WWII's Most-Built Torpedo Bomber Later Carried A Future US President Into Combat

On September 2, 1944, 20-year-old Navy pilot George H. W. Bush flew the 58th time in combat, dropping bombs on a Japanese radio station near Chichi Jima before escaping a burning Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger over the Pacific. He was the only one of nine airmen shot down that morning to return. The Avenger was the most mass-produced torpedo bomber of World War II, with 9,836 built—an unmatched run. Its roots were shaky: the XTBF-1 first flew August 7, 1941, reached 271 mph, and showed severe yaw instability requiring a dorsal fin fillet. Problems were fixed just in time for urgent combat service.