Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

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Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use American English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox aircraft

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was a dive bomber developed by Curtiss-Wright during World War II. As a carrier-based bomber with the United States Navy (USN), in Pacific theaters, it supplemented and replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless. A few survivors are extant.

Initially poor handling characteristics and late modifications caused lengthy delays to production and deployment, to the extent that it was investigated by the Truman Committee, which turned in a scathing report. This contributed to the decline of Curtiss as a company. Neither pilots nor aircraft carrier skippers seemed to like it.<ref name="Ethell 1995, p. 221">Ethell 1995, p. 221.</ref> Nevertheless, the Helldiver was faster than the Dauntless, and by the end of the Pacific War, the Helldiver had become the main dive bomber and attack aircraft on USN carriers.<ref name="Ethell 1995, p. 221">Ethell 1995, p. 221.</ref>

By the time a land-based variant, known as the A-25 Shrike, became available in late 1943, the Western Allied air forces had abandoned dedicated dive-bombers. A majority of A-25s delivered to the US Army Air Forces were transferred to the US Marine Corps, which used the type only in one side campaign and non-combat roles. The British Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force also cancelled substantial orders,<ref name="Wilson">Template:Cite book</ref> retaining only a few aircraft for research purposes.

Nicknames for the aircraft included "Big-Tailed Beast" or just "Beast",<ref name="Proceedings">O'Rourke, G.G, CAPT USN. "Of Hosenoses, Stoofs, and Lefthanded Spads." United States Naval Institute Proceedings, July 1968.</ref> "Two-Cee", and "Son-of-a-Bitch 2nd Class"; the latter nickname was derived from the name SB2C and the aircraft's reputation for having difficult handling characteristics.<ref>Shettle 2001, p. 29.</ref>

Design and development

File:XSB2C-1 18Dec1940.jpg
Curtiss XSB2C Helldiver prototype on its maiden flight

The Helldiver was developed to replace the Douglas SBD Dauntless. It was a much larger aircraft, able to operate from the latest aircraft carriers and carry a considerable array of armament. Despite this, the Navy also required two aircraft to fit onto an Essex-class carrier's elevators, requiring an exceptionally short airplane. It featured an internal bomb bay that reduced drag when carrying heavy ordnance. The Navy's requirements led to a plane with the contradictory requirements of being larger than any other carrier aircraft on the inside while being sharply size-restricted on the outside. Saddled with demanding requirements set forth by both the U.S. Marines and United States Army Air Forces, the manufacturer incorporated features of a "multi-role" aircraft into the design.<ref>Winchester 2004, p. 63.</ref>

The Model XSB2C-1 prototype initially suffered development issues connected to its Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone engine and three-bladed propeller; further concerns included structural weaknesses, poor handling, directional instability, and bad stall characteristics.<ref>"SB2C Helldiver Curtiss dive bomber: "Helldiver!" What a great name!" acepilots.com. Retrieved: 18 March 2010.</ref><ref name="Historynet p. 3">Guttman, Robert. "Curtiss SB2C Helldiver: The Last Dive Bomber," p. 3. Template:Webarchive Aviation History via historynet.com, July 2000. Retrieved: 18 March 2010.</ref> In 1939, a student took a model of the new Curtiss XSB2C-1 to the MIT wind tunnel. Professor of Aeronautical Engineering Otto C. Koppen was quoted as saying, "if they build more than one of these, they are crazy". He was referring to controllability issues with the small vertical tail.<ref>Abzug and Larrabee 1997, p. 92.</ref>

The first prototype made its maiden flight on 18 December 1940.<ref name="Bowers p424">Bowers 1979, p. 424.</ref> It crashed on 8 February 1941 when its engine failed on approach, but Curtiss was asked to rebuild it. The fuselage was lengthened and a larger tail was fitted, while an autopilot was fitted to help the poor stability. The revised prototype flew again on 20 October 1941, but was destroyed when its wing failed during diving tests on 21 December 1941.<ref name="Donald p76-7">Donald 1995, pp. 76–77.</ref><ref name="Bowers p424-5">Bowers 1979, pp. 424–425.</ref>

Large-scale production had already been ordered on 29 November 1940, but a large number of modifications were specified for the production model. Fin and rudder area were increased, fuel capacity was increased, self-sealing fuel tanks were added, and the fixed armament was doubled to four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in the wings, compared with the prototype's two cowling guns. The SB2C-1 was built with larger fuel tanks, improving its range considerably.

The program suffered so many delays that the Grumman TBF Avenger entered service before the Helldiver, even though the Avenger had begun its development two years later. Nevertheless, production tempo accelerated with production at Columbus, Ohio and two Canadian factories: Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada), which produced 300 (under the designations XSBF-l, SBF-l, SBF-3, and SBF-4E), and Canadian Car and Foundry, which built 894 (designated SBW-l, SBW-3, SBW-4, SBW-4E, and SBW-5), these models being respectively equivalent to their Curtiss-built counterparts. A total of 7,140 SB2Cs and equivalent models were produced in World War II.<ref>Taylor 1969, p. 480.</ref>

Operational history

US Navy

File:SB2Cs from USS Yorktown (CV-10) off Iwo Jima.jpg
SB2C-4 from Yorktown off Iwo Jima

The U.S. Navy would not accept the SB2C until 880 modifications<ref name="Historynet p. 3"/> to the design and the changes on the production line had been made, delaying the Curtiss Helldiver's combat debut until 11 November 1943 with squadron VB-17 on Template:USS, when they attacked the Japanese-held port of Rabaul on the island of New Britain, north of Papua New Guinea.<ref name="Historynet p. 3"/> The first version of the SB2C-1 was kept stateside for training, its various development problems leading to only 200 being built. The first deployment model was the SB2C-1C.<ref name="Goebel">Goebel, Greg. Template:Usurped Vector site, 1 November 2010.</ref> The SB2C-1 could deploy slats mechanically linked with landing gear actuators, that extended from the outer third of the wing leading edge to aid lateral control at low speeds. The early prognosis of the "Beast" was unfavourable; it was strongly disliked by aircrews due to its size, weight, and reduced range compared to the SBD it replaced.<ref>Winchester 2004, p. 62.</ref>

File:SB2Cs on USS Yorktown (CV-10) 1943.jpg
SB2C-1s in tricolor scheme (front) on the flight deck of Template:USS in 1943.

In the Battle of the Philippine Sea, 45 Helldivers, most of which had been launched from extreme range, were lost when they ran out of fuel while returning to their carriers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Among its major faults, the Helldiver was underpowered, had a shorter range than the SBD, was equipped with an unreliable electrical system, and its manufacturing quality control was often poor. The Curtiss-Electric propeller and the complex hydraulic system had frequent maintenance problems.<ref name=Tillman>Tillman 1997, p. 61.</ref> One of the faults of the aircraft throughout its operational life was poor longitudinal stability, resulting from a fuselage that was too short due to the necessity of fitting onto aircraft carrier elevators.<ref name="Historynet p. 3"/> The Helldiver's aileron response was also poor and handling suffered greatly under Template:Convert airspeed; since the speed of approach to land on a carrier was supposed to be Template:Convert, this proved problematic.<ref name="Historynet p. 3"/> The 880 changes demanded by the Navy and modification of the aircraft to its combat role resulted in a 42% weight increase, explaining much of the problem.<ref name="Historynet p. 4">Guttman, Robert. "Curtiss SB2C Helldiver: The Last Dive Bomber", p. 4. Template:Webarchive Aviation History via historynet.com, July 2000. Retrieved: 18 March 2011.</ref> Template:Check quotation

File:Curtiss SB2C take off.jpg
Curtiss SB2C Helldiver during takeoff.

The solution to these problems began with the introduction of the SB2C-3 beginning in 1944, which used the R-2600-20 Twin Cyclone engine with Template:Convert and Curtiss' four-bladed propeller. This substantially solved the chronic lack of power that had plagued the aircraft.<ref name="Goebel"/>

The Helldivers would participate in battles over the Marianas, Philippines (partly responsible for sinking the battleship Template:Ship), Taiwan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa (in the sinking of the battleship Template:Ship). They were also used in the 1945 attacks on the Ryukyu Islands and the Japanese home island of Honshū in tactical attacks on airfields, communications and shipping. They were also used extensively in patrols during the period between the dropping of the atomic bombs and the official Japanese surrender, and in the immediate pre-occupation period.

An oddity of the SB2Cs with 1942 to 1943-style tricolor camouflage was that the undersides of the outer wing panels carried dark topside camouflage because the undersurfaces were visible from above when the wings were folded.

In operational experience, it was found that the U.S. Navy's Grumman F6F Hellcat and Vought F4U Corsair fighters were able to carry an equally heavy bomb load against ground targets and were vastly more capable of defending themselves against enemy fighters.<ref name="Historynet p. 6">Guttman, Robert. "Curtiss SB2C Helldiver: The Last Dive Bomber", p. 6. Template:Webarchive Aviation History via historynet.com, July 2000. Retrieved: 18 March 2010.</ref> The Helldiver, however, could still deliver ordnance with more precision against specific targets and its two-seat configuration permitted a second set of eyes. The Helldiver also had a significant advantage in range over a fighter while carrying a bombload, which is crucial in naval operations.

The advent of air-to-ground rockets ensured that the SB2C was the last purpose-built dive bomber produced.<ref name="Historynet p. 6"/> Rockets allowed precision attack against surface naval and land targets, while avoiding the stresses of near-vertical dives and the demanding performance requirements that they placed on dive bombers.<ref name="Historynet p. 3"/>

File:SB2C-5 Helldivers roll into dives during exercise in 1947.jpg
U.S. Navy Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldivers of Attack Squadron 1A (VA-1A) "Tophatters" roll into dives to support amphibious forces during postwar landing exercise (1947)

The SB2C remained in active postwar service in active duty US Navy squadrons until 1947 and in Naval Reserve aviation units until 1950. Surplus aircraft were sold to the naval air forces of France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Thailand. Greek SB2Cs served in combat in the Greek Civil War with additional machine guns mounted in wing pods. French SB2Cs flew in the First Indochina War from 1951 to 1954.

US Army and US Marine Corps service

Built at Curtiss' St. Louis plant, 900 aircraft were ordered by the USAAF under the designation A-25A Shrike.<ref name="Stern">Stern 1982, p. 15.</ref> The first ten aircraft had folding wings, while the remainder of the production order omitted this feature. Many other changes distinguished the A-25A, including larger main wheels, a pneumatic tailwheel, ring and bead gunsight, longer exhaust stubs, and other Army-specified radio equipment. By late 1943, when the A-25A was being introduced, the USAAF no longer had a role for the dive bomber, as fighter aircraft such as the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt had shown their ability to carry out tactical air support missions with great success.

The USAAF transferred 410 Helldivers to the US Marines. The A-standard 25As were converted to the USMC variant, SB2C-1A and one squadron, VMSB-151, based on Enjebi (a.k.a. Engebi/Enjibe; part of Enewetak Atoll) conducted bombing missions on bypassed Japanese strongpoints nearby. Otherwise, the SB2C-1A variant never saw combat, and was used primarily as a trainer and target tug.<ref name="Stern"/>

Australian service

File:A-25A Shrike RAAF in flight c1943.jpeg
A69-4, the only Curtiss Shrike to enter RAAF service

At an early stage of World War II, the Australian government noted that the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) lacked dedicated dive bombers and ordered 150 Curtiss Shrikes.<ref name="RAAF Museum Curtiss Shrike">Template:Cite web</ref> These aircraft were paid for by the US Government as Lend Lease aid.<ref name="Wilson_1994_85">Wilson 1994, p. 85</ref>

By November 1943, when the first shipment of 10 Shrikes arrived in Australia, the RAAF had decided that dive bombing was an outmoded tactic. Vultee Vengeance dive bombers, which were already in service with the RAAF, were being replaced by light bombers. As a result, the order for the remaining 140 Shrikes was cancelled.<ref name="Wilson_1994_85" />

While the 10 aircraft received were taken on strength, with the RAAF serial prefix A69, only one of these Shrikes officially took to the air in RAAF service.<ref name="Wilson_1994_85" /><ref name="ADF-serials_Shrike">Template:Cite web</ref> A69-4 was assigned to No. 1 Air Performance Unit, for performance testing, between December 1943 and April 1944. The RAAF and US Fifth Air Force already operated a joint pool of aircraft types common to both services in the South West Pacific theatre and, by mid-January 1944, the other nine Shrikes had been transferred to USAAF units.<ref name="Wilson_1994_85" /> A69-4 was also transferred to the USAAF in December 1944.<ref name="Wilson_1994_85" /><ref name="ADF-serials_Shrike" />

British service

The Helldiver's service with the British resembled Australian experience with the type. A total of 26 aircraft, out of 450 ordered, were delivered to the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, where they were known as the Helldiver I. After unsatisfactory tests by the A&AEE that pinpointed "appalling handling", none of the British Helldivers were used in action.<ref>Winchester 2004, pp. 62–63.</ref>

Greek service

Template:Further American aid provided the Royal Hellenic Air Force with 48 Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldivers from surplus U.S. Navy stocks. The aircraft were delivered by the aircraft carrier USS Sicily (CVE-118) in the spring of 1949. From the 48 aircraft, 6 were used for ground instruction or spare parts and 42 were given to 336th Fighter Squadron (336 Μοίρα Διώξεως) to replace Supermarine Spitfires and the squadron's name was changed to 336th Bomber Squadron (336 Μοίρα Βομβαρδισμού).<ref name="Hellenic Helldivers">Template:Cite web</ref>

Greek SB2C-5 Helldivers had minor changes for their COIN operations: the hard rubber tailwheel (for carrier use) was replaced by a bigger pneumatic tire for use on landing strips; and the rear gunner station and its twin MGs were deleted, as no aerial opposition existed and weight reduction was used for bombs and extra machine guns.

Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldivers, Supermarine Spitfires, and North American T-6D/Gs were used in ground-attack missions against Communist ground forces, camps, and transports during the last stages of the Greek Civil War.<ref>"Supermarine Spitfire Mk VB/VC, Mk IX Lf/HF, Mk XVI." Hellenic Air Force, 2012. Retrieved: 9 August 2012.</ref><ref>"North American Aviation T-6G." Hellenic Air Force, 2012. Retrieved: 9 August 2012.</ref>

Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldivers saw a relatively brief combat service and were gradually phased out by 1953.<ref name="Hellenic Helldivers"/> A few were in use until 1957 as photographic aircraft. One Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver was restored in 1997 and is displayed in the Hellenic Air Force Museum.<ref>"Hellenic Air Force Museum Exhibits." Template:Webarchive Hellenic Air Force, 2012. Retrieved: 9 August 2012.</ref>

French service

File:Arromanches (R95) flight deck 1951.jpg
Helldivers on the flight deck of the French aircraft carrier Arromanches in 1951. At this time the ship was operating off Indochina.

Between 1949 and 1954, France bought 110 SB2C-5 Helldiver aircraft to replace their aging SBD-5 Dauntless that had been flying in combat in Vietnam.<ref>Sherman, Stephen. "SB2C Helldiver Curtiss dive bomber." Ace Pilots, 23 January 2012. Retrieved: 9 August 2012.</ref> The French Aeronavale flew the Helldiver from 1951 to 1958.

Some of these aircraft were allotted to flottilles 3F and 9F stationed on board the carriers Arromanches, Bois Belleau, and La Fayette, during the First Indochina War. The Helldivers were used to support French troops on the ground during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954.

Variants

XSB2C-1
Prototype powered by a 1,700 hp (1,268 kW) R-2600-8 engine
SB2C-1
Production version for United States Navy with four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) wing guns and one 0.30 in (7.62 mm) dorsal gun, 200 built.
SB2C-1A
Original designation for United States Army Air Corps version which became A-25A later used for 410 A-25As transferred to the United States Marine Corps.
SB2C-1C
SB2C-1 with two 20 mm (0.79 in) wing-mounted cannons and hydraulically operated flaps, 778 built. First to see combat.
XSB2C-2
One SB2C-1 fitted with twin floats in 1942.
SB2C-2
Production float plane version, 287 cancelled and not built.
XSB2C-3
One SB2C-1 re-engined with a 1,900 hp (1,417 kW) R-2600-20.
SB2C-3
As SB2C-1c re-engined with a 1,900 hp (1,417 kW) R-2600-20 and four-bladed propeller, 1,112 built.
SB2C-3E
SB2C-3s fitted with APS-4 radar.
SB2C-4
SB2C-1c but fitted with wing racks for eight 5 in (127 mm) rockets or 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs, 2,045 built.
SB2C-4E
SB2C-4s fitted with APS-4 radar.
XSB2C-5
Two SB2C-4s converted as prototypes for -5 variant.
SB2C-5
SB2C-4 with increased fuel capacity, frameless sliding canopy, tailhook fixed in extended position, and deletion of the ASB radar, 970 built (2,500 cancelled).
XSB2C-6
Two SB2C-1Cs fitted with 2,100 hp (1,566 kW) R-2600-22 engine and increased fuel capacity.
SBF-1
Canadian built version of the SB2C-1, 50 built by Fairchild-Canada
SBF-3
Canadian built version of the SB2C-3, 150 built by Fairchild-Canada.
SBF-4E
Canadian built version of the SB2C-4E, 100 built by Fairchild-Canada.
SBW-1
Canadian built version of the SB2C-1, 38 built by Canadian Car & Foundry company.
SBW-1B
Canadian built version for lend-lease to the Royal Navy as the Helldiver I, 28 aircraft built by Canadian Car & Foundry company.
SBW-3
Canadian built version of the SB2C-3, 413 built by Canadian Car & Foundry company.
SBW-4E
Canadian built version of the SB2C-4E, 270 built by Canadian Car & Foundry company.
File:USAF Curtis A-25A-5-CS Shrike in flight, Serial Number 41-187187.jpg
U.S. Army Air Force A-25 Shrike (AAF Ser. No. 41-18787) in flight.
SBW-5
Canadian-built version of the SB2C-5, 85 built (165 cancelled) by the Canadian Car & Foundry company.
A-25A Shrike
United States Army Air Corps version without arrester gear or folding wings and equipment changed, 900 built
Helldiver I
Royal Navy designation for 28 Canadian-built SBW-1Bs
B.J.3
(Template:Langx) Royal Thai Air Force designation of the SB2C-5.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Operators

Template:AUS
Template:FRA
File:Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver at the Athens War Museum on 30 July 1992.jpg
A preserved Greek SB2C-5.
Template:Flag
Template:ITA
Template:PRT
Template:THA
File:B.J3-4-94 (4) (14568831439).jpg
Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver at the Royal Thai Air Force Museum.
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Surviving aircraft

File:Curtiss SB2C Helldiver CAF.jpg
Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver (Commemorative Air Force)

NOTE: All surviving aircraft identified by original US Navy Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) Bureau Numbers (BuNo).

Greece

On display
SB2C-5

Thailand

On display
SB2C-5

United States

Airworthy
A-25A Shrike/SB2C-1A
SB2C-5
On display
SB2C-5
File:Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver 83479 at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, 10 February 2024.jpg
SB2C-5 Helldiver 83479 on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Under restoration or in storage
A-25A Shrike/SB2C-1A
SB2C-3
SB2C-4
Wrecks
  • A SB2C-4E Helldiver belonging to the United States Navy crashed and burned in foul weather on 9 October 1945, while en route from New Cumberland, Pennsylvania to its base at Naval Air Station Grosse Ile, Michigan after participating in Nimitz Day celebrations held in Washington, D.C. Pilot Frank Campbell and gunner George Cohlmia, both World War II veterans, were killed in the crash. The remains of the plane are still located at the crash site on Laurel Hill in Ligonier Township, Pennsylvania, three miles southeast of the village of Waterford.<ref>[1]Template:Dead link</ref>
  • 18400 - In January 2010, a scuba diver discovered a SB2C-1C Helldiver that was ditched in Maalaea Bay off South Maui in August 1944.<ref>Dyer, Sean. "Maui Helldiver dive bomber wreck dive SB2C-1C." Template:Webarchive bbscuba.com. Retrieved: 23 April 2010.</ref> The Helldiver was covered in coral and was missing its tail section. The aircraft experienced problems with its empennage after dive bombing maneuvers which forced pilot Lieutenant William Dill to ditch.<ref>"Accident report." Template:Webarchive US Navy via bbscuba.com. Retrieved: 23 April 2010.</ref> It lies in 50 ft of water facing east. The site, which is protected under state and federal law, is in the process of being marked with a plaque by the U.S. Navy. A mooring may be installed at a later point in time to facilitate dives on the site.<ref>Loomis. Ilima. "WWII-era plane ID’d." mauinews.com, 4 April 2010. Retrieved: 23 April 2010.</ref>
  • On 19 December 2011 scuba divers discovered an SB2C Helldiver off the coast of Jupiter, Florida. The aircraft was mostly intact and was found inverted with the landing gear retracted. In May 2012, the US Navy conducted a survey of the aircraft, recovering a data plate from the horizontal stabilizer. The Naval History and Heritage Command's Underwater Archaeology Branch were attempting to determine if the numbers stamped on the data plate were readable to identify the aircraft.<ref>"NHHC Underwater Archaeology Branch and MDSU2 Survey SB2C Helldiver Wreck." 24 May 2012. Retrieved: 7 May 2013.</ref>
SB2C-5

Specifications (SB2C-4 Helldiver)

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Curtiss SB2C Helldiver 3-view drawing

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See also

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References

Notes

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Bibliography

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  • Abzug, Malcolm J. and E. Eugene Larrabee. Airplane Stability and Control: A History of the Technologies that Made Aviation Possible (Cambridge Aerospace Series). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Template:ISBN.
  • Andrews, Harald. The Curtiss SB2C-1 Helldiver, Aircraft in Profile 124. Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile publications Ltd., 1967, reprinted 1971 and 1982. No ISBN.
  • Bowers, Peter M. Curtiss Aircraft 1907-1947. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1979. Template:ISBN.
  • Brown, Eric, CBE, DCS, AFC, RN., William Green and Gordon Swanborough. "Curtiss Helldiver". Wings of the Navy, Flying Allied Carrier Aircraft of World War Two. London: Jane's Publishing Company, 1980, pp. 90–99. Template:ISBN.
  • Crosnier, Alain and Jean-Pierre Dubois. Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless & Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver: Bombardiers en piqué de l’Aéronautique Navale (in French). Clichy-la-Garenne, France: DTU sarl., 1998. Template:ISBN.
  • Donald, David, ed. American Warplanes of World War II. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1995. Template:ISBN.
  • Drendel, Lou. U.S. Navy Carrier Bombers of World War II. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1987. Template:ISBN.
  • Ethell, L. Jeffrey. Aircraft of World War II. Glasgow: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995. Template:ISBN.
  • Forsyth, John F. Helldivers, US Navy Dive-Bombers at War. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International, 1991. Template:ISBN.
  • Kinzey, Bert. SB2C Helldiver in Detail & Scale, D&S Vol.52. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1997. Template:ISBN.
  • Ociepka, Paweł P. "Curtiss SB2C Helldiver" (in Polish). Skrzydła w miniaturze 12. Gdańsk, Poland: Avia-Press, 1995. ISSN 1234-4109.
  • Shettle, M.L. Jr. United States Marine Corps Air Stations of World War II. Bowersville, Georgia: Schaertel Publishing Co., 2001. Template:ISBN.
  • Smith, Peter C. SB2C Helldiver. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK: The Crowood Press Ltd., 1998. Template:ISBN.
  • Stern, Robert. SB2C Helldiver in Action, Aircraft Number 54. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications inc., 1982. Template:ISBN.
  • Swanborough, Gordon and Peter M. Bowers. United States Navy Aircraft since 1911. London: Putnam, Second edition, 1976. Template:ISBN.
  • Taylor, John W. R. "Curtiss SB2C/A-25 Helldiver." Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. Template:ISBN.
  • Tillman, Barrett. Helldiver Units of World War 2. London: Osprey Publishing, 1997. Template:ISBN.
  • Tillman, Barrett and Robert L. Lawson. U.S. Navy Dive and Torpedo Bombers of WWII. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motor Books Publishing, 2001. Template:ISBN.
  • Template:Cite book
  • Winchester, Jim. "Curtiss SB2C Helldiver." Aircraft of World War II: The Aviation Factfile. Kent, UK: Grange Books plc, 2004. Template:ISBN.

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