The Grumman TBF Avenger made its combat debut at the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942, flying its first action just days after reaching the Pacific. Six Avengers from Torpedo Squadron Eight’s land-based detachment at Midway launched an attack on the Japanese carrier striking force under Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo. Intercepted by Zeros and met with intense antiaircraft fire, five of the six were shot down and the surviving aircraft returned severely damaged — but the new torpedo bomber had entered the war. The TBF replaced the obsolete Douglas TBD Devastator, which had suffered catastrophic losses at Midway flying from the carriers. Over the following three years the Avenger became the Navy’s standard torpedo bomber, serving from carriers and shore bases across every theater of the Pacific War. The July 1942 Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin — the predecessor of All Hands — published this account of the new aircraft’s first combat appearance.
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