Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

Uncommon card · No. 97351

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 Class"; the latter nickname was derived from the name SB2C and the aircraft's reputation for having difficult handling characteristics. The Helldiver was developed during the late 1930s and early 1940s for the United States Navy (USN) to serve as a carrier-based bomber to supplement and replace the Douglas SBD Dauntless. First flown on 18 December 1940, the XSB2C-1 prototype initially demonstrated poor handling characteristics and other issues; late modifications caused lengthy delays to production and deployment, to the extent that the aircraft was investigated by the Truman Committee, which produced a scathing report. This negative coverage contributed to the decline of Curtiss as a company, and delayed the type's entry to service, despite the urgency associated with the outbreak of the...

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