22 B-25 Mitchell bombers plan to take part in tribute to Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Should be quite a sight (and sound). April 17th, in case any of our Septic chaps fancy attending (And maybe taking some photos... nudge nudge).
22 B-25 Mitchell bombers plan to take part in tribute to Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Should be quite a sight (and sound). April 17th, in case any of our Septic chaps fancy attending (And maybe taking some photos... nudge nudge). Adam, Thanks for the post. I must be the most B25's flying together since WW2 Regards Tom
Stock Footage - Lt. Col. James Doolittle directs the Doolittle Raid on Japan and receives an award from Madam Chiang Kai-Shek.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/merlin_1/456527486/ Blackbushe Hampshire I think it ended acrimoniously after filming (memory) some were taken by court order in payment for being stored on the airfield.
This is not the first time that this has happened. i remember this being covered in a flight magazine a few years ago. Yeah the number of B-25's still going is amazing but as far as I know flyable American WW2 aircraft outnumber other countries types, whether its parts availability or just sheer numbers produced (although if that were the case where have all the IL-2's gone!!)
About 25 years ago there was a very interesting documentary made of 3 B25s flying the Atlantic from the US to the UK.They took the southern route via the Azores,as many had done before them.The trials and tribulations of keeping 3 old girls flying across the Atlantic was a challenge from both the navigation and engineering aspects.I did make a video copy of the documentary at the time and it should still playback,hopefully.The driver of the exercise was a David C?, if I remember correctly and he may have owned a couple of the aircraft. As regards the operation,a token retaliation but it sent a message to the Japanese Imperial leadership that their folly at Pearl Harbour would eventually put their homeland at risk from the air. Had a very good book on the operation related by a Ted Lawson,a pilot who participated in the raid and diverted to China as planned but I think he lost a leg.I see from the infomation posted that it appears that he might have passed on.Oh the book, out of my hands...a lesson for all...lent it to a fellow airman almost 60 years ago...not returned.The principle is don't lend out valuable books unless it is in the family....thats a different matter.
I think there are more US planes than other countries because of the way the US government sold them for scrape so private people had more chance to by them. There is also more people who can fly in the US and that have the money. Confederate Air force Warbird - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The other point about this raid was the aircrew who unfortunately were lost over Japan but survived the loss of their aircraft were put on trial and five, I think it was, were executed or more correctly, murdered by their captors after a jumped up trial. Incidentally in the planning,the pilots were instructed for the return trip to divert to friendly territory in China.As I said some made it,some not.