Notably, a future President of the United States would pilot the Avenger.
The Grumman TBF Avenger was an American torpedo bomber that was given a remarkable trial by fire: the Battle of Midway. Debuting in 1942 with the US Navy and US Marine Corps, designed for anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare, the Avenger’s first foray into combat would become known to history as perhaps the most significant naval battle of all time.
The Avenger would prove itself at Midway, and throughout the Pacific Theater, eventually becoming the American’s most widely used torpedo bomber in the war, and earning credit for the sinking of the Imperial Japanese super-battleships Yamato and Musashi, as well as 30 submarines.
The Avenger Came Just in Time for World War II
The Avenger was designed to replace the Navy’s primary torpedo bomber of the 1930s, the Douglas TBD Devastator, which by 1939, was already obsolete. A contract for a replacement was awarded to Grumman, and production progressed rapidly—even after one of the first two prototypes crashed during flight testing in New York.
With war brewing on the Pacific horizon, the Avenger was designed to be durable and survivable. The fairly conventional monoplane was given a large, mid-wing and a reinforced fuselage, all meant to withstand significant damage while staying airborne and protecting the three person crew, which featured a pilot, a turret gunner with access to a .50-caliber machine gun in a powered dorsal turret, and a radioman/bombardier/ventral gunner, who sat in the rear and could access the Avenger’s .30-caliber ventral machine gun when required.
To save space on the crowded decks and storage bays of an aircraft carrier, the Avenger was designed with Grumman’s patented “Sto-Wing” mechanism, which permitted the wings to fold backward horizontally. And to facilitate landings on carrier decks, the Avenger was outfitted with a tricycle landing gear and an arrestor hook for latching onto the carrier’s arrestor cable.
The Avenger was outfitted with a powerful engine, the Wright R-2600-20 Twin Cyclone radial engine, which generated 1,900 horsepower. With the Twin Cyclone engine onboard, the Avenger could achieve a maximum speed of 276 miles per hour, a service ceiling of 30,100 feet, and a climb rate of 1,630 feet per minute. The Avenger’s range was between 1,000 and 1,500 miles (depending on configuration) while the combat radius was about 500 miles.
The Avenger’s Presidential History
Notably, a future President of the United States would pilot the Avenger. In 1943, George H. W. Bush became the Navy’s youngest aviator—earning his wings at just 18 years old, before being assigned to Torpedo Squadron VT-51, which operated from the USS San Jacinto. Bush flew 58 combat missions in the Avenger, often under heavy anti-aircraft fire. On one such mission, September 2nd, 1944, Bush was shot down near the Japanese island of Chichijima. Bush was the lone crewmember to survive; both his gunner and radioman were killed.
Against the odds, Bush was rescued from the Pacific by the Navy’s USS Finback submarine—a rescue that would have significant implications for the history of the United States and the world, culminating in a presidency that oversaw the dissolution of the Soviet Union and victory in the first Gulf War. Bush also saw his son, George W. Bush, serve as president from 2001 to 2009, prior to his passing in 2018.
About the Author: Harrison Kass
Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
Image: Shutterstock / Angel DiBilio.
