B-25H Mitchell "Barbie III" 2002

A short flight on the Warbirds Unlimited Foundation's B-25H Mitchell "Barbie III" shortly before the Goshen Freedom Fest Airshow began in 2002. We buzzed the towns in the local area to drum up show goers. I apologize for the shoddy camera work, I wasn't much of a cameraman when I was younger.

http://www.warbirdsunlimited.org

The B-25H was an improved version of the B-25G. The fixed nose armament was increased to four nose-mounted .50-cal. machine guns and four more .50-cal. machine guns in fuselage mounted pods. The 75mm cannon was changed from the G model's M4 to the lighter T13E1 75mm cannon. The top turret was moved to the forward fuselage and the lower turret was removed and replaced by a single .50-cal. machine gun in each of the two waist positions. A tail turret housing a pair of .50-cal. machine guns was added bringing the firepower total to 14 .50-cal. machine guns and a 75mm cannon. The aircraft could also carry up to 3,200 pounds of bombs.

The prototype H model was modified from a block 10 B-25C and first flew in May 1943. This aircraft had improved Wright R-2600-20 radial engines, but all production aircraft were completed with the standard Wright R-2600-13 radials used on all B-25s since the -C model.

The first of 1,000 production B-25Hs first flight was on July 31, 1943. The five-man crew consisted of the pilot, navigator-cannoneer-radioman, flight engineer-top turret gunner, waist gunner-camera operator and tail gunner. Three of five crew members had multiple jobs; there was no co-pilot or bombardier and only one waist gunner. The last H model built was covered with the signatures of the North American Aviation factory workers and nicknamed "Bones." The aircraft remained this way throughout its combat life while assigned to the 12th Bomb Group in the Pacific.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• b-25
• b25
• b-25h
• mitchell
• medium
• bomber
• barbie
• III
• wwII
• air
• force
• army
• warbird

[tartamuditis]

@masterDevis ooh ok, i thought u were a crazy veteran, that wanted payback

[masterDevis]

@tartamuditis just fantasizing this plane in some story in the context of Mortal Engines by Phillip Reeve.

[masterDevis]

@tartamuditis um... yeah?

[tartamuditis]

@masterDevis r u ok ??

[masterDevis]

I need ALL the parts to reconstruct this beauty. When the nukes fall and Western civilization melts down, I'm gonna save at least one good piece of it's history, and that plane will be my home, too.

[George41950]

Nice flying', Ray. You're missed.

[BusterKoala]

That really had the goosebumps up on my arms - I fly a PA28, but would give my eye teeth for ride in something like a B25...

[moonbeammustang]

Thanks for the video! I'd forgotten how good it sounds in Barbie!! I miss her so!!

[metallicastarwarsfan]

Almost blew out my damn headphones when the engines started! Damn! Loud and proud!!!!!!!!!!!!

[IBLOWN]

WOW Thanks for that! My grandfather was a navigator in RAAF WW2 in a mitchell, i always wondered what it would be like.