“KNOWN TO CREWS AS ‘THE BEAST’ OR THE ‘SON OF A BITCH 2ND CLASS’, THE SB2C ENDED UP BEING THE USN’S MOST COMMON DIVE BOMBER”
he Curtiss SB2C Helldiver (not to be confused with the earlier, biplane Curtiss SBC Helldiver) was designed to an ambitious set of specifications published by the United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) in 1938. They required a modern, fast, long-range monoplane dive bomber with internal bomb bay and powerful engine. Such was the
