Of the 9,890 B-25s built during WWII, there are more than one hundred surviving aircraft around the world, most of which are located in the United States. The plane is well remembered for its role in the Doolittle Raid, on April 18, 1942, the first air raid by the United States to strike the Japanese homeland during World War II. forces.Īlthough the B-25 was originally intended for level bombing from medium altitudes, it was used extensively in the Pacific area for bombing Japanese airfields from treetop level and for strafing and skip bombing of enemy shipping. The B-25 saw duty in every combat area being flown by the Dutch, British, Chinese, Russians and Australians in addition to U.S. Army Air Corps accepted the first five B-25s in February of 1941. The B-25 first flew on August 19, 1940, and the U.S.
The B-25 was named in honor military aviation pioneer General Billy Mitchell. The B-25 Mitchell was a twin-engined medium bomber used in World War II, and manufactured by North American Aviation. about the B-24 Liberator, its specifications, history, production, surviving aircraft, and photographs On Jproduction ceased, after 8,685 planes had been manufactured. At the peak of production, the assembly line was producing a Liberator an hour. The Willow Run Airport, with six runways to test planes, was also completed in 1942. On October 1, 1942, the first plane was completed and christened "The Spirit of Ypsilanti." The Willow Run manufacturing plant, located between Ypsilanti and Belleville, Michigan, was constructed during World War II by the Ford Motor Company for the mass production of the B-24 Liberator. The high fuselage-mounted wings also made it more difficult to survive crash landings on land or water.Ī total of 18,493 Liberators were built, more than any other aircraft in World War II. The positioning of the fuel tanks also made the plane prone to fire. But the B-24 was more difficult to fly, with heavy control forces and poor formation-flying characteristics. The B-24 was a more modern design than the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, with a higher top speed, greater range, higher ceiling, and a heavier bomb load. Its first flight was on December 29, 1939, and it began service in 1941. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was a 4-engine, twin-tail heavy bomber designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego. Rolling out a newly built B-24 Liberator at the Ford Willow Run Plant about the B-17, its specifications, history, production, survivors, and photographs Production ended in May 1945 and totaled 12,731. The B-17 flew mostly out of England, equipping 26 of the 40 bombardment groups of the 8th Air Force.įollowing the end of World War II, the B-17 was quickly phased out of use as a bomber and the Army Air Forces retired most of its fleet. The aircraft is best known for daylight strategic bombing of German industrial targets. Delivery of these first production models was between January 11 and August 4, 1937.ī-17s served in every World War II combat zone. Known as Boeing Model 299, it first took flight on July 28, 1935. In 1934, the Boeing Aircraft Company of Seattle, Washington, began construction of a four-engine heavy bomber. The original intent for the B-17 was the protection of the U.S. The B-17 received the name "Flying Fortress" from a Seattle news reporter who commented on its defensive firepower, and said "It's a Flying Fortress". The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress four-engine heavy bomber is one of the most famous, and successful, airplanes ever built.
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