Torpedo bombers of World War II

[MarcusAurelius]

The countdown to War at Sea continues, with a list of the torpedo bombers that helped mark the ascendance of air power. Parentheses denotes year entered service. Production numbers approximated. It's worth noting that Grumman built nearly as many Avengers as all the other aircraft listed here combined.

Blackburn Shark (1936)
Production: 200 Operators: Canada, UK

Fairey Swordfish (1936)
Production: 2,400 Operators: Canada, Netherlands, UK

Douglas TBD Devastator (1937)
Production: 130 Operators: US

Mitsubishi B5M “Mabel” (1937)
Production: 125 Operators: Japan

Nakajima B5N “Kate” (1937)
Production: 1,100 Operators: Japan

Bristol Type 152 Beaufort (1939)
Production: 2,000 Operators: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK

Fairey Albacore (1939)
Production: 800 Operators: Canada, UK

Fiat RS.14 (1939)
Production: 150 Operators: Italy

Heinkel He 115 (1939)
Production: 150 Operators: Finland, Germany, Norway

Ilyushin Il-4T (1939)
Production: Unknown Operators: USSR

Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparveiro (1939)
Production: 1,300 Operators: Italy, UK

Latecoere L.298 (1940)
Production: 130 Operators: France

Ilyushin Il-2T Shturmovik (1941)
Production: Unknown Operators: USSR

Grumman TBF Avenger (1942)
Production: 9,800 Operators: Canada, New Zealand, UK, US

Fairey Barracuda (1943)
Production: 1,700 Operators: UK

Consolidated TBY Sea Wolf (1944)
Production: 200 Operators: US

Nakajima B6N “Jill” (1944)
Production: 1,250 Operators: Japan

[Vepr]

Was the Dauntless a dive bomber or did it carry torpedoes also?

[TheCygnysGuardian]

Was the Dauntless a dive bomber or did it carry torpedoes also?

It was a dive bomber; no torpedoes.

[MarcusAurelius]

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver is a potential addition. It could carry a 2,000-pound bomb load or a single torpedo in its internal bay. But it doesn't make the list since it was primarily designed as a dive bomber.

[UncaBret]

The hellcat could also carry a torp.

[MarcusAurelius]

The hellcat could also carry a torp.

Good point. While the Grumman F6F Hellcat could be armed with a torpedo, I left it off this list since it primarily served as a fighter. The Blackburn B-37 Firebrand is another example.

Also missing here is are torpedo bombers built in extremely limited numbers, like the Fokker T.8-W. Fewer than 40 were ever completed. During the Battle of the Netherlands, eight made their way to England and formed an RAF squadron to escort convoys. The Germans used the remaining aircraft to fly naval patrols.

[Kaufschtick]

The Martin B-26s carried torpedo's at Midway...

...and I want to say that Mitsubishi G3M "Nells" & G4M "Betty's" used a combination of bombs and torpedo's against the HMS Prince Of Wales and Repulse three days after Pearl harbor.

[Legbiter]

Nice work! The soviets also cottoned on to the air-dropped tin-fish racket, as evidenced by:

[1] "The Soviet Navy flew many Il-2s, using them to perform "mast-top bombing", which was the same as the American "skip bombing" technique, coming in at low level and skipping a delayed-action bomb off the waves into the side of a ship. The Navy also flew a land-based torpedo bomber variant under the designation "Il-2T"."

From http://www.vectorsite.net/avil2.html

[2] The IL4T was a specialised torpedo bomber

From http://www.pt-boats.net/PT_web/pages/il-4_e.htm

[3] Also I vaguely recall reading somewhere that the Tupolev SB2 early war bomber and the Petlyakov Pe2 mid-late war multi-purpose aircraft were sometimes used for dropping torpedos. But when I tried to find a web-reference for these beliefs I got connected to a Most Immoral Site ;-)

[MarcusAurelius]

The Martin B-26s carried torpedo's at Midway...

...and I want to say that Mitsubishi G3M "Nells" & G4M "Betty's" used a combination of bombs and torpedo's against the HMS Prince Of Wales and Repulse three days after Pearl harbor.

I wasn't sure whether to include planes such as the B-26 or G3M. All three were versatile bombers used in a variety of roles. Ultimately, I decided to limit this list to aircraft primarily designed as torpedo bombers.

I'm also looking at this in terms of War at Sea. My guess is that the larger Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bomber (64 ft. long, 81 ft. wingspan) will be grouped with the PBY Catalina patrol bomber (63 ft. long, 104 ft. wingspan) as an uncommon — while the Douglas TBD Devastator (35 ft. long, 50 ft. wingspan) and other dedicated torpedo bombers will be commons.

This discussion reminds me of how tanks developed in WWII. Those originally designed for limited roles (such as light tanks, heavy tanks and tank destroyers) were eventually eclipsed by medium tanks that could do it all. The same evolution happened in air power, as torpedo bombers and dive bombers made way for aircraft like the F6F Hellcat — a fighter that could also be equipped with rockets, bombs or torpedoes.

[MarcusAurelius]

The Soviet Navy flew many Il-2s, using them to perform "mast-top bombing", which was the same as the American "skip bombing" technique, coming in at low level and skipping a delayed-action bomb off the waves into the side of a ship. The Navy also flew a land-based torpedo bomber variant under the designation "Il-2T".

The IL-2T and Il-4T torpedo bomber variants are great additions; they're on the list. I wasn't able to find any information about how many were produced — but since the Soviets built Shturmoviks and Il-4s by the thousands, I think it's a safe bet.

I've also seen reference to a Tupolev Tu-2T torpedo bomber variant, but nothing substantial. Same for the Tupolev SB. As for the Petlyakov Pe-2, from what I've read it was primarily designed and used as a dive bomber.

If you find out anything more about these three (or others), let me know.

[Legbiter]

The IL-2T and Il-4T torpedo bomber variants are great additions; they're on the list. I wasn't able to find any information about how many were produced — but since the Soviets built Shturmoviks and Il-4s by the thousands, I think it's a safe bet.

I've also seen reference to a Tupolev Tu-2T torpedo bomber variant, but nothing substantial. Same for the Tupolev SB. As for the Petlyakov Pe-2, from what I've read it was primarily designed and used as a dive bomber.

If you find out anything more about these three (or others), let me know.

Nothing more so far on Soviets but how about the [French] Latecoere 298? I appreciate from your answer to one of the posts above that you've deliberately left off planes not built in large numbers, but I think the Latecoere deserves a mention because it [1] was such a beautiful aircraft and [2] was used in some very gallant actions during the Fall of France [attacking advancing Panzers!]. 36 were built, 24 land-based and 12 with folding wings for carrier service.

Source: pp77 and 144-5 in K Munson, Flying Boats and Seaplanes since 1910, Macmillan [London and New York], 1971.

[MarcusAurelius]

Nothing more so far on Soviets but how about the [French] Latecoere 298? I appreciate from your answer to one of the posts above that you've deliberately left off planes not built in large numbers, but I think the Latecoere deserves a mention because it [1] was such a beautiful aircraft and [2] was used in some very gallant actions during the Fall of France [attacking advancing Panzers!]. 36 were built, 24 land-based and 12 with folding wings for carrier service.

Source: pp77 and 144-5 in K Munson, Flying Boats and Seaplanes since 1910, Macmillan [London and New York], 1971.

Nice work. I think the L.298 is definitely a worthy addition. According to the reference I've seen, more than 100 aircraft were completed by June 1940 — with another 20 built for the Vichy French regime.

[MarcusAurelius]

Bump for transfer to new Axis & Allies Naval Miniatures forum.

[Legbiter]

Fiat RS-14. Italy, no information on numbers. Elegant aircraft. Source: Munson, aircraft of World War 2, p188.

[MarcusAurelius]

Fiat RS-14. Italy, no information on numbers. Elegant aircraft. Source: Munson, aircraft of World War 2, p188.

Another good addition. I didn't come across anything really comprehensive on this plane, but the information I did find indicated that at least 150 were built during the early years of the war. It's on the list.

[TheFoeHammer]

Does the TBM warrant a separate entry? Not sure that it would be that much of a difference in performance over the TBF.

I notice they chose the TBD for this release of War at Sea. Probably a good idea since it was the predominate plane at the time of Midway. But I hope we get a TBF/TBM in the next release.

[MarcusAurelius]

Does the TBM warrant a separate entry? Not sure that it would be that much of a difference in performance over the TBF.

I notice they chose the TBD for this release of War at Sea. Probably a good idea since it was the predominate plane at the time of Midway. But I hope we get a TBF/TBM in the next release.

Good question. My understanding was that the TBM designation simply indicated when General Motors took over production of the Avenger. I'm not sure if there were any changes in design, construction or armament.

[TheFoeHammer]

Good question. My understanding was that the TBM designation simply indicated when General Motors took over production of the Avenger. I'm not sure if there were any changes in design, construction or armament.

I think there were both TBM-1s which were exactly like the TBF and TBM-3s which had a different powerplant and additional hard points for drop tanks or rockets. I think this was only a slight range extension.

Back in some of the computer Carrier Warfare games I played the TBM was never usually worth the trouble of the logistics downtime of swapping them out, whereas the TBD to TBF jump was huge, both for the range and the torpedo accuracy advantages.