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Description
The TBF Avenger was a torpedo bomber built by Grumman for the US Navy and Marine Corps just prior to WW2. This was the heaviest single-engine aircraft of WW2, the first to be built with folding wings (to increase the limited hangar space available on an aircraft carrier), and Grumman's first torpedo bomber. It carried a crew of three, with a pilot, turret gunner, and radioman/bombadier/ventral gunner. It was armed with a single .30in nose-mounted Browning machine gun (for early models), 2 .50in wing mounted Browning machine guns, 1 .50in dorsal turret-mounted Browning machine gun, and 1 .50in ventral browning machine gun. It could carry up to 2000lbs in bombs, or a single 2000lb Mark 13 torpedo.
WW2, and especially the Battle of Midway, showed just how useless and ineffective torpedo bombers really were. At Midway, the Avenger groups were slaughtered, with one group having only a single survivor. This was due to the Avenger's low speed (less than 200 mph) and weak defensive armament. Most, if not all, of the real damage was doen by the dive bombers.
However, their ruggedness, stability, long range, and good radio facilities made them ideal command aircraft for Commander, Air Groups (CAGs). Later models were fittted with early radars and used in ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) and AEW (Airborne Early Warning) roles.
The Avenger entered service on December 7, 1942 (ironically, the day Pearl Harbor was bombed), with 9,387 units being produced. The last was retired in the 1960s.
WW2, and especially the Battle of Midway, showed just how useless and ineffective torpedo bombers really were. At Midway, the Avenger groups were slaughtered, with one group having only a single survivor. This was due to the Avenger's low speed (less than 200 mph) and weak defensive armament. Most, if not all, of the real damage was doen by the dive bombers.
However, their ruggedness, stability, long range, and good radio facilities made them ideal command aircraft for Commander, Air Groups (CAGs). Later models were fittted with early radars and used in ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) and AEW (Airborne Early Warning) roles.
The Avenger entered service on December 7, 1942 (ironically, the day Pearl Harbor was bombed), with 9,387 units being produced. The last was retired in the 1960s.
Image size
3648x2736px 2.5 MB
Make
NIKON
Model
COOLPIX L20
Shutter Speed
1/60 second
Aperture
F/3.1
Focal Length
7 mm
ISO Speed
282
Date Taken
Jun 26, 2009, 11:22:41 AM
© 2009 - 2024 TAHU18
Comments2
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There's some confusion here. Two types of torpedo bombers were present at Midway: the obsolete Douglas TBD (nickname Devastator), and the much more modern TBF Avenger. However, only 6 Avengers were present. They were the first Avengers delivered to the US Navy, and were supposed to be part of the USS Hornet's torpedo squadron (Torpedo 8). They didn't arrive in time to be integrated into that torpron, so they were based at Midway NAS, where they flew ineffectively against the Japanese aircraft carriers.
The torprons that were slaughtered were equipped with the hopelessly slow, outdated, and ineffective TBD. 45 TBDs in three squadrons attacked the Japanese carriers. No torpedos exploded, and 39 aircraft were lost. Torpedo Squadron 8 off the Hornet lost all 15 of its aircraft and 29 out of 30 airmen!
All TBDs were replaced after Midway. They went on to do great things for the Navy, particularly after the problems with dud torpedos were fixed. Naval aviators had a saying: "If you want to punch holes in a ship, use a dive bomber. If you want to sink a ship, use a torpedo bomber". Avengers get credit for sinking the super battleships Musashi (at Leyte Gulf) and Yamato (off Okinawa). They also served as CAG command aircraft, ASW aircraft, and ground support bombers. They also served as ASW attack aircraft in the Atlantic, and continued to serve after the war.
Future president George W. Bush was an Avenger pilot. At age 18, he was the youngest naval aviator ever to serve in World War II. In 1945, during the Okinawa campaign, he was shot down while bombing a small nearby island. Of all the crew, only he survived.