Douglas TBD Devestator

The TBD (Torpedo Bomber Douglas) Devastator was an American torpedo bomber that was the Navy's first all-metal monoplane carrier-based aircraft and served as the primary torpedo bomber until 1942. It was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company and introduced to the United States Navy in 1937.

The Devastator was a three-seat aircraft with a crew consisting of a pilot, bombardier/navigator, and radioman/gunner. It had a maximum speed of 206 mph, a range of approximately 700 miles, and a service ceiling of 19,700 feet. Its armament included one forward-firing .50-caliber machine gun and one rear-facing .30-caliber machine gun. It could carry one 1,200-pound torpedo or 1,500 pounds of bombs beneath its fuselage.

The TBD Devastator's service career reached a turning point during the Battle of Midway in June 1942, when 41 Devastators attacked Japanese carriers, and 35 of these aircraft were shot down without scoring a single torpedo hit. However, these brave attacks forced Japanese fighters down to low altitude, inadvertently helping the dive-bombing SBD Dauntless squadrons that followed attack the Japanese carriers unimpeded.

The Devastator was quickly removed from front-line service after Midway and replaced by the TBF Avenger. Although the TBD was considered modern when introduced, naval aviation technology advanced so rapidly during this period that by 1942, only five years after its introduction, the Devastator had become obsolete.