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I actually have a two-fold question. I recently discovered that I share a home town with Ensign Samuel Underhill, an SBD Dauntless pilot from VS-5 on the Yorktown, who was lost during the Battle of the Coral Sea. I'd like to build a Dauntless as a tribute. As fate would have it I just came across an Accurate Miniatures SBD-3 while perusing E-Bay listings and got it for an incredible price (less than 20 bucks!). My next problem is my first question: where can I find out (if even possible) the squadron number of the A/C he was flying. I've searched the net but have come up empty so far. The second question is who makes generic decals for early WWII USN A/C in 1/48 scale? The kit is of a Yorktown Coral Sea Dauntless but only provides decals for one aircraft and it's not the one I need. Thanks in advance for any assistance.
I checked the "Order of Battle" pages over at Navweaps.com
The squadrons for Yorktown CV-5 at the Coral sea were:
VF-42 F4F-3 (x18) LT CDR Charles Fenton
VB-5 SBD-3 (x18) LT Wallace Short
VS-5 SBD-3 (x17) LT CDR William Burch Jr.
VT-5 TBD-1 (x13) LT CDR Joe Taylor
There is really no way to know which aircraft he was flying beacuse while planes have names painted on them, the pilots fly the aircraft available, so there is a real possibility you could be flying someone elses airplane. The maintance records that might help narrow it down were most likely lost when Yorktown sank after Midway.
Chasing the ultimate build.
Coming in to this I was aware that the answer might be impossible to find. If I could narrow it down that would help. Finding the plane he was normally assigned to would be just as good. I've actually found a couple of his squadron mates numbers (one of which is included in the kit). I also just finished reading "The Battle for Hell's Island" by Stephen Moore and while Yorktown's numbers aren't included in a chart listing the pilots and their gunners Lexington's are, and she was sunk in the battle, so one would think that since Yorktown was sunk later, this info might have been saved somewhere (although you would think that if the author had found it he would have included it too).
Only one close listed by Joe Baugher is BuNo 4539 which is an SBD-3 lost on 8 May. Contact the Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola for more info.
WIP: Monogram 1/72 B-26 (Snaptite) as 73rd BS B-26, 40-1408, torpedo bomber attempt on Ryujo
Monogram 1/72 B-26 (Snaptite) as 22nd BG B-26, 7-Mile Drome, New Guinea
Minicraft 1/72 B-24D as LB-30, AL-613, "Tough Boy", 28th Composite Group
richs26 Only one close listed by Joe Baugher is BuNo 4539 which is an SBD-3 lost on 8 May. Contact the Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola for more info.
Thanks for the heads up on the museum. I have sent them an e-mail asking for assistance. Also, I was able to find the BuNo's for four additional SBD's lost on May 8. One of these 5 has to be Underhill's. Now to match the BuNo's to squadron #'s. Easy right? Lol
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