WWII B25 Mitchell Bomber - America's answer to the Attack on Pearl Harbor

WWII B25 Mitchell Bomber - America's answer to the Attack on Pearl Harbor The North American B25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B25 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 B25s were built. 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 majority of B25s in American service were used in the war against Japan in Asia and the Pacific. The Mitchell fought from the Northern Pacific to the South Pacific and the Far East. These areas included the campaigns in the Aleutian Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, New Britain, China, Burma and the island hopping campaign in the Central Pacific. The aircraft's potential as a ground-attack aircraft emerged during the Pacific war. The jungle environment reduced the usefulness of medium-level bombing, and made low-level attack the best tactic. Using similar mast height level tactics and skip bombing, the B25 proved itself to be a capable anti-shipping weapon and sank many enemy sea vessels of various types. An ever-increasing number of forward firing guns made the B25 a formidable strafing aircraft for island warfare. The strafer versions were the B25C1/D1, the B25J1 and with the NAA strafer nose, the J2 subseries. In Burma, the B25 was often used to attack Japanese communication links, especially bridges in central Burma. It also helped supply the besieged troops at Imphal in 1944. The China Air Task Force, the Chinese American Composite Wing, the First Air Commando Group, the 341st Bomb Group, and eventually, the relocated 12th Bomb Group, all operated the B-25 in the China Burma India Theater. Many of these missions involved battle-field isolation, interdiction, and close air support. Later in the war, as the USAAF acquired bases in other parts of the Pacific, the Mitchell could strike targets in Indochina, Formosa, and Kyushu, increasing the usefulness of the B25. It was also used in some of the shortest raids of the Pacific War, striking from Saipan against Guamand Tinian. The 41st Bomb Group used it against Japanese-occupied islands that had been bypassed by the main campaign, such as happened in the Marshall Islands Engine: Two Wright R-2600-35 Horsepower: 1700HP on take Weight: 21,000 Empty 34,400 Lbs. Dimensions: Wingspan - 67’7” Length: 53’6” Height: 16’4” Armament: Guns: 12-18 x .50 Caliber Machine Guns Bombs: 2,000 lb ventral shackles to hold one external Mark 13 torpedo 8 x 5 in. high velocity rockets 3,000 lbs of bombs 6 CREW MEMBERS: Pilot, co-pilot, navigator/bombardier, turret gunner/engineer, radio operator/Waist gunner, tail gunner Fagen Fighters WWII Museum 2450 540th St. Site I P.O. Box 195 Granite Falls, MN 56241 (320)-564-6644 Hours: 10AM - 4PM Tuesday through Saturday. Closed on Sundays, Mondays, and National Holidays Admission: Children, ages 9 and under – free Children, ages 10 - 17 - $5 Adults - $10 Family - $20 Active Military - $5 Annual Membership (2021) Single Membership - $25 Family Membership - $50

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