Summary The Douglas SBD Dauntless was a game-changer in WWII, sinking more Japanese ships in the Pacific than any other Allied aircraft. The SBD had exceptional combat performance, with a positive air-to-air kill ratio and famous feats like sinking four Japanese carriers at Midway. The Dauntless ended up being replaced by the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver despite its outstanding performance, but remained in service with the USMC until the end of the war. As I've said in several previous Simple Flying articles as well as my author's bio page, my two favorite warplanes of all time are the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress...