[ARC5] TBD Radios

[Robert Eleazer]

Looking in my Squadron book on the TBD, I see that while no radios are visible, in the rear (gunner's) cockpit there appear to be mounts for radios.  Visible is a mount marked "Type CRV-23057 Control Box" and another marked "Type 26003-A Trans. Key".

Also a loop antenna is clearly visible just in front of the gunner's position, which is called "radioman/gunner".  And there are no radio controls visible in the middle cockpit, which is called the "Assistant pilot/bombardier's cockpit."

So it appears that the gunner doubled as a radioman in the TBF and had the radio controls.  The third man in the middle, supposedly left behind when VT-8 went on its mission at Midway, was a bombardier, operated the Norden bombsight in the belly, which was not needed for Torpedo attack.

Also, I found I have the pilot's manual to the Curtiss SBC4 biplane dive bomber, and it has a pretty good picture of the forward section of the gunner's cockpit that shows the "GP radio."  If anyone wants a copy I could e-mail it, but it is almost 4MB.

Wayne
WB5WSV