All parts are complete with decals and instructions. Navy, the curtiss sb2c helldiver prototype first flew in december of 1940. Crew nicknames for the aircraft included the bigtailed beast or just the derogatory beast, 1 twocee and sonofabitch 2nd class after its. Curtiss sb2c helldiver curtiss sb2c5 helldiver buno. The curtiss sb2c helldiver was the last dive bomber in u. Initial teething problems left many wishing they had kept their dependable dauntlesses. This 1945 manufactured sb2c5 is 85% complete and could be restored to airworthy condition again. The curtiss sb2c helldiver was a carrierbased dive bomber aircraft used by the united states navy during world war ii. All results related to curtiss sb2c helldiver found on 80 scale modeling websites and the scalemates kit database. Although it was a significant improvement over the douglas sbd dauntless, offering a big increase in speed, it arrived too late to take part in the major carrier battles of the war, and was not popular with its pilots, earning the nicknames the beast and sonofabitch 2nd. T ough 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. Curtiss manufactured 900 fixedwing a25 dive bombers at its st. Fairchild and curtiss wright patches miscellaneous. The curtiss sb2c helldiver is a singleengine twoseat carrierbased dive bomber aircraft produced by the usamerican manufacturer curtisswright airplane company.
The sbw5 curtiss helldiver was built by fairchild of canada and. Photo taken at oshkosh wittman regional osh kosh in wisconsin, usa on july 30, 2011. Anthony wallace displays the insignia of his grandfathers divebomber squadron, vmsb244, the bombing banshees, beside the museums curtiss sb2c helldiver. The west texas wing of the commemorative air force proudly presents the worlds only flying example of the curtiss wright sb2c helldiver, the last true dive bomber produced for the us navy. In 1982, it experienced engine failure and a hard emergency landing that caused extensive damage. The west texas wing of the commemorative air force proudly presents the worlds only flying example of the curtisswright sb2c helldiver, the last true dive bomber produced for the us navy. When the helldivers were first delivered they were so poorly manufactured that some broke in half on landing and wings fell apart in a dive. Despite its size, the sb2c was much faster than the sbd it replaced.
Curtiss sb2c5 helldiver of attack squadron 5a va5a with hook down during operations from a unknown carrier. Seen behind the corsairs are curtiss sb2c5 helldivers and eastern tbm3e avengers. Curtiss sb2c helldiver the second dive bomber to be made by curtiss under the name helldiver, the sb2c was the last in a long line of pure dive bomber designs. However, a large number of modifications and additions to the design slowed its entry into the war. While being piloted by chief aviation pilot robert w. Although the prototype flew during november of 1940, the first operational combat missions were not flown until november 11th 1943 because of many teething problems. The caf helldiver number 32 flown by pilot mark allen is the sb2c5 model.
Old kit, raised panel lines, sliding canopies, folding wings, retractable landing gear, movable arrestor hook, functioning bomb bay doors, mulitipart greenhouse canopy history. Curtiss sb2c5 helldiver national air and space museum. It replaced the douglas sbd dauntless in us navy service. Originally designed in a competition to replace the aging sbc biplane series, the sb2c faced off against brewsters entry the xsb2a buccaneer with the sb2c coming out the eventual winner. Admittedly, i am not intimate with the histories of either company but after looking on line for a while i could not find any reference to the two companies ever being connected in any way.
This helldiver never saw combat, having reached guam before the war ended. Curtiss sb2c5 helldiver in mary baker engen restoration h. A collections specialist examines the center wing section of the curtiss sb2c5 helldiver in the mary baker engen restoration hangar at the steven f. This helldiver is painted in the colors of the carrier uss franklin cv during world war 2. Large scale production was quickly authorised and it entered us navy service in 1942. One curtiss sb2c5 helldiver was restored in 1997 and is displayed in the hellenic air force museum. Curtiss sb2c5 helldiver dive bombers of bombing squadron vb89 are lined up for launch on the flight deck of the uss antietam cv36, 1945. On november 15, 1943 the squadron started to receive the sb2c1c curtiss helldiver. Helldivers made their first operational sortie on 11 november, 1943 when they attacked the japanese held port of rabaul. Blacksheep squadron patch from grandfathers flight jacket. One of them is sewn to a larger curtiss wright patch. The sb2c4 had a higher cruising speed and greater range without drop tanks than the tbm avenger, and a significantly higher top speed. Udvarhazy center in chantilly, va the curtiss sb2c5 helldiver is the first aircraft planned for restoration in the mary baker engen restoration hangar.
Squadron sb2c5 helldivers fly over boulder dam in 1948. Museum conservation and restoration specialists describe the process of restoring the curtiss sb2c5 helldiver in the mary baker engen restoration hangar at the steven f. Now is your chance to purchase an extraordinarily historic and rare wwii carrier divebomber. The first world war 2 navy squadron to be equipped with the helldiver was vs9 in december, 1942. Curtiss sb2c helldiver no 1 and 2 designed to a us navy specification for a new scoutbomber to replace the earlier biplane sbc helldiver, the first curtiss xsb2c helldiver was flown in 1940. Initially poor handling characteristics and late modifications caused lengthy delays to.
A nonflying helldiver is on display at new york citys intrepid seaairspace museum. Requiring a crew of 3, the aircraft was powered by a single wright r26008 cyclone radial engine. The curtiss sb2c helldiver, also known as the curtiss a25 shrike, was a dive bomber developed by curtisswright during world war ii. Curtiss sb2c5 helldivers saw a relatively brief combat service and were gradually phased out by 1953. Udvarhazy center the helldiver was developed as a dive bomber for the us navy. Curtiss sb2c helldiver wikipedia republished wiki 2. By the middle of 1944, most of the bugs had been ironed out of the beast and the sb2c4 became the standard issue of bombing and scouting squadrons. Navy in may 1939 to replace the douglas sbd dauntless as the dive bomber on us aircraft carriers. The french aeronavale flew the helldiver from 19511958. The curtiss sb2c helldiver was a carrier based, two crew dive bomber and was to replace the sbd dauntless. This lateproduction helldiver, built in 1945, makes frequent air show appearances.
Uss randolph cv15 in a photo dated 5 november 1944. Lusine curtiss received as the brewster a command of the u. Around 7000 of them were built before italian air force retired the last one in 1959. In the spring of 1949, american aid provided the hellenic air force with 42 curtiss sb2c5 helldivers from surplus u. Curtiss sb2c helldiver carrierborne attack plane, photo, technical data. See my other fun and exciting models in more auctions and sales i ship your kits safely in boxes fast 283348191790. Between 1949 and 1954, france bought 110 sb2c5 helldiver aircraft to replace their aging sbd5 dauntless that had been flying in combat in vietnam. The curtiss sb2c helldiver was a carrierbased dive bomber aircraft produced for the united states navy during world war ii. The sb2c5 was closer to the divebomber the navy originally wanted, in terms of overall performance, and eliminated many of the shortcomings of the earlier versions. The curtiss sb2c helldiver was the main us navy dive bomber during the last two years of the second world war. The curtiss sb2c helldiver known as the a25 shrike in usaaf service was a carrierborne dive bomber first flown in late 1940 and used mainly by the united states navy. Curtiss sb2c helldiver specifications technical data. Smithsonian national air and space museum 17,072 views.
Of course, that judgement is no reflection on the crews who had to fly the beast, who were as brave, skilled, and. Some comparisons to other navy aircraft are enlightening. The curtiss sb2c helldiver, also known as the curtiss a25 shrike, was a dive bomber developed by curtiss wright during world war ii. More than 7,000 were built despite issues during its production phase and the fact that it had poor handling characteristics. A1 curtiss hydroaeroplane originally an amphibian, and the navys first. Air power series ha2210 curtiss sb2c4 helldiver white 80 of vb85 uss shangrila, 1945 material. The helldiver scored more dive bombing sinkings of enemy ships than any other allied dive bomber. Navy bombing squadrons flew helldiver divebombers against japan from november 1943 to the wars end. I recently picked up these fairchild aircraft patches, and had a question. Carrier based the curtisswright sb2c helldiver was designed for the us navy to be a carrier based dive bomber. Harry caldwell in the dark pea jacket is standing sixth from. Collections specialist scott wood examines the engine of the curtiss sb2c5 helldiver in the mary baker engen restoration hangar at the steven f. There are only six complete helldivers in existence, and only one is airworthy.
As an carrierbased bomber with the united states navy usn, in pacific theaters, it supplemented and replaced the douglas sbd dauntless. When the uss kitty hawk collided with a soviet submarine. This version remained in active navy service until replaced by the douglas ad skyraider. Despite its somewhat mixed reputation with american pilots, it was extremely effective during the war. Typically a centurion patch is issued and proudly worn on the flight jacket. While it had a shaky start in the beginning and it maybe it wasnt pleasant to look at, one still has to admit, in the end it got the job done. These were supplemented and were eventually replaced by the ultimate helldiver, the sb2c5. Lead pilot mark allen talks about the curtisswright sb2c helldiver navy bomber. While often maligned by some critics, the sb2cs were responsible for more ship tonnage sunk during wwii than any other aircraft. Smedley of long beach, ca on route from naval air station astoria to san diego, march 31, 1948 ultimate destination was corpus cristi to be mothballed, this particular aircraft crashed and he was killed while apparently trying to bail out near rockaway beach, oregon shrouds of the chute were.
The helldivers performance has been maligned by many critics, frequently without regard to the facts. The curtiss sb2c helldiver was a rather unassuming dive bomber reconnaissance aircraft serving throughout world war 2 beginning in 1943. Fairchild and curtiss wright patches posted in miscellaneous other. Nikon d800 afs nikkor 80400mm photo taken at washington dulles international iad kiad in virginia, usa on february 24, 2015. Curtisswright sb2c helldiver commemorative air force caf. Dictionary of american naval aviation squadrons naval history.
Designed as a twoseat scout and dive bomber for the u. The curtiss sb2c helldiver has a mixed record depending on the model, the time period and who you talk to. Delivered to the navy as buno 83589 on july 5, 1945 and removed from service in 1948. The sb2c4 and sb2c5, more than 3,000 of which were built, were developments of the sb2c3 with perforated wing flaps and underwing bomb racks under the outer wings for eight 115mm rockets. Navy curtiss sb2c5 helldiver of attack squadron va34 black panthers, carrier air group 3 cvg3, pictured in the midst of a spectacular barrier crash on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier uss kearsarge cv33 during operations in the atlantic ocean, in 1948. Curtiss sb2c5 helldiver aviation photos on jetphotos. N92879 fina caf airsho 2008 midland, texas this aircrafts markings are those of the essex class carrier franklin cv. History deserves to be remembered recommended for you. A few were in use until 1957 as photographic aircraft. Curtiss sb2c helldiver, hobbymaster and aviation 72 latest. Here is my airfix 172 curtiss sb2c helldiver finished oob as an sb2c4, number 207 of vb83 on board the uss essex in april of 1945.
Greek sb2c5 helldivers had minor changes for their coin operations. Sb2c4 helldiver the curtiss sb2c helldiver was intended to be an advanced and better dive bomber to replace the ageing sbd dauntless in november 1943. Hello i make leather flying unit patches, usaaf usn usmc,ww2 era. The helldivers replaced the aging douglas dauntless on the u. Berrett gallagher in the rear seat of a curtiss helldiver after landing on their. Curtiss sb2c5 helldiver in mary baker engen restoration hangar. This squadron was heavily involved in operations supporting the okinawa invasion and the sinking of the japanese battleship yamato, one of the two largest battleships ever constructed. The curtiss sb2c helldiver was a standard us navy carrierborne dive bomber of wwii. Sb2c helldiver curtiss dive bomber of world war two.
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