North American B-25 Mitchell

What is the B-25 Mitchell?

The B-25 Mitchell is a twin-engine American medium bomber built by North American Aviation and flown in World War II. It was named for Brig. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell, a pioneer of US military aviation.

A total of 9,816 were built, which made it one of the most-produced American bombers of the war. The full specification table for the aircraft is on this page, so this article covers the story behind the numbers.

Origins and design

The B-25 grew out of North American’s earlier NA-40 design and entered production as a high-wing, twin-tail bomber with tricycle landing gear. Two Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone radial engines powered it.

The first 24 production aircraft were followed by the B-25A (40 built) and the B-25B (120 built). Deliveries of the B-25C and B-25D then ran into the thousands.

The Doolittle Raid

The B-25’s most famous mission came on 18 April 1942, when 16 B-25Bs took off from the carrier USS Hornet to bomb Japan. Lt. Col. James Doolittle led the raid, and each aircraft carried a crew of five.

The bomber was never designed for carrier takeoffs. To make the flight possible, crews removed the lower gun turret and the liaison radio and added fuel tanks, raising fuel capacity from 646 to 1,141 US gallons.

Fifteen aircraft reached eastern China after about 13 hours in the air, and all 15 were lost to crash landings or bailouts. The sixteenth landed in the Soviet Union near Vladivostok, where its crew was interned.

B-25 variants

Production ran from the B-25 through the B-25J, with the B-25J the most-produced model at 4,318 aircraft. The B-25C (1,625) and B-25D (2,290) were the earlier workhorses. The B-25H added 1,000 more.

The gunship versions changed the aircraft’s job. The B-25G carried a 75 mm M4 cannon and two fixed .50 caliber machine guns in a short nose. The B-25H used a lighter 75 mm T13E1 cannon, usually with four fixed .50 caliber nose guns, and about 10 machine guns in all.

Sources disagree on the exact B-25G count (400 new plus 63 converted C-models, or 405), and the per-variant counts do not quite sum to the 9,816 total.

Explaining the numbers

The panel lists a wingspan of 67 ft 7 in (20.60 m) and a length of 52 ft 11 in (16.13 m). Those match the figures usually quoted for the B-25J, the best-known and most-built version.

Range and speed also describe the B-25J. A range of 1,170 nm (1,350 mi, 2,170 km) is a published figure for the type, and in any bomber the load carried and the fuel on board trade against each other.

The panel’s ceiling of 24,200 ft (7,400 m) is a service ceiling. Earlier variants and the gunship models differ in weight and performance, so treat the panel as the J-model baseline.

Was the B-25 easy to fly?

Yes, by the standards of its day. Wikipedia describes it as a relatively safe and forgiving aircraft, able to make steep banked turns toward a dead engine and stay controllable at low speed.

The tricycle gear gave excellent visibility while taxiing. The main complaint was noise: the engines were so loud that many pilots later suffered hearing loss.

The Empire State Building crash

On 28 July 1945, a B-25 lost in thick fog struck the Empire State Building in New York at about 9:40 a.m. Fourteen people died: the three aboard the aircraft, including pilot Col. William F. Smith, and 11 in the building.

Operators and service life

Major users included the US Army Air Forces, the Marine Corps and Navy, the Royal Air Force, the Soviet Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Dutch forces in the East Indies. Brazil and China flew it too.

The US Air Force flew its last B-25 on 21 May 1960. The final Indonesian aircraft were retired in 1974, the latest operational retirement Wikipedia lists.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did a B-25 crash into the Empire State Building?

On 28 July 1945. The bomber hit the building in thick fog, killing 14 people: three aboard and 11 inside.

What are the different variants of the B-25 bomber?

The main production models were the B-25, B-25A, B-25B, B-25C, B-25D, B-25G, B-25H and B-25J. The B-25J was the most-produced at 4,318 aircraft, and the B-25G and B-25H were cannon-armed gunships.

Was the B-25 easy to fly?

It was considered forgiving and safe, with good taxiing visibility. Its engines were very loud, though, and many pilots lost some hearing.

Why is it called the Mitchell?

It was named for Brig. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell, a pioneer of US military aviation. The name was announced in early 1942.

What was the B-25’s role in the Doolittle Raid?

Sixteen B-25Bs flew from the USS Hornet on 18 April 1942 to bomb Japan. Fifteen were lost in China, and one landed in the Soviet Union.