The Mitchell was one of the best allied medium bombers of the Second World War. Ordered into production by the United States Army Air Corps in August 1939 it took just fifty-three weeks after receiving the initial contract before the first prototype took to the air on 19 August 1940. Large scale production began immediately and early models were in service by the time America entered the war in December 1941.
In April 1942 sixteen Mitchells, operating from the American aircraft carrier USS Hornet, made one of the most daring bomber raids in the Second World War. They took off on a near impossible mission to bomb Tokyo in a raid of great psychological, if of little military, value.
The Americans did not use Mitchells operationally from the United Kingdom but based them with the 12th United States Army Air Force in the Mediterranean. However the British, Dutch and Russians received large numbers.
The Mitchell was one of the first aircraft with a nose wheel used by the Royal Air Force. Not only does it improve forward vision while the aircraft is on the ground but it improves ground handling.
That's (the Mitchell at the beginning of the video) the first B-25 I've even seen in Navy camouflage. Where is that B-25 on display? Am I to presume that the black and white footage of the Mitchell raid actually depicts aircraft in Naval paint schemes? And the footage at the end is from Catch-22, right?
the B-25 in the beginning is actualy a navy variant, know as a PBJ-1. the navy and marines flew these while the army flew the B-25 with the brown and green paint. And yes the last clips are from catch 22
What's funny, in an oh-so ironic way about this video is the object of the opening scene is a PBJ Mitchell, the version flown by, wait for it, the Navy and Marine Corps in the South Pacific and of course, the music is the Army Air Corps song...
-SJS
They were pretty imprssive in the Pacific, both on the Doolittle raid and as low level attack gunships, mounting a *lot* of forward-aimed .50 calibers (and occasionally a cannon too.)
Read R E 'Peppy' Blount's book "We Band of Brothers" (before Ambrose, after Shakespere) about the B-25 345th 'Air Apaches' anti ship, some fitted with cannons that literally 'stopped the planes in mid air'
90% fatalities in that Squadron!
Blount flew 31 low level missions, one of the 10% who survived
i love the b-25 but this music really sucks its the perfect bomber that's for sure
What is the name of the film at the end of this video?
9 : 48 
That's (the Mitchell at the beginning of the video) the first B-25 I've even seen in Navy camouflage. Where is that B-25 on display? Am I to presume that the black and white footage of the Mitchell raid actually depicts aircraft in Naval paint schemes? And the footage at the end is from Catch-22, right? 
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