Description: 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.

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