This sheet  (actually a sheet and 2/3rds) is for a specific SBD-3 Dauntless, one of the few that is still extant and now resides in the Kalamazoo Air Zoo museum in southwest Michigan. According to the instruction sheet's history, this aircraft was pulled from Lake Michigan and it wasn't until restoration had started that they realized that this plane had take part in Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa in 1942.

The decals include markings for this particular aircraft when it was with VS-41 in that operation with the yellow surround insignia (used only on the sides and bottom of the wings) and the set of markings it wore when it went over the side of a training carrier in Lake Michigan near Chicago. These latter markings are the ones in effect from July to September of 1943 and have the red surround.

There are enough markings to do both schemes with nicely done grey/black wing walk areas as well. I'm not sure what the yellow rectangles are for, though those may well be bomb markings. I'm also thinking that the latter scheme would have been unarmed as the plane was assigned to Carrier Qualification Training Unit 2 at the time of its final flight.

Thanks to Yellow Wings for the review samples. If your store cannot get them, you can order direct.

January 2007

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