File:TBM3_Avenger_-_Chino_Airshow_2014_(14344070442).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Grumman Avenger
Sign in to saveAlso known as General Motors Avenger, General Motors TBM Avenger, TBM Avenger, Grumman Tarpon, Grumman G-40 Avenger, G-40 Avenger, G-40, TBM
1941 torpedo bomber aircraft model
Key facts
- 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
- First flight
- 7 August 1941
- Retired
- 1960s
via Wikipedia infobox
~30 min read
Encyclopedic overview
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. From 1942-on, production of the Avenger (representing nearly three quarters of its the total production) was subcontracted to a purposely established division of General Motors: the Eastern Aircraft Division.
The Avenger entered U.S. service in 1942 and first saw action during the Battle of Midway, losing five of the six Avengers on its combat debut. The Avenger remained in service to become the most widely used torpedo bomber of World War II, particularly in the Pacific Theater where it helped to sink numerous surface ships including the super-battleships Yamato and Musashi. The Avenger was also one of the most effective sub-killers in both the Pacific and Atlantic, with about 30 submarine kills, including the cargo submarine I-52. Greatly modified after World War II, the Avenger remained in use until the 1960s.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Grumman Avenger” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.