Awesome Saratoga Color Photo

[YankeeAirRat]

The picture supplied was not colorized, but rather from the technicolor process that it looks just not right. You can order the picture from the US National Archives and Records Administration.
 
Feinder,
The plane you are thinking of is the Curtiss SBC Helldiver. It was the last biplane bought by the Navy Depatment before World War 2 and it was even used by the French and Royal Navy for a few years at the start of the war. Supposedly a couple of squadrons of French SBC's were at Casablanca during the Torch landings and they were destroyed by naval gun fire and by some of the USS Ranger's Dauntless Dive Bombers. After the war started most of the SBC's left in US inventory were used by training command to teach the basics of dive bombing and scouting to new 90-day wonders till they were replaced by war weary SB2U's and SBD's.

[Akos Gergely]

Second to this as well, I just love her in the Ms 32. camo job, she is by far the most exotic USN CV.

[msieving1]

ORIGINAL: YankeeAirRat

Feinder,
The plane you are thinking of is the Curtiss SBC Helldiver.

The movie "Hell Divers" was produced in 1931, well before the Curtiss SBC. The plane used in the movie was the Curtiss F8C, also called Helldiver. http://aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/specs/ ... /f8c-4.htm

The F8C was ordered as a dual role fighter/dive bomber, but was used mainly as a bomber.

[wdolson]

ORIGINAL: YankeeAirRat
Feinder,
The plane you are thinking of is the Curtiss SBC Helldiver. It was the last biplane bought by the Navy Depatment before World War 2 and it was even used by the French and Royal Navy for a few years at the start of the war. Supposedly a couple of squadrons of French SBC's were at Casablanca during the Torch landings and they were destroyed by naval gun fire and by some of the USS Ranger's Dauntless Dive Bombers. After the war started most of the SBC's left in US inventory were used by training command to teach the basics of dive bombing and scouting to new 90-day wonders till they were replaced by war weary SB2U's and SBD's.

A USMC squadron of SBCs was on Samoa for most of 1942. They finally converted to SBDs around July, 1942.

Bill