The Avenger was first unveiled to the public on the 7th of December 1941, a date that had been chosen with no inkling that it would mark the day of the Pearl Harbor Attack in Hawaii. Prior to its unveiling the new torpedo bomber had been called the Grumman TBF however the name “Avenger” was quickly added after the events of Pearl Harbor for obvious reasons, and the aircraft would certainly live up to its name.

It would quickly become the most successful torpedo bomber of the Second World War, it was also the heaviest single engine aircraft of the war, and the sight of an Avenger would send a chill down the spine of Axis mariners the world over – from the South Pacific to the North Atlantic.

Grumman engineers designed the TBF Avenger to replace the Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bomber, two prototypes were ordered in 1940 and they first flew in 1941.

By this time it was clear that the wars in Europe and Asia were likely to engulf the United States and the country was already supplying arms to Allied forces.

The Avenger was designed by Leroy Grumman himself, he developed an aircraft design that would accommodate a crew of three including the pilot, a turret gunner, and a third man who would fill radioman/bombardier/ventral gunner duties as required.

The key to the success of the Avenger was its large bomb bay that was capable of carrying a Bliss-Leavitt Mark 13 torpedo – powerful enough to sink any submarine in the world and many ships. When not carrying a torpedo the aircraft could also be equipped with a single 2,000 kb bomb, or a maximum of four 500 lb bombs.