TBF Avenger

The Grumman TBF Avenger is an American torpedo bomber, developed by the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation and, after early production, built in large numbers by General Motors' Eastern Aircraft Division as well, first flying in August 1941 and entering United States Navy service in 1942. Carrying a crew of three and built with wings that folded for storage aboard aircraft carriers, the Avenger had a large internal bomb bay able to carry a single aerial torpedo, one 2,000 pound bomb, or up to four smaller 500 pound bombs, giving it flexibility across both anti-ship and general bombing missions. It became the most widely used torpedo bomber of the Second World War, particularly in the Pacific theater, where Avengers took part in sinking major Japanese warships including the battleships Yamato and Musashi, and the type also proved effective in an anti-submarine role in both the Pacific and Atlantic, credited with roughly thirty submarine kills over the course of the war. In total 9,839 Avengers were built.