The Douglas SBD Dauntless served as the U.S. Navy's front line dive bomber from the outbreak of WWII thru 1943. Dauntless' proved their mettle at the battles of Coral Sea and Midway, where crews accounted for four Japanese carriers. The plane also saw action in support of the Marines at Guadalcanal. Their last combat stint was at the Battle of the Phillipine Sea in 1944. Originally printed by Douglas and the U.S. Navy during WWII, this Flight Operating Handbook taught pilots everything they needed to know before entering the cockpit. Classified "Restricted", the manual was recently declassified and is here reprinted in book form. This affordable facsimile has been slightly reformatted. Care has been taken however to preserve the integrity of the text.