The SBD Dauntless was an American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglass Aircraft from 1940 through 1944 during World War II. The plane was flown from US Marine Corps land bases and US Navy aircraft carriers, and the planes delivered the fatal blows to the Japanese aircraft carriers at the Battle of Midway in 1942. The plane garnered an excellent reputation, and 5,936 were built during the war.