Osprey Combat Aircraft 16 : TBF/TBM Avenger Units of World War 2

The most widely-produced naval strike aircraft of all time, the Grumman/Eastern TBF/TBM Avenger dominated the torpedo bomber role as no other American aircraft dominated any other military mission. Nearly 10,000 Avengers were produced by the parent company and Eastern Division of General Motors Corp between 1942 and 1945, supplying allied navies and air forces as well. Produced as a replacement for the Douglas TBD Devastator, the first TBF-1s reached the frontline just in time to participate in the pivotal Battle of Midway, fought in June 1942. As its name suggests, the Avenger meted out severe retribution on the Japanese over the next three years in the Pacific, participating in every major engagement through to VJ-Day. As a key weapon of war, the Avenger was so highly valued by the US Navy that its demand for the aircraft soon outstripped Grumman's production capacity, so General Motors [GM] was contracted to build the near identical TBM from September 1942 onwards. Over 1000 Avengers also saw action with the Fleet Air Arm in both the Atlantic and the Pacific through to VJ-Day, and two squadrons of RNZAF TBDs fought alongside American Avengers on Bougainville in 1944. Text by Barrett Tillman with illustrations by Tom Tullis.

Contents

• Avenger
• Guadalcanal and the Solomons
• Central Pacific Campaigns
• To Japan
• Sub Hunter
• Royal Navy and RNZAF
• Assessment
• Appendices