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] North American B-25B Mitchell The B-25 medium bomber was one of America's most famous airplanes of World War II. It was the type used by Gen. Jimmy Doolittle for the Tokyo Raid on April 18, 1942. Subsequently, B-25s saw duty in every combat area being flown by the Dutch, British, Chinese, Russians and Australians in addition to U.S. forces.
North American B25B Mitchell > National Museum of the United States
Mitchell B-25, U.S. medium bomber used during World War II. The B-25 was designed by North American Aviation, Inc., in response to a prewar requirement and was first flown in 1940. Built by North American Aviation, the B-25 Mitchell was a medium bomber which could carry 3000 pounds of bombs at a max speed of 328 miles per hour, and carried six .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns for protection. Named for Brig. Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell, the charismatic airpower prophet who proved in 1921 and 1923 that planes could sink battleships, the B-25 Mitchell gained an unsurpassed reputation as a ground-attack bomber and ship killer. The B-25 bomber gained fame in the daring April 1942 Doolittle Raid. Lt. Col. James Doolittle humiliated the Japanese military by penetrating some of the world's most formidable air defenses and dropping bombs a stone's throw away from the Emperor's Palace.
8 Reasons the B25 Mitchell Was the Best Medium Bomber of WWII War
On April 18, 1942, 16 B-25Bs flew one of the first American offensive missions of the war—the famous "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" Doolittle Raid. On August 19, 1945, four B-25J gunships escorted a surrender-negotiation delegation aboard two Mitsubishi Betty bombers from Japan partway to Manila and back. North American B-25B Mitchell The B-25 medium bomber was one of America's most famous airplanes of World War II, and more than 9,800 were built. It saw duty in every combat area, being flown by the Dutch, British, Chinese, Russians and Australians in addition to U.S. forces. Image: 80-G-41196 : U.S. Army Air Force B-25B "Mitchell" bomber takes off from USS Hornet (CV-8) at the start of the raid, April 18, 1942. Note men watching from the signal lamp at right.. The B-25B Mitchell medium-bomber fit the requirements with its range, bomb load and, most importantly, ability to take off in a relatively short distance. It would require the entire latter attribute to launch from the deck of the aircraft carrier Hornet (CV 8), which was the unorthodox launch platform chosen..
B25 Crew, Wingspan, Versions, & Doolittle Raid Britannica
The North American B-25 Mitchell owed its beginnings to the Army's quest for a medium bomber. The Douglas B-18 "Bolo" was designed and built by Douglas Aircraft in 1937 and North American responded to this by designing and building the larger and more powerful B-21 "Dragon" that same year. The North American B-25 Mitchell 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 North American B-25 Mitchell was an iconic medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. Developed for the US Army Air Corps, the B-25 also flew with many Allied air forces. The type came to prominence in April 1942 when it was used during the Doolittle Raid on Japan. As the war progressed, the B-25 Mitchell was modified. The hard-pressed U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) squadrons stationed in the Southwest Pacific turned their medium bomber Mitchells into a powerful new form of ground attack aircraft: the gunship. A B-25 gunship of the 345th Bomb Group "Air Apaches" pulls up after a strafing attack on a Japanese convoy escort off the coast of China in April 1945.
NORTH AMERICAN AIRCRAFT’S B25 MITCHELL MEDIUM BOMBER Article Mon
Southwest Pacific, 1944-45. Spectacular crash at Byoritsu oil refinery, Formosa, was photographed by a B-25 of the 5th Air Force's 345th Bomb Group on 26 May 1945. Just as it released its string of parafrags B-25 NO. 192 was hit by flak from a camouflaged battery and trails smoke. Produced in numerous variants, nearly 10,000 Mitchells rolled from NAA factories and today, the B-25 is used throughout the country and overseas as a very popular military airshow star. The Air Corps issued a specification for a medium bomber in March 1939: 2,400 lb., over 1,200 mi at 300 mph. NAA used the NA-40B design to develop the NA-62.
