The sturdy, versitle B-25 Mitchell;

The B-25 was designed for the United States' Army Air Corps before the Second World War. The North American company had never designed a multi-engine bomber before. The original design had shoulder-mounted wings and a crew of three in a narrow fuselage. The USAAC then decided its new bomber would need a much larger payload -- double the original specifications. North American designers dropped the wing to the aircraft's mid-section, and widened the fuselage so the pilot and co-pilot could sit side-by-side. They also improved the cockpit. The USAAC ordered 140 aircraft of the new design right off the drawing board. There were at least six major variants of the Mitchell, from the initial B-25'A and B-25'B, with two power-operated two-gun turrets, to the autopilot-equipped B-25'C, and the B-25'G with 75mm cannon for use on anti-shipping missions. The British designated the B-25Bs as the Mitchell I, the B-25C and B-25Ds as the Mitchell II, and their B-25'J's, with 12 heavy machineguns, as the Mitchell III. The US Navy and Marine Corps designated their hard-nosed B-25Js as the PBJ-1'J. In the end, the B-25 became the most widely used American medium bomber of World War Two.

Specifications (B-25J): Engines: Two 1,700-hp Wright R-2600-92 Cyclone radial piston engines Weight: Empty 19,480 lbs., Max Takeoff 35,000 lbs. Wing Span: 67ft. 7in. Length: 52ft. 11in. Height: 16ft. 4in. Performance: Maximum Speed at 13,000 ft: 272mph Ceiling: 24,200 ft. Range: 1,350 miles Armament: 12 12.7-mm (0.5-inch) machine guns 4,000 pounds of bombs Number Built: 9,889

W F Autry