Talk:Grumman TBF Avenger

TBF/TBMs as firefighting water bombers in Idaho
I worked for a timber company in north-central Idaho in 1961-62 and fought several fires in which TBF/TBMs were used. They carried a slurry made up of bentonite (a clay) dispersed in water. I have no idea where they were based, but they were under the direction of Clearwater Timber Protection Association (CTPA). They generally made one pass low over the target, then made a drop run. One of our firefighters misjudged a bomber's route and was directly under the drop. He came out looking like a flocked Christmas tree but was unhurt. 2601:602:87F:4A00:ECCA:5A18:AD7D:B1BE (talk) 00:44, 25 May 2023 (UTC)

Air Branch of the Royal Navy (ABRN), NOT "Fleet Air Arm"
The Royal Air Force established the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) to support Royal Navy fleet air operations. Thus, it was the Royal Air Force Fleet Air Arm. When full control of naval air forces was returned to the Royal Navy after 1936, the RAF Fleet Air Arm ceased to exist.

In its place, the Royal Navy established the Air Branch of the Royal Navy (ABRN). This is the name under which the aircrew of His Majesty's Navy fought during the Second World War.

It is true that the popular usage of Fleet Air Arm and FAA continued right through the war, just as American popular press continued using Air Corps and then employed "Air Force" for the United States Army Air Forces. In fact, so widespread and popular was the FAA appellation during the war, that ultimately the Royal Navy chose to adopt it as the official designation of its air services post-War.

That said, the actual name of the Royal Navy's air element was Air Branch of the Royal Navy or ABRN, and that name should be employed for the sake of improving the accuracy of the article.

Easily found references are the Admiralty records dealing with the return of naval aviation to the RN in the middle 1930s, available at the National Archives at Kew (formerly the PRO), and in respectable histories like Stephen Roskill's "Naval Policy Between the Wars".

Ranya (talk) 18:25, 26 May 2023 (UTC)


 * Fine with me. There are about 2,000 articles talking about the FAA in WW2, you had better get cracking on it. Sounds like you have your references all ready to go and everything. Good luck. Idumea47b (talk) 02:38, 31 October 2023 (UTC)

What did the "C" signify?
never really thought about it before, why "TBF-1C"? Why is it a "-1C" not a "-2"? Is it just a random letter? I know "E" and "W" were associated with radar. Idumea47b (talk) 02:32, 31 October 2023 (UTC)
 * The TBF/TBM-1C followed the TBF-1B, which was the US Navy designation for the slightly modified design supplied to the Royal Navy. Not all letters have a specific meaning, and in this case, "C" was just the next letter in the sequence. -  ZLEA  T \ C 02:44, 31 October 2023 (UTC)