Despite disappointing action at Midway, the Avenger served as the US Navy’s primary torpedo bomber, effectively interdicting enemy shipping and delivering ordnance on enemy positions throughout the Pacific.

The US Navy’s primary dive-bomber at the war’s start, the Douglas SBD Dauntless earned its reputation—and helped earn victory—at the 1942 Battle of Midway, sinking four Japanese carriers. 

The B-25 bomber soldiered in every theater of war, excelling in multiple roles, chiefly as a ground-attack aircraft later in the war. They gained fame in April 1942 in the daring Doolittle Raid on Tokyo.

Developed as a strategic bomber in the 1930s, the rugged B-17 was used in every theater in World War II, and became legendary for its ability to sustain heavy damage in battle while maintaining self-sufficient firepower.

From his tours of duty as a US Navy lieutenant during World War II to his term as President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush inspired generations of Americans through his lifetime of service. As a prominent and lasting tribute in his honor, the George H.W. Bush Aviation Gallery—located in the airspace of our US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center—features six fully restored iconic WWII warbirds, including a General Motors TBM Avenger like Bush flew as the youngest pilot in the Navy at that time.