North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber - Palm Springs Air Museum - Palm Springs, CA
N 33° 49.965 W 116° 30.324
11S E 545764 N 3743721
This B-25 is one of many static displays at the Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, CA.
Waymark Code: WMM1NH
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 07/03/2014
Views: 5
Visitors to the
Palm Springs Air Museum might see this fighter aircraft located outside on the tarmac. Near this static aircraft is a placard that reads:
North American B-25 "Mitchell" Bomber
A medium Bomber from the Robert Pond Collection. 11,000 B-25s were produced during WWII @ Inglewood, CA & Kansas City, Missouri.
MAJOR ENGAGEMENTS
The B-25 was the aircraft used by Lt. Colonel "Jimmy" Doolittle for his famous raid on Tokyo. In that mission, on April 18, 1942, Mithcell bombers were launched from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (code name Shangrila) to attack some of Japan's major cities.
The "Battle of the Bismark Sea" took place on March 3, 1943. This was a major battle in which American and Australian Army bombers from the 3rd Bombardment Group attacked Japanese warships and transports attempting to land reinforcing troops at the port of Lae in northern New Guinea. This Allied Army Air operations sunk 8 transports and 4 destroyers. Of the 6000 troops intended for Lae, only about 800 reached shore. The major bombers participating were the B-17 and the B-25. It meant the end of Japan's reinforcement runs to northeastern New Guinea. The Japanese forces in New Guinea soon became ineffective.
The B-25 was flown in every theater of the war, including the European, Pacific and North African theaters. They were flown by virtually every allied partner of the U.S. B-25s were retained in useful service well into the post-war era.
HISTORY OF THE PALM SPRINGS AIR MUSEUM B-25
The B-25 in our Museum was initially delivered to the USAF in June of 1945. Until its retirement in January 1959, it served at various bases with the Military Air Transport Command (MATS) and Headquarters Command. It was returned to standard bomber configuration (minus the top turret) in 1979. After further restoration in 1986 it joined Planes of Fame East and thus to us. The aircraft is named "Mithc the Witch" II.
Clicking this link will go to a web page that lists this former bomber along with additional info about its rich history.
This B-25 model flew as 02249/"Ruptured Duck" in the movie 'Pearl Harbor', Sept. 2000. The B-25 was named in honor of General Billy Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation.
*NOTE* I was told by volunteer staff that many planes and historical items (like this display) often move around inside the hangers and outside on the tarmac, BUT they always stay within the museum, unless they are part of a visiting exhibition. Waymarkers should keep this in mind when searching for a particular waymark that I or someone else has posted on Waymarking.com. If, by chance, you cannot locate a particular waymark within the museum, please let me know and I'll contact the staff and inquire to its whereabouts. Thanks.