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][bettersourceneeded] 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]
Design and development
A Grumman TBM (GM-built TBF) with Sto-Wing folding wingsTBF-1 Avenger early in 1942. Note the red spot centered in the U.S. roundel and flag-inspired fin flash on the rudder, both of which were removed prior to the Battle of Midway to avoid confusion with Japanese insignia.TBF Avenger in mid-1942
The Douglas TBD Devastator, the U.S. Navy's main torpedo bomber introduced in 1935, was obsolete by 1939. Bids were accepted from several companies, but Grumman's TBF design was selected as the replacement for the TBD and in April 1940 two prototypes were ordered by the Navy. Designed by Leroy Grumman, the first prototype was called the XTBF-1.[4] It was first flown on 7 August 1941. Although one of the first two prototypes crashed near Brentwood, New York, rapid production continued.
To ease carrier storage concerns, simultaneously with the F4F-4 model of its Wildcat carrier fighter, Grumman designed the Avenger to also use the new Sto-Wing patented "compound angle" wing-folding mechanism, intended to maximize storage space on an aircraft carrier; the Wildcat's replacement, the F6F Hellcat, also employed this mechanism.[5] The engine used was the twin-row Wright R-2600-20 Twin Cyclone fourteen-cylinder radial engine, which produced 1,900 horsepower (1,420kW).
There were three crew members: pilot, turret gunner and radioman/bombardier/ventral gunner. A single synchronized.30caliber (7.62mm) machine gun was mounted in the nose, a .50caliber (12.7mm) gun was mounted right next to the turret gunner's head in a rear-facing electrically powered turret, and a single 0.30caliber (7.62mm) hand-fired machine gun flexibly-mounted ventrally (under the tail), which was used to defend against enemy fighters attacking from below and to the rear. This gun was fired by the radioman/bombardier while standing up and bending over in the belly of the tail section, though he usually sat on a folding bench facing forward to operate the radio and to sight in bombing runs. Later models of the TBF/TBM omitted the cowl-mount synchronized 0.30caliber (7.62mm) gun, and replaced it with twin Browning AN/M2 0.50caliber (12.7mm) light-barrel guns, one in each wing outboard of the propeller arc, per pilots' requests for better forward firepower and increased strafing ability. There was only one set of controls on the aircraft, and no direct access to the pilot's position existed from the rest of the aircraft's interior. The radio equipment was massive, especially by today's standards, and filled the length of the well-framed "greenhouse" canopy to the rear of the pilot. The radios were accessible for repair through a "tunnel" along the right hand side. Any Avengers that are still flying today usually have an additional rear-mounted seat in place of the radios, allowing for a fourth passenger.
The Avenger had a large bomb bay, allowing for one Bliss-LeavittMark 13 torpedo, a single 2,000-pound (907kg) bomb, or up to four 500-pound (227kg)bombs. The aircraft had overall ruggedness and stability, and pilots say it flew like a truck, for better or worse. With its good radio facilities, docile handling, and long range, the Grumman Avenger also made an ideal command aircraft for Commanders, Air Group (CAGs). With a 30,000ft (9,000m) ceiling and a fully loaded range of 1,000 miles (1,600km), it was better than any previous American torpedo bomber, and better than its Japanese counterpart, the obsolete Nakajima B5N "Kate". Later Avenger models carried radar equipment for the ASW and AEW roles.
Escort carrier sailors referred to the TBF as the "turkey" because of its size and maneuverability in comparison to the F4F Wildcat fighters in same airgroups.[6]
Operational history
U.S. Navy
TBF Avenger ready for catapult launchA Grumman TBF Avenger aboard USSYorktown, c.late 1943Future American President George H. W. Bush, in a TBM Avenger on the light aircraft carrier USSSan Jacinto in 1944
On the afternoon of 7 December 1941, Grumman held a ceremony to open a new manufacturing plant and display the new TBF to the public. Coincidentally, on that day, the Imperial Japanese Navyattacked Pearl Harbor, as Grumman soon found out. After the ceremony was over, the plant was quickly sealed off to guard against possible sabotage. By early June 1942, a shipment of more than 100 aircraft was sent to the Navy, arriving only a few hours after the three carriers quickly departed from Pearl Harbor, so most of them were too late to participate in the pivotal Battle of Midway.
Six TBF-1s were present on Midway Island–as part of VT-8 (Torpedo Squadron 8)–while the rest of the squadron flew Devastators from the aircraft carrier Hornet. Both types of torpedo bombers suffered heavy casualties. Out of the six Avengers, five were shot down and the other returned heavily damaged with one of its gunners killed, and the other gunner and the pilot wounded.[7]
Author Gordon Prange posited in Miracle at Midway that the outdated Devastators (and lack of new aircraft) contributed somewhat to the lack of a complete victory at Midway (the four Japanese fleet carriers were sunk directly by dive bombers instead). Others pointed out that the inexperienced American pilots and lack of fighter cover were responsible for poor showing of US torpedo bombers, regardless of type.[8] Later in the war, with growing American air superiority, better attack coordination and more veteran pilots, Avengers were able to play vital roles in the subsequent battles against Japanese surface forces.[9]
On 24 August 1942, the next major naval aircraft carrier battle occurred at the Eastern Solomons. Based on the carriers Saratoga and Enterprise, the 24 TBFs present were able to sink the Japanese light carrier Ryūjō and claim one dive bomber, at the cost of seven aircraft.
The first major "prize" for the TBFs (which had been assigned the name "Avenger" in October 1941,[10][11] before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor) was at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November 1942, when Marine Corps and Navy Avengers helped sink the Japanese battleshipHiei, which had already been crippled the night before.
After hundreds of the original TBF-1 models were built, the TBF-1C began production. The allotment of space for specialized internal and wing-mounted fuel tanks doubled the Avenger's range. By 1943, Grumman began to slowly phase out production of the Avenger to produce F6F Hellcat fighters, and the Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors took over production, with these aircraft being designated TBM. The Eastern Aircraft plant was located in Ewing, New Jersey. Grumman delivered a TBF-1, held together with sheet metal screws, so that the automotive engineers could disassemble it, one part at a time, and redesign the aircraft for automotive-style production. This aircraft was known as the "P-K Avenger" ("P-K" being an abbreviation for Parker-Kalon, manufacturer of sheet metal screws). Starting in mid-1944, the TBM-3 began production (with a more powerful powerplant and wing hardpoints for drop tanks and rockets). The dash-3 was the most numerous of the Avengers (with about 4,600 produced). However, most of the Avengers in service were dash-1s until near the end of the war in 1945.
Besides the traditional surface role (torpedoing surface ships), Avengers claimed about 30 submarine kills, including the cargo submarine I-52. They were one of the most effective sub-killers in the Pacific theater, as well as in the Atlantic, when escort carriers were finally available to escort Allied convoys. There, the Avengers contributed to the warding off of German U-boats while providing air cover for the convoys.
After the "Marianas Turkey Shoot", in which more than 250 Japanese aircraft were downed, AdmiralMarc Mitscher ordered a 220-aircraft mission to find the Japanese task force. Fighting 300nmi (560km) away from the fleet at the extreme end of their range, the group of Hellcats, TBF/TBMs, and dive bombers took many casualties. However, Avengers from the Independence-classaircraft carrierUSSBelleau Wood sank the light carrier Hiyō as their only major prize. Mitscher's gamble did not pay off as well as he had hoped.
In June 1943, shortly before his 19th birthday, future-president, George H. W. Bush, was commissioned as the youngest naval aviator at the time.[12] Later, while flying a TBM with VT-51 (from USSSan Jacinto), his Avenger was shot down on 2 September 1944 over the Pacific island of Chichi Jima.[13] However, he released his payload and hit the radio tower target before being forced to bail out over water. Both of his crewmates died. He was rescued at sea by the American submarine USSFinback. He later received the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Another famous Avenger aviator was Paul Newman, who flew as a rear gunner. He had hoped to be accepted for pilot training, but did not qualify because he was color blind. Newman was on board the escort carrier USSHollandia roughly 500mi (800km) from Japan when the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.[14]
The Avenger was the type of torpedo bomber used during the sinking of the two Japanese "super battleships", with the US Navy having complete air superiority in both engagements: Musashi and Yamato.[9][15]
The postwar disappearance on 5 December 1945 of a flight of five American Avengers, known as Flight 19, was later added to the Bermuda Triangle legend, first written about by Edward Van Winkle Jones in an Associated Press article published in September 1950.[16]
Royal Navy Grumman Avenger AS.4 XB355 'CU 396' of 744 Squadron at Blackbushe in 1955
The Avenger was also used by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, where it was initially known as the "Tarpon". Initial test flights were carried out by British Admiralty test pilot Roy Sydney Baker-Falkner at RAF Boscombe Down. However, this name was later discontinued and the Avenger name used instead, as part of the process of the Fleet Air Arm universally adopting the U.S. Navy's names for American naval aircraft. The first 402 aircraft were known as Avenger Mk I, 334 TBM-1s from Grumman were called the Avenger Mk II, and 334 TBM-3 were designated the Mk III. An interesting kill by a Royal Navy Avenger was the destruction of a V-1 flying bomb on 9 July 1944. The much faster V-1 was overtaking the Avenger when the Telegraphist Air Gunner in the dorsal turret, Leading Airman Fred Shirmer, fired at it from 700 yards (640m). For this achievement, Shirmer was Mentioned in Dispatches, later being awarded the DSM for the 1945 Operation Meridian action at Palembang.[18] In the January 1945 British carrier raid on the Soengei Gerong oil refinery during Operation Meridian, a Fleet Air Arm Avenger shot down a Nakajima Ki-44 "Tojo" in low level combat over the jungle.[19] Three Avengers were modified to carry the Highball "bouncing bomb" (given the new codename Tammany Hall), but when trials were unsuccessful, they were returned to standard configuration and passed to the Royal Navy.[20]
One hundred USN TBM-3Es were supplied to the Fleet Air Arm in 1953 under the US Mutual Defense Assistance Program. The aircraft were shipped from Norfolk, Virginia, many aboard the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMSPerseus. The Avengers were fitted with British equipment by Scottish Aviation and delivered as the Avenger AS.4 to several FAA squadrons including No. 767, 814, 815, 820 and 824. The aircraft were replaced from 1954 by Fairey Gannets and were passed to squadrons of the Royal Naval Reserve including No. 1841 and 1844 until the RNR Air Branch was disbanded in 1957. The survivors were transferred to the French Navy in 1957–1958.
Royal New Zealand Air Force
The only other operator in World War II was the Royal New Zealand Air Force which used the type primarily as a bomber, equipping Nos. 30 and 31 Squadrons, with both operating from South Pacific island bases during 1944 in support of the Bougainville campaign. Some of the Avengers were later transferred to the British Pacific Fleet.
In 1945, Avengers were involved in pioneering trials of aerial topdressing in New Zealand that led to the establishment of an industry which markedly increased food production and efficiency in farming worldwide. Pilots of the Royal New Zealand Air Force's No. 42 Squadron spread fertilizer from Avengers beside runways at Ohakea Air Base and provided a demonstration for farmers at Hood Aerodrome, Masterton, New Zealand.[21][pageneeded]
One of the primary postwar users of the Avenger was the Royal Canadian Navy, which obtained 125 former US Navy TBM-3E Avengers from 1950 to 1952 to replace their venerable Fairey Fireflies. By the time the Avengers were delivered, the RCN was shifting its primary focus to anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and the aircraft was rapidly becoming obsolete as an attack platform. Consequently, 98 of the RCN Avengers were fitted with an extensive number of novel ASW modifications, including radar, electronic countermeasures (ECM) equipment, and sonobuoys, and the upper ball turret was replaced with a sloping glass canopy that was better suited for observation duties. The modified Avengers were designated AS 3. A number of these aircraft were later fitted with a large magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) boom on the rear left side of the fuselage and were redesignated AS 3M. However, RCN leaders soon realized the Avenger's shortcomings as an ASW aircraft, and in 1954 they elected to replace the AS 3 with the Grumman S-2 Tracker, which offered longer range, greater load-carrying capacity for electronics and armament, and a second engine, a great safety benefit when flying long-range ASW patrols over frigid North Atlantic waters. As delivery of the new license-built CS2F Trackers began in 1957, the Avengers were shifted to training duties, and were officially retired in July 1960.[22]
Camouflage research
TBM Avengers were used in wartime research into counter-illuminationcamouflage. The torpedo bombers were fitted with Yehudi lights, a set of forward-pointing lights automatically adjusted to match the brightness of the sky. The planes therefore appeared as bright as the sky, rather than as dark shapes. The technology, a development of the Canadian navy's diffused lighting camouflage research, allowed an Avenger to advance to within 3,000 yards (2,700m) before being seen.[23]
Civilian use
Many Avengers have survived into the 21st century working as spray-applicators and water-bombers throughout North America, particularly in the Canadian province of New Brunswick.
Forest Protection Limited (FPL) of Fredericton, New Brunswick, once owned and operated the largest civilian fleet of Avengers in the world. FPL began operating Avengers in 1958 after purchasing 12 surplus TBM-3E aircraft from the Royal Canadian Navy.[24] Use of the Avenger fleet at FPL peaked in 1971 when 43 aircraft were in use as both water bombers and spray aircraft.[24] The company sold three Avengers in 2004 (C-GFPS, C-GFPM, and C-GLEJ) to museums or private collectors. The Central New Brunswick Woodsmen's Museum has a former FPL Avenger on static display.[25] An FPL Avenger that crashed in 1975 in southwestern New Brunswick was recovered and restored by a group of interested aviation enthusiasts and is currently on display at the Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum.[26] FPL was still operating three Avengers in 2010 configured as water-bombers, and stationed at Miramichi Airport. One of these crashed just after takeoff on 23 April 2010, killing the pilot.[27][28] The last FPL Avenger was retired on 26 July 2012 and sold to the Shearwater Aviation Museum in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.[29]
There are several other Avengers, usually flying as warbirds in private collections around the world today.[30] They are a popular airshow fixture in both flying and static displays.[31]
As of 2020,[update] the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) flies three TBM Avengers[32] with one based with the Rocky Mountain Wing in Grand Junction, Colorado; another with the Missouri Wing at St Charles Smartt Field; and their newest with the Capital Wing in Culpeper, Virginia. Each of these allow non-CAF members to ride in the aircraft for a Living History Flight Experience.[33][34][35]
Variants
A TBF-1 dropping a torpedoTBM-3Ds of VT(N)-90 January 1945Six U.S. Navy Grumman TBM-3E Avenger anti-submarine aircraft of Composite Squadron VC-22 Checkmates flying over the Mediterranean SeaUS Navy TBMs (foreground) and SB2C Helldivers drop bombs on Hakodate in July 1945A TBM-3R COD plane in the early 1950sTBM-3WTBF Avenger Torpedo BomberTBM-3S2 submarine attack variant of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
TBF
XTBF-1
Prototypes each powered by a 1,700hp (1,300kW) R-2600-8 engine, second aircraft introduced the large dorsal fin. (2 built)
TBF-1
Initial production model based on the second prototype. (1,526 built)
TBF-1C
TBF-1 with provision for two 0.5in (12.7mm) wing guns and fuel capacity increased to 726USgal (2,748L). (765 built)
TBF-1B
Paper designation for the Avenger I for the Royal Navy.
TBF-1D
TBF-1 conversions with centimetric radar in radome on right wing leading edge.
TBF-1CD
TBF-1C conversions with centimetric radar in radome on right wing leading edge.
TBF-1E
TBF-1 conversions with additional electronic equipment.
TBF-1J
TBF-1 equipped for bad weather operations
TBF-1L
TBF-1 equipped with retractable searchlight in bomb bay.
TBF-1P
TBF-1 conversion for photo-reconnaissance
TBF-1CP
TBF-1C conversion for photo-reconnaissance
XTBF-2
TBF-1 re-engined with a 1,900hp (1,400kW) XR-2600-10 engine.
XTBF-3
TBF-1 re-engined with 1,900hp (1,400kW) R-2600-20 engines.
TBF-3
Planned production version of the XTBF-3, cancelled
TBM
TBM-1
as TBF-1. (550 built)
TBM-1C
as TBF-1C. (2336 built)
TBM-1D
TBM-1 conversions with centimetric radar in radome on right wing leading edge.
TBM-1E
TBM-1 conversions with additional electronic equipment.
TBM-1J
TBM-1 equipped for all weather operations
TBM-1L
TBM-1 equipped with retractable searchlight in bomb bay.
TBM-1P
TBM-1 conversion for photo-reconnaissance
TBM-1CP
TBM-1C conversion for photo-reconnaissance
TBM-2
One TBM-1 re-engined with a 1,900hp (1,400kW) XR-2600-10 engine.
XTBM-3
Four TBM-1C aircraft with 1,900hp (1,400kW) R-2600-20 engines.
TBM-3
as TBM-1C, double cooling intakes, engine upgrade, minor changes. (4,011 built)
TBM-3D
TBM-3 conversion with centimetric radar in radome on right wing leading edge.
RN designation of the TBM-1/TBM-1C, 334 delivered.
Avenger Mk.III
RN designation of the TBM-3, 222 delivered
Avenger Mk.IV
RN designation of the TBM-3S, 70 cancelled
Avenger AS4
RN designation of the TBM-3E, delivered postwar with minimum modifications
Avenger AS5
RN designation of the TBM-3S, delivered postwar & fitted with British equipment
Avenger AS6
RN designation of the TBM-3S, fitted with British equipment including a centerline radome. A total of one hundred TBM-3E & TBM-3S were delivered to the Royal Navy in 1953.[38]
Royal Canadian Navy Avengers
Avenger AS3
Modified by RCN for anti-submarine duty, dorsal gun turret removed, 98 built
Avenger AS3M
AS3 with magnetic anomaly detector boom added to rear fuselage
Avenger Mk.3W2
Similar to TBM-3W, with large ventral radome. 8 operated.
Uruguayan Navy operated 16 TBF Avengers in the 1949 to 1963.
Notable incidents
A famous incident involving the TBM / TBF Avenger aircraft was the disappearance of Flight 19, a training flight of five Avengers that originated from Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale and was lost in December 1945 over the Bermuda Triangle.
During an airshow on 17 April 2021, TBM #91188 made a successful forced-landing south of Cocoa Beach, Florida near Patrick Space Force Base, in shallow surf.[39] Valiant Air Command, the group that owns the plane, recovered the TBM for transport to Titusville, Florida, for extensive repairs.[40]
A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight of a torpedo, and remained an important aircraft type until they were rendered obsolete by anti-ship missiles. They were an important element in many famous Second World War battles, notably the British attack at Taranto, the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck, the sinking of the British battleship HMS Prince Of Wales and the British battlecruiser HMS Repulse and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Lieutenant Commander Edward Henry O'Hare was an American naval aviator of the United States Navy, who on February 20, 1942, became the Navy's first fighter ace of the war when he single-handedly attacked a formation of nine medium bombers approaching his aircraft carrier. Even though he had a limited amount of ammunition, he was credited with shooting down five enemy bombers and became the first naval aviator recipient of the Medal of Honor in World War II.
The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber designed by Fairey Aviation. It was the first aircraft of this type operated by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA) to be fabricated entirely from metal.
The Douglas TBD Devastator was an American torpedo bomber of the United States Navy. Ordered in 1934, it first flew in 1935 and entered service in 1937. At that point, it was the most advanced aircraft flying for the Navy, however by the time of the US entry into World War 2, the TBD was already obsolete.
The Consolidated TBY Sea Wolf was a United States Navy torpedo bomber of World War II. It was designed by Vought but entered service and was manufactured by Consolidated Aircraft due to high demand for production lines. A competitor and contemporary to the Grumman TBF Avenger, both were designed to replace the older TBD Devastator but the Sea Wolf was subject to substantial delays and never saw combat in WW2. The design was developed a bit further, with a large Navy order for 1100, but only 180 of the TBY-2 type were built before cancellation after VJ Day. An order of 600 for the TBY-3 was also stopped.
The 1st Carrier Air Group was an aircraft carrier air group of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was initially formed in June 1945, for service in the British Pacific Fleet, until disbanding later that year, in the September. The group was embarked on HMS Victorious (R38).
The Grumman AF Guardian is the first purpose-built anti-submarine warfare (ASW) carrier-based aircraft to enter service with the United States Navy. It consisted of two airframe variants, one for detection gear, the other for weapons. The Guardian remained in service until August 1955, when it was replaced by the twin-engined Grumman S-2 Tracker. The Guardian was the largest single-engine piston-powered carrier aircraft ever to see service.
The Grumman XTSF was a proposed twin-engine torpedo scout aircraft, designed by Grumman for the United States Navy towards the end of World War II. Based on the design of the Grumman F7F Tigercat fighter, but enlarged and with the addition of a bomb bay, the XTSF was deemed too large for carrier operations, and the project was cancelled before any aircraft were built. Instead, the Navy chose to order the single-engine XTB3F, which became the successful AF Guardian.
A carrier air wing is an operational naval aviation organization composed of several aircraft squadrons and detachments of various types of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. Organized, equipped and trained to conduct modern US Navy carrier air operations while embarked aboard aircraft carriers, the various squadrons in an air wing have different but complementary missions, and provide most of the striking power and electronic warfare capabilities of a carrier battle group (CVBG). While the CVBG term is still used by other nations, the CVBG in US parlance is now known as a carrier strike group (CSG).
Wing and a Prayer, The Story of Carrier X is a black-and-white 1944 war film about the heroic crew of an American aircraft carrier in the desperate early days of World War II in the Pacific theater, directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Don Ameche, Dana Andrews and William Eythe. Although arguably a classic propaganda movie, it was appreciated for its realistic portrayal and was nominated for the 1944 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Ryūhō was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was converted from the submarine tender Taigei, which had been used in the Second Sino-Japanese War. One of the least successful of the light aircraft carrier conversions due to her small size, slow speed and weak construction, during World War II, Ryūhō was used primarily as an aircraft transport and for training purposes, although she was also involved in a number of combat missions, including the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale was an airfield of the United States Navy just outside Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
CAF Rocky Mountain Wing (RMW) Museum is one of 75 local detachments of the national Commemorative Air Force (CAF) non-profit aviation association dedicated to Honoring American Military Aviation through Flight, Exhibit and Remembrance.
Attack Squadron 35 (VA-35) was an aviation unit of the United States Navy. The squadron's nickname is unknown. Its insignia, a winged dragon, was revised several times during its lifetime. The squadron was first established as Torpedo and Bombing Squadron 2 (VT-2) on 6 July 1925, and was redesignated as VT-2B on 1 July 1927, VT-3 on 1 July 1937, VA-4A on 15 November 1946, and, finally, VA-35 on 7 August 1948. The squadron was disestablished on 7 November 1949. It was the first squadron to carry the VA-35 designation, the second VA-35 was redesignated from VA-34 on 15 February 1950 and disestablished on 31 January 1995.
VA-55 was an Attack Squadron of the U.S. Navy. It was established as Torpedo Squadron VT-5 on 15 February 1943, redesignated VA-6A on 15 November 1946, and finally designated VA-55 on 16 August 1948. The squadron was disestablished on 12 December 1975. It was the first squadron to be designated VA-55, the second VA-55 was established on 7 October 1983 and disestablished on 1 January 1991.
VA-75, nicknamed the Carrier Clowns, was an Attack Squadron of the U.S. Navy. It was established as Torpedo Squadron VT-18 on 20 July 1943. The squadron was redesignated as VA-8A on 15 November 1946, and finally as VA-75 on 27 July 1948. It was disestablished on 30 November 1949. A second squadron also bore the VA-75 designation.
VA-135 was an Attack Squadron of the U.S. Navy, nicknamed Uninvited. It was established as Torpedo Squadron VT-81 on 1 March 1944, redesignated VA-14A on 15 November 1946, and finally designated VA-135 on 2 August 1948. The squadron was disestablished on 30 November 1949. A second squadron bore the VA-135 designation in 1961-1962; the squadrons were not related.
Attack Squadron 15 (VA-15), nicknamed the Valions, was an aviation unit of the United States Navy. It was established as Torpedo Squadron 4 (VT-4) on 10 January 1942, redesignated VA-2A on 15 November 1946, and finally redesignated VA-15 on 2 August 1948. The squadron was disestablished on 1 June 1969, after 27 years of service.
Carrier Aircraft Service Units (CASU) were United States Navy units formed during World War II for the Pacific War to support naval aircraft operations. From 1942 to 1946, 69 Carrier Aircraft Service Units were formed to repair and maintain aircraft. The first unit was deployed to Naval Station Pearl Harbor. The CASU-11, was deployed on January 22, 1943 at Naval Air Station San Diego. During the war the Navy lacked enough aircraft carriers to complete all the operational requirements.
↑ Dwyer, Larry (19 February 2014). "Grumman F4F Wildcat". The Aviation History Online Museum. Retrieved 27 October 2020. The F4F-4 was the first version of the Wildcat to feature a Grumman innovation, the Sto-Wing. The Sto-Wing used a novel approach using a compound angle folding-wing that was unique to Grumman... It was a successful design that was later used on the F6F Hellcat and TBF Avenger.
↑ E. V. W. Jones (17 September 1950). "Sea's Puzzles Still Baffle Men In Pushbutton Age". Miami Herald. Associated Press. p.6F. Retrieved 27 October 2020– via course material, "The Scientific Method - Critical and Creative Thinking", SMU Department of Physics.
Drendel, Lou (1987). "Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger". U.S. Navy Carrier Bombers of World War II. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications. pp.89–120. ISBN0-89747-195-4.
Fletcher, R. G. (1995). Front Line Avenger Squadrons of the FAA. Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, UK: R.G. Fletcher. ISBN0-9518877-1-8.
Francillon, René (1970). Grumman (Eastern) TBF (TBM) Avenger. Aircraft in Profile. Vol.214. London: Profile Publications.
Geelen, Janic (1983). The Topdressers. Auckland: NZ Aviation Press. ISBN0-9597642-0-8.
Hove, Duane (2003). American Warriors: Five Presidents in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: Burd Street Press. ISBN1-57249-260-0.
Jackson, B. R.; Doll, Thomas E. (1970). Grumman TBF/TBM "Avenger". Aero Series. Vol.21. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers. ISBN0-8168-0580-6.
Jackson, B. R.; Doll, Thomas E. (1970). Supplement to Grumman TBF/TBM "Avenger". Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers. ISBN0-8168-0582-2.
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