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The North American B25 Mitchell is a medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation.[2] Used by many Allied air forces, the B25 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 B25s were built.[1] These included a few limited models such as the F10 reconnaissance aircraft, the AT24 crew trainers, and the United States Marine Corps' PBJ1 patrol bomber.
The Air Corps issued a circular (number 38385) in March 1938 describing the performance they required from the next bombers — a payload of 1,200 lb (540 kg) with a range of 1,200 mi (1,900 km) at more than 200 mph (320 km/h).[3] Those performance specifications led NAA[4] to submit their NA40 design. The NA40 had benefited from the North American XB21 (NA39) of 1936, which was the company's partly successful design for an earlier medium bomber that had been initially accepted and ordered, but then cancelled. However, the company's experience from the XB21 contributed to the design and development of the NA40. The single NA40 built flew first at the end of January 1939. It went through several modifications to correct problems. These improvements included fitting 1,600 hp (1,193 kW) Wright R2600 "Twin Cyclone" radial engines, in March 1939, which solved the lack of power.[3]
In March 1939, North American delivered the substantially redesigned and improved NA40 (as NA40B) to the United States Army Air Corps for evaluation.[3] It was in competition with other manufacturers' designs (Douglas 7B, Stearman X100, and the Martin Model 167F)[5] but failed to win orders. The aircraft was originally intended to be an attack bomber for export to the United Kingdom and France, both of which had a pressing requirement for such aircraft in the early stages of World War II. However, the French had already opted for a revised Douglas 7B (as the DB7). Unfortunately, the NA40B was destroyed in a crash on 11 April 1939 while undergoing testing. Although the crash was not considered due to a fault with the aircraft design, the Army ordered the DB7 as the A20.[6][7]
The Air Corps issued a specification for a medium bomber in March 1939 that was capable of carrying a payload of 2,400 lb (1,100 kg) over 1,200 mi (1,900 km) at 300 mph (480 km/h)[8] NAA used the NA40B design to develop the NA62, which competed for the medium bomber contract. No YB25 was available for prototype service tests. In September 1939, the Air Corps ordered the NA62 into production as the B25, along with the other new Air Corps medium bomber, the Martin B26 Marauder "off the drawing board".
Interior of huge aircraft factory where rows of bombers are being assembled
North American B25 Mitchell production in Kansas City in 1942
Early into B25 production, NAA incorporated a significant redesign to the wing dihedral. The first nine aircraft had a constantdihedral, meaning the wing had a consistent, upward angle from the fuselage to the wingtip. This design caused stability problems. "Flattening" the outer wing panels by giving them a slight anhedral angle just outboard of the engine nacelles nullified the problem, and gave the B25 its gull wing configuration.
NAA continued design and development in 1940 and 1941. Both the B25A and B25B series entered USAAF service. The B25B was operational in 1942. Combat requirements led to further developments. Before the year was over, NAA was producing the B25C and B25D series at different plants. Also in 1942, the manufacturer began design work on the cannonarmed B25G series. The NA100 of 1943 and 1944 was an interim armament development at the Kansas City complex known as the B25D2. Similar armament upgrades by U.Sbased commercial modification centers involved about half of the B25G series. Further development led to the B25H, B25J, and B25J2. The gunship design concept dates to late 1942 and NAA sent a field technical representative to the SWPA. The factoryproduced B25G entered production during the NA96 order followed by the redesigned B25H gunship. The B25J reverted to the bomber role, but it, too, could be outfitted as a strafer.
Black and white photo of an early bomber parked perpendicular to camera, facing left, rearward of the wing is a star in front of horizontal stripes.
Late war development B25J2 Mitchell strafer bomber
NAA manufactured the greatest number of aircraft in World War II