Warbird Information Exchange

Source, National Museum of Naval Aviation photo archives, my personal collection.


TBF's Munda Islands 1943


TBF island bound


TBF-1C of Torpedo Squadron Two VT-2 pictured on the flight deck of USS Hornet CV-12


TBF with left wheel gear stuck


TBF-1 of Torpedo Squadron Five VT-5 during flight operations on board USS YORKTOWN


TBF-1C Avenger with Torpedo Squadron Eighteen VT-18 from CV-11 USS Intrepid


TBM Avenger of VT-83 nicknamed "Georgia Peach" form the USS Essex CV-9 in flight in 1945


TBF/TBM-1C of Torpedo Squadron Two VT-2 off USS Hornet CV-12 pictured during operations in the vicinity of Saipan and Tinian


TBF-1 of Composite Squadron Twenty-Four VC-24 probably in Trinidad


TBM Avenger of VT-83 nicknamed "Santas Helper" from the USS Essex CV-9 in flight in 1945


TBM-3E Avenger with Torpedo Squadron Nineteen VT-19 from CV-36 USS Antietam


TBM-3 Avenger assigned to Torpedo Squadron VT9 picture in flight over the Western Pacific


TBM-1C Avenger with Composite Squadron Eleven VC-11 on the USS Nehenta Bay CVE-74


Avenger torpedo bombers with Torpedo Squadron VT 17 from the carrier Hornet CV12


TBM-3E with Torpedo Squadron Eighty-Nine VT-89 from CV-36 USS Antietam pictured in flight over Peking China


TBF/TBM-1C of Torpedo Squadron Two VT-2 pictured in flight near USS Hornet CV-12


TBM-1 of Torpedo Squadron Six VT-6 flying over Haleakala Volcano in Hawaii VT-6 operated from USS Enterprise CV-6


TBM-3 of Torpedo Squadron Six VT-6 off USS Hancock CV-19 flies over ships of Task Force 58 during operations off Okinawa

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Zero Surprise!!...

TBM-3E Avenger with Torpedo Squadron Nineteen VT-19 from CV-36 USS Antietam


TBM-1C with Torpedo Squadron Eighty-Nine VT-89 pictured in flight at Sanford ME


TBM-3E Avenger from Torpedo Squadron Thirty-Three VT-33 in flight over CVE-26 USS Sangamon


TBF-1 of Torpedo Squadron Six VT-6 pictured during a training flight over Hawaii VT-6 operated from USS Enterprise CV-6


TBM-3 of Torpedo Squadron One VT-1 pictured in flight over the Pacific The squadron was assigned to USS Bennington CV-20


TBF-1C Avenger with Composite Squadron Seventy-One VC-71 in flight over Southern California


TBF-1C Avenger with Torpedo Squadron Seventeen VT-17 in flight at San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge


TBF-1 Avenger with Composite Squadron Fifty-Five VC-55 from CVE-21 USS Block Island in flight over the Atlantic Ocean


TBM Avenger with Torpedo Squadron Fifty-Three VT-53 on CV-3 USS Saratoga


TBM-1C Avenger with Torpedo Squadron Fifty-One VT-51 from the USS San Jacinto CVL-30 in flight at Peleliu


TBF-1 of Torpedo Squadron Four VT-4 of Avenger Torpedo Squadron pictured enroute to attack Formosa


TBF-1C Avenger with Torpedo Squadron Thirty-Two VT-32 on CVL-27 USS Langley in flight at Oahu


TBM Avengers with Composite Squadron Sixty-Three VC-63 on the USS NATOME BAY CVE-62 in flight over Wotji


Two TBM-1C's of Torpedo Squadron Seven VT-7 off USS Hancock CV-19 pictured during a strike against French Indochina


TBF-1's of Torpedo Squadron Six VT-6 pictured during a training flight near Hawaii VT-6 operated from USS Enterprise CV-6

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Zero Surprise!!...

A formation of three TBM-1C's of Torpedo Squadron Seven VT-7 off USS Hancock CV-19 pictured in flight over the Pacific Ocean


TBF-1C TBM-1C Avengers with Torpedo Squadron Fifteen VT-15


Four TBM-3's of Attack Squadron Two A VA-2A off USS Tarawa CV-40


TBM-1C's of Torpedo Squadron Four VT-4 depart Indochina after completing carrier strikes against Saigon


Two TBM-3E's join an SNJ-5 in formation over San Diego CA


Four TBF-1C's of Torpedo Squadron Six VT-6 flying near Big Island TH during final training prior to deployment on board USS Hancock CV-19


TBM-3E's of Night Torpedo Squadron Ninety VTN-90 pictured in flight at Key West FL


Four TBM-3E's of Attack Squadron Two A VA-2A pictured in formation probably during a cruise in USS Tarawa CV-40


TBM Avengers from the USS Kalinin Bay CVE-68 Squadron VC-2 in flight over Samar PI on October 18 1944 enroute to Negros PI for an airfield strike


TBM-3E 3S2's of Scouting Plane Squadron Twenty-Three VS-23 near San Diego flying in an eleven plane formation


TBM-3E Avengers with Attack Squadron Eighteen AVA-18A on a Midshipman Training Flight in the Mediterranean


Sixteen 16 TBM-3E's of Scouting Squadron Twenty-Three VS-23 in flight formation out of San Diego

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Zero Surprise!!...

TBM Avenger of VT-83 from the USS Essex VC-9 in flight circa 1945








Russell Islands 1944


TBM-1C assigned to Torpedo Squadron Two VT-2 pictured on the ground at NAS Puunene Maui


NAS Moffett Field 1944




TBF-1C comes to grief aboard CV-10 YORKTOWN




USS Monterey 1944






USS Cabot 1943




TBF Avenger after crashing during carrier qualifications on board USS Charger CVE 30 operating in the Chesapeake Bay


TBM-1 CRASH TEST 1946


TBM-1 CRASH TEST 1946

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Zero Surprise!!...

417 of VT-83 says 'Satans Helper' big diff-
#82 of VT-6 is an old campaigner and shows at least 3 different styles of markings from having had two big blue balls/stars on the wings to just bars on the left wing and bars with either red or faded blue outlined bars on the fuselage. A wide and appreciated variety of schemes and markings!

Hate to rag you, but how about some coverage of the ZP/LTA guys?

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Wow!
Another great set of shots Mark.
Thanks again.
Something jumped out at me in the first photo.
What are the three marks on the leading edge that look like the gun ports would on a fighter?
I thought TBM/TBF's had a single gun mounted on the fixed portion of the wing.
The wing fold design of all of these Grummans' is pure genius. Nicely done Leroy!

Andy Scott

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Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
http://www.warplane.com

Well done Mark - Great shots as usual.

Here's a few I took this year at Easter. I hope you allow modern ones on this thread.

Cheers

B

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Little Johnny : "When I grow up I want to be a pilot!"

Johnny's Mother : "Don't be silly Dear - you can't do both!"

Here's a couple more of the same a/c.....





Cheers

Barry

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Little Johnny : "When I grow up I want to be a pilot!"

Johnny's Mother : "Don't be silly Dear - you can't do both!"

Just a beautiful shot .... Happy Veterans weekend


TBM-352's and F6F-5's of Attack Training Unit Four Hundred ATU 400 and ATU-401 flying over NAS Kingsville

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Zero Surprise!!...

Do you have any of VT-23 from 1945? That was Jack Kosko's squadron off the Langley. The marking was an inverted diamond (white square with a diamond that matched the paint -- either the medium blue on the tri-color scheme or the glossy sea blue.

Wow they are great photos. Don't suppose you have any RNZAF photos?
These are mine taken in 1981 of the Air Force Museum's TBF-1 Avenger NZ2504 starting up. Bit more smoke than normal as she is burning off a lot of inhibiting oil after a 6 month rest on display. Sadly a week or so later the engine threw a rod and today she sits silent on display in World war 2 markings as NZ2521(an Avenger shot down with the loss of the crew over Rabaul in 1944)
This colour scheme is the one we first restored her as. 1959 Target tug markings and the current (for the period) fern leaf roundel instead of the now familiar Kiwi. we got her running and all the hydraulics including bomb-bay doors and wing fold operational and she was taxied.
Interestingly she is called a TBF-1 (NZ2501 -06 were TBF-1)but had the nose and wing guns whereas the rest of the 48 we had were TBF-1c and only had the wing guns.




How she looks today

These photos posted above mine are great!

Here are a few of what I have...






Regards,
Paul Gordon

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Live the Good Life
Bluedharma
http://flickr.com/photos/bluedharma/
http://www.airport-data.com/photographe ... arma;1045/
bluedharmawix@gmail.com

A few request




TBM-3E of Torpedo Squadron Twenty-Three VT-23 on the ground.


TBM-1C probablyof Torpedo Squadron Twenty-Three VT-23 launching off CVL-27 USS Langley

NAS Los Alamitos


TBM-3E Avenger with the Naval Air Reserve Training Unit NARTU Los Alamitos pictured sitting on the flightline at NAS North Island CA


TBF-1C from No 30 Squadron Royal New Zealand Air Force on the Turtle Bay strip at Espiritu Santo New Hebrides

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Zero Surprise!!...

Great pictures! Thanks for posting them. Not trying to be picky, but I'm pretty certain after living in Southern California for 35 years that this photo is mislabeled. There's no woods like that except up in the mountains. Most of Southern California is chaparral brush. Looks like maybe Northern California, Oregon or Washington.