| TBF/TBM Avenger | |
|---|---|
.jpg) General Motors TBM-3E Avenger warbird, 2014 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Torpedo bomber |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Grumman |
| Built by | General Motors |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | United States Navy |
| Number built | 9,839 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1942 |
| First flight | 7 August 1941 |
| Retired | 1960s |
The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM[1] 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 eventually used by several air and naval aviation services around the world.
The Avenger entered U.S. service in 1942, and first saw action during the Battle of Midway. Despite the loss of five of the six Avengers on its combat debut, it survived in service to become the most effective submarine killer[2][better source needed] and most widely-used torpedo bomber of World War II, sharing credit for sinking the super-battleships Yamato and Musashi and being credited for sinking 30 submarines. Greatly modified after the war, it remained in use until the 1960s.[3]
- ^ Under the 1922 United States Navy aircraft designation system in use at the time, the TB in the designation refers to its role as a torpedo bomber, F was assigned to aircraft built by Grumman, and M to those built by General Motors, G having already been assigned to the Great Lakes Aircraft Company previously.
- ^ "The Grumman TBF Avenger: The Bomber That Changed the War". Pearl Harbor Visitors Bureau. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ Wheeler 1992, p. 53.