Loading Of The Vultee Vengeance Planes
New York Harbor
Julien Binford

In 1940 the British Purchasing Commission ordered 700 Vultee Vengeance aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Vengeance, christened by Lady Halifax, wife of the British ambassador to the United States, flew in July 1941; the first production model was completed almost a year later in June 1942. Designed specifically for dive-bombing, the Vengeance saw service with the RAF in India and Burma before being transferred to noncombat duties. The Army Air Forces acquired relatively few of the planes and soon relegated them to target-towing duty, although some did become test-beds for development of the B-29 engine.