The Douglas SBD Dauntless served as the U.S. Navy's front line dive bomber from the outbreak of WWII thru 1943.The aircraft proved its mettle at the battles of Coral Sea and Midway, where its crews accounted for four Japanese carriers. The plane also saw action in support of the Marines at Guadalcanal. Their last combat stint was at the Battle of the Philippine Sea in 1944.Originally printed by Douglas and the U.S. Navy during WWII, this SBD-6 flight operating handbook taught pilotseverything they needed to know before entering the cockpit. Originally classified Restricted, the manual wasdeclassified long ago and is here reprinted in book form. This affordable facsimile has been slightly reformatted and some color images appear in black and white. Care has been taken however to preserve the integrity of the text.