about these dive bombers

[Vraciu]

Had time for a little reading , the D in AD-1 stood for Douglas, the manufacturer. The A was for Attack. So the production version was always designated an attack aircraft even though the design spec was for a combination dive bomber, torpedo bomber, attack aircraft.

Just like F is for Grumman, U is for Vought, A is for Brewster, etc.  The AD (Skyraider) became the A-1 when the designation system was changed in the early 60s.

[FLS]

Had time for a little reading , the D in AD-1 stood for Douglas, the manufacturer. The A was for Attack. So the production version was always designated an attack aircraft even though the design spec was for a combination dive bomber, torpedo bomber, attack aircraft.

 

[Vraciu]

Nobody said otherwise.

Oh wait, your friend said it was a Fighter.   

[FLS]

Imagine flying it light with just the 4 20mm. 2700 HP. 

[bozon]

Imagine flying it light with just the 4 20mm. 2700 HP. 

It would be a fat F8F bearcat 

[RODBUSTR]

The SBC2 had a lot of problems and was generally disliked by almost all who used it. The SBD stayed in service till the end of hostilities.  The  Japanese and Germans were still working on DBs until nearly the end.  Lack of targets was a major factor in USN scaling back DB use.  Adding more modern DBs would help increase the use. and coordination of missions with propper fighter defense.

[icepac]

It would be a fat F8F bearcat 

It was also designed to be able to fight it's way back home after dropping ord and has been known to handle a bearcat........or two.

http://skyraider.org/skyassn/warstor/Grishamwarstor.htm#anchor279778

[bozon]

It was also designed to be able to fight it's way back home after dropping ord and has been known to handle a bearcat........or two.

http://skyraider.org/skyassn/warstor/Grishamwarstor.htm#anchor279778

Cool story. 

[icepac]

Taken from a page describing the "cathay pacific shootdown".


"On 26 July 1954, during the survivor search operation, two Douglas Skyraiders from the aircraft carriers USS Philippine Sea and Hornet shot down two Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force La-11s off the coast of Hainan Island. It is not known whether they were the same La-11s that shot down VR-HEU."

[Vraciu]

They also claimed two MIGs in 'Nam. 

[FLS]

This is another nice A-1 site.   http://www.abledogs.com/

[pembquist]

A related question for long time players without memory problems: Was there a time when say the old "early war" arena had enough players to make it fun that the dive bombers got more widespread use? It seems a shame that they don't get used much at all these days.

[Lusche]

A related question for long time players without memory problems: Was there a time when say the old "early war" arena had enough players to make it fun that the dive bombers got more widespread use?

They din't really get widespread use even then.
From CV, players would use the TBM over the SBD and the Val. From landbases, the Ju-87 could not really compete with the Ju-88, B-25C, 110C or the HurriIIC. Big fat bomb, but very difficult to bring it to your target in the face of any enemy resistance.

[icepac]

They also claimed two MIGs in 'Nam.

You sure about that?

[Arlo]

You sure about that?

"During the war, U.S. Navy Skyraiders shot down two North Vietnamese Air Force (NVAF) Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 jet fighters: one on 20 June 1965, a victory shared by Lieutenant Clinton B. Johnson and Lieutenant, junior grade Charles W. Hartman III of VA-25;[18] and one on 9 October 1966 by LTJG William T. Patton of VA-176.[12] Using their cannons, this was the first gun kill of Vietnam. While on his very first mission, Navy pilot LTJG Dieter Dengler took damage to his A-1H over Vietnam on 1 February 1966, and crash-landed in Laos.[19]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_A-1_Skyraider