What could the US Navy have used to replace the TBD Devastator in 1941 before the Avenger was available?
Short answerA licensed British carrier aircraft, probably a later Swordfish variant, is the most plausible available substitute.
NotesThe Grumman Avenger was not yet ready for a 1941 replacement decision. Buying a Japanese carrier aircraft would be politically impossible for both governments. That leaves a licensed British type as the practical route for putting a proven torpedo aircraft into American production. A later enclosed-cockpit Swordfish is offered as the most plausible expedient because it was available and suited to carrier operations.