eBay: North American B-25 Mitchell (1 Viewer)

[CATCH 22]

I've only seen Navy and Marine B-25s in that configuration. Not saying the Air Force didn't have them but must be a rarity. The Navy took 224 B-24Js, re-designated PBJ-1J.

That's a PBJ-1D, Geo. Check my earlier post. It's a plane from VMB-612 - same as the previous one. The "hose nose" was strictly a Navy-modification.

 

[Snautzer01]

Pathfinding here is ment to find a lost plane and guide it home. Not the bomber variant.

 

[fubar57]

OK. I was going by this..

 

[CATCH 22]

Pathfinding here is ment to find a lost plane and guide it home. Not the bomber variant.

I really don't think there was such type of "finding lost planes" by a "pathfinder". How did they know where to search? Just flying here an there, using the radar? And what if the plane has crashed in the ocean? A PBJ can find it of course, but that's all. This would be a typical SAR-mission for a "Catalina".
I'm sure there have been cases when a/cs from a particular squadron did a search, looking for a missing friend, but this wasn't the rule.
IMHO the author of the texts is the former owner of the photos and he tried to put some historical information together, which isn't very accurate in all cases.

 

[fubar57]

Just found out that PBJ1-Ds also carried rockets, thanks Yves. Learn something here every day

 

[CATCH 22]

Just found out that PBJ1-Ds also carried rockets, thanks Yves. Learn something here every day

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The above two records give a very good information about PBJ being used for night or daylight rocket-missions. 5" HVAR aka "Holy Moses" could be carried by both "Mitchells" and PBJs. The rocket launchers have been manufactured by NAA as a kit and could be installed on older models (like D) too, 4 under each wing. I think I've already posted the next photo, showing a B-25G-12 from the 41-st BG. modified with the J2 nose and with rocket launchers visible under the wing.

And if you ever wondered what was the correct sequence when firing the HVARs, here it is:

 

[Snautzer01]

B25 Mitchell Being Equipped With Forward Firing Machine Guns WW2 2 x 5x5's | eBay

 

[Snautzer01]

USAAF B-25 Strafer 345th BG Ieshima Okinawa 1945 1 COLOR SLIDE No Photo | eBay

 

[Snautzer01]

Baugher: North American P-51C-5-NT Mustang 42-103380 (326 FRS, 31 ATG) w/o at Lasham, England May 8, 1944. Condemned salvage no battle damage

1944 WW2 US Military Snapshot Photograph Aircraft Airplane Wreck Crash Accident | eBay

 

[johnbr]

RCAF B25 Mitchell, 1952.

 

[Snautzer01]

*WWII photo- B 25 Mitchell Bomber plane Nose Art - DIRTY DORA* -3 | eBay

 

[Snautzer01]

*WWII photo- B 25 Mitchell Bomber plane Nose Art - DIRTY DORA* -2 | eBay

 

[Snautzer01]

*WWII photo- B 25 Mitchell Bomber plane Nose Art- DIRTY DORA* -1 | eBay

 

[Snautzer01]

*WWII photo- B 25 Mitchell Bomber plane Nose Art- MEXICAN SPITFIRE* | eBay

 

[johnbr]

North American B-25 Mitchell Wallpaper HD Download

 

[Snautzer01]

WWII Airplane Nose Art TNT Tim & Tam B-25 5th AirForce Le Shima 1945 MAITA photo | eBay

 

[Wurger]

 

[fubar57]

 

[CATCH 22]

*WWII photo- B 25 Mitchell Bomber plane Nose Art- DIRTY DORA* -1 | eBay

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For sure this is not "Dirty Dora": one can see the individual Clayton S-stacks of the exhausts. "Dirty Dora" in the 2 photos above has smooth cowlings with one big exhaust pipe. The bat has different eyes too. There was a "Dirty Dora 2" (I posted her photo somewhere here) but she has 8-guns nose.

 

[Snautzer01]

USAAF B-25 Strafer 345th BG Ieshima Okinawa 1945 1 COLOR SLIDE No Photo | eBay