The north american b-25 mitchell bomber
Men work tirelessly in a power plant to build an engine for a B-25 bomber.
The North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber was the plane chosen to take the
task of dropping bombs over Tokyo, Japan known as the Doolittle Raid. The
B-25 was designated as the plane to destroy Tokyo, Japan because of its high and
low-level bombing, strafing, and fighting techniques. The B-25 was also used
back in the 1940's for photoreconnaissance, and submarine patrol. Although those
last two specialties of the B-25 were techniques that were not used for the
raid.
The North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber required 8,500
drawings before the construction of the plane was achieved. The drawings consisted of a twin tail, mid-wing land mono plane powered by 1,700 hp Wright Cyclone engines. Soon, around 1939, the first B-25 bomber was built which took about a grueling 195,000 engineering man-hours to produce. Over the next six years (1939-1945), nearly 10,000 airplanes were constructed. Although the plane was built in 1939, the B-25 Bomber's first flight was on August 19, 1940.
The span of the B-25 bomber is 67 feet and 6.7 inches with a wing area of 610 feet squared, with a length of 53 feet. The weight of an empty B-25 is about 20,305 pounds; normal gross weight (with an average of a useful load of 6,746 pounds) of the B-25 is approximately 2,705 pounds making it one of the lightest bombers during WWII. When the airplane is being assembled inside the power plant, the plane's hood contains two 1,700 hp Wright Cyclone supercharged 14-cylinder radical engines, 12 foot-7 inch full feathering, and constant-speed Hamilton Standard three-bladed props (which are the propellers seen in the front of the plane). A normal B-25 bomber can hit speeds up to 300 mph. The landing gear was a basic Hydraucilly operated tricycle for fast and easy landing/takeoffs. The B-25 only needs five men to operate: a pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, radio operator, and an engineer-gunner.
task of dropping bombs over Tokyo, Japan known as the Doolittle Raid. The
B-25 was designated as the plane to destroy Tokyo, Japan because of its high and
low-level bombing, strafing, and fighting techniques. The B-25 was also used
back in the 1940's for photoreconnaissance, and submarine patrol. Although those
last two specialties of the B-25 were techniques that were not used for the
raid.
The North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber required 8,500
drawings before the construction of the plane was achieved. The drawings consisted of a twin tail, mid-wing land mono plane powered by 1,700 hp Wright Cyclone engines. Soon, around 1939, the first B-25 bomber was built which took about a grueling 195,000 engineering man-hours to produce. Over the next six years (1939-1945), nearly 10,000 airplanes were constructed. Although the plane was built in 1939, the B-25 Bomber's first flight was on August 19, 1940.
The span of the B-25 bomber is 67 feet and 6.7 inches with a wing area of 610 feet squared, with a length of 53 feet. The weight of an empty B-25 is about 20,305 pounds; normal gross weight (with an average of a useful load of 6,746 pounds) of the B-25 is approximately 2,705 pounds making it one of the lightest bombers during WWII. When the airplane is being assembled inside the power plant, the plane's hood contains two 1,700 hp Wright Cyclone supercharged 14-cylinder radical engines, 12 foot-7 inch full feathering, and constant-speed Hamilton Standard three-bladed props (which are the propellers seen in the front of the plane). A normal B-25 bomber can hit speeds up to 300 mph. The landing gear was a basic Hydraucilly operated tricycle for fast and easy landing/takeoffs. The B-25 only needs five men to operate: a pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, radio operator, and an engineer-gunner.
A woman pushes one of the Hydraucilly operated wheels to be engaged with the plane.
An average bomb capacity the B-25 can sustain is around 5,000 pounds, and some planes carried 75mm cannons. Some planes (like the air fleet of the Doolittle Raid) carried machine guns (mostly Browning M2.50 Caliber) and added firepower of 13.50 caliber guns in the bombardier's compartment. The range some of these guns could hit was 3,000 miles, using droppable tanks.
As you can see, the North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber was a twin-engine bomber that became one of the most heavily armed airplanes in the world. The B-25 was a piece of standard equipment for the Allied Air Forces in WWII and was the most versatile aircraft during the decade. The North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber was a fierce machine and the men of the Doolittle Raid brought it out unto Tokyo, Japan to remind them that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was a bad idea. April 18, 1942 will always be remembered in the hearts and minds of the Japanese... the B-25 accomplished this fear in their society.
As you can see, the North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber was a twin-engine bomber that became one of the most heavily armed airplanes in the world. The B-25 was a piece of standard equipment for the Allied Air Forces in WWII and was the most versatile aircraft during the decade. The North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber was a fierce machine and the men of the Doolittle Raid brought it out unto Tokyo, Japan to remind them that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was a bad idea. April 18, 1942 will always be remembered in the hearts and minds of the Japanese... the B-25 accomplished this fear in their society.