RAAF - B25 MITCHELL AIRCRAFT
BASS STRAIT, UNINCORPORATED
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Statement of Significance
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RAAF - B25 MITCHELL AIRCRAFT - History
Contextual History:History of Place:
Heritage Inventory History of Wreck:
Lost 11th December 1944
A47 NA MITCHELL:
The North American NA-62 was one of the best twin-engined, medium bombers of World War II. The first aircraft flew on August 19 1940 and, subsequently, almost 11,000 versions operated with Allied airforces throughout the world. Officially designated the B-25 the bomber was later named the Mitchell in honour of General Mitchell who had been court-martialled in 1925 for his outspoken views on air power. Other generals associated with the aircraft included General Doolittle who led 16 B-25Bs from the aircraft-carrier USS "Hornet" in the historic Tokyo raid on April 18 1942, and General Kenny under whose command B-25C/Ds (Mitchell IIs) were converted at RAAF Townsville for ground strafing. These field modifications culminated in the B-25J (Mitchell III) which was the most effective version of this famous bomber.
In 1942, the RAAF accepted a number of Mitchells on behalf of the Dutch Government. These aircraft equipped No 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Sqn and by 1945, 150 Mitchells of various marks had been received. In April 1944, No 2 Sqn replaced its Beauforts with Mitchells and the first 39 aircraft (A47-1/39) were transferred from No 18 (NEI) Sqn. A total of 50 Mitchells were operated by No 2 Sqn including 30 Mitchell IIs (A47-1/25, 33/37) and 20 Mitchell IIIs (A47-26/32, 38/50). The Mitchells of Nos 2 and 18 (NEI) Sqns formed No 79 Wing, and these aircraft carried out many successful strikes against enemy targets. At the end of the war, the Mitchells of No 2 Sqn helped evacuate and return many POWs, and the aircraft were finally phased out of service in 1946.Heritage Inventory Description
RAAF - B25 MITCHELL AIRCRAFT - Heritage Inventory Description
/nRAAF B-25 Mitchell Registration A47-24. North American Mitchell B-25J A47 NA MITCHELL: TECHNICAL DATA: (NA Mitchell III-B-25J) DESCRIPTION: Medium bomber with 5/6 crew. All metal stressed-skin construction. Company designation NA-108. POWER PLANT: Two 1,700 hp Wright Cyclone R-2600-92. DIMENSIONS: Span, 67 ft. 7 ins; length, 52 ft 11 ins; height, 16 ft 4 ins. WEIGHTS: Empty, 19,480 lb; loaded, 35,000 lb. PERFORMANCE: Max speed, 272 mph at 13,000 ft.. Cruising 230 mph. Service ceiling 24,200 ft. Range, 1,350 miles. ARMAMENT: Twelve 0.50 in. machine-guns, eight 5 in. Rockets and 3,000 lb bomb load.
Heritage Inventory Significance: Not protected
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RAAF - B25 MITCHELL AIRCRAFTVictorian Heritage Inventory
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RAAF B25 AircraftVic. War Heritage Inventory
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