CURTISS SB2C – HELLDIVER
Prix régulier 120,00 € TTC 6%
Characteristics
| Book cover finish | Perfect paperback |
| Condition | Used good |
| Number of pages | 224 |
| Published date | 2004 |
| Language | English |
| Collection / Series | CROWOOD AVIATION SERIES |
| Size | 22.86 x 28.58 x 1.91 cm |
| Author | Peter C. Smith |
| Editor | The Crowood Press Ltd |
Description
THE MASSIVE CURTISS SB2C HELLDIVER was designed to replace the aging Douglas SBD Dauntless and became the most famous monoplane dive bomber built by the company. The first large order for the United States Navy was placed on 19 November 1940, three weeks before the ill-fated prototype first flew. Serious problems and subsequent design changes delayed the project, and deliveries began only in December 1942. The type did not reach operational effectiveness until November 1943, with its debut against the Japanese base of Rabaul in the South Pacific.
Helldivers went on to become the mainstay of the US Navy's offensive in the Pacific, with factories in America and Canada producing over 7,000 airframes. Of these, 900 were built as A-25As for the USAAF and were transferred to the Marine Corps. Later versions of the Helldiver remained in service after the war, and others were exported.
Aviation historian and dive bomber expert Peter C. Smith tells the too-often neglected story of the Helldiver, from its troubled start to its successes, in this informative and well-illustrated account.
Source: Publisher's summary printed on cover