How to Fly the North American B-25 "Mitchell" (1944, B&W, 21:47) Exclusive- Digitally restored video
The Navy Department produced this B-25 pilot training film for use by all services. Is that Tom Clancy at the controls? Named after Billy Mitchell, the controversial pioneer of heavy bombing, this is the plane that Jimmy Doolittle chose to fly off the deck of carrier Hornet for the dramatic raid on Tokyo. Extremely versatile, the '25 was the US's most produced medium bomber, fighting in all theaters and exported to virtually all Allied air forces. An effective level bomber, it could also be equipped with a multitude of additional machine guns, rockets, and even a 75mm canon, for low level ground attack.
* Winged Artillery (1944 color 25:00) Exclusive- Digitally color corrected with reconstructed sound track
Nine 75mm canon firing B-25Gs of the 48th Bomb Squadron, 7AAF, based on Apamama in the Gilbert Islands, conduct a hair raising tree top level strike on the Japanese air base on Mille. Also features amazingly well preserved and very rare color footage of daily life of air crew and ground personnel stationed on Apamma and Tarawa. As a bonus, you'll watch Sea Bees using heavy equipment to transform these hard won tropical atolls into fully functioning air bases and ground crews maintaining the Mitchell's massive canons.
* Air Operations Lae-Salamaua (1944, B&W, 31:00) Exclusive- Digitally restored video
Covers a key battle of the oft overlooked 1943 New Guinea campaign in the South Pacific. General Douglas MacArthur and his staff put together a brilliant combined arms strategy that utilized Air Power as a key element to leap frog over rugged jungle terrain and isolate and destroy Japanese strongholds. While tough Aussie jungle fighters spearheaded the frontal ground assault, American paratroopers accompanied by Aussie light artillery volunteers dropped on, seized & secured a Japanese air base behind enemy lines so that an Aussie division could be ferried in on C-47s and attack the enemy from the rear. This film effectively uses maps & illustrations to show the strategy and tactics used in this this classic battle. In this almost impassable terrain, that made transport of heavy guns slow and difficult, air power functioned as "flying artillery." You'll see spectacular in cockpit views of B-25 Mitchell medium bombers making strafing runs on Japanese bases at tree top level as well as some of the first ever "on the deck" tail gunner views of delayed action and "para frag" bombs dropping & exploding right behind the hedge hopping Mitchells. Some nice A-20, B-24 & P-38 action footage too!
* Medium Bombardment & Attack featuring the B-25 New addition! (1945, B&W, 20:00) This fascinating film was made to indoctrinate B-25 & A-20 squadrons transitioning from Europe to the Pacific, with a focus on the B-25. Covers operating in the tropics, squadron staff duties, planning missions, converting B-25s for low level ground attack and tactics for land & sea attacks “on the deck.” Some great footage of extremely low level operations!
* A 94 page North American B-25 pilot's manual in .pdf file format with detailed photos, systems diagrams, performance charts, procedures & more. "I've spent many happy hours pouring over this manual -- it's the next best thing to having your own B-25!" -- Zeno
Pilot's manual viewable on computer DVD player. Don't have a DVD player on your computer? We can put the manual on a separate CD-ROM! (Click here for info,)