CURTISS SB2C HELLDIVER

SB2C-4E of VB6 in 1945

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was the US Navy's principal dive bomber during the latter part of WWII.

First entering combat at Rabaul in November 1943, by the middle of 1944 it had completely replaced its predecessor,the Douglas SBD Dauntless, aboard the fast carriers. Following the Marianas operation in June and July 1944 SB2C squadrons participated in the advance through the western Pacific, via the Palaus and Philippines, to Okinawa and the Japanese home islands.Post-WWII, Helldivers continued to serve in USN carrier bombing/attack squadrons until early 1949.

Foreign use of the aircraft included employment by the Greek Air Force in that country's civil war of 1949, and carrier operations over Indochina by the French Navy from 1951 to 1954. In the early fifties it also saw service with France, Italy and Portugal for anti-submarine warfare.

This website is dedicated to all those who designed, built, flew and maintained the '2C', and especially to Roland W. Holmes, SB2C Project Engineer & Chief Field Engineer, Curtiss-Wright, Columbus

March 2009

If any relatives of former Helldiver pilots or crewmen are trying to discover more about their operational service I shall be pleased to try and assist.

On account of some entries going missing and others being cut short, I have removed the old Guestbook and substituted a new one in the hope that it will prove more reliable. Please feel free to leave your comments.

October 2009

As Geocities is closing later this month I have moved this site's pages to a new domain and invite you to continue your visits at:

WWW.SB2C.CO.UK

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