Avenger at War

Few people, not even those who flew it and loved it, would claim the Avenger was the best aircraft of World War II. It was overly heavy, burdened with excess equipment it seldom used, and underpowered. But despite its shortcomings, 10,000 were produced between 1942-1945, more than any other US Navy aircraft except the Corsair and Hellcat. The British Fleet Air Arm had 14 squadrons of them (called Tarpons until 1944) and New Zealand also took a number. As a weapons platform the Avenger was supremely adaptable, able to carry bombs, torpedoes, rockets and depth charges, functioning as dive bomber, torpedo bomber, day bomber, night bomber (and even, when flown by Charles Henderson, as an interceptor!). They had a great range capability, often more than their accompanying fighter cover, and they were, above all, rugged, able to sustain damage and yet still get home. No wonder then that Avengers were found from Midway to Guadalcanal, Saigon to Tokyo, Morocco to Normandy, and that they helped destroy 60 Japanese warships. But with all the varieties of missions and locales, the Avenger's greatest contribution was undoubtedly in the Atlantic where its role in defeating the U-boat wolfpacks was an important factor in winning the war in Europe. While other aircraft played prominent parts in the anti-submarine campaign, none of them performed such a variety as well as the Avenger – detecting, stalking, killing and discouraging U-boats by day and night. Avenger at War portrays this adaptable aircraft in all its guises, under all its flags. It does so with over 150 action photographs and a wealth of personal experiences and eyewitness accounts of Avenger fighting.