Grumman TBF Avenger

The Grumman TBF Avenger, designated TBM when built by General Motors, was the standard American torpedo bomber of the Second World War. Grumman designed it for the United States Navy after the Douglas Devastator proved obsolete; the prototype first flew in August 1941 and the type reached the Navy in 1942. Its three-man crew, large bomb bay and Sto-Wing folding wing let it carry a torpedo or heavy bombs from carrier decks, and later versions served as submarine hunters and command aircraft. From 1942 most production moved to the Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors, and modified Avengers stayed in use into the 1960s.