North
American B-25 Mitchell Medium Bomber "Tondelayo"
The B-25 first gained fame when it was used in the
April 1942 Doolittle Raid, in which 16 B-25B's, led by the legendary
Lt Col Jimmy Doolittle, took off from the carrier USS Hornet and
successfully bombed Tokyo and four other Japanese cities. Powered
by a pair of Wright R-2600 "Cylone" radials, producing
1,850 horsepower each, the Mitchell could attain a maximum speed
of 275 mph with a combat radius of 1,350 miles. Serial #44-28932
is a J model of the Mitchell. Earlier models were modified with
a shorter nose that was packed with machine guns and cannon designed
for low level strafing missions. The J model reverted back to
the original glass nose section that was used in the original
models.
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