The Vultee A-31 Vengeance is an American dive bomber of World War II, built by Vultee Aircraft. A modified version was designated A-35. The Vengeance was not used operationally by the United States, but was operated as a front-line aircraft by the British Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, and the Indian Air Force in Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific. The A-31 remained in service with U.S. units until 1945, primarily in a target-tug role.
Vultee A-31 Vengeance
A riveter on the Vengeance bomber at the Vultee plant in Nashville, Tennessee (1943)
Vultee assembly line in August, 1942
Worker at Vultee-Nashville makes final adjustments in the wheel well of an inner wing before the installation of the landing gear. (February 1942)
A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact throughout the bomb run. This allows attacks on point targets and ships, which were difficult to attack with conventional level bombers, even en masse.
A Douglas SBD Dauntless drops its bomb. The dive brakes are extended and are visible behind the wings.
Final assembly view of SBD Dauntless dive bombers in 1943 at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant in El Segundo, California. The dive brakes are visible behind the wings.
The Aichi D1A2, a carrier-borne dive bomber
Ju 87D Stukas over the Eastern Front, December 1943
