The B-25 Mitchell in RAF service.

During the filming of BoB in 1969 in Spain they were using a B-25 as a camera ship. It had controls that had been made smoother than standard and of course had no armament nor armor plate. After filming at the end of the day the pilots in Spanish 109's, Spitfires, and Hurriances would often engage in a little recreational dogfighting. One day a 109 dove on the B-25 and after a few turns the bomber got on the 109's tail and there was nothing the fighter pilot could do to shake him, finally resorting to the old style 109 tactic of a half roll and vertical dive to escape.

That's a cool story!

Yep, I remember seeing that B-25, when I was passing Duxford during filming (BTW, it was summer, 1968 - the movie was released in 1969).
The Mitchell camera ship was flown by Jeff Hawkes, who, in 1978, lead 5 Mitchells across the pond for the filming of "Hannover Street" in the UK.
Met him a couple of times in the mid 1980's, before he disappeared, in somewhat mysterious circumstances, over either the Med or Aegean, can't remember which.

Airframes said:

Nice photo !
I'm not totally sure after all these years, but when I visited TFC to photograph the Mitchell, back in 1987, I was shown some history and photos, and I think there was a similar, smaller photo showing KL-161.
From memory, it was a 3/4 front view, showing the starboard side, and in similar weather conditions etc.

Click to expand...

Hi Terry!
I couldn't find what I was looking for - a proof that some of the Canadian B-25D blocks -30 and -35, having the non-staggered waist windows and tail gunner cupola factory installed, were modified by RCAF to the old standard of B-25C/D with observers windows on both sides etc. I'm still searching but that's not the most important point - it's just an additional information about the survivor B-25D-30 you are showing photos of.
The more important detail (IMHO) is something I want to add to your article. On page 4, second paragraph from below you write:
" It has not been possible, to date, to precisely identify which Block numbers the latter modifications applied to, so once again, reference photos should be consulted for a particular individual subject aircraft."
I'm absolutely sure or with other words it's beyond any doubt for me that ALL Mitchells II for RAF (and in the same way for RCAF and RAAF) with waist windows, no belly turret and tail gunner cupola are from the blocks B-25D-30 and -35 manufactured in the Kansas City Plant. As per your list with RAF-serials those are the a/c with serial numbers in the FW and HD groups. 61 are from block -30 and 33 are from block -35. NAA manufactured a total of 750 a/c from both blocks. It was a "public secret" that USAAF disliked the interim versions and preferred the new B-25Js. Most of the -30 and -35 "Mitchells" went to the allies: Great Britain, Canada, USSR, Australia, Netherlands. RAF received 94 of them (again as per your list).
I have many photos of those 2 blocks, RAF incl. and even if sometimes the RAF-serials are not visible, they should be from the FW or HD blocks.
KL-numbers include the interim B-25D blocks but I'm not sure if they all went to Canada or if RAF had some of them on strength as well.

These are the RCAF serials for Mitchell Mk.II - I must check them one by one to see how many of the 74 a/c are from the interim version.
B-25C/D Mitchell Mk. II (74), (Serial Nos. 891-894, FW220, FW237, FW246, FW251, FW259, FW260, FW272- FW274, FW278- FW280, HD310-15, HD310-17- HD310-20, HD310-22- HD310-26, HD310-31- HD310-35, HD310-37- HD310-45, KL133-61)

And here a few photos from my collection (mostly from internet) showing RAF-Mitchells.II/interim version only:




In this movie after 1:18 (movie marker 14:02:48:18) one of those birds is shown in more detail. I believe RAF-serial is FW184 (no hyphen).
There was an old thread in this forum showing some of the above photos and the movie.
Cheers!

Thanks for that Yves, some good info there.
I'd suspected that the "interim" variants were from the D-30 and D-35 Blocks, but as I haven't (yet) found definite proof that all were from these Blocks, I didn't include this in the article - don't want something to become "internet fact" without proof !
That cine film, along with others, is one of the sources I've used in the past, sometimes examining them frame by frame.

Airframes said:

Jeff Hawke

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John "Jeff" Hawke
Killed when his light aircraft went into the sea between Italy and Yugoslavia. Why he was there has never been officially confirmed.

Correct - possibly something shady, but a great loss of a very experienced, former RAF pilot.

Read where a RAF crewman who had previously flown on Venturas said that when he went to B-25's every single aspect of the airplane improved.

The various references delight in disagreeing with each other. For example the first 23 FK serials are reported as 3 to Britain, 1 to Canada, 1 lost in transit, 18 to Nassau. Except the RCAF thinks it received 7 on 10 July 1942 and returned them on 6 August 1942 (FK164,166,171,176,177,178,180). The one reported in Canada, FK168, looks like it was with 45 Group RAF, so no other RCAF record.

Apart from the RAF Serial Mitchell the RCAF serials 891 to 893 were allocated to 3 B-25 converted to F-10, On Strength March and April 1944.

USAAF Block numbers from Joe Baugher,
FK, 23 B-25B
FL, 94 B-25C
FR, 4 B-25C, 24 B-25C-1, 27 B-25C-10, 4 B-25C-15, 4 B-25C-20, 4 B-25C-25, 13 B-25D-20, 15 B-25D-25, 2 B-25G-5
FV, 20 B-25C-20, 20 B-25C-25, 15 B-25D-15, 25 B-25D-20, 20 B-25D-25
FW, 44 B-25D-25, 108 B-25D-30, 29 B-25D-35
HD, 44 B-25D-35, 16 B-25J-1, 19 B-25J-5, 3 B-25J-10 , 17 B-25J-15
KJ, 63 B-25J-15, 108 B-25J-20, 40 B-25J-25, 29 B-25J-30
KL, 8 B-25D-20, 5 B-25D-20, 13 B-25D-30, 3 B-25D-35
KP, 4 B-25J-30
MA, 2 B-25C

RAF Serial Registers plus Joe Baugher listings,

It looks like in early 1945 there was an effort to confirm holdings in the Americas, so on 24 January 1945, some 16 aircraft were taken on strength at Nassau, another 6 that were with 45 group and 1 that had been lost in transit. The On Charge dates below ignore the late notifications.

FK161 to 183, FK161,162,165 to Britain (all On Charge May 1943, off Charge in May 1943), FK178 lost in transit, FK168 retained by 45 group, 18 to Nassau (all but 1 recorded as on Charge 12 January 1943.)

FL164 to 218, FL180,184,187,199,200,208 Nassau, FL209 lost in transit. (On Charge May to July 1942.)

FL671 to 709, FL697,701 Nassau (On Charge June to August 1942)

FR141 to 207, Netherlands lend lease, despite the RAF serials, FR153,154,155 serials not used as aircraft diverted to Netherlands forces in Australia, FR197 not delivered, FR148,203 lost in transit. Meant for 320 squadron. (On Charge February 1943 to July 1944).

(28 to Netherlands post war FR145, FR157, FR159, FR160, FR161, FR163, FR168, FR169, FR170, FR171, FR173, FR175, FR183, FR188, FR189, FR192, FR193, FR194, FR195, FR196, FR197, FR198, FR199, FR200, FR201, FR206.)

FR207,208 (On Charge July 1943)

FR362 to 384, FR362?,364,365,366,371,372,374,375,376,378 to 384 Nassau (379,382,383 lost en route or shortly after arrival), FR377 lost in Canada, FR368,369 lost in transit. (On Charge October and November 1942, most Nassau dates 24 May 1943)

FR393 to 397, FR393,394,395 to Nassau (On Charge July 1942, Nassau 24 May 1943)

FV900 to 999, FV946,949,951 to 954,997 Nassau, FV988,990 lost in transit, FV917,987 retained by 45 Group. (On Charge May to December 1943)

FW100 to 280, FW104,123,132,145,147,148,149,150,154,176,179 Nassau, FW138,159,165,177,243 lost in transit, FW220,237,246,251,259,260,272,273,274,278,279,280 Canada, FW234,247,265,267,270 retained by 45 Group, (On Charge October 1943 to May 1944)

HD302 to 400, HD308,327,330 Nassau, HD352 lost in transit, HD310 to 315, 317 to 320, 322 to 326, 331 to 335, 337 to 345 Canada. (On Charge February to August 1944)

KJ561 to KJ800, KJ580 to 583, 668 to 671, 716 to 719 Nassau, KJ584,588,721,722,735,751 lost in transit, KJ641,764 Canada, KJ774,775,777 to 785, 787, 789 to 793, 796 to 799 returned to USAAF, no RAF service, others from KJ771 probably not delivered to RAF. (On Charge August 1944 to June 1945.)

KL133 to KL161 all to Canada, KL157 lost in transit, (On Strength October 1944 to February 1945)

KP308 to 328, KP308 to 311 Taken on Charge 14 April 1945 but reported not delivered, rest of serials not delivered.

MA956,957 ex Netherlands Air Force aircraft, taken over in India.

All up 886 serials issued, 654 arrived UK, 78 Nassau, 72 Canada, 8 retained by 45 Group, 21 lost in transit, 2 taken over in India, another 50 immediately returned to USAAF or not delivered.

When the Mitchells arrived is covered in the RAF import reports, but they are only for aircraft for the RAF, and FR141 to 207 were for the Netherlands. This is carried through to the final Lend Lease figures, as of 31 August 1945 the RAF thought it had received 748 Mitchells, add the 71 lost in transit or not delivered, the 61 Netherlands that did arrive and the 2 ex Netherlands taken over in India and you end up with 883, versus the 886 serials.

Next the import reports have no mark I, only II and III, the USAAF says the B-25B for Britain Acceptances were, 1, 15, 5, 2 November 1941 to February 1942, total 23, exports were 6, 4 and 8 April to June 1942, 2 in August and 1 in December, total 21, which agrees with 1 lost in transit/USA, 1 with 45 group.

The USAAF reports accepting 122 B-25C for Britain, 36, 40, 19, 3, 0, 12, 12, March to September 1942, while exports were 60, 28, 2, 1, 9, 5, 1 total 106, June to December 1942. There was 1 lost in transit/USA.

That gives 127 Mitchell exports from the US to December 1942. There are no reported imports January to April 1943 inclusive, after 116 arrivals in 1942, a difference of 11 versus US exports, the RAF census end February 1943 says 23 mark I (19 en route), 108 mark II (including 1 lost in transit, 3 in India), total 131, take away the India and lost in transit the total becomes 127, same as the reported exports less losses in transit. The import report has 23 arriving in Nassau in 1942, versus the 26 total above. In serial number order the Netherlands FR group are numbers 118 to 18, showing how they are not being counted in the import report but are in the aircraft census.

The import summary totals say 77 II and 1 III to Canada, 50 II and 12 III to Nassau, versus 70 and 2 for Canada and 18 I, 48 II and 12 III for Nassau above. The RCAF reports its mark II were Taken on Strength in March and July 1945 but the import report has no entries after February 1945, which means the RCAF mark III could have been omitted. It appears something like 6 Canadian imports were actually for Nassau, probably in the October 1944 to January 1945 period, while 10 imports for Nassau are omitted from the reports.

All up 732 imports, add 62 for the Netherlands and the 10 apparent omissions for Nassau and it comes to 804, the above listings say 805 imports. the following table assumes the RCAF mark III mentioned is amongst the last mark III delivered.


Taken on charge dates for Netherlands FR serials by month, 3, 2, 1, 5 (1 lost in transit), 16, 5, 7, 3, 5, 8 (1 lost in transit), 5, 1, 1 February 1943 to February 1944 with the final 1 in July 1944.