Inside The Cockpit - TBF/M Avenger

Let's check out a perfectly restored American World War 2 Torpedo Bomber, the TBF/M Avenger!
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Big thank you to AMPA and Elliot for inviting me:
www.ampa.ch/site2/
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#insidethecockpit #militaryaviationhistory #avenger

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Hey all, hope you enjoyed this episode! In the future, I aim to make these videos even more detailed, with me going through every nut and cranny. There are a lot of systems on a plane, way more than in tanks, so with the time we had it wasn't possible here.

[@Blessingvr]

Military Aviation History hello! I love this video becuase i find ww2 a very interresting subject!

[@tracker113]

Hey Bis, I don't know if you've ever heard about the Imperial Japanese Army's Submarine, the Maru-yuu, which had some... problems, to say the least.

[@skullyairsoft80]

Just FYI, 100 LL next to a fuel tank means 100 Low Lead in reference to the fuel grade, not 100 Liters.

[@visionist7]

skullyairsoft80 I was thinking the 100 litres script may have been added when the French used the aircraft but this makes more sense

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

That's right, the volume is of course set as gallons

[@kennethc.bishop7090]

Torpedo bombers were true sitting ducks not only for their bulk and lack of maneuverability, but the flight pattern they had to fly to accurately drop the torpedo. Those crews knew going in they were easy targets and nonetheless bravely carried out their mission(s). Balls of Steel.

[@TheDustysix]

One popped Saburo Sakai! He mistook it for a Wildcat. Grazed his scalp with a .50 cal. I presume. Got that tidbit from "Challenge for the Pacific" The Six month Battle for Guadalcanal by Robert Leckie.

[@wanyelewis9667]

@@TheDustysix i believe that it was a gunner on a Dauntless that nearly killed Sakai.

[@TheDustysix]

@@wanyelewis9667 Challenge For The Pacific, Leckie p78. alleges a TBF. Both Wildcat and TBF were mid wing design. SBD was low wing. Sakai had already seen SBD's. The TBF was new.

[@Caseytify]

@@TheDustysix Originally from Samurai! an autobiography by Sakai, Fred Saito, and Martin Caidin.

[@gratefulbruin942]

@@wanyelewis9667 This is the correct answer it was a dauntless we now know, leike was marine ashore, written before current known fact

[@pancernywiatrak6368]

You sound a little bit like the Chieftain. I am now calling you the Airplane Chieftain

[@TheRetu81]

Needs more "Oh my God! The plane is on fire!" drills.

[@Ash007YT]

Fuck yes matey. "The Airplane Chieftain" need to be on some merch too!

[@major_kukri2430]

PancernyWiatrak How about "The Crew Chief"?

[@filthyweaboo2694]

Inside the Bismarck's cockpit

[@pancernywiatrak6368]

TheRetu81 Plot twist : the plane is actually flying

[@mpccenturion]

These planes were also used as Spruce Bud Worm - Spray Planes back in the late 60's - 70's. Here in Atlantic Provinces - Canada. I worked for Georgia Pacific back then. Well - during one summer day - a pilot had the engine drop out. He was close to the St. Croix River - Between Canada and the US. Pilot road the plane down into the river and settled it on the rocks. Lot of granite down that river. Pilot was sitting on top of a big rock, having a smoke, when the chopper picked him up. He swore the TBM was the safest plane he ever flew. The armor around the pilot kept him well.

[@RockerboiProduction]

It still amazes me the actual size of these war birds

[@grumpyboomer61]

True. I remember the first time I walked up to an Avenger at an air show. I was absolutely stunned by it's size.

[@ubb262s]

At the time it was the largest aircraft launched from a carrier, I think that record stood until the 60's ,if I'm wrong please correct

[@kyle857]

@@ubb262s B25?

[@ubb262s]

Ok yes , CV8 USS HORNET, I was talking about aircraft designed for carrier operations

[@benjackson7872]

That and how some of them still fly

[@ered203]

Amazing. My grandfather was a turret gunner for one of these during the Pacific Operations. Yes, he was supposed to have been a little guy at the time. He should have been little, because the little smartass forged his father's signature and enlisted at 16 years old. Thank you so much for doing this so I can finally see a bit from his perspective. I remember the stories, but there is nothing like seeing it. When I was about 21, he took me to Charleston, SC and we went on the Yorktown. He flew off the Lexington for a bit and they were sister ships. He just ditched the tour and took me everywhere. We opened "Authorized Only" hatches and climbed ladders and basically went to every part of the ship. It was funny because this was about 1991 and the ship was crawling with guys my grandfather's age and my age. The coffee shop on the hanger deck was filled with old women sitting alone and patiently waiting for their husbands and grandsons to get finished playing and telling stories.

[@Benji1969]

Did no one notice y’all went into authorized only spaces?

[@robertocatuara4496]

Felicitaciones a tu abuelo. Un joven muy valiente que quiso participar en esos momentos tan dificiles. Cordiales saludos.

[@ered203]

@@Benji1969 Not really. If it had been some kids messing around, they might have said something, but Grandpa had one of those blue WW2 veteran caps on, and they let those guys do anything they wanted within reason.

[@brianl0604]

Great video! In the majority of operational US Navy/Marine Corps Avengers in World War 2, the tandem cockpit position behind the pilot was not used, and in later models, no middle seat was installed. Instead, this area held two large radio transceiver units and other electronics. In any case, the TBM/TBF's radio operator's station was in the tunnel under the turret, facing forward, where the radio interface panels and equipment were installed. The radio operator also manned the ventral .30 caliber machine gun position.

[@c.j.1089]

I honestly never knew those planes were that large, and you could move around inside of them. Fascinating.

[@randyjennings3075]

Crewing a TBM with the Commemorative Air Force, I so enjoyed your video. Yes squeezing into the turret requires some gymnastics. We also use a short ladder to help in loading that position. The restoration is damn good. Though having such a huge and padded seat in the rear position is a bit off. Still on long flights it would be so nice, as your butt tends to fall asleep on the original folding metal bench. Again great video.

[@CapComMDb]

Great video! Nice look inside the plane. For info on the Midway operation of the TBF, read A Dawn Like Thunder. The radio operator was killed, the ball gunner was badly wounded, and the pilot was also wounded. The torpedo didn't drop, and his navigational system was shot to pieces. Basically flew back to Midway blind and somehow managed to land. They shipped the plane back to Grumman for analysis since it was a miracle the thing survived.

[@wanyelewis9667]

Great book. Sounds like they would have had to use a mop to get what was left of the turret gunner (Jay Manning) out of the plane after it landed.

[@benwilson6866]

This is amazing. My Grandpa was a bombardier in one during the pacific campaign. Id love to get an opportunity to fly in one someday.

[@visionist7]

ben wilson your grandpa had some iron balls

[@Cowboycomando54]

Mine was a ball gunner.

[@marc-olivierdiserens8958]

I live right next to this airport, I have the pleasure to see and especially hear this plane taking off and landing quite often from my balcony, but thanks for letting me to see how it's inside!

[@2DFlightSim]

So is that basically a ball turret? I had no idea it would be that cramped - major respect to anyone willing to get in there during combat. I think I'd have a claustrophobic panic attack just trying it on the ground. Thank you for crawling into these planes - showing us the interesting things that somehow other videos never cover.

[@scoutguard3015]

I would quite like it in the bombardeer seat or pilot seat but even though i would still go on other seats they would just be ugly to stay in and uncomfortable

[@steeltribe3967]

Thanks for the video, great job. Especially enjoyed the detail and seeing the clocks in mounted in the instrument panel. My father flew his last tour in a TBM. He always shared a story that after the tour, whilst returning home, no crew required other than the pilot and knowing the plane was going to be scrapped he set about removing the clock mounted in the front panel, which he had long coveted. Having selected autopilot he rolled over with some tools and inserted himself under the dash and set about removing it. He soon realised that his flight suit was firmly jammed and he couldn't free himself for what he describes as an eternity. He was sure that after having lived through a war he was going to die in a pointless crash jammed under his instrument panel. He did extract himself but gave up on the clock.

[@Ethnarches]

This was great, these "inside planes" episodes are superb. This is unique content, well done!

[@Vierzehn014]

Where is the: OH GOD! THE PLANE IS ON FIRE!! Part?

[@neilwilson5785]

I don't think these fragile aeroplanes could be subjected to the force of a Chieftan trying to get out. He'd break them, and the owners would get politely angry.

[@courier955]

Neil Wilson...I've never heard the Grumman Avenger referred to as 'Fragile' before. It was built like a brick shithouse.

[@ThroneOfBhaal]

Grumman was known for its... solid... designs. Kinda had to be when you give it to a 19 year old farm boy from Iowa to slam onto a carrier deck.

[@markfryer9880]

Malevolent Kiwi Grumman Ironworks was way to refer to any Grumman made and or designed aircraft. With good reason as they knew how tough the carrier environment was on equipment and also the importance of getting aircrew back as safely as possible.

[@lycossurfer8851]

Less of a problem than tensioning the tracks though

[@briansmith9439]

Thanks for this doc. It's great to see the plane close-up. My father, having graduated from high school in June '42 and having turned 18 the following month, was placed in charge of a 5-man inspection team of TBM Avengers at GM's Turnstedt plant outside of Trenton, NJ in August. While serving on Tinian Island in '45, he took several photos of the Avengers in the air (which I now have).

[@9999plato]

Imagine wearing a parachute and getting into the ball turret. I'm sure it dangled below by the legs where pilots sat on theirs.

[@samsignorelli]

Speaking as a US Air Force vet....thanks for singing my service song while climbing into a NAVY plane!!

[@FrankDad]

There is a tbm avenger rebuilt from the ground up at NAS Wildwood in South Jersey. I remember as a kid in 2005 seeing it in the museum being built and it was finished by 2014

[@davedavedave52]

I going to award you with the title " Forgotten Weapons of Aviation" . Your thorough explanations of the back ground, operation, and layout of these famous planes is awe inspiring. I can't get enough, Thank You. Ich hat dieses in Deutsch geschrieben , aber Ich habe zu viel vergessen. lider.

[@rjrestorationstation4402]

Thank you very much for the tour!!! Awesome plane, during 1944 the USNavy finally gots torpedo they could drop from 800 feet @ 260 mph. It made for better and safer operations.

[@nicholasroberts6954]

Thanks for the tour. My dad flew a TBF-1c whilst in the wartime Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm.He took part in the attacks on Tirpitz whilst it was moored in Alten/Kaa Fjord. His squadron was principally involved in dropping sea mines against Tirpitz as well as other anti-submarine work. One aircraft in the squadron suffered an engine failure, on return to the carrier from anti-submarine duty and went into the sea with two armed depth-charges on board. The depth-charges detonated and the pilot was blown through the greenhouse canopy by the force of the explosion . . .and survived.The other two crew members were killed. Your tour gave me an appreciation of just how cramped and difficult working conditions were in these aircraft. I can't begin to imagine how the aircrew could get into these planes let alone move about wearing flying suits, boots, mae west and parachute and fly the aircraft. How did they attend to other wounded crew members in flight ? Obviously, human factors weren't foremost in the designers minds. I believe that post WW2 some of the Avengers (TBMs) went on to be used on the French carrier Arromanche (Previously the British Light Fleet Carrier Colossus) - only gleaned this information from an ex-member of the Arromanches crew who the family met, post-war, whilst on holiday in France, courtesy of pen-friend relationship struck-up by my sister through an independently initiated, school sponsored scheme. Its a small World !

[@3thedward]

Nice to see the working place of Paul Newman who was Radio Operator on the Gruman Avenger during WW II

[@blueone117]

So cool to see this! My grandfather was a radio man on these planes in WWII! Great to have somewhat of a glimpse into what he would’ve seen in combat!

[@xmlthegreat]

It's absolutely gobsmacking when you think about the fact that the TBD Devastator was obsolete within 5 years of coming into service. Whereas nowadays we have the MiG-21 whose first flight was in 1956, still in active service today, over 60 years later. Boggles the mind just how rapidly Aeronautical engineering was developing in those days that aircraft could be obsolete even before they entered service!

[@daemondrogan1875]

Great video of the TBF. I found this after watching a documentary of the Battle of Midway and was really curious about how these bombers were laid out and I found this very informative. Keep up the great work

[@jmfa57]

I live very near the Planes of Fame Air Museum located in Chino, California. Several years and forty pounds ago, I was able to crawl into the ball turret of their B-17, the Picadilliy Lilly. GAWD... at the time, they had a couple of former ball turret gunners as docents. I struck up a number of conversations with Dick Bowman and Wilbur Richardson. I can't imagine what these guys went through. Wilbur is still alive and only very recently left California for the Midwest. Great video, thanks for keeping the knowledge of these machines going on to the younger generations.

[@fortissimolaud]

100LL is the type of fuel this thing drinks, and 93 gallons is a lot more than 100 litres!

[@Spacklatard]

Yup 100LL Is 100 octane low lead

[@billietyree6139]

One of these planes became the coffin for the turret gunner who was killed in it and the plane was so shot up as to be unsalvageable so they were buried at sea together, with honors.

[@lawrencemyers3623]

Great presentation as I was just reading an account today of the lone Avenger of VT-8 that survived the mission against the Kido Butai at Midway on 4 June 1942.

[@Choo-ew9so]

My first insight into this plane was as a kid in the mid-70's, building the Monogram 1/48 scale model Avenger, as with most WWII aircraft.

[@woppysue]

My father was a turret gunner in a TBF and a TBM. He flew off of the Belleau Wood CVL 24 in Admiral Bull Halsey's taskforce 58

[@TheRealHawkeye]

Great work Bismark! I'm glad you made it out of the turret. I smiled when I saw you getting in it. Good job again!

[@ThroneOfBhaal]

Beautiful! I love that you've started doing this style! Your presenting is coming along rather rapidly too, it's great to see! Keep it up!

[@wm268]

My dad was an 18yr old gunner on one 1944-45. He never talked about his time in it. Thank you for the video.

[@Kollider115]

I got to ride Navigator in a Firebomber conversion of this plane. I work in an old Naval Air station where they trained Pilots to fly these beauties and it was one of the loudest and most beautiful flights ive ever been on

[@kellyreim6627]

I did the same in 1972 always wondered where the bombardiers position was.

[@tomservo5007]

wow, that gunner's seat really puts into context why Loyce Deen had to be buried at sea with the plane

[@timgoins]

My Dad was an Aviation Machinist's Mate and aircrewman in the turret and was 6'3". He also complained about being cramped. At least he was skinny. Also, the radio was in the lower position, not the greenhouse.

[@benjaminrush4443]

Excellent Job covering the Avenger. Thank you.

[@FerretMasterXX]

Thank you...thank you...thank you! I have long wondered what the crew compartment of the TBM/TBF was like. I have had the opportunity to do a "walk-around" of the TBM (Chico muni. apt. Chico, CA) years ago but did not have the opportunity to do the "inside tour". Again, thanks for a great video of a fantastic machine that in part most of us owe our existence to today. Thanks to all the WWII veterans that went in harms way in machines such as these!

[@RyanTheHero3]

It never ceases to amaze me how large these planes actually are to how they look at first sight.

[@vegasspaceprogram6623]

I know! Huge! It looked like about thunderbolt size but its like double that up close, and very spacious inside

[@bobuboi4643]

@@vegasspaceprogram6623 wha-? The thunderbolts were 36 feet long. Being double will make it the size of a b-17.......

[@Ash007YT]

Keep em comming MAH. Love the effort and passion for these videos.

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Thanks Ash, glad you enjoy them

[@momotheelder7124]

I would love for you to do a 109 video with your go pro. Thankfully there are a lot of flying videos of 109s these days, but very little commentary.

[@dirtydave2691]

This is your first video I ever watched and I have have watched 2 times. As an avid scale modeler and military history geek I have to say well done!

[@neilwilson5785]

Excellent video. I love this hands-on stuff. As your reputation increases, I'm sure you'll get a lot more access. After all, your viewers will want to visit the museums or air shows where these amazing aircraft can be seen.

[@Papershields001]

There is one of these at my local airport in Culpeper Va. One of the coolest things ever is seeing him taxi all the way out to the runway with the wings folded.

[@danielmarso7242]

A sad Avenger story from WWII , a TBF returning from a very difficult mission , the tail gunner called to the pilot,and said the ball turret gunner was wounded probably fatally, because most of his teeth were in the lower compartment. The pilot radioed before landing back on the Carrier , and reported the gunner may be KIA ! Upon landing,the remaining crew left the aircraft, and two Corpsmen went up to inspect the turret. They confirmed that the gunner died of a very fatal head wound and was nearly decapetated , they removed his dog tags , took his fingerprints, then a Navy Chaplin climbed up and performed the last rites for the Gunner. He was then covered with a blanket,and the TBF was rolled off the Fantail. A very sad tale,with some additional information on the Gunner, I believe he had just returned from being wounded and a stay in the hospital, this was his first mission back with his Squadron . RIP

[@jamesa702]

thanks for your unique presentation. that's the plane type Pres. Bush was shot down in within sight of the island he bombed. Was rescued by a submarine. Escaping from crew positions was difficult, indeed. Your film illustrates the harrowing ordeal escape would certainly have been. thanks again, well done.

[@69demille]

Designed a originally built by Grumman in Bethpage NY. Farmed out to General Motors as TBM to make space for Grumman in NY to concentrate on producing the F6 hellcat.

[@carlosteran5617]

This is one of your best videos, to my unspanish dimension way", cause you've being History and technical/ fighting torpedo whole stuff Battle way together...and you fix It great Bismark!

[@parrot849]

Outstanding video, thank you. The one aspect of the aircraft I was hoping to see and learn more information about was the layout of the ventricle machine gun position; especially the air crewman’s body position when manning the gun, his field of vision of the sky, and how he moved from his seat in order to man the weapon. You sorta slid pass this station on your way out of exiting the airplane, and only videoed that area a second or two (video switched to a black and white image of the weapon for the brief moment you indexed the Go-Pro camera on that weapon station). But at that point in your video I certainly don’t blame you for skipping that stuff and wanting to get out of the hot, cramped interior of the aircraft.

[@EstorilEm]

Gary W That position isn’t correct in this aircraft, as it’s been modified for flying passengers and is missing the .30 cal stinger gun in the back. The seat here was added later, the original was a bench type seat facing forwards. The TBM I work with has this stuff as original, and it’s awkward. You’d have to fold seat back down onto seat, the. Unhook on door side and swing up to aircraft fuselage on the opposite side, then simply lay down on top of all the tool kits and random crap. The .30 had an ammo can immediately to the left of the bottom door. If the plane lost hydraulics the tail wheel would drop and the entire assembly would block the gun 100%. FWIW the radio navigator was not manning that gun typically, so I’d assume the turret gunner called out targets. I have heard stories of the stinger gun shooting down Zeros sneaking up on the Avenger from below thinking it was a wildcat in the distance. Charlie’s Heavy is indeed one of the finest TBM restorations ever!

[@parrot849]

Alex Thomas - - Alex, thank you for the informative reply. I’m assuming when you say “this” aircraft was modified to change the layout of the stinger gun position, you meant this one single restoration airplane displayed in the video and not a later follow-on modification of all stinger-gun stations during the actual operational life of TBM/F Avenger program.

[@EstorilEm]

Gary W Yup, correct - many TBMs were modified in similar ways, ours just happens to have the folding style (it’s nice for storage and hauling when it’s folded up though. Anyways as far as I know that folding type was exclusive for pretty much all layouts during the war. Same with the second greenhouse seat behind the pilot, that was never there and was filled with radio, radar, autopilot equipment etc.

[@wideyxyz2271]

Nice work Bis...Most enjoyable.

[@MyelinProductions]

THANK YOU! Great Video! Awesome History! Peace & Health

[@oxymornicalt]

13:27 this position is not the radio operator or bombardier unlike most other torpedo bombers. the radio position is likely the seat you stepped on getting out of the gunners seat. the middle seat is only evident as existing in early tbfs and was filled with radio equipment in later war tbms.

[@charlie1571]

My father was a turret gunner on the Avenger. At the time he was very small and had no problems roaming around in the plane. He told me the radio op. stayed down in the cabin and my father would sit behind the pilot during launch and landings. They lost the radioman when they had engine failure during launch and crashed into the sea. Sadly I just lost my father in October short of his 94th birthday. How I miss him.

[@willrogers3793]

I very much appreciate you doing these “inside the cockpit” videos for these classic warbirds, it’s very cool to see since you can’t really get this perspective from a book or online article. 😄 And thank you as well for attempting to fit into the turret, I know it was a serious pain in the neck for you, but there is a lot of entertainment value to be had from large men attempting to fit into small spaces. (Just look at any “Inside the Chieftain’s Hatch” video, especially the ones on the Hetzer.) 👍

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

The tactics that the Devastator and the Avenger were envisaged for was a coordinated attack, Dive bombers, fighters and torpedo bombers all arrive at the target at the same time attack at the same time, under the protection of the escorting fighters. What happened at Midway, the torpedo bombers attacked alone without fighter cover. That more than anything resulted in the slaughter of the Devastators and Avengers.

[@vee2win]

My father was a TBM turret gunner. His carrier was the USS Ommaney Bay. (CVE-79) It was sunk by Japanese suicide bombers in the Sulu Sea, 4 Jan. 1945, on my father's 23rd Birthday.

[@jetpilot3714]

You did a really nice job! Thanks for the presentation!

[@cuda7133]

Thank you for doing a walk through of this great aircraft! I was lucky enough to go to Oshkosh in a TBM way back in 1992. You do have a few things mistaken... The radio operator was seated just inside the rear door, not behind the pilot. The radio sat on the flat area just below the ball gunner. The radio operator also had a bomb sight in the floor that was usable when the bomb bay doors are open, you can see the window at 6:03. The plane's autopilot system sat in the space behind the pilot. Someone has modified this aircraft from its original design to carry more people (very common).

[@gryfandjane]

Thanks for the tour! It was really a treat to see the interior.

[@luke6587]

If you are ever in the states, you ought to check out the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison Texas. Lots of postwar aircraft and even a TS-11 Iskra

[@Zanomani]

All your videos are super fantastic, have never seen anything as good as yours..Thank you!

[@fireteammichael1777]

Wow, I knew these were larger than a typical fighter after assembling models, but seeing this really gives good perspective, impressive!

[@richardtucker5686]

One of my favorite planes, thanks for the showing

[@b.griffin317]

8:20 "oh dear, my airplane is on fire" 😳 🛩🔥 🤣

[@mpepp9]

I can't even begine to imagine what it must've been like in that gunner's seat, with hundreds of planes and flak exploding around you.

[@radicaljellybean2672]

Mad respect to the crew of these aircraft. Imagine your airplane is going down and spinning and you have to try to crawl out of there and pray that the spinning and excessive G-forces don’t cause you to whack your head and/or poke your eye out on any of the metal that’s merely inches from your head.

[@texasnutmegger3296]

After seeing your attempt to get into the turret, I understand why they decided to bury gunner Loyce Deen with his plane at sea. I couldn't imagine having to remove a deceased person from there.

[@JamesLaserpimpWalsh]

Great stuff. Seeing these machines in the flesh takes advantage of the video format. Keep up with the excellent content.

[@bhartley868]

Actor Richard Boones plane in WW II, combat veteran.

[@renardgrise]

The TBF is one of my favorite WWII planes of all time! Awesome plane.

[@vorticwatchcompany]

I didn't know about this story! Thank you for the detailed account, loved every bit! Best, IC

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

GM assigned construction of the Avenger because the Navy wanted Grumman to concentrate on building the F6F Hellcat.

[@lw216316]

The small guys became the gunners in tight places. I had an uncle who was a tail gunner in a bomber in WW2. He was about 5 feet 5 inches tall and slim. He came back alive. Tail gunners had a short life to expect.

[@mintymoore6054]

Excellent episode. You just don't realise the cramped spaces these aircrew worked in for many hours.

[@jimrussell7817]

My Dad was a turret gunner on Avengers on the USS Belleau Wood. He was too large to wear a parachute.

[@notdaveschannel9843]

Jobs I am too tall to do: Rear Gunner on a TBF/M Avenger. (#1 in a series of, er, not very many).

[@aewhatever]

That was awesome. Thanks for sharing. I always wondered what the inside looked like. It looked like a tiny jungle gym inside. For what it is, its amazing someone can crawl around inside.

[@johnbeaulieu2404]

The TBM was used in many roles besides Torpedo Bombing. VT-6 off the USS Enterprise pioneered night operations during the attacks in the Marshall Islands. Vt-6 flew Night Intruder operations to keep the Japanese defenders busy all night long. Its radar equipped TBMs also pioneered night fighter patrols pairing up with a F6F on its wing. It was on one of these missions that Lt. Cmdr Edward "Butch" O'Hare was lost, for whom O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named. By the time of the landings on Iwo Jima the USS Enterprise was a full-fledged night carrier with a full night fighter squadron and an enlarged torpedo bomber squadron, with no dive bombers embarked.

[@ricecrispeee3367]

I can just imagine just how hard and desperate a machine gunner on the bubble turret would be when the plane was going down, just by seeing this guy struggling getting there

[@TheShootist]

Pop was a radio/radarman gunner on TBM/F avenger c. 1943-45.

[@Ok-551]

I could watch this all day. When’s the Lancaster? My grandad flew TG

[@richboyd8635]

Thank you. Always wondered about the crew area on the Avenger

[@gsmith4679]

Excellent video tour

[@markstone5597]

Great job-and great airplane!

[@mr.gunzaku437]

Holy shit! You had to be no more than 5'-2.5" to fit in that turret??? I'd never fit, I'd have to be the pilot, and that's still a cramped spot!

[@jasonrogers469]

Great video, your intricate knowledge in so many of your videos is amazing! Well done!!

[@hoodoo2001]

Just as useful as torpedo launching was glide and level bombing. The bomber part of the designation was for BOMBING, not launching torpedoes. It was a Kate torpedo/bomber that dropped a heavy bomb on the Arizona from altitude and destroyed it. TBD Devastators were doing level bombing from the start of the war against various targets. TBF's and TBM's continued the practice.

[@johnharris7353]

Another fine "flying coffin" great vid though. You put extra effort into this one!

[@stevenschofield8518]

wow great video... im so jealous you got to see and sit in that amazing plane. you the man!

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

Another great video. Thank you very much.

[@whiskeytangosierra6]

Just watched your collaboration with the Chieftain at tankfest before this one. That was fun. Something you might want to research for some future video is the how and why the US Navy got away from the very steep angle dive bombing attack of the early war Dauntless to more gradual bombing later on. Part of it is that the Helldiver was such a crappy airplane, part was the discovery that Hellcats and Corsairs could carry a very respectable bomb load over long distances. I wonder what other factors were involved?

[@Lukos0036]

It's a much bigger plane than one would imagine for a carrier born aircraft of the age.

[@pedrogonzales9202]

Great exposé of the Avenger. One aspect that would make a great vid is to show in detail the function of the folding wings. To me it is miraculous how it folds yet is strong enough to fly. What are the mechanics that lock the wing into place? I am amazed with the design. Thank you for a great video.

[@AbdulBasit-zo5tw]

Good work bizz!!

[@FroggyFrog9000]

Flies very well for such a bulky plane.

[@clydecessna737]

Fantastic. Never seen the interior before.

[@robinsattahip6269]

What a death trap, I'd hate to get out of that gunner's position in an emergency.