North American Mitchell Mk III

From The Air Combat Wiki

Contents 1 Fighter Ace Screenshots 2 Fighter Ace Ratings 3 Fighter Ace Performance 4 Historical Statistics 5 Strengths 6 Weaknesses 7 History 8 Sources 9 See Also

Fighter Ace Screenshots

Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ
Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ

Fighter Ace Ratings

Durability: 7

Speed: 5

Maneuverability: 3

Firepower: 6

Climb Rate: 2

Ground Attack: 5

Fighter Ace Performance

Top Speeds						Climb Rates
	Sea Level	4921' 1500m	9843' 3000m	19685' 6000m	Best Speed	Best IAS	to 1000m	to 3000m	to 6000m
mph	243	257	262	268	275@ 15092'	140 mph	3:07	9:56	24:13
mph WEP	249	263	268	n/a	281@ 15092'
kph	391	414	422	431	442@ 4600m	225 kph
kph WEP	400	423	432	n/a	452@ 4600m

Historical Statistics

Service Date: August 1944

Primary Guns: 2x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) fixed machine guns with 300 rpg in nose

Secondary Guns: 4x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) fixed machine guns with 400 rpg alongside fuselage

Defensive Guns: 1x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) flex machine gun with 300 rpg in nose, 2x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) machine guns with 500 rpg in dorsal turret, 1x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) flex machine with 200 rpg gun in port beam, 1x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) flex machine gun with 200 rpg in starboard beam, 2x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) machine guns with 600 rpg in tail turret.

Ordnance: 12x 250 lb (113 kg) or 6x 535 lb (242 kg) or 4x 910 lb (413 kg) bombs in internal bomb bay or 1x 1802 lb (817 kg) Mk.XIV torpedo under bomb bay, plus 8x 84 lb (38 kg) A2G rockets under wings. Maximum load of 4000 lbs possible.

Engine(s): 2x Wright Cyclone R-2600-29 radials rated for 1,700 hp at sea level (1,770 hp with WEP)

Int Fuel Capacity: 5,844 lbs (2,651 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: none

Maximum Speeds: 275 mph (443 kph) at 15,000 ft (4,572 m)

Ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,620 m)

Loaded Weight: 33,500 lbs (15,196 kg)

Wing Area: 610 sq ft (56.7 sq m)

Wing Loading: 54.9 lbs/sq ft (268.0 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Forward Firepower: With six fixed .50 caliber machine guns in the nose, the Mitchell has the same sustained firepower as most US fighters.

Defensive Firepower: Though not as heavily defended as the B-17, the Mitchell had six .50 caliber guns for defensive purposes, which exceeds that of any other medium bomber.

Weaknesses

Speed: With a top speed of about 275 mph the Mitchell is outclassed by the German and Soviet medium-bombers.

History

After production of the B-25D model, several experimental models were produced to test various equipment additions. The most startling was the conversion of the bomber into a ground attack aircraft by sticking a 75mm field gun in the nose. Augmented by a pair of .50 caliber machine guns in the nose, the B-25G could pack a potent punch. However, the large gun installation was not an unqualified success. While it could certainly do serious damage to anything it hit, its low rate of fire and the need to fly slowly to aim the gun, made the Mitchell an attractive target for ground fire, which didn't endear the plane to its crews.

The "H" model replaced the 75mm gun with six .50 caliber machine guns, bringing the total to eight .50s. Additionally, the top turret was moved forward to a position just behind the cockpit where its guns could also be brought to bear on the pilot's target. A new tail gun position was added and the troublesome remotely operated belly turret was officially removed (it was usually removed in the field to save weight). Finally, rocket rails were optionally installed under the wings, allowing it to fire eight 5" rockets as part of its forward barrage.

As the selection of targets changed, the 75mm gun became increasingly useless and the "J" model featured a return to the glazed nose and bombardier station. The forward firepower of the plane was retained by mounting two .50 caliber machine guns in the right side of the nose to augment the four in the blisters on the sides of the fuselage. Over 4300 "J" models were produced, making it the most numerous of Mitchell variants.

Lacking a well-defended medium bomber for daytime use, the RAF acquired several different models of the B-25 for their own use. The first was a batch of 23 B-25Bs, christened the Mitchell I by the RAF. These were intended only for familiarization and never saw combat.

Over 500 B-25C/D models were sent to the RAF as Mitchell IIs where they were used to outfit the 2nd Tactical Air Force for operations over occupied France and the Low Countries. When the B-25J model entered production, 314 examples were sent to the RAF as Mitchell IIIs, again principally for the use of the 2nd T.A.F.

Sources

Green, William; Famous Bombers of the Second World War, Second Series; Doubleday & Company, Garden City, New York; 1961.

McDowell, Ernest R.; B-25 Mitchell in Action; Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton, Texas, 1978.

See Also

Fighter Ace Planes Inventory

North American Aviation, Inc.

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II