The North American B-25 Mitchell (NA-62) was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.
The B-25 was named in honor of General Billy Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. The B-25 is the only American military aircraft named after a specific person. By the end of its production, nearly 10,000 B-25s in numerous models had been built. These included a few limited variations, such as the United States Navy's PBJ-1 patrol bomber and the United States Army Air Force's F-10 photo reconnaissance aircraft.
B-25 Mitchell in Days of Infamy[]
In March 1942, B-25s were used in the Doolittle Raid on Oahu, with great success. The bombers were lunched from carriers a good distance from Hawaii. They bombed their targets before wheeling about and flying out of range of Japanese Zero fighters before ditching in the ocean. The pilots who survived were later rescued by submarines.
While pursuing some retreating B-25s, Lt. Saburo Shindo found them frustratingly difficult to shoot down due to their heavy armor, and powerfully defensive guns.
B-25 Mitchell in "News From the Front"[]
On April 14, 1942, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported the B-25s attack against Japan, secretly training in Florida with the planes, learning to take off from small runways for the attack. It also pondered the planes' chances of success. Unfortunately, the Japanese were aware of the plan thanks to the Star-Bulletin's news article, and all the B-25s were lost along with a cruiser, a carrier, and another carrier damaged.
References[]
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||