North American B-25 Mitchell (WW 2): Books - History

North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber

In April of 1942, sixteen American bombers raided Tokyo, Japan. The planes were land-based B-25 Mitchells, audaciously launched from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, and led by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle.
The attack caused little actual damage, but dealt a serious blow to Japanese morale. More importantly, it gave hope to an American public still reeling from Pearl Harbor.

Manufactured by North American Aviation, the B-25 saw service in every theater of WWII. It carried a crew of six, and could loft a maximum load of 6,000 pounds of bombs. Originally printed by North American and the USAAF, this handbook was declassified and is here reprinted in book form.

B-25 Mitchell Units of the MTO

From November 1942 through to May 1945, the backbone of the USAAF's medium bomber force was provided by the clutch of bomb groups equipped with the B-25 Mitchell. First seeing action in North Africa in the wake of Operation Torch, and in the Battle of El Alamein, the 'bombing twin' proved to be one of the most successful allied combat types in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations (MTO).
The first of four volumes planned for the Combat Aircraft series on the Mitchell, this title includes first-hand accounts, 30 colour profiles and more than 100 colour and black and white photographs of the B-25 in the MTO.

Contents: The Twelfth Air Force - 12th Airforce B-25 Mitchell Units in the MTO - The 12th Bomb Group (Medium) - The Earthquakers - The 310th Group (Medium) - The 319th Group (Medium) - The 321st Group (Medium) - The 340th Group (Medium) - Appendices - Colour Plates Commentary.

B-25 Mitchell Units of the CBI

Flying from and between bases in China and India, the B-25s bombed every type of Japanese target during World War 2 in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater, ultimately dropping more bombs than their larger four-engined B-24 Liberator brethren.

Mitchell bombers took on the task of disrupting the flow of Japanese supplies to the frontlines at medium ranges, bombing supply centers, railway depots, and bridges. It was in this last capacity that the B-25 established a unique role as a "bridge-buster." This provided significant support for the British Fourteenth Army as they advanced into Burma.

Fully illustrated with detailed cutaway artwork, this book tells the important, yet forgotten story of B-25 operations in the CBI Theater and the important role that this aircraft played on the road to victory.

Table of Contents:
- Early Operations 1942-43
- India Air Task Force to Strategic Air Force
- Fourteenth Air Force
- The Re-conquest of Burma
- Victory in China
- Appendices
- Colour Plates Commentary
- Index