John Williams takes you on a "mock strafing run" while flying in Mesa, Arizona with the Arizona Commemorative Air Force. This B-25 Mitchell is the only flying bomber that saw combat in WWII.
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Space Intelligence shares fun facts and excitement about space & aerospace history, current space missions and future space exploration. John Williams is an avid fan and young space historian. His videos are designed to educate others to learn more about space history and technology.
Attributed content below:
Link: wikipedia
The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation.[2] Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in every theater of World War II, and after the war ended, many remained in service, operating across four decades. Produced in numerous variants, nearly 10,000 B-25s were built.[1] These included several limited models such as the F-10 reconnaissance aircraft, the AT-24 crew trainers, and the United States Marine Corps' PBJ-1 patrol bomber.
The Doolittle Raid, also known as Doolittle's Raid, as well as the Tokyo Raid, was an air raid on 18 April 1942 by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on Honshu during World War II. It was the first American air operation to strike the Japanese archipelago. Although the raid caused comparatively minor damage, it demonstrated that the Japanese mainland was vulnerable to American air attacks. It served as an initial retaliation for the 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, and provided an important boost to American morale. The raid was planned by, led by, and named after Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle.
Boeing
Historical Snapshot
The North American B-25 Mitchell, a twin-engine bomber that became standard equipment for the Allied air forces in World War II, was perhaps the most versatile aircraft of the war. It became the most heavily armed airplane in the world, was used for high- and low-level bombing, strafing, photoreconnaissance, submarine patrol, and even as a fighter and was distinguished as the aircraft that completed the historic raid over Tokyo in 1942.
It required 8,500 original drawings and 195,000 engineering man-hours to produce the first one, but nearly 10,000 were produced from late 1939, when the contract was awarded to North American Aviation, through 1945.
Named for famed airpower pioneer Brigadier General William “Billy” Mitchell, it was a twin-tail, mid-wing land monoplane powered by two 1,700-horsepower Wright Cyclone engines.
Normal bomb capacity was 5,000 pounds (2268 kilograms). Some versions carried 75 mm cannon, machine guns and added firepower of 13 .50-caliber guns in the conventional bombardier's compartment. One version carried eight .50-caliber guns in the nose in an arrangement that provided 14 forward-firing guns.
azcaf
Maid in the Shade
Wartime Mission: The B-25J Mitchell was named after General Billy Mitchell, a famous Army Air Corps general of the 1920s and 1930s. It proved to be one of the best weapons and was possibly the most versatile aircraft of WWII. Heavily armed, it was utilized for high- and low-level bombing, strafing, photo reconnaissance and submarine patrol. It’s most distinguishing role was in the historic raid over Tokyo in 1942 by the Doolittle Raiders. The B-25 saw duty in every combat area flown by the Dutch, British, Chinese, Russian, Australian, and US forces. Our particular B-25J Maid In The Shade served her wartime duty with the 319th Bomb Group, 437th Squadron at Serragia Airbase, Corsica. There it was assigned Battle Number 18. The plane flew 15 combat missions over Italy and Yugoslavia between November 4 and December 31, 1944. The majority of the targets were railroad bridges.
b-25history
Technical Specifications
The North American general order NA-62 was issued on September 5, 1939. This order authorized the production of 1 test airframe and 184 aircraft. The B-25 was born. From the start of production of the first B-25 until the completion of the last B-25J, there were 9,889 B-25 bombers produced in two factories. The Inglewood, California factory produced 3,209 B-25 bombers, and the Fairfax, Kansas plant produced 6,680 B-25 bombers. This number includes the final 72 aircraft that were completed after the war officially ended. The production history of each of those B-25 bombers, including the predecessor of the B-25 known as the NA-40, is included on these pages separated by production block. I have also included information on the "missing" E, F, and I models. Although the technical details do vary from model to model, here are some basic numbers that are generally true for most aircraft.