SBD Dauntless and TBF Avenger "Aces"
 

Were there any SDB Dauntless aces aside from Ltjg John Leppla/Gunner K. Liska (7 x victories during Battle of Coral Sea, May 1942)?

Any TBF Avenger aces? I understand that the TBF's claimed nearly 100 Japanese aircraft during WWII.

markr

Re: SBD Dauntless and TBF Avenger "Aces"
 

Leppla, while an ace, isn't a Dauntless ace. He had 4 kills in the SBD-3 and 1 in an F4F-4.

Re: SBD Dauntless and TBF Avenger "Aces"
 

There is no "ace" on SBD and TBF.

Top scorers on SBD:
John Leppla=4
John Liska=4
William Hall=3
Stanley Wejtasa=3

The reliability of these "claims" are very debatable.
Michel

Re: SBD Dauntless and TBF Avenger "Aces"
 

Hello markr,

Dauntless pilots were not credited with the kills of their gunners. But if this had been the case John Leppla would have been the Dauntless top ace with 7 kills.
The Avenger top scorer is Charles Henderson with 3 kills.

Have a nice weekend,

Michael

Re: SBD Dauntless and TBF Avenger "Aces"
 

Henderson has four victory claims, plus one probable.

Enjoy!

Frank.

Re: SBD Dauntless and TBF Avenger "Aces"
 

Hello Frank,

yes, I read 4 somewhere, too.
But in OSPREY's "American Nightfighter Aces of World War 2" Andrew Thomas and Warren Thompson write "...during eight engagements in 1945 he claimed four kills - he received credit for three confirmed and a probable..."
Do you think he claimed one before 1945 ?

Have a nice evening,

Michael

Re: SBD Dauntless and TBF Avenger "Aces"
 

I have 2 victories with VT-10 in 1944, and 2/1/0 with VT(N)-90 in 1945.

Enjoy!

Frank.

Re: SBD Dauntless and TBF Avenger "Aces"
 

Hello Frank,

oh yes, I found an old discussion of ours, in which you mentioned it.
I've included him in my list of borderline top aces of their aircraft:
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=50548
Henderson scored his kills in a TBM (and not a TBF), didn't he ?

Have a nice Sunday,

Michael

Re: SBD Dauntless and TBF Avenger "Aces"
 

Good afternoon Gentlemen,

currently, I'm working through Barrett Tillman's excellent "TBF/TBM Avenger Units of World War 2" which reveals the following kills of Charles Henderson:
VT-10
18Jun44 Aichi E13A apparently not processed
20Jun44 Nakajima B6N
VT(N)-90
19Mar45 Kawanishi H8K
13May45 Kawanish N1K probable
13May Nakajima A6M2-N

Was he flying a TBF or a TBM in Jun44 ?

Cheers,

Michael

Re: SBD Dauntless and TBF Avenger "Aces"
 

Who knows? Probably only his pilot's logbook would give the answer, but does it really matter?

At 31 May 1944 VT-10 reported X9 TBF-1C and X5 TBM-1C on hand.