SB2C Helldiver

War at Sea

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Allied Nations

• Australia
• Brazil
• Canada
• France
• Greece
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Poland
• Soviet Union
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Allies stat table

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Axis Nations

• Finland
• Germany
• Italy
• Japan
• Romania
• Siam (Thailand)
• Axis stat table

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Neutral Nations/Installations

• Sweden
• Spain
• Turkey
• Argentina (WAS)
• Chile (WAS)
• Installations
• Neutral stat table

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Sets

• War At Sea
• Task Force
• Flank Speed
• New Starter
• Condition Zebra
• Set V (Fleet Command)
• Surface action
• First Strike (Forumini Expansion Deck A)
• Infamy (Forumini Expansion Deck B)
• Battle Line (Forumini Expansion Deck C)
• All Hands on Deck (Forumini D)
• Action Stations (Forumini E)
• Dead Reckoning (Forumini F)

Unit Card:

Set - Rarity - Number

Flank Speed - Common - 10/40

History:

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, when first introduced into the U.S. Navy around mid-WWII, was not well liked at first by pilots. Handling and stability were major issues that didn't get straightened out until later. Pilots that flew this aircraft referred to it as "The beast" or "Son of a B second class".

However, the Helldiver proved to be a potent dive-bomber, featuring an internal bomb-bay, more powerful engine, and increased bombload. Also, overall protection made the Helldiver a solid aircraft, quite superior over the venerable SBD Dauntless currently in service at the time. Although the problem of range emerged, the Helldiver having a shorter endurance that the Dauntless.

The SB2C was limited to mostly the Essex class carriers due to its larger size, even with folding wings. Once the problems had been ironed out (some still remained, but lessened) the Helldiver would account for many Japanese ships sunk including the legendary Yamato and sister Musashi .

Interesting to note that when the Royal Navy tested the Helldiver for possible purchase, it was refused on the spot, citing its appalling handling characteristics.

Postwar, the Helldiver saw service in many other countries, such as France , Greece, Portugal, Thailand, and Australia.
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Reviews:

LuckyE77
At first glance the Helldiver looks like the mother of dive bombers. But with a closer look she has armor five and no press the attack, making her the always aborted when attacking. So unless the enemy has crappy AA, chose the SBD Dauntless instead.

mercenary_moose
Most dive bombers do indeed need Press The Attack to succeed, but the Helldiver is good enough to be an exception. The plane is very tough with Light Defensive Armament protecting it from fighters and a sky-high 9 Vital Armor means it will be in the fight for a long time. A Bomb rating of 11 is just vicious, and with Finish Him Off, and maybe using a PBY Catalina and Expert Bomber from carriers like the USS Enterprise, it can deliver the equivalent of some battleships' main-gunnery attacks anywhere on the map. Try to keep it out of situations where it will take heavy AA fire and the Helldiver will excel. If you are playing with only a few bombers or are facing strong AA, the Dauntless might fare better.

Plastic Figure Notes:

The sculpt for the Helldiver is quite good, despite the aircraft lacking their distinctive four-bladed propellers. Instead, they have three blades on each, possibly representing an early Helldiver.

Aran55633
There were some variants with a three-bladed propeller. The SB2C-3 was the first one to have a four-bladed propeller, and was the most commonly used variant during the war, primarily because it was, of course, considered to be a superior design. As such, it is one of the most recognizable variants…