Help Identify This Plane

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Andy_S

Recruit
5
8
Jan 16, 2020
Hi everyone,

I'm not an aviation expert, but I do love the beauty of a vintage aircraft. Years ago I drew this picture of a pair of planes and I can't for the life of me remember what they were. I no longer have the reference photo so this is all I've got. It looks like they have British markings? I can't be sure though since it's all in black and white. I initially thought they were bombers, but I'm not seeing any kind of gunnery on them. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your expertise!

 
That's it! Thank you! I vaguely remembered they were Mitchell's but when I searched for the images, all of the results showed glass-nosed bombers with guns and US emblems. Your response gave me much better search results! Thanks!
 
You found the reference photo! That's amazing! I'm assuming you used Google Image Search? And Canadian... I never would've guessed.
Thanks for the compliment. I have a few aircraft related drawings that I've done over the years. It's been a while though. It may be time to do a new one.
 
Wow, incredible. Thank you again. I knew this forum would have the experts I needed! Any requests on a plane you might like to see drawn?
 
Thank you for the clarification. I was really confused by how different the nose looked on these compared to the image results in Google. I seem to have left out the nose number and I'm wondering if that is something that is a critical mistake to the accuracy of my drawing? Should I go back and add it? I'd rather not touch a 16 year old drawing but if aviation experts are looking at it and thinking "Where the f' are the nose numbers??" then I'll add them.
 
It's not a critical error by any means. The number is simply an identifier used within a squadron or unit though, in this case, its the last 3 numbers of the RCAF serial number 5239. If you want pure authenticity to depict that particular aircraft then by all means add it but I'd say some artistic license is justified here. No "expert" will call you out, excluding pedantic rivet counters who will always find fault with anything.

The B-25 came in many versions so you'll see the glazed bomber nose and the metal faired gun nose as well. The aircraft in your picture is a Mitchell Mk. III and there's a colour version of this pic:



Interestingly, that aircraft still flies today, back with a bomber nose, as "Killer B". Here's a hstory:

B-25 History Project
 
Andy,
I agree with everyone. You really have a gifted talent for drawings. By any other chance to you have others of aircraft?
 
The B-25 replaced the smaller twin engined trainers late in WWII and served as a twin engine trainer and general hack transport for the USAF until the late 1950's, as well as being used to chase a flying saucer on at least one occasion.

The late models used short exhaust stacks that came through the side of the cowling, and while perhaps more efficient and lower in weight, were also much noiser. Gen J.H. Doolittle's personal B-25 transport had the older style collector ring exhausts. I have seen pictures indicating that some postwar models used a combination of the short stacks and the collector ring exhausts, presumably to reduce noise level for the occupants.
 
1. The B-25 was indeed the most useful or versatile aircraft of WW2. In addition to bombing, strafing, anti-shipping and training, it was also used as transport. An old timer once told me how, serving in North Africa and being (so he claimed) the oldest second lieutenant pilot in the USAAF at the time (he flew for the movies in the '30s), his job was to fly in tooth paste and toilet paper to his base from a depot and mail.
2. Many B-25 were modified as transports by lowering the bomb bay ceiling, thus creating a "passenger cabin". You still had to duck under the wing when moving between the cabin and the cockpit (like in the modified A-26s). The Canadian Air Museum in Hamilton, Ontario has one example of this modified B-25 that they fly.
3. The B-25 is painfully noisy and thus was not popular as a civilian transport.

Jake
 
The USAAF used the Mitchell in the Mediterranean, Africa, CBI & the Pacific but not in the ETO. Was it because of the numbers of A-20s & B-26s?
 
NVSMITH said:
The USAAF used the Mitchell in the Mediterranean, Africa, CBI & the Pacific but not in the ETO. Was it because of the numbers of A-20s & B-26s?
Click to expand...
The Mitchell was not as fast as a Havoc or a Marauder, and that, plus its lackluster defensive armament probably was considered a liability in the threat intensive environment of ETO.
 
There was not that much really useful for medium bombers to do operating out of GB. And they had B-26's and A-20's. Low altitude attack, which the B-25 excelled at, was a bad idea for aircraft bigger than fighters over Europe due to the AAA environment. When the A-26 came into use they found that that it was a fast as a P-47 down low and could carry a lot more ordnance but it was also too easy for the Germans to hit. The B-26 in the ETO carried package guns but made almost no use of them because they operated at medium altitudes, changing course frequently to escape AAA fire.

And the RAF did use B-25's in the ETO.

I read where one RAF crewman in the ETO said he switched from Venturas to Mitchells and considered it to be a better airplane in every respect. A former RAF pilot who got to fly the Tallamantz B-25 during the filming of the movie "Catch 22" said he was astonished at how easy it was to fly, that a Piper TriPacer pilot could handle it without much trouble, .
 
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