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 break down 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. Because so many Mitchells were supplied to other Air Forces, 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 in action during World War II. The basic design allowed modification into gunships with no major airframe redesign. Of particular interest was the ease in which the 75mm cannon 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)

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