Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless

by Ben Kristy, Aviation Curator

On 1 April 2016, the National Museum of the Marine Corps reopened its doors to the public for the first time since the New Year. During this three-month closing, a number of major activities related to the Final Phase galleries and enhancements were undertaken, including the addition of a World War II Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bomber. This article explores the history of SBD in Marine Corps service and the unique history of the Museum's newest addition!

Lovingly referred to as the "Slow, But Deadly" by the Marines who flew and maintained it, the Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber was the Marine Corps' most advanced bomber at the outset of World War II. Though production of the Dauntless stopped in 1944 with roughly 5,400 manufactured, the SBD was one of only a few US naval aircraft to see action from the first day to the last day of WWII, and it served with the USMC through the entirety of the conflict.

The SBD found fame during the Battle of Midway in June 1942. In a few hours, US Navy SBD squadrons sank four Japanese aircraft carriers supporting an invasion fleet heading for the small American outpost of Midway. This action is widely seen as the "turning point" of World War II in the Pacific. During the battle Marine Scout/Bomber Squadron (VMSB) 241, equipped with a mixture of older Vought SB2U and new Douglas SBD-2s, made a valiant attack against the Japanese forces heading to Midway. The unit had recently taken delivery of its new SBD-2s and some of its pilots had less than 10 hours of flight time in the type. Nevertheless, the unit’s commanding officer, Maj Lofton Henderson, led a group of SBD-2s against the Japanese fleet. VMSB-241’s efforts came with a very high cost—only 6 of the unit’s 19 SBD-2s survived (along with only 5 SB2U Vindicators). One Dauntless returned to Midway with 259 bullet holes, and Major Henderson was killed during the action. However, the Marine’s attack disrupted the flow of flight operations aboard the Japanese carriers and helped set the stage for the dramatic sinking of the Japanese carriers at the hands of carrier based U.S. Navy SBDs.

Success at the Battle of Midway allowed the United States to make its first offensive moves of the war in the Pacific. In August 1942, Marines landed on Guadalcanal Island. Crucial to the success of the invasion were the operations of the “Cactus Air Force”—a collection of USMC, USN, and US Army Air Corps squadrons—which flew from Henderson Field (named for Major Henderson). These units flew and fought under the most austere conditions imaginable and defended the island from Japanese air assault, struck at Japanese reinforcement convoys, and performed limited close-air support missions. The SBD-3s of VMSB-232 were among the first aircraft to land at Henderson Field, and they remained engaged in heavy combat until relieved in the fall of 1942.

However, the greatest contribution that the SBD made to Marine aviation history was its role in the recapture of the Philippines by the US Army. Seven squadrons of Marine Corps SBDs provided close-air support for Army troops retaking Luzon Island from the Japanese. One early “convert” to the USMC style of close-air support was the 1st Calvary Division. Marine SBDs were over the division at all times from dawn to dusk as it moved toward Manila, scouting ahead of ground units and attacking road blocks, and clearing the path of the advancing division. Major General Verne D. Mudge, the commanding officer of the 1st Calvary Division stated:

I can say without reservation that the Marine dive bomber outfits are among the most flexible I have seen in this war. They will try anything and from my experience with them, I have found that anything they try usually pans out. The Marine dive bombers of the First Air Wing have kept the enemy on the run. They have kept him underground and enabled troops to move up with fewer casualties and with greater speed. I cannot say enough in praise of these men of the dive bombers…

The Marine close-air support operations in the Philippines—mostly conducted by SBD squadrons—illustrated the value of the USMC close-air support system and set the stage for the use of USMC airpower in Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and OEF/OIF. That’s not bad for an aircraft that was deemed to be obsolete not long after it reached the peak of its fame in the summer of 1942!

NMMC' SBD-3 (Bureau Number 06583) was accepted on 24 August 1942 and served with a number of USMC units, but it did not go overseas. Transferred to the Navy, the aircraft was lost in Lake Michigan in the fall of 1943 in a flight accident during carrier qualifications. In 1991, the aircraft was recovered by A and T Recovery at the request of the National Museum of Naval Aviation (NMNA). Aside from damage caused during the initial crash and from dragging boat anchors, the aircraft was in remarkably good overall condition.

The NMNA performed an initial restoration and placed the aircraft on display in the 1990s. The Marine Corps Air/Ground Museum acquired the aircraft in a trade/exchange agreement with the NMNA in 2002 and the aircraft arrived at Quantico in 2005. NMMC's intention was to display the aircraft in its WWII Gallery over the GPW Jeep. However, upon inspection when the aircraft arrived at Quantico, it was discovered that several inches of Lake Michigan sediment were still present in the outer wing panels and that corrosion had severely weakened several structural members, making the aircraft unsuited for suspension. It was not until 2009 and the initiation of the Final Phase project that the SBD got a "second chance" at being displayed and a full restoration began.

Over the next six years, the NMMC restoration team (with substantial assistance from a dedicated team of volunteers) completely disassembled and rebuilt the aircraft. Thanks to the efforts of Major John (Jack) Elliott, USMC (Ret.), noted aviation historian and NMMC docent, the Museum had on hand a nearly complete set of original Douglas SBD factory drawings. Using these drawings, numerous individual parts were either replicated or repaired, allowing the NMMC restorations team to undo the damage caused by submersion in Lake Michigan and make the aircraft safe for display in the Museum.

NMMC's aviation curator elected to mark the aircraft in the colors of the SBD-3 (MB-21) flown by then Major Richard C. Mangrum (later Lieutenant General Mangrum) and his gunner/radio operator Corporal Dennis E. Byrd on 25 August 1942. At the time, Major Mangrum was the commanding officer of VMSB-232, which landed at Henderson Field on 20 August 1942 as the first elements of what would become the "Cactus Air Force." In the early morning hours of 25 August 1942, Major Mangrum led a mixed flight of eight USMC/USN SBDs against a troop convoy bringing Japanese reinforcements to Guadalcanal. Mangrum located the convoy—made up of a cruiser, 11 destroyers, and 4 transports—and targeted the cruiser. Unfortunately, the bomb carried by Mangrum’s aircraft failed to release. After the other aircraft completed their dives and cleared the area, Mangrum and Byrd elected to make a second solo attack against the convoy. This time the bomb released, and Mangrum claimed a hit upon the Japanese transport Boston Maru. The Japanese convoy reversed course without landing the reinforcements. For his actions on 25 August 1942, Major Mangrum received the Navy Cross.

Using previously unpublished images found at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division, of VMSB-232 aircraft taken shortly after their arrival on Guadalcanal for guidance, the NMMC restoration team painstakingly applied a faithful paint scheme and spent hours ensuring that the imperfections (i.e., variations in character thickness, etc.) seen in the hand-taped individual markings were recreated. More than 60,000 hours were required to fully restore the aircraft, and more than 8,000 rivets were replaced in the center section alone!

Seventy plus years after BuNo 06583 was lost in Lake Michigan, the fully restored aircraft was suspended in a 40-degree dive—with its full span dive breaks in the open position—within NMMC's Leatherneck Gallery. Today BuNo 06583 is one of the finest examples of a Douglas SBD Dauntless on display anywhere in the world and is a fitting tribute to the contributions and sacrifices made by all Marine SBD Dauntless units.

This image of a VMSB-232 (ship MB-26) taken on Guadalcanal not long after the unit landed at Henderson Field on 20 August 1942 helped determine the markings and paint scheme on NMMC’s Dauntless.

BuNo 06583 emerged from Lake Michigan in 1991, having rested at a depth of 150 feet since 1943. Photo courtesy of A and T Recovery.

To ensure that the SBD-3 could be safely suspended, the NMMC restoration team broke the aircraft down completely before rebuilding it. Badly corroded structural pieces were replaced, but much of the original airframe was retained.

This image of the badly pitted rudder pedals and a structural member illustrates the level of damage caused to some components of the SBD-3 by decades of submersion in Lake Michigan. The NMMC restoration team was able to produce replica components to Douglas factory specifications.

Environmental problems with NMMC’s restoration facility aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico put a temporary halt to the final reassembly and painting of the aircraft in mid-2015. Thankfully, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air & Space Museum graciously provided space at its Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center to complete the work.

Prior to being suspended in NMMC’s central Leatherneck Gallery, the aircraft passed a full load test. This was the first sustained “flight” that BuNo 06583 had completed since being lost in Lake Michigan in 1943!

NMMC’s SBD-3 is now in place among other iconic Marine Corps aircraft displayed in Leatherneck Gallery.