HORS-SÉRIE AVIONS N°56 - DOUGLAS TBD-1 DEVASTATOR « Le mal nommé… »

The Douglas TBD-1 Devastator was an American torpedo bomber. As the US Navy's first all-metal, low-wing aircraft, it was at the cutting edge of technology when it entered service in November 1937. Four years later, at the outbreak of the Pacific War, it was already obsolete... The Battle of Midway proved fatal to the aircraft and marked the end of its operational career. However, more than anything else, the 'calamitous' Bliss-Leavitt Mk.13-1 torpedo was its primary handicap. Here is its story, as told by Bernard Baéza...