Col. Dean Davenport, co-pilot for Lt Ted Lawson on the Ruptured Duck, was a patient of mine at Tyndall AFB in the 90's. He quickly became my favorite parient, and I got to take him home one day. When we arrived he asked if I'd like to see his medals. I went in, and he also had the case that contained everyone's shot glass and bottle of Cognac from the year Doolittle was born. The Doolittle Raid took place April 18, 1942, and I subsequently received my discharge on the same day 45 years later. Unbeknownst to me, I was living in the St Pete Beach area in Feb 2000, and discovered his obituary the ONLY time I ever looked at the obits in that paper. Amazing man, and incredible stories of which I have many more....

@TheOsfania

3 ай бұрын

Congratulations. You have managed to make this about you without actually adding to the story that brought us here. 🎉🎉🎉

@skipgumphrey9579

3 ай бұрын

They were just sharing some insight to a different part of the story of one of the crew. Nothing wrong with that…

@J-O-H-N

3 ай бұрын

​@@TheOsfania Someone pee in your coffee this morning?

@stevew6138

3 ай бұрын

@@TheOsfania Ya got a better story? Thought not.

@AquilaCrotalusEsox

3 ай бұрын

Never mind HIPAA laws and patient privacy; we all needed to know that you’re among the thousands of people he met

I am always honored to meet you venerable veterans, I am a veteran myself,I was privileged to work veterans hospitals in Phoenix Arizona and in Long Beach California. that was the greater points in my life was to help care for my fellow veteran elders,.😢🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

My father flew 52 missions out of Port Moresby, New Guinea with his B-25 "The Jaded Saint". He loved that plane. He used to say I ran like a ruptured duck.

Patches even possessed the ability to grow two new engines at will!!..amazing!!

@jeffhallel8211

3 ай бұрын

7:36

@frostyfrost4094

3 ай бұрын

Lol

@4saken404

3 ай бұрын

Oh wow. What the hell? B-24 maybe?

@robertross2155

3 ай бұрын

And it magically morphed into an A 20 Havoc at 11:47 and a few other places

@scottyb68

3 ай бұрын

Twice Patches was a B24 in this video. Wha wha.

My father was a B25 pilot in WW II. He was a flight instructor at San Antonio and then when to the Mediterranean and was in the same unit as Joseph Heller, author of the book “Catch 22”. My father flew 25 missisions before the war ended. He claimed the model with the 75 mm cannon was a bad design because it did not have recoil spring. The designer figured that since the plane was flying it did not require recoil control. The cannon would bend the airframes and is why the 75mm was removed. He told me several war stories like the one that we later found in Heller’s book about a B25 outrunning an ME109.

@walterbriggs272

2 ай бұрын

Your Dad probably knew my Dad, as he went through pilot and bomber training in San Antonio and Galveston

As a young boy in the 50’s, a friend of mine had a plastic model of a B-25 and I thought it just looked the business. My opinion has not changed since then. The British say that if it looks right, it probably is and the Mitchell just looks so right.

@craiga2002

3 ай бұрын

TLAR engineering - That Looks About Right!

@flickingbollocks5542

3 ай бұрын

I'm British and I say It looks like a tough little bastard that will take on anything. It was.

@kgs42

2 ай бұрын

Could have done with more power maybe? But it's a really good looking aircraft in all ways. Such good proportions and shapes.

My Grandfather, Richard V Nelson was a Captain and flew a B-25 in the Pacific (New Guinea) during the war. My Hero.

From the time I was a young child here in Battle Creek, Michigan there was a B-25 setting next to a Beech 18 parked alongside our small airport terminal. I loved them both and enjoyed every time I was able to see them. Then, one day when I was in my mid 40's I was standing in my yard and heard radial engines. The old B-25 flew over. Someone had purchased it and had it repaired.

The B-25 had a long postwar career as a waterbomber on the West Coast. I saw one fly at treetop height over our campsite in Oregon in 1971 - frightened the hell out of me!

@davidnilsen7336

3 ай бұрын

this guy is solely relying on his overly dramatic voice, his feed is bullshit sometimes

@radaraacf

3 ай бұрын

@@davidnilsen7336reminds me of military channel they big noted anything and failed to mentioned the negatives about any modern experimental US arms

@carlpeters8690

3 ай бұрын

I believe that I saw a couple those in the 70s / 80s from Airspray (in Canada) - though the Douglas A-26 / B-26 Invader was much more common. I preferred the Invader - but the twin tail on the B-25 did look cooler.

@philipr.6090

3 ай бұрын

It was also used as a trainer. My father, an air force officer, did his multi-engine training in them, as did quite a few others.

We got the B-17s, B-24s, B-29s but the B-25 will always be my WWII Favorite Bomber

@CX0909

3 ай бұрын

B-26’s. But yeah the Mitchell is right up there with the fortress for me.

@4saken404

3 ай бұрын

The B-17 is my favorite. But my first love was the B-25. When I was a kid I saw a news clip of the wreck of one being pulled up from a lake. I was instantly hooked. Even now I have an old VW bus that I did up with paint and details modelled after one.

@PhilipFear

2 ай бұрын

My Mom had a friend from work that flew B24s on Costal Patrol for Jap Subs during WWII (He was the Navigator) (he also taught me to fly the Cessna 150, I was 11 at the time) The Pilot of his crew got his kicks, Hedge Hopping through the bottom of the Grand Canyon in their B24 when they were not looking for Submarines off the coast of Los Angeles.... Kinda got me hooked on Crazy ARMY Pilots every chance I got the chance to fly with one (and I've had a few)‼️🇺🇲‼️😉‼️❤‼️

My father's ship CV-6 Enterprise escorted the Hornet on the Doolittle raid. Years later I worked on a fire crew in Fairbanks, AK and saw B25's used as fire bombers. One time on a business trip in Chicago I took an evening drive and stumbled across a small air museum at a regional airport and as the sun was setting saw a restored B 25 warming up its engines.

@cheapgeek62

3 ай бұрын

I had a patient that was in a contest early in the war somewhere in the NW. They were practicing short takeoffs. He was the radio operator. He'd been informally adopted and later learned he was only 14 at the time he was unknowingly practicing for the Doolittle raid.

@notlisted-cl5ls

3 ай бұрын

one time when i was 13, a b25 drove down my street too

@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe

3 ай бұрын

We're Jimmy Doolittle and Pappy Gunn in attendance?

@garypic4083

2 ай бұрын

Lol

Pops flew in this bird as a navigator during the war, later in his life he could not hear well go figure the B-25 was loud inside. Still have his jacket, silk maps, and flight logs. Just a bad ass bird! thanks for the video.

@whalesong999

3 ай бұрын

I got a short ride in a B-25 at an airshow in Omaha, probably 1983. Once seated (l.h. waist gunner position), I was given a set of earphones that was connected to the sound system from the cockpit. Gen. Urshler was in the Left seat being assisted by the crew chief of the plane in the right seat. The engines were lit, we taxied next to the runway for engine and generator checks, then take-off power was applied and off we went. I was astounded by the terrible echoing of the exhausts inside the fuselage, without those earphones, it would have been most unpleasant - like sitting in an empty 55 gal. steel drum getting hit by hammers. We did a tour around the base ( Offutt AFB), a pass down the runway with a P-51 along side then we landed. I was glad for the opportunity, certainly interesting to this WW2 aviation buff and r/c pilot but I left the experience with mixed feelings. I'm sure many who served as a B-25 crew member, especially those who were stationed behind the wing, had hearing damage .

@gamjammer

28 күн бұрын

If you’re anywhere near Michigan, the Yankee Museum has a working B-25’s which you can get a short flight on.

7:36 a four-engined ''PATCHES"

@ExcuseMePhoney

3 ай бұрын

I saw that too!!!!! I hate AI-generated scripts, narration, direction, etc.

@cmpphilip

3 ай бұрын

Yes this a constant problem this channel. The film editors don't know or apparently care about accuracy often shown wrong aircraft or ship or wrong war. This time around they showed B24 on at least two occasions. They both have twin tails and B24 is only one number off from B25 ones a medium while the other is heavy bomber. I do find the narrative interesting and on a whole accurate. Please, please check your film footage for accuracy.

@MattButlerAL

3 ай бұрын

Came to point out the same issue. Obviously an editor just looking for "patches" pictures and not looking further at the image. Or not having a mild knowledge of aircraft.

@StrawberryGarcia

16 күн бұрын

B-24

Featured in one of the funniest war movies ever - Catch 22!

I have an uncle that worked at the Hayes Aircraft plant in Birmingham AL after the Korean War (he fought in Korea.) I have an aunt who worked at the Bechtel-McCone plant in Birmingham AL building B-29s during WWII. I used to listen to her talk about having to learn how to rivet aircraft components blindfolded, the plant was a war time plant of course and in the event that things dragged out that far and there were blackouts, they had to know how to do their jobs in blackout conditions. I miss both of them.

One of my Hero’s, an uncle, flew the Mitchell in the Pacific Campaign. He was also admired by my Dad whom was a Tailgunner in a B24, in Africa, Europe and the Pacific arenas.

7:11 that's a B24

I fell in love with this aircraft as a kid. I must of built 10 different models of it as a teenager. I still love its lines and its awesome looks.

Apparently, there were two bombers called "Patchies", since it looks like a crashed B-24 had it written on its nose, also.

@TobyAmes

3 ай бұрын

one scene featuring 'patches' nose wheel down, is a B24....

@BrianFitzGerald-TheSkySurfer

3 ай бұрын

Yeah. I noticed when he was talking about the B-25 "Patches" sustaining a number of belly landings, they were actually showing a B-24. Not very impressive.

Patches deserves it’s own episode

@daystatesniper01

3 ай бұрын

Agreed David 10000%

@traybern

3 ай бұрын

its. NOT it’s!!

@daystatesniper01

3 ай бұрын

actually look up the Oxford dictionary and he has spelled it correctly@@traybern

No history of the B-25 would be complete without mentioning one of the all time greatest US aviators of WW2, Paul Irvin "PI" Gunn, also nicknamed Pappy. It was PI and his group, cutoff in Australia from effective resupply and parts, that turned the B-25 into a gunship platform. It was an engineering feat born out of necessity and tested and implemented in combat. The B-25 in the strafing role devastated Japanese shipping around the Philippines. The effectiveness of these modifications and the strafing role of the B-25 got the attention of the top brass and the heads of North American and these new models started to roll off the assembly lines back in the States. The head of North American even remarked to Pappy, once back in the States, that before Pappy's field modifications took hold as a new version of B-25, he thought the B-25 would lose out to the B-26 and A-26. All the while Pappy is fighting the Japanese his wife and kids were being held in a Japanese POW camp in the Philippines. I recommend the book, "Indestructible", by John R. Bruning. A must read for all WW2 aviation fans or just any fan of brave and resourceful American badasses. RIP Pappy Gunn.

My father was a B25 bombardier during WW2. Retired after a 30-year career with the Army Air Corp and US Air Force as a B52 tailgunner.

at 3:51, it looks like a Douglas A-20 Havoc. The panel that opens the top of the cabin and aft is a pretty clear indication.

@Paladin1873

3 ай бұрын

You are correct.

@michaelwilson9483

3 ай бұрын

Also at 11:48!

Love this plane..my Grandfather was with the air Apaches in the pacific...never said a lot but what he shared was nothing short of frightening in the flying bombing mega gunship...

Friend was a B-25 Pilot, when ordered to demonstrate a short field landing he flew to the end of the field, pulled a hammerhead stall and plopped the bird at the end of the runway, check piolet shit his pants. BTW the British did not replace their wooden wonder, we should have built them too.

A few years ago I saw a B-25 parked next to an A-10, and was struck by how similar they are in size and shape. The main differences are where they put the engines, and how many seats on the inside. So, another great gunship!

@chdnorm

3 ай бұрын

It is always fascinating to see WWII aircraft parked next to more modern aircraft. I remember the first time I saw a B-17 parked next to an F-4. They too, are fairly close in size. It shocked me.

@user-bb3yv8dy7q

3 ай бұрын

@@chdnorm Tulare, CA?

Either fourteen forward firing .50 cals OR two .50’s on either side of the fuselage, four .50s in the nose and a 75 mm canon, for a total of eight .50’s And basically a howitzer. The P-47 has been my all-time favorite ground attack aircraft. I might have to rethink that… Holy crap balls that’s a lot of fire power! Oh, and bombs too! Talk about a homewrecker.

@steveb6103

3 ай бұрын

When the top turret was moved forward, it's 2 .50s could be used also. 8 in the noise, 4 on the sides and the two up top.

@christopherharmon2433

3 ай бұрын

Imagine the reaction of the Japanese sailors the first time it fired the 75mm cannon at their ship.

@CX0909

3 ай бұрын

@@christopherharmon2433 you know those 8 .50’s were crackling at the same time. I can’t imagine how terrifying that would be.

@charlesepperly4385

3 ай бұрын

8:45 ​@@CX0909

That photo of patches looked like a B-24 based on the nose wheel.

If Patches survived the war, this aircraft should be in a museum!

@MosinGuy59

Ай бұрын

Yeah, because, according to the plane pictured in this video, it's actually a B-24,

I have talked to several B-25 crewmembers, the FIRST modifications done to the J-model, with big gun was to TAKE IT OUT AND REPLACE IT WITH ANOTHER PAIR OF .50s! Every time you would fire that thing it would vibrance every screw and bolt on the aircraft. Or, it would shock damage the nose landing gear strut and make the gear fall down. Crew Chiefs loathed it, navigators hated loading the gun, armorers hated the recoil mechanism. NO ONE BUT USAA COMMAND THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA.

@ivanhicks887

3 ай бұрын

Typical !

Why did "patches" have 4 engines in the video? B25s only had 2.

@johncunningham4820

3 ай бұрын

That's called an " Editing Error " . So NOW you know .

@vincedibona4687

3 ай бұрын

From the description of _every one_ of their videos: “As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.”

@vascoribeiro69

3 ай бұрын

"Patches" was a B-24. Maybe there was also a B-25 called patches.

My grandfather flew the Mitchell during WW2. It’s awesome to learn more about this amazing plane!

Multitasking at it's finest ! Thank you Dark Skies !

This channel is awesome!

As a kid in the 60s and 70s the B-25 was my favorite medium bomber.. Later started working line at 18 at an fbo that held airshows and got to handle a few B-25s over the years. One blew an engine and set on our ramp for about a year, it was cool being able to take care of it and walk out and check it out on tiedown when it was slow, hearing the wind whistle and moan around it was kind of lonely and sad wondering if it was destined for scrap as round motor parts are gone. They finally flew an engine in in a Beech 18 and we had to dang near grease the door just to get it out... Theres nothing like hearing one take off..they are LOUD with those short stacks dumping right out of the cowl. A very district sound

Video of "Patches" was a B-24 Liberator.

Hey Dark Docs, I've heard of the B-26*, but never the B-25. Thanks for this exposé. 💪🏻🇺🇸

Our old family friend, John Cody, flew the gunship version during WWII, mainly in coastal patrol missions. He swore it felt as if the plane stopped in midair each time 75mm gun was fired.

Dad bought me a B-25 model around Easter of '72. One of my favorites.

I very much enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

Another of my childhood favorites.

My dad was in the Coast Guard academy in the '50s. He got to sit in the nose gunner's position and shoot a camera once. As a kid, I thought the Jimmy Doolittle story was incredibly impressive. I still think it is!

The B25 is and always will be one of my favorite WW2 aircraft!! ❤❤

I’ll always enjoy the other bombers but learning about the B-25 is very enjoyable to hear!

As always a very good video. Thanks. Keep up the great work. One little slip, a crashed B17 was shown by mistake.

My father had a photo of a B25 that got home minus the entire left rudder. Now that's piloting.

My Father, Lt. Col. John Belko, was an instructor pilot for B-25's, in Columbia SC.

@1:42 now here is a story that needs to be told, the dwarves that worked in aircraft manufacturing!

Perhaps a full commentary about the Marine Corps' PBJ1 variant and the VMB squadrons in the Pacific? SEMPER FI!

@Eirik36

3 ай бұрын

I’ve read a good bit about the marine PBJ and there isn’t a whole lot to talk about. They did harassing attacks on Rabaul that was largely ignored by that time, as well as some anti-shipping but that’s about it

This was a very cool plane, however I'm also always interested in the designs that didn't make it to production as well. You cover all the bases which is why I subscribed and and watch every one of your videos. 👍

My father flew the Mitchell for the 345th bomb group in the pacific. He loved the B-25. He hated the 75mm gun. The breech sat right behind the pilot and the navigator was the loader. His pilot seat was above the gun. A shock-wave would travel through the his seat every time the gun fired.

A true work horse and a credit to its designers and the allies . It was a beast in multiple situations.👍💛👊

To learn more, I recommend "Indestructible: One Man's Rescue Mission That Changed the Course of WWII" by John R. Burning. It's the story of the American most responsible for turning the Mitchell into a low-level attack aircraft. I also recommend "Whip" by Martin Caidin, a fictionalized account of the B-25 in WW II based on real people.

Great Channel in an empty devoid vacuum of actual History Academia!!!!!!!!

I used to work with a retired Army Lt. Col. who fought in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. We worked near the Palm Springs Air Museum so warbirds were a common sight. One Saturday morning we were standing outside the main entrance chatting and we heard this sound. It was a B-25. The Col. got a far-away look in his eye as we watched it fly over head and then said, "The B-25 was my favorite plane of the war...it was my favorite SOUND of the war..." he paused and looked at me out of the corner of his eye, "..do you know why? Because if you heard that sound it was because you were completely f#$%ed and about to be unf$%^ed."

My grandpa was a B-25 mechanic stationed in the Aleutian Islands during WWII.

First time I've seen an image of a B-25 with a ventral turret. Prob read about that fitment somewhere but never seen it before.

One of my top favorite Aircraft , the Best for me was the Gunship variant with solid nose Guns an a Cannon , an I also remember seeing a TV movie of a Crashed B25 in the Desert with the lost Spirits of its crew trapped since going missing and unable to leave the area of the Bomber , think it was called the Homerun...Good vid.

@flickingbollocks5542

3 ай бұрын

That was a great film.

@salvagedb2470

3 ай бұрын

it Sure was ..

@Paladin1873

3 ай бұрын

You are describing the TV movie "Sole Survivor" (1970), starring Richard Basehart, Vince Edwards, William Shatner, and Lou Antonio (who once guest starred on Star Trek as a half black/half white alien). The movie is loosely based on a real tragedy that involved a missing B-24 bomber named "Lady Be Good" that was discovered deep in the Libyan desert in 1958 and visited by a government recovery team in 1959. Prior to this TV movie there was a somewhat similar Twilight Zone episode starring Bob Cummings titled "King Nine Will Not Return" (1960). It too involved a tortured survivor and a B-25 wreck somewhere in the Tunisian desert.

One of My all time favorites

My Dad loved flying the B25. He only got to pilot them a few times, but said it was like hopping into a sports car after driving a big truck... the heavy bombers: B29, KB29, B50, KB50 and even an occasional B36 that he flew and instructed on. I don't know, or at least don't recall if he ever got to compare a B26

I love how this guy shows pictures of the completely wrong type of aircraft.

14 forward firing 50 Cal. ....Murica!!! ❤

I had the opportunity to watch "Maid In The Shade" fly back in 2019. They are just gorgeous...

That B-25H variant is insane. It's like the solution to some weird problem, where the question is "how many machine guns do you need?" and the answer = N + 1, with N being the number of machine guns you currently have.

There was a few of them that did fly ins to Eagle Field and when two of them took off together they shook the ground. Impressive.

Your picture of Patches is of a B-24 Liberator, not a B-25.

Can you please tone down the background music ? It makes it really difficult to hear the narrative. Other than that I love your channel and its documentaries.

A tremendous aircraft!

At 1:42 : is that a Little Person specifically hired to crawl into those very tight spaces during construction ? First time to see this…

Cousin was a pilot on a B25 . KIA by flak that hit him. Copilot brought bird back safely.

I'm a Dark Skies fan but please, turn down the 'stirring' music in the production !!!

Love this video's got lots of R AFB 25 very cool

Turn down the music!

The North American Aviation company was arguably one of the best producers of very successful aircraft/spacecraft during the Second World War and beyond. Those aircraft include the T-6 Texan trainer, the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber, the P-51 Mustang, the F-86 Sabre jet fighter, the F-100 Super Sabre, the X-15 rocket plane, the XB-70 Valkyrie and the B-1 Lancer strategic bomber. Spacecraft include the Apollo command and service module, the Saturn V second stage rocket and the Space Shuttle orbiter.

@christopherharmon2433

3 ай бұрын

IIRC NA got folded into the Rockwell conglomerate and adopted the name.

@jamesrussell7760

3 ай бұрын

@@christopherharmon2433 Yep, quite true.

Thank you. There was another KZread about where North American aircraft company was from: the Fokker Aerocraft Company of Holland. Amazing planes.

Good episode!

Patches was a B-24 Liberator

One other thing the B-25 did (WB-25), hurricane hunter. After it was determined that a plane could go in and out of a hurricane to gather data, the WB-25 was the first plane used for hurricane hunting.

What's wrong with the scene @11:00? "Smoke up Johnny while we fuel your plane up"! 🤣🤣

A great story of an iconic, war-winning aircraft, "the Sweetheart of the Forces", she was called. One point I must make; you say about the Doolittle Raid ". . it forced Japan to divert troops for home defense . ." But it also forced the hand of the IJN to attack Midway!

When I hear your voice I remember recognise it and know its going be a good information video.

Undoubtably one of the best American Planes of WWII!

Milwaukee’s Airport is General Mitchell International Airport. The Mitchell family had been important to Milwaukee for generations. At the entrance to the airport there is a B-25 bomber.

My grandfather flew many missions against Japanese targets in the Mitchell. He also lost many friends on the Doolittle raid.

I live in Greenville, SC which happens to be where the Doolittle Raiders practiced. Most of the roads around the municipal airport downtown bear names related to Doolittle and the Raid.

B-25 is cool and all, but have you seen how awesome the A-20 is? :0

@FlightPilotGamer13

3 ай бұрын

Brrrrrrrrttt

As with B-25 "Patches" the B-26 "Flak-Bait" has an incredible story enduring 202 missions over Europe and survives to this day awaiting static restoration at the Smithsonian. Her forward fuselage with original paint and theater applied artwork is or was on display.

There was the time a B-25 was used to try and blow up a dam in the U.S. Luckily Airwolf was there to shoot it down just before it destroyed the dam.

Like the content about the different aircraft.

7:37 what’s with the B-24?

Never been close or seen one . Horizon Hobby's new one is a good Flyer and a real beauty.

Anyone else notice the pictures of the ACTUAL Patches is a B-24 Liberator? Mitchel only has 2 engines, that bird has 4.

Wonderful aircraft

Wow, no mention of Pappy Gunn? Come on!

Closest aircraft to the Mosquito, ergo very impressive 🎉🎉

🏆🙏🤗🎖️💙 Thank you for sharing

Many years ago, I seen the B-25 "Panchito" in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

I remember watching a video of a B-25 demonstrating the firing the cannon while in the air. It was claimed that firing the cannon almost made the aircraft "stop" in midair due to the recoil.

11:48 thats a Douglas A20 Havoc, and at 12:36 the blueprint of the A26 Marauder

I have to disagree with the high wing statement. Look at any picture and it obviously mid winged. The B-24 was high winged. All in all another great video.