B25s

The B-25 Mitchell, commonly called B-25s, is a twin-engined medium bomber produced by North American Aviation for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and used by many Allied air forces. It was named after General Billy Mitchell. The design originated from a 1939 US Army Air Corps requirement for a fast, capable medium bomber to supplement smaller B-18 and B-23 types. It is an all-metal, mid-wing, twin-radial-engine aircraft with a retractable tricycle landing gear. Early variants carried a solid nose with fixed forward-firing machine guns, while later versions featured a remote dorsal turret and, in some models, a chin turret or a forward 75 mm cannon (in the B-25G). The B-25 was powered by two Wright R-2600 Double Cyclone engines, enabling a versatile performance suitable for bombing, anti-ship, and ground-attack missions. The crew typically consisted of five to six members, including pilot, co-pilot, bombardier/navigator, and gunners.

The B-25 entered service in 1941 and achieved fame in the Doolittle Raid of April 1942, when sixteen aircraft launched from the USS Hornet to strike Tokyo and other targets. It served in the European, Pacific, and Mediterranean theaters, performing skip bombing, level bombing, and strafing. The type was used in a wide range of roles, including torpedo bombing with Navy PBJ-1 variants, weather reconnaissance, and maritime patrol. Nearly 9,800 B-25s were built, and the aircraft remained in service in various forms into the late 1940s and early 1950s with several air forces.