The Grumman TBF-1 Avenger is an American, single-engine, metal-structure medium-wing bomber-torpedo plane from the Second World War. TBF Avenger was first used during the Battle of Midway (1942). His baptism of fire can be considered successful due to the numerous hits of Japanese carriers that these planes scored, although the good reputation is undoubtedly spoiled by the statistics of numerous losses on the part of these American dive bombers. Nevertheless, after the battle, TBF-1 gained the name of Avenger, the avenger. Since then, the Avenger has been widely used throughout the Pacific theater of hostilities, and has undoubtedly been one of the most important tools by which the Americans were victorious in the conflict. After World War II, however, deserved planes began to be withdrawn quite quickly, and only a dozen or so of them took part in the war in Korea, and by the mid-1950s, only a few remained. They managed to survive longer in the colors of the air forces of other countries: Great Britain, New Zealand, Canada and Japan, against which they had fought for so long. They were kept there for the longest time, until 1962. After being released from military service, many machines were purchased by aviation museums or individual buyers - admirers of this one of the most famous bombers of the Second World War. Technical data: length: 12.48 m, wingspan: 16.51 m, height: 4.7 m, maximum speed: 440 km / h, speed of climb: 10.5 m / s, practical ceiling: 9100 m, maximum range: 1600 km, armaments: fixed - 2 M1919 machine guns cal.7.62mm and 3 M2 machine guns cal.12.7mm, suspended-bombs weighing 908 kg or the torpedo Mk.13.
Very often, the birth date of naval aviation in the US Navy is November 1910, when one of the pioneers of American aviation - Eugene Ely - took off by plane from the USS Birmingham. However, the experiences of World War I (1914-1918) did not lead to the intensive development of the American naval air force. The same was true after the Great War, when, at the Washington Disarmament Conference (1921-1922), American diplomats and high-ranking naval officers continued to recognize battleships as the main weapon of combat at sea, treating aircraft carriers as auxiliary units. However, under the considerable influence of the field tests conducted by Billy Mitchell, its first aircraft carrier, USS Langley (1922), entered service in the US Navy. At the outbreak of the war in the Pacific in December 1941, the US Navy had only four aircraft carriers in the fleet, and their main aviation weapons were the retiring M6 Zeke, Grumman F4F Wildcat machines or Vought SB2U Vindicator dive bombers. However, the huge production capacity of the American shipbuilding industry and efficient research facilities quickly changed this unhappy picture - such successful machines as fighters began to enter the line: the F6F Hellcat, and at the end of the war, the F8F Bearcat, a really large-scale SBD Dauntless (flight in 1938) or TBF Avenger. What's more - the construction of fleet-class aircraft carriers (Essex-class), light aircraft carriers and escort aircraft carriers began to be built almost on a tape. Suffice it to say that in May 1945, the US Navy had 28 aircraft carriers in the fleet and 71 escort aircraft carriers! It is also worth adding that the American Navy has gifted and reliable officers who can successfully use this arsenal in the course of fighting in the Pacific - one can mention, for example, admirals: Chester Nimitz, Raymond Spruance or William Halsey (with the graceful nickname "Taurus") .
The Douglas SBD 5 Dauntless was an American, on-board low-wing dive bomber with a landing gear retracted in flight in the classic configuration from the Second World War. About 3,000 aircraft of this type were built during the production process. The drive was provided by a single 1200 HP Wright Cyclone R-1820-60 engine. The length of the aircraft was 10.09 meters with a wingspan of 12.66 meters. The deck armament consisted of four 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm machine guns. The machine could also carry a load of bombs weighing up to 1020 kilograms.
The Douglas SBD 5 Dauntless aircraft was a development of the previous machine from the SBD series, i.e. the SBD 4, also produced by the Douglas aviation plant. The main change was to use a clearly more powerful engine and to increase the mechanical strength of the entire structure. This, in turn, had a positive effect on the performance of the machine. These planes served primarily in the US Navy in the Pacific War, where - along with other versions of the SBD Dauntless aircraft until 1944 - they were one of the main elements of the American on-board aviation. A small batch of them was transferred to Great Britain and New Zealand.