World War 2 In Review: United States Navy

Grumman TBF Avenger (BuNo 00380). A crew from Torpedo 8, VT-8, is taking charge of this brand new airplane at Norfolk, Virginia in March 1942. Unit markings had not yet been painted on the fuselage sides; prior to leaving Norfolk, this aircraft had “8-T-1” painted on its fuselage. While most of the unit were still flying Douglas TBD Devastators, a small detachment with six of the new TBFs including 8-T-1 were sent to Midway to continue training on the new aircraft. During the battle of Midway, this detachment flew a mission against the Japanese fleet and only this aircraft managed to return to Midway. All of VT-8’s Devastators were shot down on the same mission.

The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps and also eventually used by several air and naval aviation services around the world.

The Avenger entered U.S. service in 1942 and first saw action during the Battle of Midway. Despite the loss of five of the six Avengers on its combat debut, it survived in service to become the most effective submarine killer and most widely used torpedo bomber of World War II, sharing credit for sinking the super-battleships Yamato and Musashi and being credited for sinking 30 submarines. Greatly modified after the war, it remained in use until the 1960s.

From 1942-on, production of the Avenger (in fact nearly three quarters of its the total production) was subcontracted to a purposely established division of General Motors: the Eastern Aircraft Division.

Design and Development

The Douglas TBD Devastator, the U.S. Navy's main torpedo bomber introduced in 1935, was obsolete by 1939. Bids were accepted from several companies, but Grumman's TBF design was selected as the replacement for the TBD and in April 1940 two prototypes were ordered by the Navy. Designed by Leroy Grumman, the first prototype was called the XTBF-1. It was first flown on 7 August 1941. Although one of the first two prototypes crashed near Brentwood, New York, rapid production continued.

To ease carrier storage concerns, simultaneously with the F4F-4 model of its Wildcat carrier fighter, Grumman designed the Avenger to also use the new Sto-Wing patented "compound angle" wing-folding mechanism, intended to maximize storage space on an aircraft carrier; the Wildcat's replacement, the F6F Hellcat, also employed this mechanism. The engine used was the twin-row Wright R-2600-20 Twin Cyclone fourteen-cylinder radial engine, which produced 1,900 horsepower (1,420 kW).

There were three crew members: pilot, turret gunner and radioman/bombardier/ventral gunner. A single synchronized .30 caliber (7.62 mm) machine gun was mounted in the nose, a .50 caliber (12.7 mm) gun was mounted right next to the turret gunner's head in a rear-facing electrically powered turret, and a single 0.30 caliber (7.62 mm) hand-fired machine gun flexibly-mounted ventrally (under the tail), which was used to defend against enemy fighters attacking from below and to the rear. This gun was fired by the radioman/bombardier while standing up and bending over in the belly of the tail section, though he usually sat on a folding bench facing forward to operate the radio and to sight in bombing runs.

Later models of the TBF/TBM omitted the cowl-mount synchronized 0.30 caliber (7.62 mm) gun, and replaced it with twin Browning AN/M2 0.50 caliber (12.7 mm) light-barrel guns, one in each wing outboard of the propeller arc, per pilots' requests for better forward firepower and increased strafing ability. There was only one set of controls on the aircraft, and no direct access to the pilot's position existed from the rest of the aircraft's interior. The radio equipment was massive, especially by today's standards, and filled the length of the well-framed "greenhouse" canopy to the rear of the pilot. The radios were accessible for repair through a "tunnel" along the right hand side. Any Avengers that are still flying today usually have an additional rear-mounted seat in place of the radios, allowing for a fourth passenger.

The Avenger had a large bomb bay, allowing for one Bliss-Leavitt Mark 13 torpedo, a single 2,000-pound (907 kg) bomb, or up to four 500-pound (227 kg) bombs. The aircraft had overall ruggedness and stability, and pilots say it flew like a truck, for better or worse. With its good radio facilities, docile handling, and long range, the Grumman Avenger also made an ideal command aircraft for Commanders, Air Group (CAGs). With a 30,000 ft (9,000 m) ceiling and a fully loaded range of 1,000 miles (1,600 km), it was better than any previous American torpedo bomber, and better than its Japanese counterpart, the obsolete Nakajima B5N "Kate". Later Avenger models carried radar equipment for the ASW and AEW roles.

Escort carrier sailors referred to the TBF as the "turkey" because of its size and maneuverability in comparison to the F4F Wildcat fighters in the same air groups.

Operational History

U.S. Navy

On the afternoon of 7 December 1941, Grumman held a ceremony to open a new manufacturing plant and display the new TBF to the public. Coincidentally, on that day, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor, as Grumman soon found out. After the ceremony was over, the plant was quickly sealed off to guard against possible sabotage. By early June 1942, a shipment of more than 100 aircraft was sent to the Navy, arriving only a few hours after the three carriers quickly departed from Pearl Harbor, so most of them were too late to participate in the pivotal Battle of Midway.

Six TBF-1s were present on Midway Island – as part of VT-8 (Torpedo Squadron 8) – while the rest of the squadron flew Devastators from the aircraft carrier Hornet. Both types of torpedo bombers suffered heavy casualties. Out of the six Avengers, five were shot down and the other returned heavily damaged with one of its gunners killed, and the other gunner and the pilot wounded.

Author Gordon Prange posited in Miracle at Midway that the outdated Devastators (and lack of new aircraft) contributed somewhat to the lack of a complete victory at Midway (the four Japanese fleet carriers were sunk directly by dive bombers instead). Others pointed out that the inexperienced American pilots and lack of fighter cover were responsible for poor showing of US torpedo bombers, regardless of type. Later in the war, with growing American air superiority, better attack coordination and more veteran pilots, Avengers were able to play vital roles in the subsequent battles against Japanese surface forces.

On 24 August 1942, the next major naval aircraft carrier battle occurred at the Eastern Solomons. Based on the carriers Saratoga and Enterprise, the 24 TBFs present were able to sink the Japanese light carrier Ryūjō and claim one dive bomber, at the cost of seven aircraft.

The first major "prize" for the TBFs (which had been assigned the name "Avenger" in October 1941, before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor) was at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November 1942, when Marine Corps and Navy Avengers helped sink the Japanese battleship Hiei, which had already been crippled the night before.

After hundreds of the original TBF-1 models were built, the TBF-1C began production. The allotment of space for specialized internal and wing-mounted fuel tanks doubled the Avenger's range. By 1943, Grumman began to slowly phase out production of the Avenger to produce F6F Hellcat fighters, and the Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors took over production, with these aircraft being designated TBM. The Eastern Aircraft plant was located in Ewing, New Jersey. Grumman delivered a TBF-1, held together with sheet metal screws, so that the automotive engineers could disassemble it, one part at a time, and redesign the aircraft for automotive-style production. This aircraft was known as the "P-K Avenger" ("P-K" being an abbreviation for Parker-Kalon, manufacturer of sheet metal screws). Starting in mid-1944, the TBM-3 began production (with a more powerful powerplant and wing hardpoints for drop tanks and rockets). The dash-3 was the most numerous of the Avengers (with about 4,600 produced). However, most of the Avengers in service were dash-1s until near the end of the war in 1945.

Besides the traditional surface role (torpedoing surface ships), Avengers claimed about 30 submarine kills, including the cargo submarine I-52. They were one of the most effective sub-killers in the Pacific theater, as well as in the Atlantic, when escort carriers were finally available to escort Allied convoys. There, the Avengers contributed to the warding off of German U-boats while providing air cover for the convoys.

After the "Marianas Turkey Shoot", in which more than 250 Japanese aircraft were downed, Admiral Marc Mitscher ordered a 220-aircraft mission to find the Japanese task force. Fighting 300 nmi (560 km) away from the fleet at the extreme end of their range, the group of Hellcats, TBF/TBMs, and dive bombers took many casualties. However, Avengers from the Independence-class aircraft carrier USS Belleau Wood sank the light carrier Hiyō as their only major prize. Mitscher's gamble did not pay off as well as he had hoped.

In June 1943, shortly before his 19th birthday, future-president, George H. W. Bush, was commissioned as the youngest naval aviator at the time. Later, while flying a TBM with VT-51 (from USS San Jacinto), his Avenger was shot down on 2 September 1944 over the Pacific island of Chichi Jima. However, he released his payload and hit the radio tower target before being forced to bail out over water. Both of his crewmates died. He was rescued at sea by the American submarine USS Finback. He later received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Another famous Avenger aviator was Paul Newman, who flew as a rear gunner. He had hoped to be accepted for pilot training, but did not qualify because he was color blind. Newman was on board the escort carrier USS Hollandia roughly 500 mi (800 km) from Japan when the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

The Avenger was the type of torpedo bomber used during the sinking of the two Japanese "super battleships", with the US Navy having complete air superiority in both engagements: Musashi and Yamato.

The postwar disappearance on 5 December 1945 of a flight of five American Avengers, known as Flight 19, was later added to the Bermuda Triangle legend, first written about by Edward Van Winkle Jones in an Associated Press article published in September 1950.

During World War II, the US aeronautical research arm NACA used a complete Avenger in a comprehensive drag-reduction study in their large Langley wind tunnel.

Royal Navy

The Avenger was also used by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA), where it was initially known as the "Tarpon". Initial test flights were carried out by British Admiralty test pilot Roy Sydney Baker-Falkner at RAF Boscombe Down. However, this name was later discontinued and the Avenger name used instead, as part of the process of the FAA universally adopting the U.S. Navy's names for American naval aircraft. The first 402 aircraft were known as Avenger Mk I, 334 TBM-1s from Grumman were called the Avenger Mk II, and 334 TBM-3 were designated the Mk III. An interesting kill by a Royal Navy Avenger was the destruction of a V-1 flying bomb on 9 July 1944. The much faster V-1 was overtaking the Avenger when the Telegraphist Air Gunner in the dorsal turret, Leading Airman Fred Shirmer, fired at it from 700 yards (640 m). For this achievement, Shirmer was Mentioned in Dispatches, later being awarded the DSM for the 1945 Operation Meridian action at Palembang. In the January 1945 British carrier raid on the Soengei Gerong oil refinery during Operation Meridian, an FAA Avenger shot down a Nakajima Ki-44 "Tojo" in low level combat over the jungle. Three Avengers were modified to carry the Highball "bouncing bomb" (given the new codename Tammany Hall), but when trials were unsuccessful, they were returned to standard configuration and passed to the Royal Navy.

One hundred USN TBM-3Es were supplied to the FAA in 1953 under the US Mutual Defense Assistance Program. The aircraft were shipped from Norfolk, Virginia, many aboard the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Perseus. The Avengers were fitted with British equipment by Scottish Aviation and delivered as the Avenger AS.4 to several FAA squadrons including No. 767, 814, 815, 820 and 824. The aircraft were replaced from 1954 by Fairey Gannets and were passed to squadrons of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve including Nos. 1841 and 1844 until the RNVR Air Branch was disbanded in 1957. The survivors were transferred to the French Navy in 1957–1958.

Royal New Zealand Air Force

The only other operator in World War II was the Royal New Zealand Air Force which used the type primarily as a bomber, equipping Nos. 30 and 31 Squadrons, with both operating from South Pacific island bases during 1944 in support of the Bougainville campaign. Some of the Avengers were later transferred to the British Pacific Fleet.

In 1945, Avengers were involved in pioneering trials of aerial topdressing in New Zealand that led to the establishment of an industry which markedly increased food production and efficiency in farming worldwide. Pilots of the Royal New Zealand Air Force's No. 42 Squadron spread fertilizer from Avengers beside runways at Ohakea Air Base and provided a demonstration for farmers at Hood Aerodrome, Masterton, New Zealand.

Royal Canadian Navy

One of the primary postwar users of the Avenger was the Royal Canadian Navy, which obtained 125 former US Navy TBM-3E Avengers from 1950 to 1952 to replace their Fairey Fireflies. By the time the Avengers were delivered, the RCN was shifting its primary focus to anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and the aircraft was rapidly becoming obsolete as an attack platform. Consequently, 98 of the RCN Avengers were fitted with an extensive number of novel ASW modifications, including radar, electronic countermeasures (ECM) equipment, and sonobuoys, and the upper ball turret was replaced with a sloping glass canopy that was better suited for observation duties. The modified Avengers were designated AS 3. A number of these aircraft were later fitted with a large magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) boom on the rear left side of the fuselage and were redesignated AS 3M. However, RCN leaders soon realized the Avenger's shortcomings as an ASW aircraft, and in 1954 they elected to replace the AS 3 with the Grumman S-2 Tracker, which offered longer range, greater load-carrying capacity for electronics and armament, and a second engine, a great safety benefit when flying long-range ASW patrols over frigid North Atlantic waters. As delivery of the new license-built CS2F Trackers began in 1957, the Avengers were shifted to training duties, and were officially retired in July 1960.

Camouflage Research

TBM Avengers were used in wartime research into counter-illumination camouflage. The torpedo bombers were fitted with Yehudi lights, a set of forward-pointing lights automatically adjusted to match the brightness of the sky. The planes therefore appeared as bright as the sky, rather than as dark shapes. The technology, a development of the Canadian navy's diffused lighting camouflage research, allowed an Avenger to advance to within 3,000 yards (2,700 m) before being seen.

Civilian Use

Many Avengers have survived into the 21st century working as spray-applicators and water-bombers throughout North America, particularly in the Canadian province of New Brunswick.

Forest Protection Limited (FPL) of Fredericton, New Brunswick, once owned and operated the largest civilian fleet of Avengers in the world. FPL began operating Avengers in 1958 after purchasing 12 surplus TBM-3E aircraft from the Royal Canadian Navy. Use of the Avenger fleet at FPL peaked in 1971 when 43 aircraft were in use as both water bombers and spray aircraft. The company sold three Avengers in 2004 (C-GFPS, C-GFPM, and C-GLEJ) to museums or private collectors. The Central New Brunswick Woodsmen's Museum has a former FPL Avenger on static display. An FPL Avenger that crashed in 1975 in southwestern New Brunswick was recovered and restored by a group of interested aviation enthusiasts and is currently on display at the Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum. FPL was still operating three Avengers in 2010 configured as water-bombers, and stationed at Miramichi Airport. One of these crashed just after takeoff on 23 April 2010, killing the pilot. The last FPL Avenger was retired on 26 July 2012 and sold to the Shearwater Aviation Museum in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

There are several other Avengers, usually flying as warbirds in private collections around the world today. They are a popular airshow fixture in both flying and static displays.

In 2020 the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) were flying three TBM Avengers with one based with the Rocky Mountain Wing in Grand Junction, Colorado; another with the Missouri Wing at St Charles Smartt Field; and their newest with the Capital Wing in Culpeper, Virginia. Each of these allow non-CAF members to ride in the aircraft for a Living History Flight Experience.

Type: Torpedo bomber

National origin: United States

Manufacturer: Grumman

Built by: GM Eastern Aircraft Division

Status: Retired

Primary users:

United States Navy

Royal Navy

Royal Canadian Navy

Royal New Zealand Air Force

Number built: 9,839

Introduction date: 1942

First flight: 7 August 1941

Retired: 1960s

Specifications (TBF Avenger)

Crew: 3

Length: 40 ft 1⁄8 in (12.195 m)

Wingspan: 54 ft 2 in (16.51 m)

Width: 19 ft (5.8 m) folded

Height: 16 ft 5 in (5.00 m)

Wing area: 490 sq ft (46 m2)

Airfoil:

root: NACA 23015

tip: NACA 23009

Gross weight: 15,536 lb (7,047 kg)

Fuel capacity:

Fuel 330 US gal (275 imp gal; 1,249 L) in three center-section integral tanks

plus 2x 58 US gal (48 imp gal; 220 L) droppable slipper tanks under outer wings

with provision for a jettisonable 275 US gal (229 imp gal; 1,041 L) bomb-bay ferry tank.

Oil 32 US gal (27 imp gal; 121 L)

Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-2600-8 Twin Cyclone 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,700 hp (1,300 kW)

Propellers: 3-bladed Hamilton Standard constant-speed propeller

Maximum speed: 278 mph (447 km/h, 242 kn)

Cruise speed: 215 mph (346 km/h, 187 kn)

Range: 905 mi (1,456 km, 786 nmi) at cruise speed

Service ceiling: 22,600 ft (6,900 m)

Rate of climb: 1,075 ft/min (5.46 m/s)

Power/mass: 0.11 hp/lb (0.18 kW/kg)

Guns:

1 × 0.30 in (7.62 mm) nose-mounted M1919 Browning machine gun (on early models) or 2 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) wing-mounted M2 Browning machine guns

1 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) dorsal-mounted M2 Browning machine gun

1 × 0.30 in (7.62 mm) ventral-mounted M1919 Browning machine gun

Rockets:

up to eight 3.5-Inch (89 mm) Forward Firing Aircraft Rockets

or 5-inch (127 mm) Forward Firing Aircraft Rockets or

or High Velocity Aerial Rockets

Bombs:

up to 2,000 lb (907 kg) (can consist of 4×500 lb bombs) of bombs

or 1 × 2,000 lb (907 kg) Mark 13 torpedo

or Mark 24 mine (Fido) acoustic homing torpedo

Variants

TBF

XTBF-1: Prototypes each powered by a 1,700 hp (1,300 kW) R-2600-8 engine, second aircraft introduced the large dorsal fin. (2 built)

TBF-1: Initial production model based on the second prototype. (1,526 built)

TBF-1C: TBF-1 with provision for two 0.5 in (12.7 mm) wing guns and fuel capacity increased to 726 US gal (2,748 l). (765 built)

TBF-1B: Paper designation for the Avenger I for the Royal Navy.

TBF-1D: TBF-1 conversions with centimetric radar in radome on right wing leading edge.

TBF-1CD: TBF-1C conversions with centimetric radar in radome on right wing leading edge.

TBF-1E: TBF-1 conversions with additional electronic equipment.

TBF-1J: TBF-1 equipped for bad weather operations

TBF-1L: TBF-1 equipped with retractable searchlight in bomb bay.

TBF-1P: TBF-1 conversion for photo-reconnaissance

TBF-1CP: TBF-1C conversion for photo-reconnaissance

XTBF-2: TBF-1 re-engined with a 1,900 hp (1,400 kW) XR-2600-10 engine.

XTBF-3: TBF-1 re-engined with 1,900 hp (1,400 kW) R-2600-20 engines.

TBF-3: Planned production version of the XTBF-3, cancelled

TBM

TBM-1: as TBF-1. (550 built)

TBM-1C: as TBF-1C. (2336 built)

TBM-1D: TBM-1 conversions with centimetric radar in radome on right wing leading edge.

TBM-1E: TBM-1 conversions with additional electronic equipment.

TBM-1J: TBM-1 equipped for all weather operations

TBM-1L: TBM-1 equipped with retractable searchlight in bomb bay.

TBM-1P: TBM-1 conversion for photo-reconnaissance

TBM-1CP: TBM-1C conversion for photo-reconnaissance

TBM-2: One TBM-1 re-engined with a 1,900 hp (1,400 kW) XR-2600-10 engine.

XTBM-3: Four TBM-1C aircraft with 1,900 hp (1,400 kW) R-2600-20 engines.

TBM-3: as TBM-1C, double cooling intakes, engine upgrade, minor changes. (4,011 built)

TBM-3D: TBM-3 conversion with centimetric radar in radome on right wing leading edge.

TBM-3E: as TBM-3, stronger airframe, search radar, ventral gun deleted. (646 built).

TBM-3H: TBM-3 conversion with surface search radar.

TBM-3J: TBM-3 equipped for all weather operations

TBM-3L: TBM-3 equipped with retractable searchlight in bomb bay.

TBM-3M: TBM-3 conversion as a Tiny Tim rocket launcher.

TBM-3N: TBM-3 conversion for night attack.

TBM-3P: TBM-3 conversion for photo-reconnaissance.

TBM-3Q: TBM-3 conversion for electronic countermeasures, retained gun turret.

TBM-3R: TBM-3 conversions as seven-passenger, Carrier onboard delivery transport.

TBM-3S: TBM-3 conversion as an anti-submarine strike version.

TBM-3U: TBM-3 conversion as a general utility and target version.

TBM-3W: TBM-3 conversion as the first ship based airborne early warning control and relay platform with APS-20 radar in ventral radome.

XTBM-4: Prototypes based on TBM-3E with modified wing incorporating a reinforced center section and a different folding mechanism. (3 built)

TBM-4: Production version of XTBM-4, 2,141 on order were cancelled.

Royal Navy Avenger

Tarpon GR.I: RN designation of the TBF-1, 400 delivered.

Avenger Mk.II: RN designation of the TBM-1/TBM-1C, 334 delivered.

Avenger Mk.III: RN designation of the TBM-3, 222 delivered

Avenger Mk.IV: RN designation of the TBM-3S, 70 cancelled

Avenger AS4: RN designation of the TBM-3S, 100 delivered postwar

Royal Canadian Navy Avengers

Avenger AS3: Modified by RCN for anti-submarine duty, dorsal gun turret removed, 98 built

Avenger AS3M: AS3 with magnetic anomaly detector boom added to rear fuselage

Avenger Mk.3W2: Similar to TBM-3W, with large ventral radome. 8 operated.

Operators

Brazil: Brazilian Navy operated three Avengers in the 1950s for deck crew training aboard the carrier Minas Gerais (A-11).

Canada: Royal Canadian Navy operated Avengers until replaced by the CS2F Tracker in 1960.

Cuba: Cuban Navy received 7 TBM-3S2 in 1956; however, they were out of service by 1960.

France: Aéronavale operated Avengers in the 1950s.

Japan: Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force operated Hunter-Killer Avengers groups in the 1950s and 1960s.

Netherlands: Royal Netherlands Navy – the Dutch Naval Aviation Service operated Avengers during the 1950s.

New Zealand

Royal New Zealand Air Force

No. 30 Squadron RNZAF

No. 31 Squadron RNZAF

No. 41 Squadron RNZAF

No. 42 Squadron RNZAF

Central Fighter Establishment

Nicaragua: Nicaraguan Air Force

United Kingdom

Royal Navy – Fleet Air Arm

820 Naval Air Squadron

828 Naval Air Squadron

832 Naval Air Squadron

845 Naval Air Squadron

846 Naval Air Squadron

848 Naval Air Squadron

849 Naval Air Squadron

850 Naval Air Squadron

851 Naval Air Squadron

852 Naval Air Squadron

853 Naval Air Squadron

854 Naval Air Squadron

855 Naval Air Squadron

856 Naval Air Squadron

857 Naval Air Squadron

United States

United States Navy

United States Marine Corps

Uruguay: Uruguayan Navy operated Avengers in the 1950s.

List of Surviving Grumman TBF Avengers

Australia

Airworthy

TBM-3

53857 - Bennet Aviation Pty Limited in Redhead, New South Wales.

Canada

Airworthy

TBM-3

53610 - Shearwater Aviation Museum in Nova Scotia.

53858 - Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario.

69361 - Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin, Alberta.

On Display

TBM-3

53607 - Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

85733 - Central New Brunswick Woodsmen’s Museum in Boiestown, New Brunswick.

85861 - Shearwater Aviation Museum in Nova Scotia.

In Storage

TBM-3

91171 - James Wilson in British Columbia.

France

Airworthy

TBM-3

85869 - AMPAA in Etampes.

Israel

On Display

TBM-3

69355 - Israeli Air Force Museum.

Under Restoration

TBM-3

85506 - under restoration by Ben Ami in Tel Aviv.

New Zealand

Airworthy

TBM-3

91110 - Brendon Deere, based at RNZAF Base Ohakea, painted as NZ2518 “Plonky” (build number 47733).

On Display

TBF-1

24336 - RNZAF serial NZ2504, RNZAF Museum in Wigram, New Zealand, painted in its original colors as RNZAF serial NZ2504.

24337 - RNZAF serial NZ2505, Classic Flyers, Mount Maunganui, on loan from Gisborne Aviation Preservation Society in Gisborne, New Zealand.

47859 - RNZAF serial NZ2527, Museum of Transport and Technology, Western Springs, Auckland.

Under Restoration

TBF-1

48016 - RNZAF serial NZ2539, being restored by Classic Flyers, Mount Maunganui.

Switzerland

Airworthy

TBM-3

53319 - Trachsel Charles in Matin Calme. It is currently based at the Lausanne Airport of Lausanne, Switzerland.

United Kingdom

On Display

TBM-3

69327 - Imperial War Museum in Duxford.

69502 - Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton.

United States

Airworthy

TBF-1C

47887 - restored by Pacific Fighters for private owner in Beaverton, Oregon.

TBM-3

53119 - privately owned in Orange, California.

53139 - based at the Greatest Generation Naval Museum in San Diego, California.

53353 - based at the Commemorative Air Force (Missouri Wing) in Portage Des Sioux, Missouri.

53420 - based at the Tri-State Warbird Museum in Batavia, Ohio.

53454 - based at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

53503 - based at the CAF Rocky Mountain Wing Museum in Grand Junction, Colorado.

53575 - based at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Houston, Texas.

53638 - based at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania.

53768 - privately owned in Joliet, Illinois.

53785 - based at the Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, California.

53787 - privately owned in Carson City, Nevada.

53818 - privately owned in Bloomington, Minnesota.

53835 - privately owned in Greenwich, Connecticut.

69459 - based at the War Eagles Air Museum in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

TBM-3E

53337 - privately owned at Mercer, Wisconsin.

85460 - based at the NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum in Cape May County, New Jersey.

85632 - privately owned in Peru, Illinois.

85650 - privately owned in Pawcatuck, Connecticut.

85794 - based at the Lauridsen Aviation Museum in Buckeye, Arizona.

85882 - privately owned in Seattle, Washington.

85886 - based at the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, New York.

85938 - based at the Mid America Flight Museum in Mount Pleasant, Texas.

85983 - privately owned in Paso Robles, California.

86280 - based at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, Texas.

91188 - based at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum in Titusville, Florida.

91264 - based at the Planes of Fame in Chino, California.

91426 - based at the Commemorative Air Force (Capital Wing) in Brandy Station, Virginia.

91436 - based at the Liberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton, Ohio.

91453 - privately owned in Fort Valley, Virginia.

91521 - privately owned in Huntington, Indiana.

91726 - privately owned in Jackson, Mississippi.

91733 - based at the Collings Foundation in Stow, Massachusetts.

On Display

TBM-1

24803 - USS Intrepid (CV-11) at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum at Pier 86 in New York, New York. It is on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida.

TBM-3

53200 - Museum of Mountain Flying at the Missoula International Airport in Missoula, Montana.

53229 - George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas.

53403 - National Museum of the Pacific War at the Pacific Combat Zone in Fredericksburg, Texas. It is on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida.

53593 - National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.

53804 - USS Lexington (CV-16) museum in Corpus Christi, Texas.

53842 - USS Yorktown (CV-10) at the Patriot’s Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Charleston, South Carolina.

69374 - National World War II Museum in New Orleans, LA and was restored by Rolando X Gutierrez, Flyboys Aeroworks, LLC in San Diego, California.

69375 - USS Hornet (CV-12) museum in Alameda, California.

69472 - Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.

TBM-3E

53726 - Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum in Miramar, California.

85890 - National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia.

85957 - USS Midway Museum in San Diego, California. It is on loan from Sidney Summers in San Diego, California.

86123 - Mid-America Air Museum in Liberal, Kansas.

91586 - Cradle of Aviation Museum, Garden City, Long Island, New York. It is on loan from the Friends For Long Island’s Heritage in Huntington, New York, sponsored by Mrs. William T. Schwendler.

91664 - NAS Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Florida.

91752 - Wings of Eagles Discovery Center in Horseheads, New York.

Under Restoration or in Storage

TBF-1

01741 - for static display at the DeLand Naval Air Station Museum at the DeLand Naval Air Station (now the DeLand Municipal Airport) in DeLand, Florida.

05997 - for static display at the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.

24085 - in storage at the Paul Garber Facility of the National Air and Space Museum in Silver Hill, Maryland.

TBM-3

53829 - to airworthiness by private owner in Wahpeton, North Dakota.

69325 - to airworthiness by private owner in Camden, Tennessee.

69329 - to airworthiness by private owner in Wilmington, Delaware.

TBM-3E

53914 - for static display at Commemorative Air Force (Airbase Arizona) in Mesa, Arizona.

85957 - to airworthiness by private owner in San Diego, California.

91598 - in storage at the Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.

Bibliography

Drendel, Lou (2001). TBF/TBM Avenger Walk Around. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications.

Drendel, Lou (1987). "Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger". U.S. Navy Carrier Bombers of World War II. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications. pp. 89–120..

Fletcher, R. G. (1995). Front Line Avenger Squadrons of the FAA. Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, UK: R.G. Fletcher.

Francillon, René (1970). Grumman (Eastern) TBF (TBM) Avenger. Aircraft in Profile. 214. London: Profile Publications.

Geelen, Janic (1983). The Topdressers. Auckland: NZ Aviation Press.

Hove, Duane (2003). American Warriors: Five Presidents in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: Burd Street Press.

Jackson, B. R.; Doll, Thomas E. (1970). Grumman TBF/TBM "Avenger". Aero Series. 21. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers.

Jackson, B. R.; Doll, Thomas E. (1970). Supplement to Grumman TBF/TBM "Avenger". Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers.

Kinzey, Bert (1997). TBF & TBM Avenger in Detail & Scale. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications.

Pelletier, Alain (1981). Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger (in French). Paris: Editions Ouest-France.

Prange, Gordon William; et al. (Goldstein, Donald M.; Dillon, Katherine V.) (1983). Miracle at Midway. New York: Viking.

Scrivner, Charles L. (1987). TBF/TBM Avenger in Action. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications.

Skulski, Przemyslaw (1997). Grumman Avenger. Seria Pod Lupa (in Polish). 5. Wrocław, Poland: Ace Publications.

Tillman, Barrett (1979). Avenger at War. London: Ian Allan.

Tillman, Barrett (1999). TBF/TBM Avenger Units of World War 2. Botley, UK: Osprey Publishing.

Treadwell, Terry C. (2001). Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing.

Wheeler, Barry C. (1992). The Hamlyn Guide to Military Aircraft Markings. London: Chancellor Press.

The second U.S. Navy Grumman XTBF-1 prototype (BuNo 2540), 1941.

The second U.S. Navy Grumman XTBF-1 prototype (BuNo 2540) at the NACA Langley Research Center, in 1942.

Grumman TBF Avenger after the unit markings were painted on, “8-T-1” visible on fuselage sides, late March 1942.

TBF 8-T-1 after the unit markings were painted on with propeller tips painted red-yellow-blue as delivered by Grumman.

TBF 8-T-1 after the unit markings were painted on, late March 1942.

TBF 8-T-1 after returning from the mission, crash landing on the beach on Midway’s Eastern island.

TBF 8-T-1 after it was back on its landing gear. The plane was so badly shot up that it was later scrapped.

Another view of Grumman TBF-1 Avenger 8-T-1 after it was put back on its landing gear.

Grumman TBF Avenger 8-T-1 showing damage to the gunner’s turret after the battle. The turret gunner, Jay Manning, was killed. Radio operator Harry Ferrier and pilot Ensign Bert Earnest were both wounded.

Pensacola at Sand Island, Midway Atoll, disembarking Marine reinforcements, 25 Jun 1942; in the foreground is the lone surviving land-based Avenger of the Midway battle.

A U.S. Navy Grumman TBM Avenger (General Motors-built TBF) with Sto-Wing folding wings, folding its wings after landing aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific, 1945. The geometric identification symbol on the wing shows that the plane was assigned to the USS Randolph (CV-15).

A U.S. Navy Grumman TBM Avenger is launched from the catapult of an aircraft carrier, probably an escort carrier, 1945.

The U.S. Navy pilot of a Grumman TBF-1 Avenger torpedo bomber awaits the “take off” signal aboard USS Yorktown (CV-10), circa late 1943.

A U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avenger dropping a torpedo in late 1942 or early 1943.

Seven Grumman TBM-3D Avenger bombers of night torpedo squadron VT(N)-90 flying in formation in January 1945. The squadron was part of Night Air Group 90 on the carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6). Note radar pods in right-side wings, and the distinctive tail insignia.

U.S. Navy Grumman TBM-3 Avengers and Curtiss SB2C Helldivers assigned to Carrier Air Group 83 (CVG-83) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9) dropping bombs on Hakodate, Japan, in July 1945.

Inside the Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber.

Grumman TBF Avenger on airstrip, Iwo Jima, February-March 1945.

Marine Avenger torpedo bombers were the first planes to fly regularly scheduled missions from newly-captured Motoyama No. 2 airstrip on Iwo Jima. The 4th Marine Air Wing torpedo planes flew night and day anti-submarine patrol in defense of the strategic island only three air hours from Japan.

Marine Avenger torpedo bombers receive their loads of depth bombs on Motoyama, Airfield No. 2, Iwo Jima. From the new Marine-won base, the Avengers maintained a 24-hour schedule of patrols keeping the skies and sea free of enemy raiders.

TBM Mail plane prepares to take off from Nan Yuan Airfield, Peiping, China, operating base of MAG-24, on daily run to Tientsin. Operations building and tower in background. 13 November 1945.

Patches: Nearly 400 holes and it still flies. This Marine Avenger torpedo bomber of the 1st Marine Air Wing was hit by flying shrapnel March 8, 1944 when the Japanese started throwing shells into the air strips on Bougainville. The plane was repaired and ready to fly the next morning.

A Marine Avenger torpedo bomber of the 1st Marine Air Wing gets an overhaul in its revetment on Bougainville by its mechanics. In the foreground is a 2,000-pounder waiting to be put in the plane. 16 February 1944.

Versatility was one of the marks of the Marine TBF torpedo bomber, shown here as it takes off against the jungle background of a Bougainville air strip. Either carrier- or land-based, it dropped both torpedoes and bombs with equal accuracy. 1st Marine Air Wing, 17 February 1944.

Members of a Avenger torpedo bomber crew prepare to leave from the Bougainville air strip on a strike at Rabaul. In center is the pilot; to his left is the turret gunner; to right, radio-gunner. 1st MAW, 14 February 1944.

On Christmas Day, Santa Claus arrives aboard USS Enterprise (CV-6) in a dive bomber with six Avenger torpedo bombers bearing the names of his steeds, to distribute gifts. Lieutenant Louis L. Bangs (Air Group 10) played the part. Shown is the “Prancer” aircraft. December 25, 1943.

Merry Christmas! That’s the greetings that Air Group 6, temporarily based aboard USS Enterprise (CV-6) during recent attacks on the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, sent their mother ship on Christmas Day. December 25, 1943.

Loading of a Mark XIII torpedo into the bomb bay of a Grumman TBF-1 Avenger of Torpedo Squadron 16 (VT-16), on the flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-16), 12 September 1943. Note the torpedo cart at the bottom of the image, and the portable winch (marked TBF) at left center.

U.S. Navy aircraft of Carrier Air Group 4 (CVG-4) on deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4) during operations in the North Atlantic on 29 June 1943. In front are Grumman TBF-1 Avengers from Torpedo Squadron VT-4, followed by Grumman F4F-4 Wildcats from Fighting Squadron VF-41 Red Rippers; Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless from Bombing Squadron VB-41 Tophatters are parked on the end of the flight deck.

U.S. Navy Grumman TBM-3 Avenger torpedo bombers and Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters (right and aft) of Carrier Air Group 50 (CVLG-50) on the deck of the light aircraft carrier USS Bataan (CVL-29) in 1944.

View of a U.S. Navy Grumman TBF Avenger that made a water landing next to the light cruiser USS San Juan (CL-54), circa 1944.

Aircraft of Carrier Air Group 16 return to the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-16) during the Gilberts operation, November 1943. Crewmen in the foreground are sitting on the wing of a Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless, as a Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat lands and a Grumman TBF-1 Avenger taxies to a parking place on the forward flight deck.

A U.S. Navy Grumman TBF Avenger flown by Ensign Carroll L. Farrell of Torpedo Squadron Ten (VT-10) from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) pictured after ditching in the water just outside Truk Lagoon, 30 April 1944. The pilot and his crew are in the raft near the aircraft. Farrell and his crew were later rescued by the submarine USS Tang (SS-306).

A U.S. Navy Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger approaching the escort carrier USS Takanis Bay (CVE-89), circa 1945.

A Grumman TBF Avenger is launched from the U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Hollandia (CVE-97), circa 1944.

U.S. Navy Grumman TBF Avengers from Torpedo Squadron 28 (VT-28) aboard USS Monterey (CVL-26) preparing for takeoff for a bombing mission over Tinian Island, the nearest Japanese held island to Saipan in the Marianas in June 1944.

Crewmen aboard USS Saratoga lift AOM Kenneth Bratton, USNR, out of a TBF Avenger’s rear turret after a raid on Rabaul on 5 November 1943. The aircraft and a friendly F6F Hellcat successfully fought off eight attacking Zeroes, downing three. Bratton and pilot Commander Henry Caldwell survived. Photographer’s Mate Paul Barnett was killed in action.

A U.S. Navy Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo plane is catapulted from the escort carrier USS Makin Island (CVE-93), circa 1945.

A U.S. Navy General Motors TBM-1C Avenger of Torpedo Squadron 20 (VT-20) pictured after recovery on board the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) on 10 October 1944. Note the flight deck crew removing the tailhook from the arresting wires so that the airplane can taxi forward. From 10–20 October, the carriers of Task Force 38 attacked targets on Okinawa, Formosa, and the Philippines.

Grumman TBF Avengers and F6F Hellcats on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Makin Island, 1945.

A U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avenger torpedo bomber taking off using rocket-assisted take-off (RATO) units, circa 1943. The RATO units provided an additional 330 horsepower allowing the plane to take off in about half the normal run.

A U.S. Marine Corps Grumman TBF-1 Avenger at Barakoma, Vella Lavella Island. Marine Torpedo Bomber Squadrons (VMTB) 134, 232, and 233 were in the area. 1943.

Barrier crash of a U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avenger from Composite Squadron VC-6 aboard the escort carrier USS Croatan (CVE-25) in August 1943.

About 90 people were necessary to get one Grumman TBF-1 Avenger in the air, as exemplified here aboard the U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Card (CVE-11) in 1943.

Air Officer Commander R.Y. McElroy lands the first aircraft, a Grumman TBF Avenger, aboard the U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Marcus Island (CVE-77) at 1139 hrs, 5 March 1944. Acting as Landing Signal Officer was Captain Charles F. Greber.

Wooden pieces of the flight deck of the U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Solomons (CVE-67) fly around after a Grumman TBF Avenger flown by William F. Chamberlin strikes the ramp on recovery, 25 May 1944. The pilot and his crew, members of Composite Squadron VC-9, survived this accident, but were killed in action a month later during an attack against a German U-boat.

A U.S. Navy tractor attempts to pull the battle-damaged Grumman TBF-1 Avenger flown by Cliff Largess of Torpedo Squadron VT-10. The plane crash-landed on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) after being damaged over Hollandia, New Guinea, in a friendly fire incident with an Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat.

A U.S. Navy tractor pulls the battle-damaged Grumman TBF-1 Avenger flown by Cliff Largess of Torpedo Squadron VT-10. The plane crash landed on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) after being damaged over Hollandia, New Guinea, in a friendly fire incident with an Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat.

A damaged U.S. Navy Grumman TBF Avenger of torpedo squadron VT-10, Carrier Air Group 10 (CVG-10), on deck of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6). The aircraft had been flown by Cliff Largess and is shown following a crash landing after the plane was damaged over Hollandia, New Guinea, in a friendly fire incident with an F6F Hellcat.

A damaged U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avenger assigned to Torpedo Squadron VT-8 makes a landing on board the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) without the benefit of a tailhook while the carrier operates off the Solomons. Note that the arrestor wire has caught the main undercarriage. The TBF only suffered some bent propeller blades. August 1942.

A U.S. Navy Grumman TBF Avenger of Torpedo Squadron VT-8 is poised for launch from the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) for a strike against Saipan on 10 June 1944. Note the rocket rails.

Landing of a U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avenger on the escort carrier USS Card (ACV-11) on 9 December 1942.

A U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avenger after making a bad landing missing the arrestor gear on the escort carrier USS Card (ACV-11) on 9 December 1942.

A U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avenger catching the wire aboard the escort carrier USS Long Island (ACV-1) in late 1942 or early 1943.

A U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avenger from Torpedo Squadron 10 (VT-10) prepares for launch from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, 26 October 1942. The sign visible beyond the plane’s landing gear reads “PROCEED WITHOUT HORNET”, indicating Enterprise´s strike is not to wait to join up with a strike being launched by the USS Hornet (CV-8). The sign to the left reads “JAP ‘CV’ SPEED 25 AT 0830” (Japanese aircraft carrier, speed 25 knots, at 0830°).

A U.S. Marine Corps Grumman TBF-1 Avenger of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron VMSB-131 “Diamondbacks” pictured parked on grass at Guadalcanal. Circa 1942-43.

Three U.S. Navy pilots in front of a Grumman TBF-1 Avenger torpedo bomber of torpedo squadron VT-11 on Guadalcanal in May 1943. The pilots are (l-r): Lt.(jg) George Gay, LCdr. W.L. Hamilton, and LCdr. F.L. Ashworth (CO VT-11). Lt. Gay was the sole survivor of VT-8 at the Battle of Midway.

A U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1C Avenger of Torpedo Squadron 17 (VT-17), Carrier Air Group 17 (CVG-17), prepares to take off from the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) during its combat cruise from October 1943 to March 1944.

U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avengers of Torpedo Squadron VT-7 pictured on the flight deck of USS Wasp (CV-7) during the campaign for Guadalcanal. The crew is at battle stations as evident by the wearing of helmets and life preservers.

A Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo plane landing on board the carrier USS Cowpens (CVL-25) at the time of the Marshalls-Gilberts raids, November-December 1943. Note flight deck barrier rigged in the foreground.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless, Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat, and Grumman TBF-1 Avenger aircraft of Carrier Air Group Ten (CVG-10) on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), on 2 May 1943. The battleship USS Washington (BB-56) is visible astern. The ships were part of Task Force 16 and were en route to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, after leaving Noumea, Espiritu Santo, on 30 April. Task Force 16 arrived at Pearl Harbor on 8 May 1943.

The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Harrison (DD-573) underway passing the aircraft carrier USS Bennington (CV-20) in April 1945. Grumman TBM-3 Avengers of Torpedo Squadron 82 (VT-82) are visible warming up in the foreground.

U.S. Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcats from Fighting Squadron VF-30 and Grumman TBF-1 Avengers from Torpedo Squadron VT-30 are being prepared for a raid on the Gilbert Islands on board the light aircraft carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26), in November or December 1943.

A Kamikaze hits the U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Suwannee (CVE-27) in the waters off the Philippines on 26 October 1944. The photo was taken from the USS Sangamon (CVE-26) with an Grumman TBF Avenger parked on its forward deck.

On Guadalcanal, U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant John Davis examines the wreckage of a U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avenger, flown by Ensign Albert K. Earnest during his service with Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8) during the campaign for the embattled island. Note the silhouette of a torpedo hit scored during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons in August 1942.

Lt. Charles E. Kerlee, USNR, steps down from the wing of a TBF after photographing the raid on Wake. Using two K-20 cameras, Kerlee squeezed in behind the pilot and stood for four hours to get his pictures. Circa 6 October 1943.

U.S. Navy flight deck crews aboard the aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-18) prepare to load a Mark XIII torpedo on a Grumman TBM Avenger of Torpedo Squadron 14 (VT-14), during strikes in the Luzon-Formosa area, 13 October 1944. Note the plywood shrouds on the torpedo’s fins and nose.

One of the deadly aerial torpedoes carried by the U.S. Navy’s crack torpedo bomber, the Grumman TBF Avenger. The photograph was taken aboard an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific. January 1943.

U.S. Navy flight deck crewmen load a Mark XIII torpedo on a Grumman TBM Avenger of Torpedo Squadron 82 (VT-82) for a strike on Japanese shipping aboard the aircraft carrier USS Bennington (CV-20). 1945.

Close up view of the interior of the bomb bay of a U.S. Navy Grumman TBM Avenger showing sonobuoys positioned for dropping in the event of an encounter with a German U-boat, 1943-1945.

TBF being hoisted aboard the USS Santee (CVE-29) at a coast port, circa October 1942.

View of an inspection at Otis Field located at Camp Edwards in Massachusetts, on 12 August 1944. Due to the “85-T-” markings on the Grumman TBM Avengers, the aircraft probably belonged to Carrier Air Group 85 (CVG-85) which would later deploy aboard the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La (CV-38). Visible are nine TBM Avengers, 16 Vought F4U Corsairs, and a single Grumman J4F Widgeon amphibian. In the background is a Lockheed PV-1 Ventura patrol bomber.

A plane director aboard the U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Cape Gloucester (CVE-109) uses arm signals to position a Grumman TBM Avenger bomber on the ship’s starboard catapult, during operations off Kyushu, Japan, 8 September 1945. Flight deck crewmen are attaching a catapult bridle to the plane. Note rockets (probably 3.5-inch) mounted under the TBM’s wing, and resting on the cart in the left center background. The TBM wears “G-symbol” air group identification markings.

U.S. Navy General Motors FM Wildcat and TBM Avenger aboard the escort carrier USS Takanis Bay (CVE-89), circa 1944. Takanis Bay was commissioned on 15 April 1944. After shakedown, she operated out of San Diego, California, with Fleet Air, West Coast, through the end of hostilities with Japan in mid-August 1945. She tested pilots for carrier operations, and between 24 May 1944 and 28 August 1945, she qualified 2,509 pilots.

U.S. Navy Grumman TBM-1C Avenger torpedo bombers from Torpedo Squadron 10 (VT-10) warming up on the after flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) during operations in the Pacific, circa May 1944. A Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighter from Fighter Squadron 10 (VF-10) “Grim Reapers” is on the midships elevator, in the foreground.

U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Albert B. Cahn gives the take-off signal to a Grumman TBM-1C Avenger of Torpedo Squadron 51 (VT-51) aboard the light aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto (CVL-30), during exercises on 16 May 1944.

A U.S. Navy Grumman TBM-3 Avenger aboard the escort carrier USS Bairoko (CVE-115), circa 1945.

Two U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avenger torpedo bombers in flight, circa 1942.

A U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avenger torpedo bomber in flight in mid-1942.

The later U.S. president George Herbert Walker Bush as a pilot, seated in a Grumman TBM Avenger aircraft, circa 1944.

Bush waited for four hours in an inflated raft, while several fighters circled protectively overhead until he was rescued by the lifeguard submarine USS Finback. For the next month he remained on the Finback, and participated in the rescue of other pilots.

The U.S. escort carrier USS Kitkun Bay (CVE-71) prepares to launch Grumman FM-2 Wildcat fighters of composite squadron VC-5 during the Battle off Samar on 25 October 1944. The aircraft visible on the left are Grumman TBF Avengers. In the distance, Japanese shells are splashing near the USS White Plains (CVE-66). Just after 0700 the sea around the escort aircraft carrier USS White Plains erupts as she is straddled and near missed by 14 inch gunfire from Japanese battleships which have surprised the escort carrier task group 77.4.1. In the foreground is the flight deck of her sister ship, USS Kitkun Bay. The Kitkun Bay’s air group is ranged on the flight deck aft. The first of its twelve FM-2 Wildcat fighters is just commencing its take off run as the second is readied to follow. The fighters carry only drop tanks—there has been no time to arm them with bombs. The six larger aircraft on the left are Grumman TBF Avenger bombers.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless and Grumman TBF-1 Avengers ready for takeoff from an escort carrier on training duty, circa mid-1943. The flight deck officer is in left center, while chock men stand ready to pull chocks on his order. Note the yellow training unit markings, and the red-bordered national insignias on the planes.

3.5-inch Forward Firing Aircraft Rockets being loaded on a TBF Avenger aboard the escort carrier USS CORE. 1944.

Filming of “On an Island with You,” Anna Maria Island, Florida. “On an Island with You,” is a 1948 musical romantic comedy directed by Richard Thorpe. It starred Esther Williams, Peter Lawford, Ricardo Montalban, Cyd Charisse, and Kathryn Beaumont.

U.S. Navy Grumman TBF Avengers an General Motors FM-2 Wildcats of Composite Squadron 85 (VC-85) aboard the escort carrier USS Lunga Point (CVE-94). VC-85 operated from Lunga Point from 16 August 1944 to 11 May 1945.

Grumman TBF Avenger Torpedo Bomber