TBF-1 Avenger

The Grumman TBF‑1 Avenger entered service in 1942 as the United States Navy’s primary torpedo bomber of World War II. Developed in response to a 1939 Navy requirement for a larger, more capable replacement for the TBD Devastator, the Avenger’s first flight occurred on 1 August 1941, and it quickly proved its worth in the Pacific theater. Its spacious, slab‑side fuselage accommodated a crew of three—pilot, turret gunner, and radioman‑bombardier—and could carry a single Mark 13 torpedo, up to 2,000 lb of bombs, or rockets, making it a versatile strike platform. Key features included a powerful Wright R‑2600 Twin Cyclone radial engine delivering 1,900 hp, a large, hydraulically operated, rear‑facing .50‑caliber turret, and folding wings that allowed storage on aircraft carriers. The Avenger’s durability, long range of roughly 1,000 nm, and capacity for auxiliary fuel tanks extended its operational reach, while later variants such as the TBM series incorporated improved engines and avionics. Beyond its combat record—most famously launching the torpedo that sank the Japanese carrier Akagi at Midway—the Avenger helped shape carrier‑based attack doctrine and served postwar as a training and anti‑submarine aircraft, cementing its legacy as a cornerstone of naval aviation history.