Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
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The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was a dive bomber developed by Curtiss-Wright during World War II. Nicknames for the aircraft included "Big-Tailed Beast" or just "Beast", "Two-Cee", and "Son-of-a-Bitch 2nd
A Curtiss SB2C Helldiver in tricolor scheme and tail markings for VB-80, operating off USS Hancock, February 1945
Curtiss XSB2C Helldiver prototype on its maiden flight
SB2C-4 from Yorktown off Iwo Jima
SB2C-1s in tricolor scheme (front) on the flight deck of Yorktown in 1943.
Grumman TBF Avenger
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The Grumman TBF Avenger is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps and also eventually used by several air and naval aviation servic
Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
…to 1,900 hp (1,400 kW), which drove a new Curtiss-developed four-bladed propeller. The program suffered from numerous delays, to the extent that the Grumman TBF Avenger entered service before the Helldiver, despite work on the Avenger having begun development two years later. Nevertheless, production tempo accelerated…
General Motors TBM-3E Avenger in flight, 2014
A TBM with Sto-Wing folding wings
TBF-1 Avenger early in 1942. Note the red spot centered in the U.S. roundel and flag-inspired fin flash on the rudder, both of which were removed prior to the Battle of Midway to avoid confusion with Japanese insignia.
TBF Avenger in mid-1942