5 Things You Never Knew About the B-25 Bomber
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- čas přidán 17. 11. 2022
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Here are 5 things you never knew about the B-25 bomber, another edition of my Countdowns series. This was made using the World War II flight simulator War Thunder. Hope you enjoy! Please like, comment, and subscribe. #WW2 #WWIIHistory #WarThunder
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There a few things mixed up with this such as when b25s were converted over to ground attackers papy came onto the idea after seen the Australian crews of there b25s adding all sorts of guns to 30 cal 50 cal 20mm 37mm 40mm 57mm 75mm guns even modified the bomb bay to carry a torpedo mostly stolen or traded but reasons why usa never adopted these ideas sooner was testing such modifications showed when firing the outside guns that are mounted to the sides of the cockpit vibrated so much it started cracking the skin so armour plates were added behind the guns to help with it.
My friend you make very very AMAZING videos.....This Vet in my 80's thanks you...
Shoe🇺🇸
I heard the gull wing was also done very crudely throughout construction, but cutting off the straight wing and reattaching it at an angle.
@@steveshoemaker6347 Thank you for your service.
MY only regret is not being able to click off this pos before a view was added.
Let's not overlook the U.S. Marine Corps variant of the B-25, the 'PBJ'. My dad flew them in the Pacific (look up VMB squadrons). The PBJ flew as a bomber, rocket attack and photo recon platform. Currently, the CAF has the last flying PBJ in the world. SEMPER FI!
Aren't those the variants with the tank cannon?
@@Bmuenks31 You're possibly referring to the Hercules AC-130 gunship with the side-mount 155mm howitzer of the Vietnam era. The PBJ, depending on what the squadrons could get their hands on, mounted additional .50 caliber machine guns, two on each side of the fuselage and combination of smaller caliber guns on the airframe. Mounting a 20mm cannon or two wouldn't be a stretch for a determined Marine Corps armorer. Semper Fi!
@@xfirehurican I wasn't referring to the AC 130, but the PBJ-1H which was armed with a 75mm tank gun on the front
@@Bmuenks31 My dad didn't mention the 75mm cannon, so I guess you've answered your own question. Basically, I'm only familiar with his experiences in the PBJ - from the formation of his VMB squadron at NAS Key West, moving on to NAS Barbers Point, HI; completing his tour on Iwo Jima.
@@xfirehurican ah well I guess I did, anyways I thank your father for his service
My dad flew the J model in the 13th Air Force in the Pacific .His variant had the sheetmetal nose and 6or 8 50 cal machine guns, which when fired would actually slow the airspeed of the plane. His unit was also one of first to use napalm in combat. R.I.P. Capt Robert Keegan
I asked my father, a USAAF veteran of WW2, just how in the world anyone could run into a skyscraper when flying over Manhattan. All you needed to do was fly over the place at 1500 feet altitude to miss every building there. He replied, "Son, you have to understand that we had a lot of very bad pilots."
well, Lt. Col. Bill Smith was no bad pilot. He was a heavily decorated combat veteran - over Europe in B-17s. But he had barely any hours in a B-25 and was totally unfamiliar with greater NYC airspace. Now add in near-zero visibility - and surely a good dose of cocksure bravado - and a very good pilot became a very bad pilot.
It was cloudy and flying on instruments.
Sounds like a classic case of spatial disorientation causing controlled flight into terrain.
He was no bad pilot…let’s get that straight…he was a war hero and that was a tragic accident
Oh man, you should have covered the Cannon armed variant. That thing was nuts!
There were quite of few. A lot of the variations were done during wartime. A majority of the changes were made because due to changes to Weapon systems in the nose.
@@williammitchell4417 Yes, that is well known, but a mention of the 75mm cannon would have been pretty cool
The saying from the crews at the time was that whenever they fired the 75mm cannon the recoil was so strong that it caused the plane to stop in midair! 😂😁👍
I recently visited the USAF museum in Dayton OH with two fraternity brothers, both from Germany, and you should’ve seen their faces when I told them we put a 75mm in the nose of a B25 lol
The history nerd of the two of them just shook his head shortly after and simply said “Americans.”
@@c.j.cleveland7475 Yes. My dad used to say that exact thing.
My Grandpa served on a b-25 bomber.
My grandpa served as a 53K commander
My grandpa is dead
Your papi was a badass.
Aye yo same, what crew position
Interesting
My parents helped to build B-25's during the war. My parents met at the North American sub-assembly plant in Pasadena, CA. in 1943. My dad was a lead man and my mom was a Rosie the Riveter. They built flaps and ailerons for B-25's and P-51 Mustangs.
Something to be proud of.
My grandfather was a bombardier on a B-25 flying out of Corsica bombing Italy. I always thought it was big until I saw one at Evergreen Aviation Museum and was amazed at how compact it is.
The B-17 is the same way. As big as the plane is its very small inside.
My uncle Earl Laird was in the 488th bomb squadron 340th bomb group 57th bomb wing 12th Army Air Force in Africa Corsica and Italy. He was an armorer/ bomb loader. He did say that he went on a few missions and served as waist gunner.
Close to “Catch 22”
The B25 was one of my most favorite warbirds. Thanks for the detailed information video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
My parents knew the Olivers. They owned a small grocery store not far from our house. Of course, everyone knew the story of her fateful elevator ride. You hear about the crash but rarely do you hear about Betty surviving the elevator ride.
I think that on take off from the hornet, the b-25 only needed to get up to 50 mph ground speed as the air over the deck made up for the takeoff speed.
I was lucky enough to be a Crew member on the OLD GLORY B25 that traveled from Castle air base in Atwater calif 😊to the 70th reunion at Wright Patterson in Ohio
My great grandfather was a B-25 pilot in 45. Was on his first sortie when the treaty was signed. He never had hearing issues because he had much less exposure. Flew a PBJ ground attacker.
The noise created by a B-25 is no joke. I've stood next to one (less than 75 feet) many times and even just at idle or light run ups while doing maintenance it rattles your insides more than the loudest rock or metal concert. I couldn't imagine being mere feet away from the engines at full power or cruise for hours on end. I'd be happy to go up anytime and find out. Those radials have such a sexy note to them that I believe rivals even the finest Italian supercar.
Those dual vertical stabilizers always cause me to remember a certain "Twin Beech Bonanza" I was "aquatinted with" back in the early 1960's!
I had a friend who saw the B-25 actually crash into the Empire State. She was a little girl at the time, saw a piece of history.
My dad was a B-25 pilot in the Pacific with the 345th Bomb group. He called it a Hot-Rod. He said that going low-level against Japanese shipping was the most exhilarating experience of his life.
That's awesome!
Skip bombing? I’ve seen photos.
When I was 12 or 13, I built a 1/48th scale B-25B "Doolittle Raider" bomber from Revelle. I bought it from Sparks Hobby shop in Cleveland, Ohio. I loved that place.
and we care why? wtf does having a plastic model have to do with anything smh?
@@MysticalDragon73Good morning sir. The B-25 is one of my favorite WW2 aircraft. I was looking at the videos on your channel and I see you like the outdoors as I do. If there was a video showing an old growth pine forest and if someone commented that they had made a forest diorama, would you still reply with such rudeness and nastiness? Your comment was very uncalled for. Have a nice day sir.
@@rorycraft5453 If it didnt apply yes i would have. It added NOTHING to the video at hand on the b25. if it was a video about b25 models then it would have fit. sorry you felt my comment was rude but to damned bad as I stand by it even more so now.
@@MysticalDragon73 I am sorry for interjecting something so irrelevant in regards to the video. Please accept my apology. This not the first time this has been brought to my attention.
I respect your opinion, your honesty, forthrightness and willingness to stand by what you say. Have a nice evening.
Currently building a 1/48 b-25j from revelle with my dad. I love the amount of detail they let you put in that thing
My Dad, who flew B-17s in WW-2, flew B-25s later and complained bitterly about the powerful radial engines that were right next to the cockpit, and he suffered from some degree of hearing loss. He transferred after the war to the cargo transport part of the Air Force, and stayed away from the combat guys who got off on stuff going Kaboom.
I was lucky enough to meet General Doolittle in '74 at OMSI...what a gentleman he was
Great man, and a great American.
My father mentioned...just once..that whilst he was fighting on the ground in Normandy a flight of B25s came over. One took a hit and exploded and took out the B25 next to it as well. He didn't like the war at all and didn't like talking about it. His own war ended a couple of weeks later, but at least he survived, unlike three of his crew.
God bless all our ww2 vets. We OWE THEM soon much
@@raymondkurtyka754 BLACK folks enter the discussion
I was in Phoenix a few years ago and went to the aviation museum there.they had a B-25 there that you could go in, except the cockpit. I was amazed how little room there was. You would have to like your mates a lot. Always my favourite medium bomber.
I knew all of these from childhood. My father was flight engineer on a B-25 early in the war. During training, the pilot was doing what was at that time called a climbing bank. Then he would let the plane slide back down from the bank into level flight. With the momentum from the slide down, he would then send the plane into another climbing bank to the opposite side. Then the plane would slide back down from the bank and would start the maneuver all over again. My dad was kneeling between and behind the two pilots and was watching the starboard prop when on the latest slide the nose wheel door loosened just enough. The door was ripped from the fuselage and thrown into the prop, which then threw the door into the cockpit. The plexiglass shattered, sending many shards into my dad's eyes. They managed to save his right eye, but he remained blind in his left eye for the rest of his life. It was my favorite plane from my childhood on.
Surprised that you didn't bring up using B-25's as night fighters, probably the most successful aircraft in our arsenal in that role until the introduction of the P-61. So versatile.
A video on the B-25G & H woul be great. Also, the P-61 Black Widow. A comment about the B-25 and the Empire State Building: the plane remained in the building until removed.
Interesting facts.
Aircraft Carrier with the B-25 is Lexington class which had the funnel separated from the bridge structure. Hornet was Yorktown class with single single island superstructure. That looks like it was from a video game.
My dad was a PBJ (the Marine version) pilot in WW2. He was an instructor until late '44 and then went to a bomber group at El Toro that never deployed. He had some cool pictures and I still have his flight logs from WW2 and Korea.
Love the B25. My absolute favorite aircraft. But the noise is no joke. Having had the privilege to not only fly in a B25, but B24, B29, and P51 as well the Mitchell is by far the loudest aircraft I've ever been on.
Lucky.
A very often overlooked mistake whenever the Doolittle Raid is retold is the aircraft model chosen to depict it. It is not the J model that was seen in the movie Pearl Harbor, the 2019 version of the movie Midway and your very own presentation as seen in this video clip. The modified B model is the airplane that the Doolittle Raiders flew to bomb Japan on April 18, 1942. The most obvious feature that was different is the top turret was located on the aft section of the fuselage and not behind the cockpit. This model also did not have a tail gunner, - just a plexiglass tail cone fitted with sawed off broomsticks to fool the enemy's fighters from attacking the rear of the aircraft. The crew of five comprised of the following: pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, navigator and gunner/engineer. It also had all of its interior armor and most of its radio equipment removed as well as the then top secret Norden bomb sight. An additional fuel tank was added where the retractable lower gun turret was located and removed, and a collapsing rubberized Mareng fuel cell invented by the Martin Aircraft Company was fitted over the wing spar above the bomb bay. I'm always disappointed to see the same mistakes repeated when telling the story of one of the most important aircraft that flew in WW II, - the North American B-25B Mitchell Doolittle Raider.
My uncle was trained in a B-25 when he was in pilot training for the Air Force during the 1950s, he said he liked it. It had a short takeoff roll compared to a lot of planes!
Loved this video as I do all of your videos! B-25 is one of my favorite aircraft. An uncle by marriage was an Air Force tanker pilot and trained in B-25s before beginning to fly early tankers (KB-50).
My father was a radio operator/ turret gunner on a B25 during WW2. Flew out of England. Still have his silk map that he marked all of their raids on.
@D. King Wow, what a wonderful, historic document! Have you considered willing the map to the US Air Force museum in Dayton, OH or some other museum or university? It would be a terrible loss if someone were to steal it or it was lost in a house fire or other disaster. Or maybe a digital copy could be made of it so you could continue to have such a wonderful family heirloom. Is the info on it fading away? Take care.
I got to fly in one of the CAF's B25s (The Miss Mitchell in St, Paul MN.) I got to sit behind the pilot and go into the nose for a time. They had us take off the headphones for just a couple seconds so we could hear how loud the engines were. It was unbelievable. One of the best-looking airplanes ever made.
Fun fact: During the preparation for the Doolittle raid. The B-25's were to heavy take off from the carrier so they stripped half of the plane's defensive armaments for example the waist guns were replaced with broom sticks so that it looked like guns to scare off japanese zeroes.
You sure it wasn't an invention by the film Pearl Harbor?
@@DZ-1987 No it wasn't
@@aidanlouw4274 Prove it then. A link to a document stating it or video footage.
Forgive my cynicism, but I've a burning passion against misinformation. So when i read something dubious, i'd like it confirmed.
With that, i'm going to look for that proof as well.
I'm glad you think it was " fun ".
The Doolittle Raid B-25s didn't have waist gun positions. The fake gun broomsticks were placed in the tails.
This one was well worth the wait too. Glad you are getting to travel to see these amazing aircraft in person. I really enjoyed this video it was cool you included the one that hit the building. Back when I used to build model for museums I was asked to build one of the ten with the straight wings. Until you put it side by side my family members couldn't tell me what was different about it. It really stood out for me when I sat the model down on it's landing gear. I don't know if it was just by chance or not but, the one I made with the flat wings I did not have to add weights forward of the main wings to make it sit correctly on it's landing gear. Every B-25 I made with the regular wings I would have to hide lead weights forward of the main wings to get them to sit properly on its tricycle landing gear. I know mine was only resin and Plastic and not the same as the real deal but, I wonder if there was a difference in the way the early ones were balanced with the flat wings that help contribute to the flight problems since it seems to have shifted the center of gravity a bit. Like I said Mine were not made with the same materials . Sometimes you find out things by accident. Like the swept back wings on the ME262 they swept them back due to the weight of the jet engines but found out it also made the aircraft fly and maneuver better at higher speeds . I guess these are happy accidents. Lol . Have a great weekend TJ. Please Keep em Flying.
11:15 The five second delay fuses were not so the bomb would penetrate the ship. The delay fuse allowed the B25 plane to get away from the exploding bomb. Also, if a second plane was 5 seconds behind the first plane, the first planes bombs could destroy the second plane.
Good show, I had an uncle who was a tail gunner in the 25s operating out of Libya and Italy. The slow speed and the stone facade of the Empire State Bldg stopped the aircraft from penetrating into the interior. Unlike what happened on 9/11.
Warbird fans! Stop whatever you are doing and go support these guys. They continue to support me making this content for you guys, and they could definitely use some love right now - Thanks to the CAF and Airbase Arizona for allowing us to get this fantastic commentary. Go check them out here, visit, or book a ride on their warbirds: facebook.com/cafairbasearizona/
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I actually walked through the fuselage of the B-17 in the CAF museum, and I watched a B-17 and B-25 take off, it was amazing!
Also I’m a cadet there, even got my name tag, hope to go back to CAF soon!
Bell P-63 King Cobra would be a good one to cover, especially after the Dallas air show tragedy. People would like to know about its characteristics, especially its blind spots. Besides, it has some very interesting WW2 history.
Someone said he had heard that they had removed the gunsight for better visibility. So one blind spot less.
I have my doubts about formation flights of mixed groups (that have no training in that configuration) with planes and pilots that fly not many hours in these ultra-rare planes - and then, instead of a static formation, you have some planes weaving around, or maybe even inscening a mock air combat.
As spectacular as it is, when that is what you want (as spectator), then that is the price you got to pay and in principle do not have to complain about it.
Accidents happen, the more you do the more can go wrong. Just look at the numbers of military planes lost in accidents - without close formation flying. When the post-war german Luft
waffe got their F-104G Starfighters, there was a joke the easiest way to get to a Starfighter is to buy a lot of land and just wait til one falls down on it.
This is NOT blaming the pilot, it is a questioning of the system, of us watchers and our expectations.
Here in Germany we had the Ramstein disaster. 70 dead and countless injured, mostly burns. An aerobatic jet team had split in two (plus a solo pilot) in a looping and now came in an ultra-low fliyover coming from both sides of the runway, meeting at the center right in front of the crowd, while the solo pilot came at right angles, towards the crowd, at the same time.
This time something went wrong, the solo pilot collided with another plane, and the plane fell right into the spectators.
The pilot has not noticed anything, whether he made an error or not, the whole part forward of the wing was disintegrated.
I think since then they forbade maneuvers where you fly towards the spectators in low height.
All P-39 & P-63 aircraft belong on static display on the ground. The P-39 was truly a pilot killer.
Recently found your channel. Very good stories. Did some binge watching. A suggestion of interest for a couple of generations could be the A1E sky raider(what I know it by..) had a long run of different uses. I’m a Vietnam veteran, crew chief on a HH3 & HH53 jolly green rescue chopper. A1E’s were our ground attack support birds during rescue missions. Most of which would not have been possible without them! Also, ac130 gunships did some “deforestation” help for us with ground fire. The progression of gun ships may be a good subject too!?!
Thanks for all your informative videos.
Very interesting! I remember seeing mention of a Raider crew being interned in the USSR, but never heard the whole story. Also, the noise issue is new to me, but makes sense now that you pointed it out.
One quibble, though. The early Mitchells as used in the Dolittle raid did not have tail or waist positions, and the dorsal turret was located over the rear fuselage.
My grampa (99 this year) flew tail gunner in this plane. He told us what it was like to be seeing the enemy plane closing in on his plane, afraid to fire at them and reveal their location. he would use hand signal to relay up to the pilot to turn and get out of the way so he wouldn't have to fire the gun.
Love the animation. It goes well with the storyline. Thanks for the little "tidbits" of unknown history. Enjoyed the vid! Where I work we repainted one in WWII color scheme. I can imagine the noise at cruising speed. Plenty loud at start up.
A B25 crashed landed onto the Monongahela River near Pittsburgh, Pa. and the crew got out onto the wings and were rescued before it sank but it was never found after sinking.
HEINKEL HE219 Night Fighter, A beautifully restored version is in the Hazy center, part of the Smithsonian air museum but in VA by the airport.
6] Many if not most think the pilots in the back of the takeoff formation aboard the Hornet during the Doolittle Raid had an unfair advantage over Jimmy and the pilots toward the front by having much more runway. But that's not right. All B-25s had to taxi up to the same spot to begin their takeoff run, so their wingtips would clear the tower of the Hornet. So they all got the same shot at it.
Nice info!!
@@charlestousley7227 😆😆😆
The USAAF decided not to use the B-25s in NW Europe from England. Not many people realize that. The B-26 Marauder squadrons did the medium bombing role with the 9th AF along with the A-20 Havoc and later A-26 Invader. The B-25 was valued elsewhere because of its more docile flying qualities and longer range. One flew with the 654th Recon Squadron (Weather) out of England. It was about the sole USAAF B-25 the flew operational missions out of England. It was used for night photography, but only for a short period. It flew as a hack until the end of the War with the 654th. The 654th are more well known as flying the Mosquitos with red tails. The 653rd Recon Squadron also flew Mosquitoes on weather missions over Europe. They did not paint their tails red. The 654th also used a few B-26G Marauders for night mission, but only for a short time. They were unique in having black bottoms. The RAF 2nd Tactical Air Force in England had a number of Mitchell squadrons. They apparently kept the lower turret long after the USAAF had removed them from their B-25s. The Mitchell pilots believe that flying very tight formations discouraged German Fighter planes from attacking them. Thank you.
I once knew a B-25 pilot who flew in Europe.He came home and became a doctor.
Nice video and interesting info. Too bad the graphics for the Doolittle Raiders planes didn't depict B-25B's instead of later models. VERY interesting about the change in wing dihedral from the first 10 to the subsequent planes. I had an Uncle who trained in B-25's at Marfa, TX.
Another modification to increase the effectiveness in the strafing role, was the addition on some models of a 75mm cannon. Highly effective against shipping, it was described by the crews as " a real rivet popper" when fired.
Am really surprised this wasn`t mentioned in this otherwise very interesting & informative video !
If you read contemporary reports, the 75mm armed versions were found to be less effective against shipping, the crews were enthusiastic at first, then found out that having extra .50cal BMGs was better than having the 75mm.
You can read some of this in the book 'A War of Their Own' by Capt Rodman, you can find it on line to read for free.
@@chuckhaggard1584 thanks, I’ll see if I can find that.👍🏻😀
@@MrAndyBearJr www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/AUPress/Books/B_0096_RODMAN_WAR_OF_THEIR_OWN.pdf
@@chuckhaggard1584 Thanks Chuck. I appreciate the link. Definitely going to read this.😀👍🏻
Lockheed PV-1 Ventura and the PV-2 Harpoon would be good one to cover. They did much of the same type low level masthead raiding the Pappy Gunn B25s did. Plus there was a marine night fighter squadron that flew PVs. My father was a PV pilot in 1942 with VB-144.
Those could outrun a Zero so their pilots were known to turn around and fly straight at them with the nose and top turret guns blazing away. After the war, a company in San Antonio name Howard Aviation began converting those into executive aircraft.
Great pod cast . Thank you for your hard work.
This airplane is my favorite from WW2. They could've added parafrag bombing as well to the video though.
So happy to be a part of this - Bean
I talked to the pilot who flew Gen Doolittle's personal transport B-25 to the boneyard. He said the general had that B-25 equipped with the earlier collector ring exhausts in order to make it quieter.
My father got to know Pappy Gun when he was experimenting on B25’s at his bas in the South Pacific. He tried putting a cannon in the nose of one plane and when it was fired it filled the plane with smoke and the cannon was removed.
Have to wonder how much of what was learned with the B-25 went into the development of the A-10 Warthog... You can almost see the B-25s pedigree in the A-10.
Surprised this video did not mention the Sherman tank derived 75 mm cannon armed B-25s in the Pacific Theater. I built a Revell model of one named "Shhh-Boom" in the 1970s. They were very effective in destroying Japanese shipping.
I love the B-25 so much I have 7 of them in my model airplane collection
A few years back I performed a flight control rig on Maid in the Shade, the B-25 you were introduced to at CAF Chandler, Az. She's quite a plane.🙂
My Dad piloted a B-25 off of Attu. The opening scene of the movie Catch-22 starts with the signature engine noise of the B-25.
I only knew about the Empire State Building crash because my grandfather, an immigrant who had just recently arrived from Europe, happened to be there in Manhattan on that very day.
Dad was qualified as a waist gunner on a B-25. He was slated to go on the Rabul raid, but his Guard unit shipped out three days before the raid.
next aircraft you should do is the A4 skyhawk, that thing has an interesting history not just by the americans, but the kiwis, aussies and a bunch of other countries
The Blue Angels flew the A4 Skyhawk in the early 80s. It was highly maneuverable.
I dove on one in a isolated lagoon near Fort Sherman, Panama that was forced to land on a reef then rolled in the lagoon breaking off the tail and sinking 27+ feet. The engines, instruments etc were stripped and chains plus winches left hanging off the wings. Caught a bunch of lobster off it and speared bunches of fish.
I didn't know about the hearing issues, even though it makes sense, or the Doolittle escape, but I was aware of the other entries.
The B-25 depicted is a B -25J model (tail turret, upper turret placed behind the cockpit.). Doolittle raid was made with "B" model that is one of the least modelled in simulators. It featured no tail turret and an upper turret similar to that sported by the "J", but ´ñaced behind the wings position.
War thunder only has the J variants
Took a ride on a B-25 along with other people. We sat in the back and were issued hearing protection. Once in position to take off the pilots throttled up. The noise was so instantaneous, brutal and deafening the guy sitting across from me ducked as if we had exploded or the plane had crashed. Once in level flight we could move around. The plane bounced all over the place. It was difficult to move around and to keep your balance. Those pilots had some real stones to fly those planes in combat. I was proud to have had lunch with R. E. Peppy Blount, B-25 pilot, and author of "We Band of Brothers" about him flying the B-25 in the Pacific. If you can find the book it is a great read.
My late Mother was three blocks from the Empire State Building when it was struck by the B-25. She said that she thought a bomb had gone off somewhere.
In the end the B-25 was easier to deal with than the Martin B-26, but effectively both were dumped postwar in favor of the Douglas B-26/A-26.
I LOVE B25s! One of the most beautiful planes built. PLEASE tell me you are not using footage from recorded War Thunder games to make this video!
One of the most fascinating developments regarding the B-25 was the development of the NA-98X super strafer. North American was asked to see if the B-25s performance could be improved upon, in lieu of how expensive the new Douglas A-26 invader was going to be. The result was the NA-98X super strafer. This aircraft was updated from the B-25s standard R2600 radial of 1350hp to the R2800, of 2000hp. A substantial upgrade. The R2800 was North Americans original power plant choice, but it was not available yet and the air force pushed the development of the plane with R2600s. Numerous modifications were made, including clipping and squaring off the wingtips. Modest attempts were made to strengthen the outer wing panels, as the added power and speed stressed the original spar at the outside of the engine cowls. Despite this, North American advised the AF upon turning over the aircraft “not to load the outer wing panels by carrying excessive weight and that pulling out of a steep dive could result in outer wing panel separation.”
The NA-98X was thus, turned over to the AF with the aforementioned warnings, while North American looked into further strengthening the outer wing panels. The AF then gave it to one of its test pilots to put it through its paces. The response was immediate and positive. The top speed increased from the B-25s 275mph max, to 325mph. Handling improved significantly. Roll rate specifically. The test pilots noted that in general, the aircraft was “much more fun to fly”. The brass then ordered the aircraft to be loaded up with the weight of a maximum bomb load, and told the pilots to “simulate dive bombing and strafing”. The pilots performed two dives successfully, making high speed passes as they pulled out of the dives. On the third attempt, the pilot pulled straight up at full power and both outer wing panels separated. Everyone on board was killed.
The AF summarily scrapped the program and labelled the NA-98x as “not feasible” because of the wing issue. If they had given North American time to work out the spar strengthening, perhaps the B-25 would have soldiered on much longer than it did… and even rivaled the Douglas A-26 in performance. Not to mention, had they not completely ignored North Americans regarding diving and wing loading.
I have 2x75mm casings that were marked to be used on the B-25H. That’s a lot of forward anger.
I love your videos. I’m glad to see your numbers high enough to make a good living at it.
You guys have once again amazed and impressed me significantly!. Ty for your content. o7!
I simply love the B-25.It was almost like a heavy fighter plane:-)
Fun fact many planes have historical accurate camos you can unlock
Very nice video! (I kept waiting for the mention that the B25 was known as the "Mitchell").
My father, Lt. Colonel S. A. Myers, flew B-25s during WWII. He suffered 70% hearing loss in his left ear and (I think) a 50% loss in his right ear. He never complained, though. I am very proud of him and I still miss him. He would be 103 this year.
I wold really like to see a documentary about the Stirling (British long range bomber)
I seriously didn't know about the resistance the Doolittle Raiders met over Tokyo. Thanks for educating me.
3 fighters shot down with just a single gun in the nose. Pretty impressive, even if the Japanese pilots were inexperienced.
My dad was in B-25's in the South Pacific during WWll. He was really hard of hearing.
Quick reference to Billy Mitchell's Court Marshall. At a demonstration to show naval strength, Mitchell was to level bomb a WW2 battleship, the bombs provided would have bounced off the battleship's thickest armor. Mitchell, named the bomber after him, used skip bombing to hit the battleship at the waterline: armor for top of ship ends at the waterline. ("Torpedo blisters" begin 10 feet below waterline down to below the keel.) Battleship sunk by wimpy planes with wimpy bombs. Courtmartialled because he disobeyed orders; and the result was supposed to show battleships are unsinkable.
The G and H models were equipped with a 75mm manually loaded cannon.
Thanks for the great video. Should have mentioned the B-25G with the 70 mm nose cannon!
I only found your series today so I don't know if you have covered the best USAAF fighter, but the P-47 -- especially the "N" version would be an excellent choice.
Episode IDEA: The unknown death trap: C-87 Liberator Express. This was a B-24 converted to a cargo plane to increase tonnage flying over "The Hump", the airlift flying from India to China through the lower Himalayas. The operation was so hazardous that the loss rate was 1 in 3. The Liberator was a finely tuned machine, not suitable for mud runways, vicious weather conditions, and unbalanced loading that didn't bother the C-47. Crews hated them due their high loss rate. For some unknown reason, my father was Flight Engineer on C-87's from '42-'45. Beat the odds, 690 flight hours over the hump, and was awarded the DFC. Lousy plane, great story.
I always liked very much the B-25 regardless the variants. I didn't know bad it was for hearing because of it's close proximity of the engines, the propeller blades, that was really damm close and the "Clayton S Stack" surrounded the cowling that had the tendency to "depart" the upper part but it was efficient and saved weight. Perhaps this was the reason why most B-25 was fitted a collector ring exiting to single exhaust stack. Another airplane that had the propeller blades in close proximity was the Convair CV-240, I know because because I've flying very often on this airplane. I feel really sorry for this lady that has been putted in the elevator but incredibly survived. A record indeed. Good job 👍👍👍👍
It was also built as a camera plane, with no guns or bubbles.
also the B-25 Mitchell was the first US miliatry aircraft to be given an "Official" name. Prior to the B-25 airplanes were either named by other countris (UK most often P-40 Tomahawk and B-24 Liberator) or by American news media (B-17 Flying Fortress). The Army Air Corp decided to officially call the B-25 "Mitchell" in honor of Gen Bill Mitchell and the why is another story
The dorsal turret was initially towards the back of the B-25 and the Doolittle raid was relatively accurately portrayed in the movie Pearl Harbor, some B-25s had a 75mm gun in the nose
B-25 is my 3rd favorite WWII bomber, I actually knew all these facts! Great video though!
My very first flight in any airplane was in a B-25 Mitchell in 1990.
I have seen photos of B25s using parachute braked fragmentation bombs against Japanese airfields.
There’s a B-25 gunship at the Warplane Heritage Museum in Canada called Hot Gen. It’s still flown frequently along with the museum’s Lanc.
I can't believe they made no mention of how it got it's name the Mitchel Bomber and how Billy Mitchel was disgraced only to be honored later
Please do one on the b25H with the howitzer in the nose and the side mounted 50s. One of my favorite planes of all time. Also with the dorsal turret moved forward.
Loved it! The F-111 is an unsung hero in my heart. The F14's predecessor for swept wing, extremely low level flight and capable of huge bomb loads and capable of mach 2.2 if I remember correctly
I had a cousin who was the only survivor of a B25 crash in Denver in 1956. The plane threw a prop on take-off (a known problem at the time).Worst part of it was that he was along as a passenger to get some hours in.
Great Video, I am related to Lt William,( Bill) Farrow, Doolittle Raider, #16 off the deck of the Hornet, in B25 "Bat out of Hell"
My grandfather maintained B-25s in the Pacific, 38th bomb group, 405th and later 823rd bomb squadrons, 5th Air Force.
Great video about my fav bomber, thanks. Agree on bell's birds - p39/p63 looks like a good option, very controversial ones.
I have seen pictures of this B25 sticking out of the Empire State Building years ago.