SBD Dauntless Units of World War 2 (Osprey Combat Aircraft 10) [Paperback]

Barrett Tillman (Author), Tom Tullis (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 27, 1998 | Series: Combat Aircraft (Book 10)

Unquestionably the most successful dive-bomber ever to see frontline service with any air arm, the Douglas SBD Dauntless was the scourge of the Japanese Imperial Fleet in the crucial years of the Pacific War of World War II (1939-1945). The revolutionary all-metal stressed-skin design of the SBD exhibited airframe strength that made it an ideal dive-bomber, its broad wing, with horizontal centre section and sharply tapered outer panels with dihedral, boasting perforated split flaps that doubled as dive brakes during the steep bombing attacks

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The impact of the battles the Dauntless participated is hard to calculate, but author Tillman brings forth many interesting facts, in particular that the statistic that the few SBD crews that served in the Pacific at the start of the war, patrolling the largest geographical area of any air unit in the world. Arguably, they had the greatest impact on their theater of war, participating in so many turning point battles, and flying to victory. For anyone interested in the history of the Dauntless and its crews, this book will have much to offer, for first time readers, and seasoned historians alike." -www.pacificwrecks.com

From the Publisher

Osprey's Combat series combines the best archival photography available with specially commissioned artworks and first hand accounts, making these books favourites amongst historians, modellers and aviation enthusiasts everywhere.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 100 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (November 27, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855327325
• ISBN-13: 978-1855327320
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #931,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barrett Tillman (b. 1948) was born into a NE Oregon ranching family and developed an early interest in aviation history. He learned to fly as a teenager, was first published at age 15, and graduated from the University of Oregon with a journalism degree in 1971. He has worked as a newspaper reporter, book publisher, and magazine editor, but has been self employed all but seven years since graduating from college. Though best known for his histories of US naval aviation, he also has published six novels plus short stories, and has sold a screenplay.

Tillman continues writing nonfiction books and has written more than 550 articles in the US and abroad. He frequently appears as a commentator on TV documentaries in addition to his speaking appearances. The recipient of six writing awards, he lives with his wife in Arizona.

Tillman's web site and blog are found at www.btillman.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wanted more..., March 8, 2007

By 

gameplayer - See all my reviews

This review is from: SBD Dauntless Units of World War 2 (Osprey Combat Aircraft 10) (Paperback)

I enjoyed Mr. Tillman's book, but as an aviation "techno-nut" was a bit disappointed with this book's overall short length. I suppose that's the problem with this sort of work: it's an excellent introduction to the subject with plenty of supporting details, but for hardcore readers such as myself who want all the bureau numbers of the a/c involved, we always scream for more in depth coverage no matter what.

Despite appearing to damn this book with faint praise, I do recommend it highly to anyone who wants to know more about the development, deployment, and history of the venerable SBD. Mr. Tillman's experience in refurbishing an SBD years ago gives his writing a weight not always found in this sort of work, and his use of primary sources was very well done. In fact, this is mainly why I was upset with the shortness of this book: what he did write was so good, I wanted more.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Illustrations Disappointing, December 13, 2009

By 

Treybien (Baton Rouge, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SBD Dauntless Units of World War 2 (Osprey Combat Aircraft 10) (Paperback)

Barrett Tillman, as usual, does an excellent job in describing his topic. However, the "Colour Plates" are very much off the mark. The only blue colors to be seen in the entire gallery are in the insignia of the aircraft. This is unfortunate, as the USN "tricolor" camoflague pattern (dark sea blue, intermediate blue, and insignia white) is shown in two differing shades of grey and one of offwhite. Personally, I find the tricolor pattern to be very attractive, so I was disappointed in this depiction. Further, the earlier pattern (blue grey topside color with light grey undersides) is depicted as two differing shades of grey. My copy of the book is not unique; I have viewed a different copy of this book, and it also has the same lack of authentic color in its "Colour Plates."

If you are looking for a book to provide examples for painting models, this is not for you. If you want a good read about the best dive bomber of World War II, then this will do fine.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SBD DAUNTLESS UNITS OF WORLD WAR II, July 6, 2008

By 

L. Dequesada (JAMAICA,, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SBD Dauntless Units of World War 2 (Osprey Combat Aircraft 10) (Paperback)

The Douglas SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber was besides the German Ju-87 Stuka Dive Bomber, the most successful of its kind during WW-II. It inflicted irreparable damage to the Imperial Japanese fleet, during various key Pacific battles like The Coral Sea, Midway,the Mariana Islands, the Philippines,the Aleutians,etc. The Dauntless saw action in most battles of the Pacific. Former President George Bush,Sr. flew several missions in this workhorse of the U.S.Naval Air Forces and he was shot down once during one of those missions. The British and Free French also flew the Dauntless Dive Bomber in both the Pacific and European theatres.

Definitely an old classic and one of the most remarkable aircraft of World War II.