The Avenger was born of a design
competition for an airplane to
deliver the 2000 lb. Mark 13 Torpedo
for the US Navy in 1940.
Grumman won this competition and
initially built the Avenger as the
TBF. However, Grumman devoted
so much of its production capacity
to building the F6F Hellcat that it
could not meet production demand for
the TBF. Responsibility for
building the Avenger was given to
General Motors, who built the TBM in
its Eastern Aircraft Division in
Trenton, New Jersey under license
from Grumman.
Like all other Grumman designs, this
is a big, strong airplane, overbuilt
for carrier operations. It is
heavy and slow, but still flies,
earning it the affectionate nickname
"The Turkey." Although it was
designed for torpedo delivery, it
was used far more frequently as a
bomber, as it was capable of
carrying 2000 pounds of bombs in the
bomb bay. It also carried two
forward firing 0.50 caliber machine
guns, one in each wing, a single
0.50 caliber machine gun in the ball
turret aft of the pilot, and a
single 0.30 caliber machine gun
firing from the aft segment of the
bomb bay.
One of the most interesting and less
known roles of the TBM was that of
submarine hunter in the longest
running battle of World War II, the
Battle of the Atlantic. From
1939 through 1945, "wolf packs" of
German submarines attacked Allied
supply ships in the North Atlantic,
inflicting heavy losses and
threatening to starve England to
death. In response, the Allies
developed the "hunter-killer tactic"
of tracking down and sinking these
enemy submarines. At dusk, a
flight of two F4F Wildcats and one
TBM Avenger equipped with surface
search radar would launch from 300
foot flight decks off converted
freighters known as "jeep carriers."
The TBM would search for submarines
running on the surface and
recharging their electric batteries
at night. Once located, the
three aircraft would attack with a
combination of 0.50 caliber machine
gun fire, high-velocity rockets,
aerial mortars known as "hedge
hogs," and 500 pound depth
bombs. After engaging in
combat, the air crews were then left
the unenviable task of landing on a
300 foot flight deck, in the North
Atlantic, at night. That is
heroic flying at its finest.
There are not a lot of pictures of
this battle. It was dark most
of the time. Sinking the
submarine or driving it to the
surface for capture proved such a
threat to the submarines that they
were forced into a defensive
posture. The hunter became the
hunted. The Allies ultimately
won the Battle of the Atlantic, due
in large part to the contribution of
this airplane and its valiant crews.
This is a very big and impressive
airplane. Today, there are
quite a few good flying examples of
the TBM. Look for them at
airshows and get a close look.
|
Grumman TBM
Specifications: |
|
Nickname: "Turkey" |
|
Engine: Curtis Wright R-2600
Radial, 14 Cylinder, 1900 hp |
|
Wing Span: 54 ft, 2 in.
Length: 40 ft,11 in. Height:
15 ft, 5 in. |
|
Weight: Empty: 10,454 lbs.
Max Take-Off: 17,895 lbs. |
|
Maximum Speed: 275 mph |
|
Service Ceiling: 30,100 ft. |
|
Range: 1000 miles |
|
Crew: Three |
|
Number Built: 9,800+ |
|
Flying Today: Approximately
40 |
