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The Avenger was first used in combat in June of 1942 at the Battle of Midway. Only six examples were available at that time, and they arrived too late to be put aboard the U.S. carriers enroute to the battle. These six were deployed from the airbase on Midway Island, and the pilots of Torpedo Squadron 8 were the first to sight and attack the Japanese fleet. The heroism of VT-8 is reflected here as we see Lieutenant A.K. Bert Earnest piloting Avenger 8-T-1 through withering fire as he hurtles toward his target, the Japanese carrier Akagi on June 4, 1942. All of the other Avengers were lost, with 8-T-1 being the sole survivor of the group. This plane was badly shot up with the radio operator dead and the bombardier wounded, barely making it back to base.
Note: like all Valiant Clan prints, the actual print has a white border with text at the bottom displaying the aircraft name and a description of the action portrayed. (See the P-51B Mustang as an example.) The above scan only shows the image (and not the surrounding border or text), and is merely meant to give you an idea of the image content.