World War 2 In Review No. 8: Warplanes

By Merriam Press

Merriam Press World War 2 In Review Series

2023 eBook Edition

This issue presents articles on the following World War II warplane topics:

(1) Curtiss SBC Helldiver

(2) Regia Aeronautica Aircraft Used in World War II

(3) Aeronautica Umbra Trojani AUT.18

(4) Regia Aeronautica Camouflage and Markings

(5) Saunders Roe (Saro) London

(6) Amiot 350 Series

(7) Hawker Hart

(8) Noorduyn Norseman

(9) ANF Les Mureaux 113

427 B&W and color photos and illustrations

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jul 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781387069019

Book preview

Curtiss SBC Helldiver: American Scout/Dive Bomber

The Curtiss SBC Helldiver was a two-seat scout bomber and dive bomber built by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. It was the last military biplane procured by the United States Navy. Delivered in 1937, it became obsolete even before World War II and was kept well away from combat with Axis fighters.

There was controversy in the United States Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) in the early 1930s regarding two-seat fighter planes, monoplanes and the retractable undercarriage. In 1931, the Navy issued Design Specification No. 113, which detailed a requirement for a high-performance fighter with fixed undercarriage to be powered by the Wright R-1510 or Pratt & Whitney's R-1535 radial engine. Seven companies submitted proposals and two companies, the Douglas Aircraft with their XFD-1 and the Chance Vought with their XF3U-1 were given contracts for one prototype each. Both of these aircraft were two-seat biplanes. The Navy then asked Curtiss to supply a prototype of a two-seat monoplane which was technically more advanced.

On 30 June 1932, BuAer signed a contract with Curtiss to design a two-seat monoplane with a parasol wing a retractable undercarriage and powered by a 625 hp (466 kW) Wright R-1510-92 fourteen cylinder, two row, air-cooled radial engine driving a two-blade propeller. This fighter was designated XF12C-1.

The SBC was an all-metal, two-seat scout-bomber biplane with I-type interplane struts. It was the last combat biplane the Navy purchased and the last combat biplane manufactured in the United States. The two crewmen, pilot and radio operator/gunner, were housed in tandem cockpits enclosed by a sliding canopy and the turtledeck behind the rear cockpit could be folded down to allow the gunner to use his machine gun. The wings, rudder, elevators and flaps were fabric covered. The main landing gear retracted into wheel wells in the fuselage just forward of the lower wing and the tail wheel retracted into the fuselage.

XF12C-1 (Curtiss Model 73): This aircraft was initially powered by a Wright R-1510-92 engine but this was unsuitable so the aircraft was re-engined with a 775 hp (578 kW) Wright R-1670 fourteen cylinder, two row, air-cooled radial engine, which was also unsatisfactory. Both of these engines were prototypes and neither went into production. Finally, the 700 hp (522 kW) Wright R-1820-80 nine cylinder, single row, air-cooled radial engine was installed and the resulting aircraft, designated XF12C-1 flew in 1933. Designed for aircraft carrier usage, the parasol wing folded back, a new feature for the Navy, for storage and the aircraft had an exposed tail hook for carrier landings. The first flight was in July 1933 but in September 1934, the parasol wing failed in the dive bomber tests.

XS4C-1 (Curtiss Model 73): After tests. the XF12C-1 was not accepted as a fighter and on 7 December 1933, this aircraft was redesignated in the scout category as the XS4C-1 and re-engined with a 700 hp (522 kW) Wright R-1820-80 nine-cylinder, single-row, air-cooled radial engine driving a two-blade propeller. In its role as a scouting aircraft, bombing equipment for a 500-pound (227-kilogram) bomb had to be designed and provided.

XSBC-1 (Curtiss Model 73): In January 1934 the designation scout bomber (SB) was introduced and the aircraft was finally redesignated XSBC-1. In early 1934 flight tests, especially dive-bombing, began. On 14 June 1934 this aircraft crashed- attributed to wing failure- in Lancaster, New York, about 6 mi (9.66 km) from the Curtiss plant, during one of the tests and it was destroyed.

XSBC-2 (Curtiss Model 77): Curtiss-Wright made a proposal to the Navy to build one replacement aircraft that would be a staggered wing biplane, would not have folding wings but would have leading edge slots and the lower wing would have full span flaps. It was an all-metal aircraft with fabric covered control surfaces. It was powered by a 700 hp (522 kW) Wright XR-1510-12 fourteen-cylinder, twin-row, air-cooled engine driving a constant speed Curtiss Electric three-blade propeller, an enlarged canopy, enlarged vertical fin and rudder and retractable tail hook. The XSBC-2 had to engage in competitive tests against the Great Lakes Aircraft's XB2G-1 and the Grumman Aircraft Engineering's XSBF-1. The XSBC-2 won and a contract for this aircraft was signed in April 1935 and it made its first flight on 9 December 1935.

XSBC-3 (Curtiss Model 77): The Wright XR-1510-12 engine in the XSBC-2 proved to be mechanically unreliable. In March 1936, this aircraft was re-engined with a 700 hp (522 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1535-82 fourteen-cylinder, twin-row, air-cooled engine driving a three-blade propeller and redesignated XSBC-3. With this new configuration, the Navy placed a production order.

SBC-3 (Curtiss Model 77A): The major difference between the prototype XSBC-3 and the production aircraft was the engine. A contract for 83 aircraft was signed in August 1936 and deliveries began on 17 July 1937. The production aircraft were powered by an 825 hp (615 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1535-94 fourteen-cylinder, twin-row, air-cooled engine driving a three-blade propeller. Armament consisted of two 0.30-caliber (7.62 mm) machine guns, one fixed gun in the right side of the fuselage forward of the pilot and a flexible gun in the rear cockpit. The aircraft had a bomb displacement swing located on the centerline of the fuselage for a 500-lb (227-kg) bomb or a 45-U.S.-gallon (170-liter) fuel tank.

XSBC-4 (Curtiss Model 77B): The 76th SBC-3 was re-engined with a 950-hp (708 kW) Wright R-1820-22 nine-cylinder, single-row, air-cooled radial engine driving a three-blade Hamilton Standard propeller and redesignated XSBC-4. The aircraft armament increased to one 0.50-caliber (12.7-mm) fixed machine gun in the right side of the fuselage forward of the pilot and a 0.30-caliber (7.62-mm) flexible machine gun in the rear cockpit. With the more powerful engine, this aircraft could carry a 1,000-lb (454-kg) bomb on the bomb displacement swing located on the centerline of the fuselage. A second SBC-3 was redesignated XSBC-4 and used for test work.

SBC-4 (Curtiss Model 77B): The contract for 124 production aircraft of the XSBC-4 was signed on 5 January 1938 and deliveries began in March 1939 to April 1941.

Operational History

U.S. Navy

In August 1936, the Navy signed a contract for 83 SBC-3s (Curtiss Model 77A). Delivery of the SBC-3s to the fleet began on 17 July 1937 when the first aircraft were issued to Scouting Squadron Five (VS-5) serving in USS Yorktown (CV-5) however, Yorktown was not commissioned until 30 September 1937 and the ship then began sea trials. On 10 December 1937, VS-5 went aboard Yorktown and served aboard her until replaced by Douglas SBD-3s Dauntlesses in 1940.

By June 1938, three of the five scouting squadrons serving in aircraft carriers were equipped with SBC-3s while the other two were equipped with Vought SBU-1s. The three ships with SBC-3s were:

USS Enterprise (CV-6): Fighting Squadron Six (VF-6) had an SBC-3 and VS-6 had 20 Helldivers.

USS Saratoga (CV-3): Bombing Squadron Three (VB-3) had one SBC-3, VF-3 had an SBC-3 and VS-3 had 21 Helldivers.

USS Yorktown (CV-5): VS-5 had ten SBC-3s.

One of the SBC-3s was kept at the factory and redesignated XSBC-4 (Curtiss Model 77B). This aircraft was re-engined with the 750 hp (559 kW) Wright R-1820-22 nine cylinder, single row, air-cooled engine

The initial contract for 58 SBC-4s was signed on 5 January 1938. This was followed by two additional contracts, one for 31 Helldivers on 27 July 1938 and the third contract for 35 aircraft on 13 August 1938. Total aircraft contracted for was 124. The aircraft were powered by the 850 hp (634 kW) Wright R-1820-24 engine.

The first squadron to receive the SBC-4s was VS-2 in USS Lexington (CV-2) replacing the Vought SBU-1s. By 26 June 1939, VS-2 was fully equipped with 21 aircraft. This was the only aircraft carrier that flew the SBC-4 and they were replaced by Douglas SBD-2 and -3 Dauntlesses in 1941.

Because of the expanding aviation training program, the majority of SBC-4s, and other training aircraft, were assigned to Naval Reserve Air Bases (NRABs) to allow reserve Navy and Marine airmen assigned to reserve scouting