WOW 657 Vought SB2U Vindicator

Description

WOW657  Vought SB2U Vindicator, Captain Richard E. Fleming 

The Vought SB2U Vindicator was an American carrier-based dive bomber developed for the US Navy in the 1930s, the first monoplane in this role. Vindicators remained in service at the time of the Battle of Midway, but by 1943, all had been withdrawn to training units.
Deliveries to the US Navy began in Dec 1937, when four aircraft joined VB-3 aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga, replacing Curtiss BFC-2 biplanes. As well as Saratoga, Vindicators served on the carriers Lexington, Ranger, and Wasp. Air Group Nine, destined for Essex, trained in Vindicators aboard the escort carrier Charger, but they transitioned to the Douglas SBD Dauntless before Essex joined the war.
During the attack on Pearl Harbour, seven Vindicators from the U.S. squadron VMSB-231 were destroyed at Ewa Field.
VMSB-231 and VMSB-241 were the only two USMC squadrons that fielded the Marine-specific SB2U-3 between March 1941 and September 1943. VMSB-241’s Vindicators saw combat at the Battle of Midway in June 1942.  Airmen with experience in more modern aircraft spoke disparagingly of SB2Us as “vibrators” or “wind indicators” in their later combat assignments.

Captain Richard E. Fleming piloted a SB2U-3 Vindicator in an attack on the Japanese cruiser Mikuma on 5 June 1942, for which he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Captain Richard E. Fleming first duty station was at NAB San Diego, Ca. 10 days after Pearl Harbour he flew to Midway Island from Pearl Harbour. Assigned to VMSB-241 as a flight officer, then squadron command when CO Major Lofton Henderson was shot down on the initial attack of the Japanese carrier battle group on June 4th. The next attack Captain Fleming led his squadron to attack the Japanese fleet, he left his formation to dive perilously low to hit a ship. Next day out on June 5th, he led the 2nd division on a mass dive bombing assault on the battle cruiser Mikuma, he scored a near miss on the Mikuma but was hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire several times, he could not pull out of his dive and smashed into the sea, his gunner private first class George Albert Toms was also killed. For this action, beyond the call of duty Captain Fleming was awarded the Medal of Honor.

These 1/30 scale models are limited to 4 aircraft and are priced at $999 plus postage.

Please note the figures and accessories shown are for scale comparison purposes only and are not included.