Army Air Forces

Grumman Tbf / Tbm-3 Avenger Pilot's Flight Operating Instructions Army Air Forces

One of the most legendary naval aircraft of WWII, the Grumman TBF Avenger (and the General Motors-produced TBM) saw action in most of the major battles in the Pacific including Midway and Leyte Gulf. Armed with a forward machine gun and a second in a dorsal turret, the plane could carry a 21-inch torpedo or four 500-lb. bombs, or a combination thereof. Avengers are credited with sinking the Japanese superbattleships Musashi and Yamato. A young aviator who would later become President, George H. W. Bush flew a TBF off the carrier USS San Jacinto in 1943-44. Originally printed by Grumman, G. M. and the U. S. Navy late in the war, this TBM-3 Flight Operating Handbook taught pilots everything they needed to know before entering the cockpit. Classified "Restricted", the manual was declassified long ago and is here reprinted in book form. This affordable facsimile has been reformatted and color images appear in black and white. Care has been taken however to preserve the integrity of the text.