It was the task of a select group of naval aviators during WW2 to deliver devastating blows to heavily defended Japanese aircraft carriers and supply ships. As the U.S. Navy and Marines hopped from island to island on the long sail toward the Japanese homeland, gaining and maintaining supremacy of the air and sea were of utmost importance. This dangerous duty fell to the men of units like the 5th Bombing Squadron (VB-5) and their Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers. They did their job wellit was the Dauntless that dealt a death blow to the Japanese Imperial Navy's aircraft carriers during the Battle of Midway in 1942, setting the stage for the successes that finally brought an end to the war.