Synopses & Reviews
As its name suggests, the Avenger meted out severe retribution on the Japanese in the Pacific, participating in every major engagement through to VJ-Day. As a key weapon of World War II (1939-1945), 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.
Synopsis
Produced as a replacement for the Douglas TBD Devastator, two prototype XTBF-1s were ordered from Grumman in April 1940, along with the rival XTBU-1 design from Consolidated. The XTBF-1 was distinctly 'rotund' due to its capacious internal bomb bay, which was large enough to contain the biggest (22-in) torpedo in the Navy arsenal. By the end of January 1942 the first production TBF-1s were issued to the US Navy. The Avenger meted out severe retribution on the Japanese over the next three years in the Pacific, participating in every major engagement from Midway onwards. The Navy's demand for the aircraft soon outstripped Grumman's production capacity, so General Motors was contracted to build the near identical TBM-1 from September 1942 onwards. All wartime users of the aircraft are detailed in this volume, with numerous first-hand accounts and detailed appendices.
About the Author
Barrett Tillman is the worlds most prolific US naval aviation author, having published over two-dozen titles on the World War 2 period alone. He has written numerous books for Osprey in recent years, and he is currently working on several future projects too.