US Navy The U.S. Navy would not accept the SB2C until 880 modifications The SB2C-1 could deploy
slats mechanically linked with landing gear actuators, that extended from the outer third of the wing leading edge to aid lateral control at low speeds. The early prognosis of the "Beast" was unfavourable; it was strongly disliked by aircrews due to its size, weight, and reduced range compared to the SBD it replaced. In the
Battle of the Philippine Sea, 45 Helldivers, most of which had been launched from extreme range, were lost when they ran out of fuel while returning to their carriers. Among its major faults, the Helldiver was underpowered, had a shorter range than the SBD, was equipped with an unreliable electrical system, and its manufacturing quality control was often poor. The Curtiss-Electric propeller and the complex hydraulic system had frequent maintenance problems. One of the faults of the aircraft throughout its operational life was poor longitudinal stability, resulting from a fuselage that was too short due to the necessity of fitting onto aircraft carrier elevators. The solution to these problems began with the introduction of the SB2C-3 beginning in 1944, which used the R-2600-20 Twin Cyclone engine with and Curtiss' four-bladed propeller. This substantially solved the chronic lack of power that had plagued the aircraft. The Helldiver, however, could still deliver ordnance with more precision against specific targets and its two-seat configuration permitted a second set of eyes. The Helldiver also had a significant advantage in range over a fighter, while carrying a bombload, which is crucial in naval operations. The advent of air-to-ground rockets ensured that the SB2C was the last purpose-built dive bomber produced. The first 10 aircraft had
folding wings, while the remainder of the production order omitted this feature. Many other changes distinguished the A-25A, including larger main wheels, a pneumatic tailwheel, ring and bead gunsight, longer exhaust stubs, and other Army-specified radio equipment. By late 1943, when the A-25A was being introduced, the USAAF no longer had a role for the dive bomber, as fighter aircraft such as the
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt had shown their ability to carry out tactical air-support missions with great success. The USAAF transferred 410 Helldivers to the
US Marines. The A-standard 25As were converted to the USMC variant,
SB2C-1A and one squadron,
VMSB-151, based on
Enjebi (or Engebi/Enjibe; part of Enewetak Atoll) conducted bombing missions on bypassed Japanese strongpoints nearby. Otherwise, the SB2C-1A variant never saw combat and was used primarily as a trainer and target tug. These aircraft were paid for by the US government as
Lend Lease aid. By November 1943, when the first shipment of 10 Shrikes arrived in Australia, the RAAF had decided that dive bombing was an outmoded tactic.
Vultee Vengeance dive bombers, which were already
in service with the RAAF, were being replaced by light bombers. As a result, the order for the remaining 140 Shrikes was cancelled. A69-4 was assigned to
No. 1 Air Performance Unit, for performance testing, between December 1943 and April 1944. The RAAF and US
Fifth Air Force already operated a joint pool of aircraft types common to both services in the South West Pacific theatre and, by mid-January 1944, the other nine Shrikes had been transferred to USAAF units.
Greek service American aid provided the
Royal Hellenic Air Force with 48 Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldivers from surplus U.S. Navy stocks. The aircraft were delivered by the aircraft carrier USS Sicily (CVE-118) in the spring of 1949. From the 48 aircraft, 6 were used for ground instruction or spare parts and 42 were given to 336th Fighter Squadron (336 Μοίρα Διώξεως) to replace
Supermarine Spitfires and the squadron's name was changed to
336th Bomber Squadron (336 Μοίρα Βομβαρδισμού). Greek SB2C-5 Helldivers had minor changes for their
COIN operations; the hard rubber tailwheel (for carrier use) was replaced by a bigger pneumatic tire for use on landing strips, and the rear gunner station and its twin machine guns were deleted, as no aerial opposition existed and weight reduction was used for bombs and extra machine guns. Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldivers, Supermarine Spitfires, and North American T-6D/Gs were used in ground-attack missions against
Communist ground forces, camps, and transports during the last stages of the
Greek Civil War. Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldivers saw a relatively brief combat service and were gradually phased out by 1953.
French service Between 1949 and 1954, France bought 110 SB2C-5 Helldiver aircraft to replace their aging SBD-5 Dauntless that had been flying in combat in Vietnam. The French
Aeronavale flew the Helldiver from 1951 to 1958. Some of these aircraft were allotted to
flottilles 3F and 9F stationed on board the carriers
Arromanches,
Bois Belleau, and
La Fayette, during the
First Indochina War. The Helldivers were used to support French troops on the ground during the
Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. ==Variants==