Douglas Slow But Deadly SBD Dauntless

Get your free trial of MagellanTV here: try.magellantv.... It's an exclusive offer for our viewers: a month-long trial, FREE. MagellanTV is a new kind of streaming service run by filmmakers with 3,000+ documentaries!
It was August 7, 1942. The US and the Empire of the Rising Sun were at war. The Battle of Midway confirmed the American's growing strength and the Japanese willingness to fight to the bitter end.
Petty Officer Saburo Sakai and his squad of Zero fighters had planned a surprise attack on the US fleet that was on its way to support the amphibious assaults at Guadalcanal and the surrounding islands.
The Legendary Japanese Zero still reigned supreme in the Pacific. America was left trying to figure out how to create an aircraft that was up to the challenge of picking up a fight, toe to toe, with the agile and lethal Zero.
As Saburo Sakai and his squad approached Tulagi from above, his wingman spotted a lone group of American aircraft beneath them.
The Japanese decided to attack. A swift move from behind would be enough to create havoc in the American formation.
They wrongly assumed the enemy they were up against were US Grumman F4F fighters, an aircraft with no copilot. But they were in for a surprise…
As the Zero formation approached rapidly from behind at full throttle, Sakai realized he had committed a terrible mistake. At 100 yards from the targets, he quickly realized he was not fighting against fighters, but something worse... dive bombers with defensive armament.
But it was too late to abort. A second later, the American formation opened fire from each bomber's tail gunner's position.
The 30 caliber Browning machine guns tore apart the Japanese Zeros. The hunters scattered. As Sakai's cockpit exploded and he ejected, he had ample time to contemplate his error. He would live to remember the moment.
The Zeros had picked a fight with a formation of US Douglas SBD Dauntlesses... otherwise known as Slow But Deadly…
---
Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.
All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.

[@DarkDocsSkies]

Start the new year with a free trial of MagellanTV: try.magellantv.com/darkskies. Big thanks to MagellanTV and to you for your continued support!

[@paulwilliams4274]

Ummmm August 7, 1947? 0:08

[@hiddenrunner9259]

@@lds_rhinosfan5749 its August 7, 1942nd The first US marines to land in the pacific

[@MiddleAgedMisfit]

Please have someone who knows this stuff proofread it for you. I really dig your channel but you consistently make contextual errors that are distracting and inaccurate.

[@lencac7952]

Hey Dark I think a video on the F-15 Streak Eagle would be in order. You do a hell of a job. Thanks

[@Western_1]

@@hiddenrunner9259 Unless the closed captions are automatic or something, it is clear 1947 is said.

[@tpxchallenger]

I'm really surprised the Battle of Midway didn't get more attention. Dauntless destroyed 4 carriers in an afternoon. That action alone puts the Dauntess at the top of the heap.

[@psychedashell]

Pretty sure there were a few movies with Dauntless as the ‘hero’ plane.

[@joesantamaria5874]

Two of them were hit by one man, Norman ‘Dusty’ Kleiss.

[@michaelburke5907]

The Dauntless destroyed vast quantities of smaller shipping. Oilers, troop and equipment landing barges, etc. They sank all sorts of ships large and small.

[@masterh8448]

You don't know much WW2 history, do you?

[@tpxchallenger]

@@masterh8448 ??? The fuck? Fight me or bite me.

[@sailingseahawk2012]

1947 huh 🤔

[@slamacreepa]

glad im not the only one that got that to>

[@hocuspokus1174]

i heard that too, pretty fkn confusing

[@Zachary.Atkins]

Jesus, I thought I was the only one

[@flyingwithrobertjohnston7029]

Should have been 1942. Must’ve misread the script.

[@flyingwithrobertjohnston7029]

Maybe the 2 looked like a 7 on his script.

[@nathanmathews2148]

1947 was the first year the Japanese equipped the Zero with an ejection seat

[@markpaul8178]

HaHaHaHaHaHa,HoHoHoHoHoHo,good 1 bro.You made my day.Now,I will get out of the floor🤣🤣🤣!!!

[@joeshmoe9978]

By then aviation fuel was scarce, and all zeros were converted to run on sake. 😁

[@blackhawkinternationalsecu6962]

NO, no, no! 1947 was when they put the after burner on the Zero, then the ejection seat came the following year.

[@darrellborland119]

@Nathan Mathews...too funny! Thanks.

[@larryhelstrom1881]

@@blackhawkinternationalsecu6962 Wrong. The afterburners were placed on the tips of the propeller blades to spin faster. True Lie!

[@leary4]

I helped my dad get his memory back after a stroke by showing him airplane silhouettes of ww2 planes (the book I used was his from the war). His long term memory was pretty remarkable he knew all the planes by sight. I still remember him struggling to say "Douglas Dauntless". He would have loved this channel btw, thanks for another great vid.

[@aviation4life640]

2:05, Sakai actually flew back to base after being shot in the head by the rear gunner. The bullet went through his brain and paralyzed half his body. Look it up. He did not bailout.

[@abchaplin]

And no one "ejected" at the time. The first operational bang seat was about two years off.

[@Boric78]

@@abchaplin indeed

[@aviation4life640]

abchaplin, yep, ejection seats were first texted in the experimental German planes like the He-162 and some other manned craft

[@Axle0Bullitt019]

Correct, not to mention the odds of Sakai surviving in the water with his injuries would have been near impossible.

[@paulslevinsky580]

That epic struggle for survival also saw the injured Sakai fly the longest single-engine mission of the war to date.

[@jbmbryant]

I was expecting all the 'Deadly SBD' jokes but the errors in the narration kinda overrode all that. Lol

[@blastulae]

More riddled with errors than SBDs at Battle of the Coral Sea, when used as fighter substitutes.

[@mcamp9445]

@@blastulae sbd is the only bomber to have a positive kill to death ratio

[@ArchetypalCat]

@Just Me - "1947" - LOL yep in this case, SBD must mean Scripted But Dumb...

[@elguapo1690]

If you watch magellan tv, you will learn that WWII ended in 1945.

[@themostrandomperson1252]

I already know that

[@press_580]

I get the joke

[@Tukwillie]

Wow. That's inexcusable. Plus, nine months and uncorrected. Unsubscribed.

[@kevinchappell3694]

Co-pilot and rear gunner are two very different things.

[@pewing99]

These are some bad ass dive bombers. Pilot, co-pilot, tail-gunners, the rear cockpit gunner. Was there a flight engineer as well? sheesh. Add in the messed up dates and it sounds like it was written by a school dropout.

[@philvanderlaan5942]

Thats crazy talk! Next thing you'll probably try to say is a P38 is a fighter plane a German pistol AND a g.i. can opener

[@blackopscw7913]

Gunner/Radio men

[@philvanderlaan5942]

@@pewing99 how about the yb-40 a 'escort fighter with a pilot, co-pilot, enginer, navigator and at least 6 gunners , armoured up with extra guns and ammo it couldnt keep up with the b-17s it was supposed to escort.

[@philvanderlaan5942]

As long as we're deconstucting unoffical millitary acronyms how about Large Slow Target or Combustable Vunerable Expendable.

[@Grisu1805]

"Ernst Udet, a former Hollywood stunt pilot..." Of course he's most remembered for being a stunt pilot, and not for being the second-most successful (and most successful surviving) german fighter pilot of WW1 with 62 confirmed victories.

[@danielbretall2236]

Eric Hartmann is still the German (actually the worlds) top fighter ace, with 352 kills in WWII. mostly he shot down Russian plans, so as a westerner, its hard to get to mad at him. Supposedly, after flying his last sortie in czechoslovakia, his ground crew said " hey, we're gonna go surrender to the Americans before the Russians get here, wanna join us?" And wisely, he said yes.

[@Justanotherconsumer]

@@danielbretall2236 many very specifically surrendered to the Americans. Let’s just say the Germans were not very civil to the Russian civilians and POWs and the Russians were eager to return the favor.

[@danielbretall2236]

@@Justanotherconsumer unfortunately for him, if I remember correctly, after some shady dealing just after the war, the allies traded Hartmann to the Russians, and he spent about a decade in a Gulag before escaping back to the west. that generation of men make most of us today look like the kindergarten team when it comes to will power and endurance.

[@Smokey298]

@@Justanotherconsumer The Russians were eager to do it to their own people too.

[@johnancil9842]

I mean, the battle of midway took place in ‘47 so..

[@cyclingnerddelux698]

1947 (huh?), "copilot," (not in the context used here) "ejected" (not during WWII). And no, Sakai didn't "eject" ( bail out ). Blind in one eye, and navigating by instinct, he returned to his base and landed his aircraft. He wrote a book. It readily available in print or electronically.

[@treerat7631]

Oops 1942 not 47

[@kellywright540]

Thank you! I was listening to this like what the...

[@DarkDocsSkies]

Sorry! One correction to note... "1947" should be "1942"... I missed that when reviewing the VO.

[@Rundstedt1]

Just one correction? I don't think so ..... Sakai didn't "eject" there were no ejection seats in zeros and even more he flew the plane back to base. Just take this video down and start over. All this did here is make me wonder if you have ANY background in aviation or history. If I have to go back and check all your information then your videos are more than worthless and are absolutely not entertaining then.

[@flyingwithrobertjohnston7029]

It’s alright. Happens to all of us. Editing is a long tedious process. I enjoy your videos.

[@jamiedalton2623]

No Zero pilots ejected, there was no ejector seat in those aircraft.

[@mikehockertz946]

While no one ejected in the battle he is talking about, pilots could still just literally “bail out” of the cockpit. No rocket seat needed

[@BrettonFerguson]

How do you know. Maybe there was, this is 1947 Imperial Japan after all. Maybe the zeros made in 1947 had ejector seats.

[@johnivkovich8655]

Early in the war many Japanese pilots did wear parachutes as they were seen to be defeatist.

[@karlepaul6632]

Bailed out...He just used a wrong term...

[@nalcij]

@@BrettonFerguson They didn’t, they simply just jumped out of the cockpit..

[@ronnelson7828]

August 7, 1947 !?!?!?! (edit) Also, I was under the impression that Sakai was attacking a flight of Grumman TBF Avengers when he was shot and nearly killed. And he did not "eject", he brought his plane back, despite being blinded in one eye.

[@mcamp9445]

They were sbds whether he knew it or not

[@Otokichi786]

As a builder of plastic models in the 1950's, I wondered how Saburo Sakai could survive a 12.7mm/.50" caliber round to the head. (The TBF turret mounted a .50" caliber M2 Browning.) 7.62mm/.30" caliber from an SBD, maybe.

[@ronnelson7828]

I believe the early model TBF's carried a ventral mounted .30 caliber gun. It was this "stinger" that got Sakai as he tried diving under the Avengers.

[@kameronjones7139]

@@Otokichi786 well if you give it a few moments of thought he probably didn't get hit directly from the bullet but from either glass or shards of metal that came off when the bullet hit

[@johnbrowning8785]

You are correct. I have Sakai's book "Samurai" it is clearly described on page 218. It is a pity no one bothers reading anymore.

[@basura2001]

Hello Dark Skies, a little bird told me that WWII ended in August 1945.

[@joeshmoe9978]

Haven't you heard of "Luft '46"? 😜

[@richardvonpingel2379]

And 57000 history books.

[@GGigabiteM]

@@jimhebert3402 Well technically there were still Japanese holdouts for 44 years after the armistice was signed. The last two known to officially lay down their arms and surrender was in 1989. Most learned to survive in the jungle and fiercely defended their area until they were compelled to surrender by former comrades, or were captured. There are rumors that there are still a handful of holdouts, but even the youngest soldiers would be over 100 years old in 2021, making these rumors extremely unlikely.

[@roybaker6902]

As Joe Biden would say, that was the other WWll.

[@828enigma6]

Believe you are off by a few years. The attack by Sakai couldn't have happened in 1947. The Japanese surrendered in 1945. Good video otherwise.

[@csadeadon]

September 2, 1945 Formal Japanese surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay;

[@jkdoesthings6999]

I think he misspoke lol

[@roybaker6902]

He slept through 1945 and 1946.

[@privatelisting366]

That and he said the Japanese ejected after being shot apart by the "Co-Pilots" of the Dauntless'. It makes me think half of the other Dark Skies episodes are inaccurate AF too. Bailed out and hit by the tail gunners, FTFY Dark Skies.

[@johngregory4801]

Then let me remind you... Mr. Silent But Deadly is able to turn a simple elevator ride... Into a 42 floor plummet into the very bowels of hell.

[@anttitheinternetguy3213]

I cant believe you totally putchered saburo sakai's account of the incident. He was shot to the head and arm (if i recall correctly). He then flew many hours back home half a body paralyzed and mostly blind

[@keithwarner8812]

Temper temper

[@Borratte]

Not to start an argument but I’m guessing that the person who is researching these is not a historian. You have to except things to be wrong

[@eburtusmc]

@@Borratte I’d rather expect a history channel to get history correct.

[@krazipynaple]

...as well as not having "ejected" 🤔

[@Borratte]

@I Am Sekou I’m not saying it’s hard. I’m saying that you can’t expect it to be perfect and exactly how you want it. Who ever owns this channel has multiple other ones. They can’t exactly have everything run smoothly

[@sammyseguin2978]

Stanley “Swede” Vejtasa, started out as a SBD pilot, a function he performed with great distinction. On one mission he was jumped by, I think it was 4 zero's, in the ensuing 30 minute air battle, he shot down three of them. He was transferred to fighters after that. Somewhere on KZbin is his story.

[@aquablue6301]

@Sammy Seguin Been looking for that History Channel video entitled "Long Odds", featuring Swede for months. I've had the pleasure of watching and sharing it many times. Recently though, it's nowhere to be found. Perhaps it was removed for copyright purposes? It's a shame... it was always one of my favorites to watch again and again. What a genuine hero and bad ass!

[@gunner678]

@@aquablue6301 agreed

[@sammyseguin2978]

@@aquablue6301 I have tried to find it as well, with no success. if you come across it, please post it.

[@aquablue6301]

@@sammyseguin2978 I've never done that before, but I pledge that if I run it across again I will certainly try to do so.

[@SoloRenegade]

I think it was in an episode of Dogfights

[@MSkallywagg]

1947 ? Ejected ? Please check your words

[@infocat53]

In his book, Sakai said the planes he attacked were TBF Avengegers, which also being from Grumman had similar squared wing tips and tail surfaces to the F4F Wildcat. That makes his misidentification reasonabls.

[@mcamp9445]

They were sbds

[@uncreativename826]

@@mcamp9445 yeah I’ve only heard he lost his eye to SBDs before never TBFs

[@thomasbuie3579]

And entered sevice in44

[@boobah5643]

@@thomasbuie3579 There were Avengers at Midway. They weren't deployed on carriers yet (the _Yorktowns_ were all still carrying Devastators) but there were a squadron or two based on the atoll itself. That's 1942.

[@ktiger1766]

If it's a TBF, his head would be blow off cleaned, TBF rear gunner have a single .50 cal machine gun could be much more powerful & deadly.

[@maxsmodels]

1947? Sakai did not 'eject'; he nursed his plane home.

[@PDZ1122]

Lots of mistakes, misconceptions, myths and wrong facts for a "documentary".

[@kentlindal5422]

Hate to be "that guy" but the Americans like there history with a generous dose of propaganda.

[@kyle857]

Welcome to Dark Skies. They get a ton of shit wrong.

[@kyle857]

@@kentlindal5422 No, this channel is just garbage.

[@Cholin3947]

Please site examples.

[@nickleback4321]

@@Cholin3947 the Zero pilot that "ejected" but in reality flew back to base for a double whammy and the tail gun being "an M2 .30 calibre" for starters.

[@tomcarberry4445]

At 5:13 did he say the “Convoy Legion”? You learn something new every day as I’ve always called it l those years calling it the Condor Legion

[@blackhawkinternationalsecu6962]

My Dad was the tail gunner in an SBD. 1st models had a single 30 cal, then went to twin 30s and the last models had twin 50s. One of the biggest problems with the twins was the ammo belts would get tangled up and he had to use his feet to get the belts untangled. He had three planes. The 1st was shot up bad and ended up crashing and flipping over on landing on the carrier. The second lost power shortly after take off and had a forced water landing. The third was destroyed when his ship was bombed on 3-19-1945. See the USS Ben Franklin CV-13, the only ship to lose more men was the Arizonian. The Franklin is also the most decorated crew in US Naval history.

[@jamesdolph437]

Saburo never bailed out ... he lost one eye and had been shot in the head ... but he landed his plane

[@ethansgamingchannel7077]

Did he die from his injuries?

[@markgalura2891]

@@ethansgamingchannel7077 lived on to write a book.

[@ethansgamingchannel7077]

@@markgalura2891 oh, Thanks

[@juliesmall3756]

I am always disappointed when a program that proports to be historical has so many simple mistakes. Just for your information, when you have footage of a larger bulky aircraft with a gun turret at the back of the cockpit.....it is not an SBD.

[@casinodelonge]

Avenger??

[@michaeldenesyk3195]

Also, for the record, The SBD = Scout Bomber Douglas

[@joesantamaria5874]

TBM or TBF Avenger.

[@jeremy7383]

The Dauntless and Vindicator don’t get the love they deserve.

[@petersouthernboy6327]

The Vindicator was garbage in the opinions of many USN aviators. The Dauntless, however, was highly regarded.

[@sarjim4381]

The Vindicator didn't deserve much love. Other than its place in the record books for being the first monoplane carrier aircraft, it was slow, had poor range, and carried a small bomb load. As an indication of how pilots felt about it, the Royal Navy withdrew theirs in November, 1941 after six months in frontline service and replaced then with the biplane Fairy Swordfish.

[@treerat7631]

The Vindilaters was junk compared too the SBD

[@michaeldenesyk3195]

Who says?

[@petersouthernboy6327]

@@michaeldenesyk3195 - the USN

[@mcamp9445]

This is riddled with errors as to be laughable.

[@videodistro]

All of these videos are. They are like one big click bait channel. It's scary that they claim to be a history channel! Sad.

[@robertguttman1487]

I read Sakai's book many years ago. The aircraft which he dived on, mistaking them for F4Fs, were not SBDs but Grumman TBF Avengers, which were defended by .50-caliber machine guns mounted in power-driven turrets. Also, Sakai did not "eject from his cockpit". They didn't have ejection seats in those days. Although he was severely wounded, he managed to fly his badly-damaged plane back to Rabaul. The fact is that the SBD was really obsolete by 1942, and was only still in Navy service because neither of the aircraft slated to replace it, the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver and the Brewster SB2A Buccaneer, were not yet available. The Army Air Force also used the Dauntless, which it called the "A-24". However, the Army considered them vulnerable and not very effective, and replaced them in operational service with another Douglas product, the A-20 Havoc.

[@mcamp9445]

They were sbds

[@robertt955]

Wow...1947?

[@mikebrownhill8955]

He ejected? The zero had ejector seats!

[@ParaglidingManiac]

Don't take it literally. The act of leaving the aircraft during an emergency itself - is called ejecting.

[@maxpax3351]

@@ParaglidingManiac not bailing out?

[@sarjim4381]

@@ParaglidingManiac No, it was never called "ejecting". That concept was in the future. It was called "bailing out". He tends to make small errors like this in most of his many videos.

[@ThePhoenix198]

@@sarjim4381 Yep, too much emphasis on 'moody, overly dramatic delivery', and not enough on factual accuracy. Style over substance ...

[@sarjim4381]

@@ThePhoenix198 I wish he's reduce his output some and spend the time doing some more research so these errors will stop creeping into his videos. I don't believe he ever reads the comments anyway. Just get us here with a click bate thumbnail and title so he gets his AdSense money.

[@leonardmiyata482]

Even after the Helldiver replaced the SBD on fleet carriers, the SBD remained in production, which, along with the F4F Wildcat, served on the 'jeep' escort carriers which were too small for the Helldiver and Hellcat to operate from. With the low speed handling issues with the Helldiver, the US Navy didn't have a satisfactory SBD replacement aircraft until the A-1 Skyraider, which started acceptance trials during the last week of the war, and could operate from the small escort carriers

[@treerat7631]

The USMC kept thier SBD when the helldiver came into service. The navy offered them helldivers but the Marine said nope we will keep are SBD's

[@SoloRenegade]

The F4U turned out to be a rather good dive bomber in WW2 and had a 4-5K bomb load (which Charles Lindbergh helped validate).

[@boobah5643]

Okay, now I'm wondering what the Skyraider's original designation was, because "A-1" is a DoD not a USN designation.

[@leonardmiyata482]

@@boobah5643 Wikipedia says it was originally the XBT2D-1, but was changed to A-1 before actual deployment

[@leonardmiyata482]

@@SoloRenegade One of the issues of the F4U in the infantry support role was that it lacked air brakes for dive bombing, but it was found that lowering the landing gear before the start of the dive was just as effective

[@richardspees841]

Thanks for posting this. My father was a tail gunner and also piloted the SBD in the Pacific.

[@thumpbuy]

WW2 was over by 1947. There is an error in the opening

[@lycossurfer8851]

Secret wars that they don't talk about/want us to know about............. Sort of like Vampires and Werewolves

[@tomshiba51]

They were still looking for that Japanese soldier who evaded everybody for 30 years.

[@hiddenrunner9259]

No. He said August 7, 1942nd not 47

[@lycossurfer8851]

@@hiddenrunner9259 Run it at 1/2 speed and it still says Aug. 7, 1947

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

@@lycossurfer8851 it was the Occult Wars according to Hellboy.

[@TheIndianalain]

"After 1942 the Dauntless were replaced by the Helldiver"? No, replacement began only in 1944

[@ericbrammer2245]

The SBD served all thru the War. It also Sank more ship tonnage than any other airplane, Ever!

[@TheIndianalain]

@@ericbrammer2245 Exactly! It was never completely replaced by the Helldiver and was much more appreciated by its pilots. Not so much by the Japanese...

[@hyenafur]

I have a signed copy of Saburu Sakai’s book... signed by Saburu himself.

[@chriscarbaugh3936]

Heinemann also designed the A4 Skyhawk. It is interesting both were great attack planes that followed the same theme; light and more capable than one would think.

[@johngregory4801]

And the Skywarrior. Heineman was a freaking GENIUS.

[@plantfeeder6677]

@@johngregory4801 he was the Kelly Johnson of Douglas

[@johngregory4801]

@@plantfeeder6677 Yep! IIRC, he was also the man behind the DC-2.

[@JoeOvercoat]

Thank you for that insight. I never would’ve made that connection.

[@colin4545]

Ok glad I’m not the only one here that caught that. 🤨

[@johncipriano3627]

They were Very effective and Feared by the Japanese for being Very effective weapon by their Navy, and was one small reason we Won the War.

[@DowJonesDave]

We won when the Tone's scout plane's radio broke in the midway battle. We got lucky because they actually found us first. I'm planning on doing a series of "Great battles and Blunders" on my channel. Working on part one of midway now. However, I'm thinking of doing the coral sea first. That's the first major engagement of the Pacific war and sets up midway perfectly.

[@Auggies1956]

Finally, someone is giving the SBD its due.

[@brentjames9388]

I have watched dozen of these Dark videos, This is the first whoops I’ve heard, give him a break... One Of the best narration voices I have heard.

[@mattboggs6304]

Pay more attention. I feel like he makes an oops in nearly every single video I've seen of his.

[@mikehockertz946]

I think you got the machine guns mixed up when talking about the m2 and the 1919.

[@tonycrabtree3416]

Yeah, pretty the Ma Deuce is the .50 cal

[@tonycrabtree3416]

He should have said .30 cal AN/M2, not just M2. That’s why it is confusing.

[@forrestgould5811]

My dad was a Marine corp aviation mechanic at Guadalcanal and worked on the dive bombers in WW2

[@alexstuart8545]

Is the Marine corp similar to the Marine Corps?

[@henryschmitt7577]

I always think of Lt. Commander Richard Best at the Battle of Midway when it comes to the SBD.

[@petersouthernboy6327]

Dusty Kleiss got three hits during Midway in a Dauntless.

[@DowJonesDave]

If you haven't already, read "Incredible Victory" by Walter Lord. Incredible book.

[@thegunslinger1363]

1947........ But anyway. Could you cover the SR71 Blackbird?

[@lycossurfer8851]

Using this guys math, it won't be invented until 1861 or so.

[@slingerssecretlaboratory]

Invented in 1947 also!...lol...

[@MrKentaroMotoPI]

He would call it "SR-17"

[@emilyhofland8219]

Sure... Sr-71 was designed in 1902

[@bobuboi4643]

Forget about it. He will say next that "russia made the sr-71 to protect against the US" or some crap like that.

[@wildancrazy159]

And says "ejection" again in the text. Every time, ww2 aircraft are discussed, the narrator says "ejected" for someone bailing out. Please stop, I know you guys know this by now and it's not funny anymore..

[@nicolaspepi9554]

Chill bro

[@JoeOvercoat]

It’s not too much to ask for them to say “bailed out”.

[@tripletimeace609]

Far from shore, a pacific war Bombs are falling from the skies It's a bomb run day, it's the naval way A blood red sun is on the rise Far from shore, a pacific war Bombs are falling from the skies It's a bomb run day, it's the naval way A blood red sun is on the rise I had to

[@RuskiWaffle]

Bruh

[@mochagoat1998]

A close friend of my grandfather’s and my family was terminally ill when he found out I was joining the Navy. He gave me a model of a Dauntless that used to sit on his desk, cause he worked on them during the war. I still get a little misty eyed thinking about him and now the Dauntless is one of my favorite aircraft of the war.

[@cassiecraft8856]

Videos like this really help you to better appreciate the more obscure planes of WWII that didn’t just help, but MADE us win the war.

[@brooklynbummer]

In the hands of good pilots, the SBD did just fine. Midway proved that the SBD their merit.

[@jimcabezola3051]

August 1947? WWII ended just under 2 years before then!

[@casparcoaster1936]

If there was anything I could find as enjoyable as this channel, I do it. Tried, but, couldn't find anything.

[@kenowens9021]

My dad trained in it before moving on to the Helldiver as a radioman/gunner. While on a training flight, another Dauntless came down from above and sliced his propeller into my dad's canopy, between him and the pilot. Neither were hurt but they had to make an emergency landing.

[@humphet]

Really makes me want to play battlestations: pacific

[@AxisCrusher]

Wow a Battlestations fan out there

[@Coronet_shop]

Same here or war thunder

[@AxisCrusher]

@@Coronet_shop We need a BSP sequel. Now is a great time since so many game and movie franchises are seeing reboots/remasters.

[@blastulae]

Gunners weren't co-pilots.

[@charlesmcclanahan6745]

Yay they did the greatest plane in the world! Thank you! You really made my day!

[@adasterdezaster2865]

You realize when you make errors in a documentary it calls into question all your documentaries. The last thing I want to do when watching a video is fact check the damn thing.

[@h.e.miller3710]

Pretty sure same principle applies in court. Soon as any part of witness testimony deemed inaccurate entire testimony shot to hail. Didn't Truman declare Aug.7, 1947 the day that will live in Obscurity?

[@ne_wi911response8]

When you forget the enemy plane has a backseat, Ocean kamikaze

[@matthewpayer2835]

Whoever "researched" this story needs a remedial history course. Holy crap.

[@matthewpayer2835]

@@arlingtonhynes every video I see by whoever makes these are riddled with significant errors, or flat out fabrication.

[@JosefMPjess]

1947.... This guy has such an authoritarian voice.. I decided to revise my knowledge of history.

[@michaeldenesyk3195]

He sounds too much like Ben Shapiro, you know the type, talk fast because it makes someone sound smart

[@BP-1988]

My father flew an SBD at Midway, Battle of Santa Cruz, Battle of the Philippine Sea and attacks against Truk Lagoon. He flew off the Hornet (CV-8) and then the Lexington (CV-16) after the Hornet was sunk at Santa Cruz. He was awarded the Navy Cross, Silver Star, 2 Air Metals, and 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses. He preferred the SBD over the SB2C because he felt that it had saved his life many times in battle. He did refer to the SBD as "Slow But Deadly" but also referred to the SB2C as a "Son of a Bitch 2nd Class".

[@spadedsushi4156]

Ruggedness of the SBD Dauntless? Should've gone with Swede Vejtasa's account with the SBD. Was involved with a dogfight against 3x IJN Zeros, shot down two, collided with the third.

[@TheBruceGday]

I believe the collision was intentional when Swede ran out of ammo for his two forward-firing .50cal machine guns. The hit was wing to wing. The lightweight zero’s wing was sheared off. The “rugged” Dauntless held together.

[@arlingtonhynes]

There really was (says Wikipedia) an M2 variant of the .30 cal M1919, used on aircraft early in WWII. However: Pylon, not piling.

[@fireteammichael1777]

Nice! Thanks, I was curious if I heard that right, or if narrator misspoke, regarding the "M2 .30 cal"... but awesome, learned something new, thanks!

[@arlingtonhynes]

@@fireteammichael1777 He doesn’t misspeak. He gets things wrong on purpose to pump up the comment section, so KZbin’s algorithm hypes his videos more.

[@jongason660]

Thank you to every man they ever sat in the SPD dauntless.

[@animalyze7120]

SBD was very underrated and even modern movies make stupid comments about them. Midway movie comes to mind, when the Japanese commander makes the "They have horrible planes" comment, fact was the SBD was slower but easily out turned the Zero and with the added tail gunner made them very effective at anti fighter defense if needed. The misnomer that the SBD was a bad plane came from how easily they were shot down in a dive once the brakes were activated which was their only real weakness especially during AA ship fire. Their top speed was slower but they were also armored unlike the Zero so not only could take hits but could deliver machine gun fire from the rear making them extremely difficult nuts to crack.

[@joeyr7294]

Good video visually, but I'm in the comments checking all the shit he cought for saying 1947 lol

[@robertbarlow6715]

I give him hell also good Vedic time and aircraft wrong.

[@maxpayne2574]

Unfortunate the Army Air Corp didn't adopt dive bombing and the idea of tactical air support.

[@michaeldenesyk3195]

Yes they did, the A-36 Apache was used as a dive bomber in the Italian campaign.

[@jayrussell9607]

A-36 better known as p-51a renamed

[@jessfrankel5212]

Okay, gentlemen, calm your sphincters. Yes, the narrator said 1947 instead of 1942. It happens. Sakai's injury, though, yes, he should have done his research. I would point out, though, that Sakai and his squadron making a mistake of the Dauntless vs the F4F...it's possible, as he and his squadron approached the Americans from below, so maybe he didn't see the rear gunner position right away. As someone said, the shapes are fairly similar--relatively short, stubby nose and squared wingtips. In the Wiki, it says he was struck by a Dauntless' bullet, but maybe his book--which I haven't read--says different.

[@Ralphieboy]

I recall reading in Hugh Ambrose's "The Pacific" that the Dauntless' replacement, the Curtis Helldiver, was not well-liked: its folding wings would not lock properly properly and its bomb releases would often jam, forcing pilots to land with bombs still loaded.

[@kwhopper1100]

Sabura sakai did not bail out he was wounded badly and his plane was damaged. He was barely able to fly it back .

[@Geoduck.]

The factual errors have reached a new low/high. It's fun to watch these videos to see how much the dark sky team gets wrong.

[@TheGravitywerks]

Saw his Saburo Sakai's damaged goggles on display at the Admiral Nimitz Pacific War Museum in Fredricksburg, Texas. Great place. Thanks for the video.......a few details are incorrect.

[@williambarrett70]

I was impressed by the major film that Hollywood produced: "Midway". And the battle got considerable attention.

[@DonaldGregg-xu1bp]

The Dauntless was NOT replaced by the Hell Cat. Two different categories of planes; The Dauntless was never considered a fighter. I like this video series but narrative is often wrong or misleading.

[@boobah5643]

Yeah, the Dauntless was replaced by the Helldiver.

[@PitViper329]

The war was over by 1945, pal. Check your dates.

[@damaan1243]

He misread the script, calm down.

[@PitViper329]

Bullshit. If he's presenting historical fact, he needs to be accurate.

[@hiddenrunner9259]

Hes right though. He said 1942nd not 1947.

[@montanagetaway6175]

One of many great Airplanes!

[@williamrobinson827]

"It was August 7, 1947. The US and the Empire of the Rising Sun were at war." I don't think so, since Japan had surrendered almost 2 years earlier.

[@Raenman66]

Who researches and writes this stuff? There was no co-pilot. Just a pilot and rear gunner.

[@roterex9115]

Where did he say it did 7:34 he specifically says 2 man aircraft with pilot and gunner

[@Amateur0Visionary]

I'm pretty sure there isn't a dedicated researcher. This seems to be more of just a "copy and paste from Wikipedia"-type gig.

[@Raenman66]

@@roterex9115 In the earlier portion when you describing the surprise of the Japanese pilot when he realized that he was attacking the bombers instead of fighters. Someone (you?) stated that there was a co-pilot. Later on, yes, you did correctly state pilot and gunner. I paused the vid at the first point to make my comment.

[@roterex9115]

@@Raenman66 wait why do you think i have anything to do with what was said in the video? I'm just watching it. Also while yes he did say copilot context suggested he meant gunner just like he talked about the Japanese pilot ejecting rather than bailing out (i know he flew home in actual history). The way it was said suggested to me he was just using copilot to broadly to refer to the second man in the aircraft rather than specifically a second man in control.

[@Raenman66]

@@roterex9115 Sorry, by the way that you responded, I assumed that you were the producer of the content. No, when the term "co-pilot" is used, it is a specific term not general. "Crew member" would have allowed the viewer to assume that the gunner was meant because of the context. A co-pilot is another pilot and one can't do that while facing rearward. It may sound picky but for folks who know aviation or are pilots themselves, and are fans of WWII naval aviation history, these points are important. Overlooking them just drives us away to seek content elsewhere.

[@robertfritz9916]

Wrong again. The M2 .50 cal is an upsized version of the M1919 30 cal. Again, great video but ignorant dialog.

[@markamiller1970]

I'm no documentary expert. But doesn't ignorant dialog doom any video to being a terribly documentary and therefor a worthless video. You are correct he did not show video of German and U.S. dog fights or the 1964-65 New York World's Fair so for that he gets a gold star. But the pile of errors delivered in the audio disqualify this video from being anything but garbage. It should be pulled down and redone. If I represented Magellan TV I would insist on this video being removed or I'd insist on having any mention of Magellan TV removed from this abortion.

[@TheTotallyRandomGuy]

What’s funny, is in war thunder, I have the SBD-3 dauntless and I’ve killed more planes in the dauntless than any other plane that I have. I find that quite interesting

[@stevenbenson4755]

Sakai came in below what he thought were wildcats. They were avengers torpedo bombers (not SBDs)- with a belly gun in addition to a tail gunner. It was a new type he had not seen before.

[@jalan8171]

The SBD held the line for America that first year in the Pacific. After 1942, the F4U Corsair would start hammering the Japanese air wings thanks to men such as Greg ' Pappy ' Boyington.

[@johnl.sillasen1780]

My late father engineered the tail hook on that plane.

[@tommygallagher5747]

Nice mine helped design the a 10

[@JoeOvercoat]

@@tommygallagher5747 Sweet. I will always do my best to fight the good fight argue to keep the A-10 in service.

[@lschmidjr]

ATTENTION: CORRECTION. According to his autobiography "Samurai", Saburo Sakai tried to hit F6F Hellcats from below and behind. The planes were actually TBF AVENGERS, which, in addition to a turret with .50 caliber gun guarding rear and above, had a .30 caliber gun for the radio man firing behind and below. Sakai was hit in the top of his head. He did not crash. He flew his plane back to base, hours away from where he was hit.

[@Ostenjager]

The Dauntless SBD is one of my favorite aircraft of WWII. Love that plane!

[@rebelwithacause2330]

Documentaries are supposed to "document" history...not butcher history. Also... he could not have "ejected" from his Zero...there wasn't an ejector seat in the Zero.

[@toml1446]

The definition of eject is to force or throw something out. Thats why you eject a DVD or CD, an Ejection seat just automates what pilots had already been doing, which was ejecting from the aircraft.

[@rebelwithacause2330]

@@toml1446 That pilot "bailed out" of his aircraft. He did not "eject"; Mitsubishi Zeroes were not equipped with ejector seats.

[@toml1446]

@@rebelwithacause2330 as per my previous statement, you do not need an ejection seat to eject from an aircraft. Stop being pedantic about things you know nothing about.

[@michaellegg8565]

You've got to be careful with the facts. This wasn't 1947, but 1942. Seems like you aren't doing any of the research. Pity.

[@redrust3]

Your contention is incorrect. Saboru Sakai was never shot down, by anyone. Instead, he was severely wounded, and barely made it back to his base in Rabaul, somehow managing to land his aircraft intact. At that time, he was Japan’s ace of aces, with 62 kills. Shards of his cockpit canopy destroyed the sight in one of his eyes. He spent two years recovering, and only gained two more air to air victories.(By the way, he also never lost a wingman, the fact that he was most proud of.) I believe he might’ve met the rear gunner of the same dauntless, after the war, and happily shook his hand in friendship.

[@jonathansiegel6386]

Dude, This man. Every video, I mean every god damn video has some form of incorrect information in it. Its at the point now we're it has to be intentional. He can't be that wrong consistently. God help anyone that watches these for factual information. He's made a whole channel with here and there blatant bullshit facts. Bravo.

[@williamvalentin2748]

If youre reading the comments right now, you still havent finished the video. 3rd btw

[@Tron-Jockey]

I was in the service in the mid 70's and SBD's were still considered deadly, especially in small enclosed areas with poor ventilation.

[@Chrisgee479]

My grandfather was an SBD Dauntless pilot assigned to USS Hornet (CV-8). It's an awesome aircraft and love to see videos spotlighting it. I'm a bit disappointed in the inaccuracies tho and would have liked to see more about the plane's performance in Midway.

[@detjen6403]

Your voice is perfect for narrating documentaries. and it even has the slightly dark almost menacing tone which gives the documents a little edge to it almost like your talking about some conspiracy or somthing.

[@roybaker6902]

You've got to be kidding. He sucks.

[@austinwagner3231]

Enjoy War Thunder but youre overwhelmed by the number of planes? Just watch Dark Skies, sponsored plane reviewer of the entire War Thunder catalogue.

[@robertmarx1954]

Poorly edited and fact checking. Worst episode yet.

[@Quick_Bisquick]

Sbd's are awesome the one at the national museum of ww2 aviation is the most war correct version I've seen and it flys!

[@petesheppard1709]

My dad flew as a gunner on scout missions from the USS ENTERPRISE in 1942. Another nickname was 'Speedy', an obvious play on SBD and a joke about its speed. Even though it was considered obscolescent at the start of the war (the SB2C was supposed to replace it in '41), the Dauntless became the Navy's premier ship-killing aircraft.

[@HowlingWo1f]

He obviously made an error, i’m pretty sure he knows the war was over by then. now people can stop with their comments 1947 Comments.

[@satan8593]

2nd

[@Yman83464z]

We all know that no one is perfect - but it is a good thing to always STRIVE for perfection! When you are out there in the public eye - you are held to greater accountability. Dark Skies just pushes on without a care. Others who have been in similar situations have put a "mea culpa" in the form of a correction text in the video, or the video description or in the comments. But this guy, no - he ignores his subscribers and watchers. I have written several times to mention that he could slow his clipped commentary down a bit - he has an audience that is global too! (I write from West Africa) Errors in this video: 1. "1947"? 2. He describes a fighter as not having a "Co-pilot" - if he is referring to other crewmen - he should say so! 3. He says Sakai "ejected" - I do not know that that term is used in referring to bailing out of WW2 planes.