The Grumman TBF Avenger (called TBM for planes made by General Motors) is an American torpedo bomber used during World War II. It was first developed for the United States Navy and Marine Corps and later used by other air and naval forces worldwide. From 1942 onward, most Avengers (about three-fourths of all planes made) were produced by a special division of General Motors called the Eastern Aircraft Division.
The Avenger was used by the United States starting in 1942. It first fought in the Battle of Midway, where five out of six Avengers were lost during their first battle. The Avenger became the most widely used torpedo bomber in World War II, especially in the Pacific region. It helped sink many ships, including the large battleships Yamato and Musashi. The Avenger was also very effective at attacking submarines, sinking about 30 submarines, including the cargo submarine I-52. After World War II, the Avenger was greatly changed but remained in use until the 1960s.
Design and development
The Douglas TBD Devastator was the main torpedo bomber used by the U.S. Navy when it was introduced in 1935. However, by 1939, the plane was no longer useful. The Navy asked several companies to submit designs for a new bomber, and Grumman’s TBF design was chosen to replace the TBD. In April 1940, the Navy ordered two prototypes of the new plane. Designed by Leroy Grumman, the first prototype was named the XTBF-1. It made its first flight on August 7, 1941. Although one of the two prototypes crashed near Brentwood, New York, production of the plane continued quickly.
To help save space on aircraft carriers, Grumman designed the Avenger to use the same Sto-Wing patented wing-folding mechanism as the F4F-4 Wildcat fighter. This mechanism allowed wings to fold at an angle to maximize storage space on carriers. The Wildcat’s replacement, the F6F Hellcat, also used this system. The Avenger was powered by a twin-row Wright R-2600-20 Twin Cyclone engine, which had 14 cylinders and produced 1,900 horsepower.
The Avenger had three crew members: a pilot, a turret gunner, and a radioman/bombardier/ventral gunner. A single .30 caliber machine gun was mounted in the nose. A .50 caliber machine gun was placed near the turret gunner’s head in a rear-facing electric turret. A .30 caliber machine gun was also mounted under the tail, used to defend against enemy attacks from below. The radioman/bombardier operated this gun while standing in the tail section, though he usually sat on a bench to use the radio or prepare for bombing missions.
Later models of the TBF/TBM removed the nose-mounted .30 caliber gun and replaced it with two .50 caliber machine guns in the wings, as requested by pilots for better forward firepower and strafing ability. The plane had only one set of controls, and there was no direct way to reach the pilot’s seat from other parts of the plane. The radio equipment was large and filled the rear of the cockpit. Radios could be accessed through a tunnel on the right side. Many Avengers still flying today have an extra seat in the rear instead of the radio equipment, allowing a fourth passenger.
The Avenger had a large bomb bay that could carry one Bliss-Leavitt Mark 13 torpedo, one 2,000-pound bomb, or up to four 500-pound bombs. The plane was strong and stable, and pilots described it as flying like a truck, which could be both an advantage and a disadvantage. Its good radio system, easy handling, and long range made it ideal for command aircraft used by Air Group Commanders. Later models added radar for anti-submarine warfare and air warning roles. The Avenger could reach a height of 30,000 feet and had a range of 1,000 miles when fully loaded, making it better than any previous American torpedo bomber. It also outperformed its Japanese rival, the Nakajima B5N "Kate," which became outdated by 1941.
Sailors on escort carriers nicknamed the TBF "turkey" because of its large size and limited maneuverability compared to the faster F4F Wildcat fighters in the same air groups.
Operational history
On the afternoon of December 7, 1941, Grumman held a ceremony to open a new factory and show the public the new TBF aircraft. By chance, the same day the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor, as Grumman discovered later. After the ceremony, the factory was quickly locked to protect against possible harm. By early June 1942, more than 100 aircraft were sent to the Navy, arriving just hours after three carriers left Pearl Harbor. Most of them arrived too late to join the important Battle of Midway.
Six TBF-1s were part of VT-8 (Torpedo Squadron 8) on Midway Island, while the rest of the squadron flew Devastators from the carrier Hornet. Both types of torpedo bombers suffered heavy losses. Out of six Avengers, five were shot down, and the sixth returned with serious damage, one gunner killed, and the pilot and another gunner wounded. Author Gordon Prange wrote in Miracle at Midway that the outdated Devastators and lack of new aircraft may have contributed to the U.S. not achieving a complete victory at Midway (the four Japanese carriers were sunk by dive bombers instead). Others said the lack of experienced pilots and fighter cover caused the poor performance of U.S. torpedo bombers, regardless of type. Later in the war, with better air superiority, coordination, and more experienced pilots, Avengers played important roles in battles against Japanese ships.
On August 24, 1942, the next major naval battle happened at the Eastern Solomons. Based on the carriers Saratoga and Enterprise, 24 TBFs sank the Japanese light carrier Ryūjō and claimed one dive bomber, losing seven aircraft.
The first major success for the TBFs (named "Avenger" in October 1941) was at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November 1942. Marine Corps and Navy Avengers helped sink the Japanese battleship Hiei, which had already been damaged the night before in a fight with U.S. cruisers and destroyers.
After hundreds of TBF-1s were built, production of the TBF-1C began. Adding more fuel tanks increased the Avenger’s range. By 1943, Grumman slowly stopped making Avengers to produce F6F Hellcat fighters. General Motors’ Eastern Aircraft Division took over production, and these planes were called TBM. The Eastern Aircraft plant was in Ewing, New Jersey. Grumman gave a TBF-1 to automotive engineers, using sheet metal screws so they could take it apart and redesign it for car-like production. This plane was called the "P-K Avenger." Starting in mid-1944, the TBM-3 was produced (with a stronger engine and wing mounts for drop tanks and rockets). The dash-3 was the most common Avenger (about 4,600 made). However, most Avengers in service were dash-1s until near the end of the war in 1945.
After the "Marianas Turkey Shoot," where over 250 Japanese planes were shot down, Admiral Marc Mitscher ordered a 220-aircraft mission to find the Japanese fleet. Fighting 300 nautical miles from the fleet, the group of Hellcats, TBF/TBMs, and dive bombers suffered many losses. However, Avengers from the Independence-class carrier USS Belleau Wood sank the light carrier Hiyō as their only major success. Mitscher’s plan did not succeed as well as he hoped.
In June 1943, 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 September 2, 1944, over Chichi Jima. He released his weapons and hit a radio tower before bailing out. Both crewmates died. He was rescued by the submarine USS Finback and later received the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Another famous Avenger pilot was Paul Newman, who served as a rear gunner. He wanted to become a pilot but was not accepted because he was colorblind. Newman was on the escort carrier USS Hollandia, about 500 miles from Japan, when the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
The Avenger was the torpedo bomber used during the sinking of Japan’s two "super battleships," Musashi and Yamato, where the U.S. Navy had full air control.
Besides attacking ships, Avengers were used for anti-submarine warfare. In the Atlantic, once escort carriers were available, Avengers worked with Grumman F4F Wildcats to protect Allied convoys and fight German submarines. Avengers were among the most effective sub-killers in both the Pacific and Atlantic, sinking about 30 submarines, including the cargo submarine I-52.
The disappearance of five American Avengers on December 5, 1945, known as Flight 19, became part of the Bermuda Triangle legend, first written about by Edward Van Winkle Jones in a 1950 Associated Press article.
During World War II, the U.S. aeronautical research group NACA used a complete Avenger in a drag-reduction study in their Langley wind tunnel.
The Avenger was also used by the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm (FAA), initially called "Tarpon." Test flights were done by British pilot Roy Sydney Baker-Falkner at RAF Boscombe Down. Later, the name "Avenger" was used instead. The first 402 aircraft were called Avenger Mk I, 334 TBM-1s were Avenger Mk II, and 334 TBM-3s were Mk III. A Royal Navy Avenger destroyed a V-1 flying bomb on July 9, 1944, when Leading Airman Fred Shirmer shot it from 700 yards. Shirmer was later awarded the DSM for his actions. In January 1945, an FAA Avenger shot down a Nakajima Ki-44 "Tojo" during a low-level fight. Three Avengers were modified to carry the Highball "bouncing bomb" (codename Tammany Hall), but the trials failed, and the planes were returned to standard use.
In 1953, 100 U.S. TBM-3Es were given to the FAA under the U.S. Mutual Defense Assistance Program. The planes were shipped from Norfolk, Virginia, many aboard HMS Perseus. Scottish Aviation fitted them with British equipment and delivered them as Avenger AS.4 to FAA squadrons like No. 767, 814, 815, 820, and 824. They were replaced by Fairey Gannets in 1954 and later given to the Royal Naval
Specifications (TBF Avenger)
This information comes from Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II and Flight Journal.com. It includes details about weapons and general features of the aircraft.