18 thoughts on “B-25s On The Prowl”

  1. Perhaps if you knew which unit he was on. There are some people who try to have records of things like this.

  2. If you knew the unit he flew with the Army Air Force; the USAF historical section could probably identify when he flew and the unit history would have the dates. Don’t know if they kept personnel records on each mission but they might have. The aircraft in the photo have post-September 1943 markings so it would have been later in the war for the B-25s in the photo

      1. So was my dad. And before that he was in Sicily and before that in North Africa. He might well have commanded the maintenance crews that kept the planes in the picture flying.

  3. “Mainly operating out of bases in southern Italy, the Fifteenth Air Force, along with the Eighth Air Force and RAF Bomber Command, became the instruments used by the Allies to carry the strategic air offensive to Axis occupied Europe and Germany.

    The Fifteenth was de-activated in Italy 15 September 1945.”

    http://www.15thaf.org/

  6. Except that there was a fire at the records center some years back and any records that hadn’t been photographed (?) to microfiche were destroyed or seriously damaged.

    Happened to my late father-in-law. He couldn’t prove his service in the nationalized Philippine Army.

    1. IIRC, those were personnel records that were lost. I don’t think the fire destroyed unit history records.

  7. Just as weird. My Dad was the cook and steward 2nd class on a B-29. I saw a picture of it recently. It was, if I recall correctly, called the “Enola Gay.” Anyone know how I can get some information on it?

  8. Weirdest thing. I just saw a picture of a B-29 from WW-II, which my Dad told me he had served on. First time ever! He was the cook, steward 2nd class, and cabin makeup man. The plane, if I have the name right, was the “Enola Gay.” Anyone know where I can get some information on it?

  9. Do you know if their B-25s were damaged by the Vesuvius eruption in March of 1944? If so that would have been the 340th Bombardment which was based on Pompei’s outskirts and most of their planes were damaged .

  10. The Germans had the Ju-88, the Americans had the B-25. Both were very capable “do anything” planes. But the crown for king of the planes that could do anything has to belong to the Commonwealth’s DH 98 Mosquito. Speed over 400 mph, 4000 lb bomb load, low radar cross section, 35000 ft ceiling, night fighter, day fighter, maritime attack, pathfinder, day attack aircraft, high speed reconnaissance plane and it could fly in at under 50 feet and drop bombs on prison guards precisely when they were having lunch. A couple of years ago, I was at an airshow that had the most amazing flyover of 5 bomber aircraft: a B-29 (Fifi), an Avro Lancaster, a B-17, a B-25 and the one and only flying DH-98. Amazing to see.

    1. The Mosquito was also used as an airliner by BOAC, for wartime service between Britain and neutral states like Sweden. It was fast enough to evade any German fighters that tried to intercept it on the way.

      Apparently Niels Bohr reached England in the bomb bay of a Mosquito.

      1. Yes, Niels Bohr did ride in the belly of a Mosquito to freedom. It didn’t happen without incident.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niels_Bohr

        When the news of Bohr’s escape reached Britain, Lord Cherwell sent a telegram to Bohr asking him to come to Britain. Bohr arrived in Scotland on 6 October in a de Havilland Mosquito operated by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). The Mosquitos were unarmed high-speed bomber aircraft that had been converted to carry small, valuable cargoes or important passengers. By flying at high speed and high altitude, they could cross German-occupied Norway, and yet avoid German fighters. Bohr, equipped with parachute, flying suit and oxygen mask, spent the three-hour flight lying on a mattress in the aircraft’s bomb bay. During the flight, Bohr did not wear his flying helmet as it was too small, and consequently did not hear the pilot’s intercom instruction to turn on his oxygen supply when the aircraft climbed to high altitude to overfly Norway. He passed out from oxygen starvation and only revived when the aircraft descended to lower altitude over the North Sea. Bohr’s son Aage followed his father to Britain on another flight a week later, and became his personal assistant.

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