Just prior to the start of WW II the USN started to look for a replacement for their aging Douglas Devastator. Grumman won the USN contract and delivered a huge rotary engine that was enclosed in a barrel like fuselage to cut down on drag and a fuselage and wing lengths that would accommodate a three-man crew. The aircraft was officially known as the TBF/TBM Avenger but would come to receive the affectionate name of “The Turkey”. The first delivery came in time for the Battle of Midway June 1942.
On September 2, 1944 George Herbert Walker Bush was piloting his three-man Avenger “Barbara III” on a raid to the island of Chichi Jima. As he began his dive on the target the aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and began to burn but Bush continued his dive. He then turned toward the sea and told the crew to bail out because the aircraft might explode. Unfortunately only two men got out, George Bush’s chute opened but the second didn’t. Bush was rescued by a USN submarine.