Specifications
Aircraft Type: B-25N(JTB), S/N 44-30363, Mitchell, North American
Mission: Medium Bomber
Number Built: Nearly 11,000 were built between 1940 and 1945, of which the USAAF received 9,816. The breakdown is as follows: 24 B-25s, 40 B-25As, 120 B-25Bs, 1,619 B-25Cs, 2,290 B-25Ds, 405 B-25Gs, 1,000 B-25Hs and 4,318 B-25Js. Due to exporting, the USAAF inventory never exceeded 2,700 at any one time during the War.
Powerplant: 2 Wright R-2600-9 Cyclone, 14-cylinder radial, air-cooled engines; 1,700 horsepower each.
Weight: Empty 21,100 lbs., Loaded 33,500 lbs., Maximum takeoff weight 35,000 lbs.
Dimensions: Wingspan 67’7″, Length 52’11″, Height 15’9″.
Significance of Type:
The B-25 Mitchell was the most adaptable of any medium bomber for the Allies during World War II. The basic design allowed it to be converted into a gunship with no major airframe redesign. A 75mm cannon could easily be mounted in a cradle beneath the pilot seat. This space was originally a crawl-way for the bombardier. Having proved to be more versatile than the Martin B-26 Marauder, the B-25 was given the role in the Pacific as an attack bomber and strafing aircraft. The B-25J remained first line equipment for several countries into the 1960s, including: Bolivia, Chile, Indonesia, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
About Our B-25N(JTB), S/N 44-30363 : The Museum’s B-25N was manufactured by North American Aviation, Kansas City, KS and delivered to the USAAF on January 17, 1945. Below are the unit assignments of this aircraft:
January 1945- To Mobile Air Technical Service Center, Brookley AAF, Alabama
April 1945- To 4138th AAF Base Unit (Air Technical Service Command), Laurel AAF, Mississippi (storage) February 1946 To 4168th AAF Base Unit (Air Material Command), South Plains AAF, Texas (storage)
February 1946: To 4168th AAF Base Unit (Air Material Command), South Plains AAF, Texas (storage)
August 1947- To 4141st AF Base Unit (AMC), Pyote AFB, Texas (storage)
September 1951- To 2753rd Aircraft Storage Squadron (AMC), Pyote AFB, Texas
October 1951- To Birmingham Modification Center, Alabama (To TB-25J)
May 1953- To TB-25L
June 1953- To Hughes Aircraft, Culver City, California (To TB-25M)
June 1954- To 3566th Basic Training Wing (Air Training Command), James Connolly AFB, Texas
April 1955 To Wright Air Development Center (Air Research and Development Command), Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio (To ETB-25M, deployment to McConnell AFB, Kansas)
March 1956- To JTB-25M
November 9, 1959- Dropped from inventory by transfer to the Strategic Air & Space Museum