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.
100LL on the fuel tank cap stands for 100 Low Lead, not litres. This is the most common fuel used by piston driven propeller planes. Just for future reference! Great video as always
To further clarify, 100 Low Lead is the modern piston aviation gasoline. In WWII, different formulations were used, generally 130/150 octane with higher levels of lead
Pete Sheppard Thanks Pete! I’ve only flown modern aircraft so I just learned something new. I wonder how the engine had to be modified (if at all) in order to run on 100LL. Maybe it just gets less performance?
I'm pretty sure there were tweaks and reduced performance. Given these old engines were only expected to last a few hundred hours at most, they are also babied meticulously these days.
Also another thing I noticed is you called both the ADF and VOR indicators “compass and direction finders”. While technically true that they are direction finders neither are compasses(if you notice that dial at the bottom you can actually turn that to change the bearing). There’s usually only one or in this case two compasses in an airplane and it’s usually at the top to avoid messing with the airplanes navigational equipment. You can tell the VOR was added in later because it looks so new, and for VOR navigation you actually need to have specific buildings over the navigational point for it to work, which wouldn’t make sense to have over war torn water in the middle of the 40s. ADF on the other hand probably was used, since it was developed before the use of VORs. Fun fact, if you ever wanted to find out where your favorite am radio station was all you would have to do it tune the frequency into the ADF to find it.
Fantastic video. Not many folks have seen the inside of an Avenger's turret, but now we have thanks to you! I was expecting a fancy computing reflector gunsight though.
If I had to guess, it originally had a reflector sight, but during one of its refits (possibly into its current passenger/cargo plane configuration), the reflector sight was removed in favor of the normal iron sights.
Probably to save weight. A few inches worth of metal weighs much less than everything that goes into the reflector sight. Again, I'm suspecting this change was done to change it to a cargo/passenger plane.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Crewing a TBM, it is a normal operation for us to fold the wings. Our hangar is not huge, similar to a carrier's hangar deck, so we ALWAYS fold the wings when arriving back home. The video hints it is a trick at air shows, but most if not all TBM operators, in the United States, still fold their wings to get into and or save space in the hangar. Great videos by the way. 🙂
Once the Navy got the Mk13 working properly in 44 the TBF/TBM really came into its own as a torpedo bomber. It was instrumental in sinking both Musashi and Yamato.
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 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.
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.
You may not get to get inside them, but at Oshkosh, you get to see tons of war birds! It's always my favorite day because I love world war II stuff, and they fly over like they are dropping bombs, then set off explosives on the runway.
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
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.
Thank you. My dad served on the USS Hornet (CV-8) from just before Pearl Harbor to the day it was sunk in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. I got to see the interior of the USS Forrestal (CVA-59) many years later, but never saw the interior of aircraft he would have handled in WWII.
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.
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!
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 !
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.
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.
Good tour of the aircraft. Great detail, great info from a close perspective of the inside of the plane. Appreciate your attention to all aspects of the plane.
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.
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
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).
Amazing video... And I thought that the Spitfire was cramped inside.. just imagine having to move around in your equipment with war going on around you.. madness.
Thank you for a fascinating video!! As a child of the '60s, WWII was still fresh and its history a major interest of mine, especially naval aviation. This is the first real look I've had of this classic bird. They were also equipped for the Norden bombsight for level bombing; the sight mount being right behind the bomb bay and operated by the third crewmember. They also used the 11.75 inch 'Tiny Tim' rocket, dropping from the bomb bay and firing with a lanyard.
Built in either the Linden NJ or Ewing two. Assembly plants. My father worked in the Linden plant for 30 years and he showed me the tunnel that ran under Route1 to what was then the Linden airport where the planes were checked and then fueled and flown to the Naval air station for delivery. Great video by the way!! Thank you for all the videos
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.
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
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.
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!
In the early 1980s my neighbor was an ex-USN pilot that flew an Avenger off a carrier late in WWII. His main job was bombing and strafing targets on land. As a pilot he hated the turret and told the crewman to not turn the turret under any circumstances as he said it acted like a giant sail and made the aircraft almost impossible to control.
Thanks for video. My father was a radio operator/gunner/bombadier on TBMs. I'm guessing that there were many variants of the TBM because what you described as the radioman's position behind the pilot didn't match his experience. He never sat behind the pilot. In fact, as radio improvements were made and, later, radar was added, there was no room there. That space was filled with gear. The radio operator position was in the belly of the plane. The "Stinger" 30cal machine gun was also his responsibility but they removed them from later versions as they were ineffective against enemy aircraft. The only time my dad was under the canopy was during carrier takeoff. They found that if the pilot had to ditch the aircraft right after takeoff, being down below severely restricted your ability to get clear. There was no seat there on the planes he flew in so he would have to crouch. One airborne, he would work his way down to his flight position.
My dad had just finished training as a bombardier/radio operator on the Avenger when the war ended. Thank you for the walk-thorugh (climb-through!?). My dad had talked about how cramped and crazy getting around inside the plan was, but I had never thought to look it up and try and see for myself.
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.
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
+Military Aviation History: Excellent presentation (as usual) of an iconic aircraft. I always enjoy your videos! On a side note, when I was taking some night courses at a Community College around 1987 I met a gentleman who was the .50cal turret gunner in a TBM in the Pacific. He's probably gone now, but I was impressed by his ability to recall details that only someone who had experienced it would know. I've never forgotten this.
EXCELLENT! Thank you very much. My father was in VTN-55 out of Guantanamo. He rode in the back end as the navigator. (He was also a qualified Lighter Than Air pilot.)
Can't help thinking of that sad film footage from the USS Essex where they were unable to remove a dead gunner from the mangled turret of a TBF so they buried him at sea inside his aircraft.
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.
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.
I crew on a B25 "Panchito". I always get a kick when people get inside or peek in and they are startled at how cramped and uncomfortable they are. Remember they were made to go kill and maim the enemy and creature comforts are way down on the list. They were flown and fought by 19 year olds. Great vid
So the gunner postition was designed for some one around 5'2"/5'3" and you're about a full foot taller @ about 6'2"/6'3"... I do not envy you cramming yourself into it, I sure as hell couldn't at 5'11" (180cm) and being a bit thicker in the middle.
In those days, it was quite easy to find personnel of the correct height. Growing up during the great depression stunted the height potential of most young men of military age.
No worries - they were usually the first to go - although I don’t have a good answer as to why (enemy fire wasn’t THAT accurate, and the radio navigator wasn’t protected any better). Also I’m about 6’ and WAY bigger than this guy, and you can do it if you’re careful. ;)
The RNZAF operated these in the Pacific during the war. I think they were used only as bombers. Along with the Corsair and Kittyhawk squadrons, they where deployed along side US Marine units. In the 60's there was one in the playground in Havelock North, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, I remember playing on it a few times. It was stripped out, with only the pipe and electric lines remaining. I thought it was huge. It is; there is one flying in the warbirds scene here, and the one from Havelock Nth is being rebuilt to display standard in Auckland.
Wow--awesome to see the inside like that. I appreciate the work you did on this one, and it makes me appreciate what the aircrew had to go through just to get to their seats!
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.
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.
We have an operational TBM in Westerly, RI. It flew at the 2011 RI Air Show, and the following year, they had their operational FM2 Wildcat and Skyraider.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Great walk through! (Or crawl through?) I’m currently reading through all of the Pacific War history - at the moment I’m still on Guadalcanal - so it’s great to see this plane in detail, given the part it played in that conflict. Thanks from Australia.
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
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!
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).
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.
Thank you for sharing this video. Seeing an Avenger in person for the first time on the Hornet CVS 8 carrier museum at the Alameda Naval Air Station in northern California (Oakland/Bay Area) was awe inspiring. Firstly, these birds are absolutely huge! I did a double take at their sheer enormity in size! I immediately knew it was an Avenger, but was in shock. The avenger is a big plane. This is the same plane that President George Herbert Bush flew in the Pacific in 1945 when shot down at the island of Chichi Jima (near Iwo Jima), and later rescued by US submarine. The other two crew members did not survive. Again, thank you for sharing.
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.
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.
We have one of these in my hangar! Still waiting on transport Canada to approve it for flight, but it’s in flying condition. It truly is laughably large. It completely dwarfs pretty much all other single engine craft we have. (Come see it at Canadian warplane heritage, and maybe book a flight up in it once it gets approved! Woo!)
Great tour of the plane. It helps to remember that the men flying these. Especially the Radioman and turret gunner were generally small wiry 18-21 year olds. They could still do things that Bismarck, like most of us, can no longer do with ease. I think Bismarck left the wrong impression regarding the Avenger not being used as much as a Torpedo plane, and finding other roles. It wasn't so much due to the extreme danger of Torpedo bombing, nor that the Avenger was bad it it. It was one of the best planes of the war for that task. And the Torpedo's were even almost starting to work, sometimes. No the reason you saw fewer Avengers used for Torpedo bombing by '43 and definitely by '44 was a lack of targets. Following Midway the Japanese Navy really didn't come out often. When they did , such as At SaiPan, Leyte Gulf, and Operation TenGo the Avengers went all in with Torpedos. (Well except Taffy 3 at Samar. Her Avengers were dropping everything they had on the Battleships, including propaganda pamphlets, Napalm, and whatever else they might have been carrying) Avengers showed up with torpedos when needed. But until the Japanese did come out to play the Avengers were finding lots of work as ground support aircraft. And also being rigged with Radar for night bombing attacks. By the end of the War I think the majority of Avengers in US Navy Use were spread out on the CVE's, the slow moving Escort Carriers that provided air support for Marine and Army landing operations. The CVE's generally didn't carry many, if any, Torpedos in their limited Magazines. And the CVE's could mainly only operate the Avenger, and the late model Marine variant Wildcat. The Helldivers were just too big with not enough power to launch off the Kaiser Carrier decks.
Very cool I always liked this aircraft, one thing it had was a long career with other militaries. We used the TBM-3E Avengers in the Royal Canadian Navy, they were mainly used for ASW and were on our Aircraft Carrier as well as land based.
My father flew this in the Pacific in WWII. He was too tall for fighter planes. Would not talk about the war but had what would now be called PTSD. terrible nightmares. He was most physically courageous person I’ve ever known and taught me I could do anything a man could do, including fight. Taught new judo in my teens. HUD it from my very southern mother, lol.
We have one of these living in our hanger at DXR. (Danbury, Ct) I worked on E2-C Hawkeye's (another Grumman design) while in the Navy. An interesting note is that the wing fold and lock system is almost identical in design, the E2 just being a little more robust. Great video, thanks!
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.
Awesome vid, I had the privilege of seeing an Avenger up close at the recent "Gathering of the Warbirds" here in Waukesha, Wisconsin. It even took off and flew above the stands.
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.
Military Aviation History hello! I love this video becuase i find ww2 a very interresting subject!
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.
Just FYI, 100 LL next to a fuel tank means 100 Low Lead in reference to the fuel grade, not 100 Liters.
skullyairsoft80 I was thinking the 100 litres script may have been added when the French used the aircraft but this makes more sense
That's right, the volume is of course set as gallons
It still amazes me the actual size of these war birds
True. I remember the first time I walked up to an Avenger at an air show. I was absolutely stunned by it's size.
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
@@ubb262s B25?
Ok yes , CV8 USS HORNET, I was talking about aircraft designed for carrier operations
That and how some of them still fly
100LL on the fuel tank cap stands for 100 Low Lead, not litres. This is the most common fuel used by piston driven propeller planes. Just for future reference! Great video as always
Yup, it is :)
To further clarify, 100 Low Lead is the modern piston aviation gasoline. In WWII, different formulations were used, generally 130/150 octane with higher levels of lead
Pete Sheppard Thanks Pete! I’ve only flown modern aircraft so I just learned something new. I wonder how the engine had to be modified (if at all) in order to run on 100LL. Maybe it just gets less performance?
I'm pretty sure there were tweaks and reduced performance. Given these old engines were only expected to last a few hundred hours at most, they are also babied meticulously these days.
Also another thing I noticed is you called both the ADF and VOR indicators “compass and direction finders”. While technically true that they are direction finders neither are compasses(if you notice that dial at the bottom you can actually turn that to change the bearing). There’s usually only one or in this case two compasses in an airplane and it’s usually at the top to avoid messing with the airplanes navigational equipment. You can tell the VOR was added in later because it looks so new, and for VOR navigation you actually need to have specific buildings over the navigational point for it to work, which wouldn’t make sense to have over war torn water in the middle of the 40s. ADF on the other hand probably was used, since it was developed before the use of VORs. Fun fact, if you ever wanted to find out where your favorite am radio station was all you would have to do it tune the frequency into the ADF to find it.
Fantastic video. Not many folks have seen the inside of an Avenger's turret, but now we have thanks to you! I was expecting a fancy computing reflector gunsight though.
If I had to guess, it originally had a reflector sight, but during one of its refits (possibly into its current passenger/cargo plane configuration), the reflector sight was removed in favor of the normal iron sights.
Tsundere_Gaming
I don't know why they would bother replacing the reflector sight, that's just extra work for no benefit.
Probably to save weight. A few inches worth of metal weighs much less than everything that goes into the reflector sight. Again, I'm suspecting this change was done to change it to a cargo/passenger plane.
Tsundere_Gaming if the Navy sold the plane to France they might have had to remove sensitive US equipment like radios and sights
That could be it, I didn't really think of that. It probably is the reason the bombsight is missing as well.
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.
It’s insane how huge the TBF avenger. You only get too see it when you get to stand under it
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.
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.
@@TheDustysix i believe that it was a gunner on a Dauntless that nearly killed Sakai.
@@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.
@@TheDustysix Originally from Samurai! an autobiography by Sakai, Fred Saito, and Martin Caidin.
@@wanyelewis9667 This is the correct answer it was a dauntless we now know, leike was marine ashore, written before current known fact
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.
Crewing a TBM, it is a normal operation for us to fold the wings. Our hangar is not huge, similar to a carrier's hangar deck, so we ALWAYS fold the wings when arriving back home. The video hints it is a trick at air shows, but most if not all TBM operators, in the United States, still fold their wings to get into and or save space in the hangar. Great videos by the way. 🙂
Once the Navy got the Mk13 working properly in 44 the TBF/TBM really came into its own as a torpedo bomber. It was instrumental in sinking both Musashi and Yamato.
You sound a little bit like the Chieftain.
I am now calling you the Airplane Chieftain
Needs more "Oh my God! The plane is on fire!" drills.
Fuck yes matey. "The Airplane Chieftain" need to be on some merch too!
PancernyWiatrak How about "The Crew Chief"?
Inside the Bismarck's cockpit
TheRetu81 Plot twist : the plane is actually flying
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.
Did no one notice y’all went into authorized only spaces?
Felicitaciones a tu abuelo. Un joven muy valiente que quiso participar en esos momentos tan dificiles.
Cordiales saludos.
@@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.
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.
You may not get to get inside them, but at Oshkosh, you get to see tons of war birds! It's always my favorite day because I love world war II stuff, and they fly over like they are dropping bombs, then set off explosives on the runway.
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
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.
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.
I honestly never knew those planes were that large, and you could move around inside of them. Fascinating.
Thank you. My dad served on the USS Hornet (CV-8) from just before Pearl Harbor to the day it was sunk in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. I got to see the interior of the USS Forrestal (CVA-59) many years later, but never saw the interior of aircraft he would have handled in WWII.
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.
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!
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 !
Looking at that cockpit, our flight schools Piper training aircraft look luxurious :D
Where is the: OH GOD! THE PLANE IS ON FIRE!! Part?
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.
Neil Wilson...I've never heard the Grumman Avenger referred to as 'Fragile' before. It was built like a brick shithouse.
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.
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.
Less of a problem than tensioning the tracks though
This was great, these "inside planes" episodes are superb. This is unique content, well done!
That plane is in absolutely gorgeous condition, props to you and a big thanks to the owner for this video
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.
ben wilson your grandpa had some iron balls
Mine was a ball gunner.
Good tour of the aircraft. Great detail, great info from a close perspective of the inside of the plane. Appreciate your attention to all aspects of the plane.
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.
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
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).
Amazing video... And I thought that the Spitfire was cramped inside.. just imagine having to move around in your equipment with war going on around you.. madness.
Thank you for a fascinating video!! As a child of the '60s, WWII was still fresh and its history a major interest of mine, especially naval aviation. This is the first real look I've had of this classic bird.
They were also equipped for the Norden bombsight for level bombing; the sight mount being right behind the bomb bay and operated by the third crewmember.
They also used the 11.75 inch 'Tiny Tim' rocket, dropping from the bomb bay and firing with a lanyard.
Built in either the Linden NJ or Ewing two. Assembly plants. My father worked in the Linden plant for 30 years and he showed me the tunnel that ran under Route1 to what was then the Linden airport where the planes were checked and then fueled and flown to the Naval air station for delivery. Great video by the way!! Thank you for all the videos
Actor Richard Boones plane in WW II, combat veteran.
Speaking as a US Air Force vet....thanks for singing my service song while climbing into a NAVY plane!!
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.
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
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.
Imagine wearing a parachute and getting into the ball turret. I'm sure it dangled below by the legs where pilots sat on theirs.
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!
In the early 1980s my neighbor was an ex-USN pilot that flew an Avenger off a carrier late in WWII. His main job was bombing and strafing targets on land. As a pilot he hated the turret and told the crewman to not turn the turret under any circumstances as he said it acted like a giant sail and made the aircraft almost impossible to control.
Brilliant, gave excellent view of the relationship between the crew positions and information not normally found.
Loved this. My Grandfather flew them with the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War.
Thanks for video. My father was a radio operator/gunner/bombadier on TBMs. I'm guessing that there were many variants of the TBM because what you described as the radioman's position behind the pilot didn't match his experience. He never sat behind the pilot. In fact, as radio improvements were made and, later, radar was added, there was no room there. That space was filled with gear. The radio operator position was in the belly of the plane. The "Stinger" 30cal machine gun was also his responsibility but they removed them from later versions as they were ineffective against enemy aircraft. The only time my dad was under the canopy was during carrier takeoff. They found that if the pilot had to ditch the aircraft right after takeoff, being down below severely restricted your ability to get clear. There was no seat there on the planes he flew in so he would have to crouch. One airborne, he would work his way down to his flight position.
My dad was an 18yr old gunner on one 1944-45. He never talked about his time in it. Thank you for the video.
My dad had just finished training as a bombardier/radio operator on the Avenger when the war ended. Thank you for the walk-thorugh (climb-through!?). My dad had talked about how cramped and crazy getting around inside the plan was, but I had never thought to look it up and try and see for myself.
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.
Nice to see the working place of Paul Newman who was Radio Operator on the Gruman Avenger during WW II
These videos are great. I can’t imagine how terrifying it must have been in these tight, cramped spaces in combat.
I admire the way you sacrifice for your art. What a struggle!
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
+Military Aviation History: Excellent presentation (as usual) of an iconic aircraft. I always enjoy your videos! On a side note, when I was taking some night courses at a Community College around 1987 I met a gentleman who was the .50cal turret gunner in a TBM in the Pacific. He's probably gone now, but I was impressed by his ability to recall details that only someone who had experienced it would know. I've never forgotten this.
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!
EXCELLENT! Thank you very much. My father was in VTN-55 out of Guantanamo. He rode in the back end as the navigator. (He was also a qualified Lighter Than Air pilot.)
Can't help thinking of that sad film footage from the USS Essex where they were unable to remove a dead gunner from the mangled turret of a TBF so they buried him at sea inside his aircraft.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bis please do a B-17 walkthrough, preferably one with an intact ball turret you are allowed to get in
Sir kibble I actually got to walk through a b17 when it came to an air show in my town!
Bis wont fit in the ball turret. Ive been in so many b17s over the years. I hate when they add the wooden floors.
jaxxmadine They probably have to do that to stop people tripping over or rolling their ankles.
Sir kibble there is one touring the u.s. the big five-o or something like that
@That one guy And what if you're rolling down the runway and a landing gear goes out. Could be messy.
I crew on a B25 "Panchito". I always get a kick when people get inside or peek in and they are startled at how cramped and uncomfortable they are. Remember they were made to go kill and maim the enemy and creature comforts are way down on the list. They were flown and fought by 19 year olds. Great vid
Hah, and that being said, the American planes were often the most 'comfortable' so it was even worse in some of the other planes down there!
So the gunner postition was designed for some one around 5'2"/5'3" and you're about a full foot taller @ about 6'2"/6'3"... I do not envy you cramming yourself into it, I sure as hell couldn't at 5'11" (180cm) and being a bit thicker in the middle.
😂😂 Imagine trying to squeeze into the ball turret of a B-24
In those days, it was quite easy to find personnel of the correct height. Growing up during the great depression stunted the height potential of most young men of military age.
Save the metric shit, buddy
No worries - they were usually the first to go - although I don’t have a good answer as to why (enemy fire wasn’t THAT accurate, and the radio navigator wasn’t protected any better).
Also I’m about 6’ and WAY bigger than this guy, and you can do it if you’re careful. ;)
@@johneasler9967 A great informational review he made.
The RNZAF operated these in the Pacific during the war. I think they were used only as bombers. Along with the Corsair and Kittyhawk squadrons, they where deployed along side US Marine units. In the 60's there was one in the playground in Havelock North, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, I remember playing on it a few times. It was stripped out, with only the pipe and electric lines remaining. I thought it was huge. It is; there is one flying in the warbirds scene here, and the one from Havelock Nth is being rebuilt to display standard in Auckland.
Wow--awesome to see the inside like that. I appreciate the work you did on this one, and it makes me appreciate what the aircrew had to go through just to get to their seats!
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.
My Great Grandfather was the turret gunner in one of these. Great to finally see an in depth look at this aircraft!
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!
Keep em comming MAH. Love the effort and passion for these videos.
Thanks Ash, glad you enjoy them
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.
We have an operational TBM in Westerly, RI. It flew at the 2011 RI Air Show, and the following year, they had their operational FM2 Wildcat and Skyraider.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
Great walk through! (Or crawl through?) I’m currently reading through all of the Pacific War history - at the moment I’m still on Guadalcanal - so it’s great to see this plane in detail, given the part it played in that conflict. Thanks from Australia.
Enjoyed it immensely. My Dad was a ball turret gunner back in the day aboard USS Santee (CVE-29).
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
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
I did the same in 1972 always wondered where the bombardiers position was.
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!
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).
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.
Bismarck come to Poland on 25th august to Radom for the airshow :D
Hopefully not on the wings of a screaming Sturzkampfflugzeug.
Thank you for sharing this video. Seeing an Avenger in person for the first time on the Hornet CVS 8 carrier museum at the Alameda Naval Air Station in northern California (Oakland/Bay Area) was awe inspiring. Firstly, these birds are absolutely huge! I did a double take at their sheer enormity in size! I immediately knew it was an Avenger, but was in shock. The avenger is a big plane. This is the same plane that President George Herbert Bush flew in the Pacific in 1945 when shot down at the island of Chichi Jima (near Iwo Jima), and later rescued by US submarine. The other two crew members did not survive. Again, thank you for sharing.
Yes! I have been looking for a tour of this plane for years! Great video Bismarck
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.
Excellent Job covering the Avenger. Thank you.
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.
We have one of these in my hangar! Still waiting on transport Canada to approve it for flight, but it’s in flying condition. It truly is laughably large. It completely dwarfs pretty much all other single engine craft we have. (Come see it at Canadian warplane heritage, and maybe book a flight up in it once it gets approved! Woo!)
Great tour of the plane. It helps to remember that the men flying these. Especially the Radioman and turret gunner were generally small wiry 18-21 year olds. They could still do things that Bismarck, like most of us, can no longer do with ease. I think Bismarck left the wrong impression regarding the Avenger not being used as much as a Torpedo plane, and finding other roles. It wasn't so much due to the extreme danger of Torpedo bombing, nor that the Avenger was bad it it. It was one of the best planes of the war for that task. And the Torpedo's were even almost starting to work, sometimes. No the reason you saw fewer Avengers used for Torpedo bombing by '43 and definitely by '44 was a lack of targets. Following Midway the Japanese Navy really didn't come out often. When they did , such as At SaiPan, Leyte Gulf, and Operation TenGo the Avengers went all in with Torpedos. (Well except Taffy 3 at Samar. Her Avengers were dropping everything they had on the Battleships, including propaganda pamphlets, Napalm, and whatever else they might have been carrying) Avengers showed up with torpedos when needed. But until the Japanese did come out to play the Avengers were finding lots of work as ground support aircraft. And also being rigged with Radar for night bombing attacks. By the end of the War I think the majority of Avengers in US Navy Use were spread out on the CVE's, the slow moving Escort Carriers that provided air support for Marine and Army landing operations. The CVE's generally didn't carry many, if any, Torpedos in their limited Magazines. And the CVE's could mainly only operate the Avenger, and the late model Marine variant Wildcat. The Helldivers were just too big with not enough power to launch off the Kaiser Carrier decks.
Nice work Bis...Most enjoyable.
Very cool I always liked this aircraft, one thing it had was a long career with other militaries. We used the TBM-3E Avengers in the Royal Canadian Navy, they were mainly used for ASW and were on our Aircraft Carrier as well as land based.
The UK got rid of them in WW2 then bought more in the 1950s to cover a delay in the AEW Gannets coming into service.
Awwwe maaannnn. Thank you for that. I've never seen the inside of that aircraft and have always wanted to see. That was awesome . Thank you again.
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!
My father flew this in the Pacific in WWII. He was too tall for fighter planes. Would not talk about the war but had what would now be called PTSD. terrible nightmares. He was most physically courageous person I’ve ever known and taught me I could do anything a man could do, including fight. Taught new judo in my teens. HUD it from my very southern mother, lol.
You did a really nice job! Thanks for the presentation!
wow, that gunner's seat really puts into context why Loyce Deen had to be buried at sea with the plane
It never ceases to amaze me how large these planes actually are to how they look at first sight.
I know! Huge! It looked like about thunderbolt size but its like double that up close, and very spacious inside
@@vegasspaceprogram6623 wha-? The thunderbolts were 36 feet long. Being double will make it the size of a b-17.......
We have one of these living in our hanger at DXR. (Danbury, Ct) I worked on E2-C Hawkeye's (another Grumman design) while in the Navy. An interesting note is that the wing fold and lock system is almost identical in design, the E2 just being a little more robust. Great video, thanks!
100LL is the type of fuel this thing drinks, and 93 gallons is a lot more than 100 litres!
Yup 100LL Is 100 octane low lead
Thanks for the tour! It was really a treat to see the interior.
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.
Awesome vid, I had the privilege of seeing an Avenger up close at the recent "Gathering of the Warbirds" here in Waukesha, Wisconsin. It even took off and flew above the stands.
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