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#Post#: 16699--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the Week: Beo's Take On The 'Excellent' B-25 Mitchel
By: Beowolff Date: March 25, 2021, 1:12 am
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The B-25 Mitchel!
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No matter the model, no matter the armament, no matter the
payload, the fuel load, the mission even... the B-25 Mitchel was
a giant among pygmies! Truly a war-winning, world beating
aircraft of epic proportions.
The North American B-25 Mitchell was a WW2 medium bomber that
was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General
William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation.
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Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 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 B-25s were built. These included a few
limited models such as the F-10 reconnaissance aircraft, the
AT-24 crew trainers, and the United States Marine Corps' PBJ-1
patrol bomber.
If you've been to the VFW's over the years like I have, you'll
know that nearly 'every' multi-engine WW2 pilot at some point
trained on or flew at some time/place a Mitchel! And everybody
liked them!
Asia and the Pacific Theater:
The majority of B-25s 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 B-25 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 B-25 a
formidable strafing aircraft for island warfare. The strafer
versions were the B-25C1/D1, the B-25J1 and with the NAA strafer
nose, the J2 subseries.
In Burma, the B-25 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 B-25. It
was also used in some of the shortest raids of the Pacific War,
striking from Saipan against Guam and 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.
Middle East and Italy
The first B-25s arrived in Egypt and were carrying out
independent operations by October 1942. Operations there against
Axis airfields and motorized vehicle columns supported the
ground actions of the Second Battle of El Alamein. Thereafter,
the aircraft took part in the rest of the campaign in North
Africa, the invasion of Sicily, and the advance up Italy. In the
Strait of Messina to the Aegean Sea, the B-25 conducted sea
sweeps as part of the coastal air forces. In Italy, the B-25 was
used in the ground attack role, concentrating on attacks against
road and rail links in Italy, Austria, and the Balkans. The B-25
had a longer range than the Douglas A-20 Havoc and Douglas A-26
Invader, allowing it to reach further into occupied Europe. The
five bombardment groups – 20 squadrons – of the Ninth and
Twelfth Air Forces that used the B-25 in the Mediterranean
Theater of Operations were the only U.S. units to employ the
B-25 in Europe.
Europe
The RAF received nearly 900 Mitchells, using them to replace
Douglas Bostons, Lockheed Venturas, and Vickers Wellington
bombers. The Mitchell entered active RAF service on 22 January
1943. At first, it was used to bomb targets in occupied Europe.
After the Normandy invasion, the RAF and France used Mitchells
in support of the Allies in Europe. Several squadrons moved to
forward airbases on the continent. The USAAF did not use the
B-25 in combat in the European theater of operations.
Famous Mission:
The B-25B first gained fame as the bomber used in the 18 April
1942 Doolittle Raid, in which 16 B-25Bs led by Lieutenant
Colonel Jimmy Doolittle attacked mainland Japan, four months
after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The mission gave a
much-needed lift in spirits to the Americans and alarmed the
Japanese, who had believed their home islands to be inviolable
by enemy forces. Although the amount of actual damage done was
relatively minor, it forced the Japanese to divert troops for
home defense for the remainder of the war.
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Durability:
The Mitchell was an exceptionally sturdy aircraft that could
withstand tremendous punishment. One B-25C of the 321st Bomb
Group was nicknamed "Patches" because its crew chief painted all
the aircraft's flak hole patches with the bright yellow zinc
chromate primer. By the end of the war, this aircraft had
completed over 300 missions, had been belly-landed six times,
and had over 400 patched holes. The airframe of "Patches" was so
distorted from battle damage that straight-and-level flight
required 8° of left aileron trim and 6° of right rudder, causing
the aircraft to "crab" sideways across the sky.
Flight characteristics
The B-25 was a safe and forgiving aircraft to fly. With one
engine out, 60° banking turns into the dead engine were
possible, and control could be easily maintained down to 145 mph
(230 km/h). The pilot had to remember to maintain engine-out
directional control at low speeds after takeoff with rudder; if
this maneuver were attempted with ailerons, the aircraft could
snap out of control. The tricycle landing gear made for
excellent visibility while taxiing. The only significant
complaint about the B-25 was the extremely high noise level
produced by its engines; as a result, many pilots eventually
suffered from varying degrees of hearing loss.
The high noise level was due to design and space restrictions in
the engine cowlings, which resulted in the exhaust "stacks"
protruding directly from the cowling ring and partly covered by
a small triangular fairing. This arrangement directed exhaust
and noise directly at the pilot and crew compartments.
Navy And Marine Corps:
The U.S. Navy designation for the Mitchell was the PBJ-1 and
apart from increased use of radar, it was configured like its
Army Air Forces counterparts. Under the pre-1962 USN/USMC/USCG
aircraft designation system, PBJ-1 stood for Patrol (P) Bomber
(B) built by North American Aviation (J), first variant (-1)
under the existing American naval aircraft designation system of
the era. The PBJ had its origin in an inter-service agreement of
mid-1942 between the Navy and the USAAF exchanging the Boeing
Renton plant for the Kansas plant for B-29 Superfortress
production. The Boeing XPBB Sea Ranger flying boat, competing
for B-29 engines, was cancelled in exchange for part of the
Kansas City Mitchell production. Other terms included the
interservice transfer of 50 B-25Cs and 152 B-25Ds to the Navy.
The bombers carried Navy bureau numbers (BuNos), beginning with
BuNo 34998. The first PBJ-1 arrived in February 1943, and nearly
all reached Marine Corps squadrons, beginning with Marine
Bombing Squadron 413 (VMB-413). Following the AAFAC format, the
Marine Mitchells had search radar in a retractable radome
replacing the remotely operated ventral turret. Later D and J
series had nose-mounted APS-3 radar; and later still, J and H
series mounted radar in the starboard wingtip. The large
quantities of B-25H and J series became known as PBJ-1H and
PBJ-1J, respectively. These aircraft often operated along with
earlier PBJ series in Marine squadrons.
General characteristics:
Crew: 5 (one pilot, navigator/bombardier, turret
gunner/engineer, radio operator/waist gunner, tail gunner)
Length: 52 ft 11 in (16.13 m)
Wingspan: 67 ft 7 in (20.60 m)
Height: 16 ft 4 in (4.98 m)
Wing area: 618 sq ft (57.4 m2)
Airfoil: root: NACA 23017; tip: NACA 4409R[49]
Empty weight: 19,480 lb (8,836 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 35,000 lb (15,876 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Wright R-2600-92 Twin Cyclone 14-cylinder
two-row air-cooled radial piston engines, 1,700 hp (1,300 kW)
each
Performance
Maximum speed: 272 mph (438 km/h, 236 kn) at 13,000 ft (4,000 m)
Cruise speed: 230 mph (370 km/h, 200 kn)
Range: 1,350 mi (2,170 km, 1,170 nmi)
Service ceiling: 24,200 ft (7,400 m)
Armament
Guns: 12–18 × .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns and 75 mm (2.95 in)
T13E1 cannon
Hardpoints: 2,000 lb (900 kg) ventral shackles to hold one
external Mark 13 torpedo[50]
Rockets: racks for eight 5 in (127 mm) high velocity aircraft
rockets (HVAR)
Bombs: 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) bombs
Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY (as in Allied Service) flew this
great bird. RAF, RAAF, RCF, China, Russia, __you-name-it Allied
Country then they surely flew B-25's somewhere some when... and
loved 'em.
Excellent Combat Footage of this plane:
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEek5IvGYKg
Okay, so how does our beloved IL2 game B-25 stack up to the Real
Deal?
Pretty good actually. I love flying this bird, and true to the
real thing it handles beautifully and performs wonderfully.
I've flown her quite a bit, especially in the early days and
very seldom has she ever let me down. I think Oleg matched
performance specs pretty well with the real plane on this one.
Some, I don't agree with... as the infamous 'Mustang' poor
performance that Oleg swore by but was obviously off to a great
degree! But with the B-25, I personally feel he got it about
right.
HTML https://i.postimg.cc/Rh0Xwg4W/2021-03-25-06-46-12.jpg
There's a LOT more great info out there on this plane, heck,
I've barely scratched the surface of it. With a few quick
searches you'll quickly gather MORE than you can digest in a
year!
If you haven't flown this bird, or haven't flown it in the game
recently... well heck, give 'er a try. Chances are you'll like
it!
S!
Beowolff
#Post#: 16705--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Beo's Take On The 'Excellent' B-25 Mitch
el
By: JG51_Ruski Date: March 25, 2021, 7:42 am
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Well presented Beo Thanks for sharing!
#Post#: 16709--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Beo's Take On The 'Excellent' B-25 Mitch
el
By: E69_Haukka Date: March 25, 2021, 8:22 am
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Excellent information. This gives me a lot of ideas ... Thank
you Beo for this work. ;)
#Post#: 16761--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Beo's Take On The 'Excellent' B-25 Mitch
el
By: Beowolff Date: March 27, 2021, 4:25 am
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I have been fortunate to actually clamber into and around inside
of a nice, restored B-25 (once while at the Confederate Airforce
in Texas!) and I was amazed how small/cramped it was
inside/outside in comparison to modern 'roomy' aircraft.
Still, it did the job excellently.
I got to sit in the co-pilot's seat on the flight deck even and
actually take the controls there into my hands...it felt
wonderful and powerful and I so wished I could ignite the
engines and fly away! LOL! :o
HTML https://i.postimg.cc/7Lqmkkt8/B25-196.jpg
You all know that the fighters of the war usually get 99 percent
of the attention in this and or any other game (even real life
too to a big extent) and that isn't quite fair as the bombers do
the HEAVY LIFTING against the enemy forces. And certainly the
Mitchel gave an extraordinary amount of 'good' heavy work for
ALL the Allied lads in WW2.
We all should pay homage to the outstanding Bomber lads and
their gallant air warrior steeds! ;D
S!
Beo
#Post#: 16927--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Beo's Take On The 'Excellent' B-25 Mitch
el
By: stanislao Date: April 4, 2021, 5:57 am
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:D Take a look at this WT jewel, doesn't it make your mouth
water ...? ;)
[img width=1024 height=482]
HTML https://i.imgur.com/IsjVlQS.jpg[/img]
#Post#: 17737--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Beo's Take On The 'Excellent' B-25 Mitch
el
By: E69_Haukka Date: June 25, 2021, 6:12 pm
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B-25G-NA
HTML https://modelingmadness.com/scott/allies/us/b25gphoto.jpg
History
[justify]The B-25G-NA was designed at the request of the United
States Army. The 75mm cannon, known as the M-4, had been in
development and testing since 1936. In 1938, the M-4 cannon was
successfully installed and tested in a Douglas B-18. The cannon
was demonstrated at Eglin Field in 1940. Commercial firms were
solicited to assist in further development. The improved design
produced a lighter cannon and increased power.[/justify]
[justify]There were a lot of unknowns with the addition of a
cannon to the B-25. Engineer George Wing was set to the task.
The bombardier's crawl tunnel was the perfect location for the
cannon. It provided ample room for recoil as well as space in
the navigators compartment for storage of ammunition. The
forward section of a B-25 was assembled with modifications to
test the new design. In order to fit the cannon, the nose of the
B-25 was shortened by 26 inches. This was considered the most
the nose could be shortened from an aerodynamic standpoint. The
end of the cannon barrel was still just aft of the nose contour.
Fire tests were conducted with progressively increasing
propellant charges. The structure was strengthened until it
could withstand prolonged firing of over-charged
rounds.[/justify]
[justify]B-25C-1-NA SN 41-13296 was modified to the XB-25G. Test
flights were made on October 22, 1942 to test the aircraft's
flight characteristics. On October 23, 1942 the first test shots
were fired from the aircraft. The XB-25G was fully tested by
North American prior to being flown to Eglin Field for further
testing by the Air Corps. After successful testing, the Air
Corps ordered 400 examples to be supplied without lower turrets.
In addition to those 400 aircraft, there were an additional 65
B-25C-NA bombers modified and re-designated as B-25Gs. The
majority of these modifications were done at the modification
center in Kansas City. It was the production of the B-25G-NA
that marked the beginning of the end of B-25 production in
Inglewood, California. Although another 1,000 B-25H-NA bombers
would be built, the production of P-51 Mustangs was starting. As
the Inglewood, California plant production of B-25s was winding
down, production was ramping up in Kansas City.[/justify]
Other than the experimental aircraft built, The B-25G-NA and
B-25A-NA are the only models that no airframe is known to have
survived the war. Unfortunately, the B-25G-NA was not a popular
aircraft. The firing of the cannon could throw off the
navigational compass by as much as 15 degrees. The lower turret
was never a popular item and was commonly removed in the field.
The Hawaiian Air Depot replaced the cannon with the 8 gun nose
on an unknown number of B-25G-NA bombers. Any remaining aircraft
were sold for scrap at the end of the war.
B-25G-NA Specs
[list]
[li]Model: B-25G-NA[/li]
[li]Total Produced: 463 (63 were modified from B-25Cs)[/li]
[li]Manufacturing Plant: Inglewood, California[/li]
[li]First Test Flight: October 22, 1942[/li]
[li]First Flight Crew: Edward Virgin[/li]
[li]Engines: Wright R-2600-13[/li]
[li]Carburetors: Holley 1685HA[/li]
[li]Fuel Capacity:
[list type=circle]
[li]2 forward wing cells, total 368 gallons[/li]
[li]2 rear wing cells, total 302 gallons[/li]
[li]2 wing auxiliary cells, total 304 gallons[/li]
[li]2 side waist ferry tanks, total 125 gallons[/li]
[li]Droppable bomb bay tank 335 gallons[/li]
[li]1 fixed ferry tank 585 gallons[/li]
[/list]
[/li]
[li]Armament:
[list type=circle]
[li]75mm cannon with 21 rounds[/li]
[li]2 .50 caliber fixed guns in nose with 800 rounds[/li]
[li]2 .50 caliber guns in top turret with 800 rounds[/li]
[li]2 .50 caliber guns in bottom turrett with 700 rounds[/li]
[/list]
[/li]
[li]Armor Protection:
[list type=circle]
[li]3/8 inch behind pilots[/li]
[li]Forward of instrument panel[/li]
[li]Forward of cannoneer's station[/li]
[li]Bulkhead aft of turrets[/li]
[li]Around ammunition rack[/li]
[li]Plate below windshield[/li]
[li]External flak plate on left side[/li]
[/list]
[/li]
[li]Weights:
[list type=circle]
[li]Empty: 19,200 lbs.[/li]
[li]Max: 35,000 lbs.[/li]
[/list]
[/li]
[li]Speed (Max): 280 mph at 15,000 feet[/li]
[li]Service Ceiling: 24,300 ft[/li]
[li]Range: 1,560 miles with 3,000 lbs. bombs[/li]
[li]Crew:
[list type=circle]
[li]Pilot, co-pilot, navigator/cannoneer, 2 gunners[/li]
[/list]
[/li]
[li]Production by year:
[list type=circle]
[li]1943: 400[/li]
[/list]
[/li]
[li]First Airplane Accepted: May 8, 1943[/li]
[li]Last Airplane Accepted: August 24, 1943[/li]
[/list]
Bibliography
HTML https://b-25history.org/hangar/25g.htm
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Guys, it's time to practice... ;)
#Post#: 18000--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Beo's Take On The 'Excellent' B-25 Mitch
el
By: Beowolff Date: October 10, 2021, 8:32 am
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There's something about the B=25 that just looks BOSS. The
style and grace of it somehow... agree? 8)
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