBD. John Leppla and his gunner shot down 4 Zeros, all duriing the Battle of Coral Sea

Were those claim ever matched to Japanese losses?

Owen Miller · **Joined:** Fri Aug 27, 2004 9:28 pm **Posts:** 614

The late Cook Cleland, of Thompson Trophy fame, had several
air-to-air kills flying an SBD in VB-16 off LEX. The number has
always been in dispute between Cook and the USN. God bless
him! I miss his company and his stories.....

Steve Nelson · **Posted:** Wed Dec 23, 2009 9:03 am

That model SBD has Japanese kill flags? Interesting, considering the markings are for VS-41 off USS Ranger during Operation Torch..in the MTO.

SN

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Did the SBD Dauntless dive bomber ever...

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