Slow But Deadly: The Dive-bombers of World War II (Traditional American History Series)

The theme of this book is the exploration of the theory and practice of dive-bombing, which tactic proved more precise than that of level-flight bombers and more effective than air-launched torpedo attacks against surface ships. It is also the author s purpose to come to a more general conclusion as to the effectiveness of dive-bombing under actual combat conditions. In this regard the words and observations of several dive-bomber aviators have been incorporated. While the best known dive-bomber was the Stuka, the most successful of the major dive-bombing airframes was undoubtedly the American-made Douglas SBD Dauntless that would prove (like most of its type) to be Slow But Deadly hence the title of this book. Unlike high altitude level-flight bombing, which was not precise, and unlike low altitude precision attacks with guns and rockets, which became more popular later in the war, dive-bombing was highly effective for many types of precision attacks. This book was begun under the tutelage of author s mentor Dr. Jeffrey L. Ethell at American Military University. Dr. Ethell found it, A fascinating and comprehensive study. On June 6, 1997, Ethell was killed when the vintage P-38 "Lightning" fighter he was piloting crashed near Tillamook, Oregon. The book is dedicated to his memory.