First B-25 built SN 40-2165 circa August 1940
photographer unknown

B-25 General History

NA-40 / NA-40B

Before I get too deep in the history of the NA-40, it is important to note that the NA-40 was not a B-25. It was also not the prototype for the B-25. The NA-40 was indeed a totally separate aircraft. The B-25 bomber had no prototype as it was developed as it was built. You may be wondering why I have included the history of the NA-40 here on a B-25 website. The answer to that is in the history.

The NA-40 was North American Aviation's entry in the twin engine attack bomber competition of 1938. Although North American lost the competition for this contract, the testing of the NA-40 proved an impressive proof of concept. Early on, the aircraft was plagued with problems. All of these problems were overcome with eventual design changes. The engineering design team headed by Howard Evans had produced an excellent aircraft.

The NA-40 design was based on a crew of 5. This would include: a pilot, co-pilot, bombardier/navigator, radio operator/gunner, and gunner. The pilot and co-pilot were seated in tandem. A greenhouse nose was fitted for the bombardier/navigator and the radio operator and gunner were seated aft. This arrangement allowed for a maximum fuselage width of 45 inches. The wings were shoulder mounted, constant dihedral with fully underhung nacelles. The NA-40 was powered by two Pratt & Whitney engines with three blade Curtiss electric propellers. She was outfitted with three .30 caliber flexible guns with 500 rounds each. Bays for two fixed .30 caliber guns were designed into each wing, but these were not initially fitted. On initial test flights, the NA-40 proved unstable. As a result, she only flew fourteen test flights for a total of five hours and twenty minutes.

The initial test flights proved to North American that the aircraft needed bigger power plants and more streamlined aerodynamics. Between February 28, and March 1, 1939, the NA-40 underwent a design overhaul. The two wing mounted .30 caliber machine guns were mounted. The Pratt & Whitney engines were replaced by Wright engines. The Curtiss electric propellers were kept, although the intention was to replace them with Hamilton Standard Hydromatic propellers. The Hamilton propellers were capable of full feathering faster than the Curtiss electric propellers. They were, however, not available at that time. The NA-40 airframe was re-designated as the NA-40B. She was given the civil registration of X14221. The improvements were completely successful and testing continued. On April 11, 1939, during single engine testing, the aircraft lost altitude and crashed. All on board were uninjured. Shortly after the crew exited the plane, she broke into flames and was completely destroyed.

B-25-NA

By 1938, the threatening situation in Europe had grabbed the attention of the United States Army Air Corps. The light bombers of the time were deemed unsatisfactory and new specifications were considered. At this point in history, there was no real meaning for the designation of "medium bomber". Increases in technology were increasing the options available. On March 11, 1939, the Air Corps Proposal number 39-640 was issued. The proposal specified a bomb load of 3,000 pounds, a range of 2,000 miles, and a top speed in excess of 300 mph. The new bomber would operate at altitudes from 8,000 to 14,000 feet.

The proposal was revolutionary in the day. The contracts would be issued based on the bidder's specification, drawings and performance. This was risky as there was no guarantee that the aircraft could be built to the manufacturer's specifications on time. The payoff would be in time. It was not uncommon for a manufacturer to test an experimental aircraft for two to three years before a contract would be awarded. The United States did not have that kind of development time.

The B-25 was North American's proposal to meet that requirement. There were three other aircraft up for consideration. The Martin B-26, Douglas B-23, and the Stearman P-23. The B-25 offered an aircraft easy to build, fly and maintain. The overall cost of the B-25 would be significantly less than the Martin B-26. In the end, the Army would award contracts to both the B-25 and the B-26.

Lee Atwood, North American vice president and chief engineer, was charged with the medium bomber project. His goal was to create an aircraft that was easy to repair and maintain as well as easy to fly. Time has proven his results. North American had just learned some good lessons from the NA-40 test program. The basic design of the B-25 would utilize many of the features seen in the NA-40. Tricycle landing gear, twin vertical tails with similar shape, root airfoil, identical engines and cowling shapes, constant dihedral and underhung nacelles were all drawn from the NA-40. The B-25 would also include the Hamilton propellers that were planned but never installed on the NA-40. But, the B-25 would not be another version of the NA-40. Side by side pilot seating, greater speed, range and payload capacity differentiated the two aircraft. The wing was moved to a shoulder position and the gross weight was increased by 8,000 pounds. North American preferred the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine, an unproven power plant at the time. With approximately 300 HP more than the Wright R-2600 engines, they also had a slightly smaller outside diameter which translated into less drag. In the end however, the proven Wright R-2600's would be specified.

On September 5, 1939, the North American General Order NA-62 was issued and construction of the first airplane commenced. The B-25 would have an outside width of only 56.5 inches. Broader than the NA-40, but this allowed comfortable side by side pilot seating and increased bomb bay volume. Armament was minimal with a .30 caliber flexible machine gun mounted in the nose that was movable to any of three locations. Another .30 caliber gun served as a waist gun in the rear fuselage. The rear received a .50 caliber gun mounted in an odd "clamshell" plexiglass canopy. This configuration gave the weapon a superb field of fire. Manufacturing of the B-25 started in North American's Inglewood, California plant. The B-25, B-25A, B-25B, B-25C, B-25G, and the B-25H were exclusively built at that plant. The California plant also sent the parts for the first 100 planes to be manufactured at the newly built North American Kansas plant at the Fairfax airport in Kansas City, Kansas.

On August 19, 1940, the first B-25-NA took to the air piloted by, test pilot Vance Breese and test engineer, Roy Ferren. After the first flight, engineer Ferren reported a severe roll-yaw condition existed. The B-25 test program continued with few problems. The nose gear collapsed due to a shimmy damper problem during taxi tests. On one test flight, a fuel line ruptured that damaged the aircraft and forced a wheels up landing on the field between the runways at Mines Field. There were no severe injuries in the incident and the aircraft was quickly repaired. During testing, there were five vertical tail configurations evaluated, the fifth being the current familiar design. The twin tails were seen to provide maximum control with a smaller profile and therefore harder to attack from the rear. Captain Frank Cook flew the plane for the Air Corps to test general handling characteristics. He determined the plane had a "Dutch roll" characteristic that he considered incompatible with bomb runs. The solution to this problem was to negate the dihedral of the outer wing panels. This gave the B-25 it's current "gull wing" configuration. The current wing shape was made effective on the 10th aircraft. There is some anecdotal information that the first 9 aircraft were modified. Aircraft 40-2166, 40-2170, 40-2173, 40-2174 and 40-2176 were briefly returned to Inglewood from their first assigned unit. There is no indication as to the reason for this recall. Aircraft 40-2168 was indeed modified as it has the current "gull wing" configuration. This likely occurred in 1943 when the aircraft was modified by North American for use as General Arnold's personal transport. In my research, I came across this photo that clearly shows one of the first 9 B-25-NA bombers along with later B-25-NA bombers. This would tend to confirm that at least one of the B-25-NA bombers built with a constant dihedral wing was not immediately modified.

Although the B-25-NA performed better than expected, there were some limitations. Due to the lack of armor protection and self-sealing fuel tanks, the B-25-NA's that were produced were destined for training or transports. The majority of the aircraft (19) were sent to McCord Field to train with the 17th BG.

B-25A-NA

Identification of a B-25A-NA is difficult as they are visually identical to a B-25-NA. The serial numbers were also not painted on the vertical tail assembly. The changes to the B-25A-NA were designed specifically to increase the survivability of the aircraft in combat. Self-sealing fuel cells replaced the fuel tanks decreasing the total capacity by 224 gallons. This was a 24 percent decrease from the B-25-NA. Addition of armor plate to the aircraft also added 612 pounds of additional weight. These factors decreased the range of the B-25A-NA by 650 miles or 32 percent. These obviously were not insignificant changes.

The majority of the B-25A-NA models went to McChord Field to train with the 17th BG. Also getting 6 aircraft each were the 30th BG, 43rd BG, 39th BG and 44th BG. All of the B-25A-NA aircraft were made and delivered prior to the United States entering World War II. These aircraft were initially used as trainers. I have never seen any information that leads me to believe that any of the B-25-NA or B-25A-NA bombers ever left the United States.

B-25B-NA

The B-25 was proving itself in training as the United States was getting closer to entering the war. North American completed the NA-62 contract with the B-25B-NA. B-25-NA and B-25A-NA models were not well defended with a couple of "pea shooters" and a single .50 caliber gun in the rear. It was time to prepare the B-25 for war. The tail gun position was eliminated along with the armor added to protect the gunner. Two Bendix turrets were added in the rear fuselage. The top turret would house two .50 caliber guns. A retractable bottom turret would also contain two .50 caliber guns. The turrets allowed for on gunner to fire in just about any direction. The upgrade from one .50 caliber gun to 4 was a welcome one.

Addition of the two turrets increased the drag on the plane. To minimize this effect, the lower turret was retractable. This design proved problematic as the mechanism was prone to jamming in the down position. From a gunner's standpoint, it was hard to operate and many would suffer from vertigo while using it. As a consequence, the lower turret was often removed in the field. Despite this, the lower turret design would remain on the B-25 for the B-25C-NA and B-25D-NC models.

The B-25B-NA was the first B-25 that went to war. It is worth noting that the Doolittle Raiders flew modified B-25B-NA bombers. The B-25 was small enough to fit on an aircraft carrier and powerful enough to take off from one. This made it the perfect choice for one of the most daring attacks of the war. The first 184 B-25s were now proving their worth on the battlefield as demand for more was increasing. The B-25B-NA can be easily distinguished from previous models by noting the two aft turrets, open tail skid, and single .30 caliber gun placed in the plexiglass nose.

B-25C-NA

Overlapping the production of the final B-25B-NA aircraft, B-25C-NA production started in late 1941. The B-25C-NA was the first B-25 made in significant numbers with 1625 being built. This model was also the only B-25 model that had entire production blocks contracted to foreign countries. The Netherlands received 162 B-25C-NA bombers. China and Britain received 150 each. This is exclusive of any lend-lease aircraft as well as any individual B-25 bombers that made their way to other countries though other mechanisms. The B-25C-NA was heavier and slower than previous models, but had a longer range. The B-25C-NA is nearly identical to the B-25D-NC. These two B-25 models were produced almost simultaneously at different plants. The only certain way to distinguish a B-25C-NA from a B-25D-NC is by serial number.

The lessons learned from the previous B-25 models were incorporated into the new models. Most visually, the tail skid on the B-25C-NA and B-25D-NC models was solid. Since the B-25C-NA was built over a longer period of time, changes were made with each production block. Some changes were implemented mid-production block as well. They were also able to make some changes on some planes and not others in the same line. This allowed for certain "custom" variations to progress without the need for modification. Some changes however, still took place at the modification centers. B-25C-10 42-32281 was modified to the XB-25E and B-25C-15s 42-32384 through 42-32388 were modified to the first five B-25G-1s. Both of these modifications are discussed in detail on subsequent pages.

The exhaust on the B-25C-NA changed over time. Initially a shortened version of what was seen on the B-25B-NA, North American also experimented with a "finger" style exhaust that acted as a flame quencher. This exhaust was prone to cracking and rarely made it to combat without modification. Later B-25C-NA production blocks introduced the hooded "S" type exhaust stacks. Both the aft top and unpopular bottom turret also continued on the B-25C-NA models. Later B-25C-NA models replaced the .30 caliber nose gun with one flexible and one fixed .50 caliber gun. Early in production, the turrets were replaced with Bendix Amplidyne turrets. B-25C-NA bombers were used heavily in combat. At the end of the war, the "old" B-25 bombers were sent to the scrap yards. This makes a surviving B-25C-NA a rare bird. There are only a handful of known B-25C-NA airframes existing. They are all static displays at best.

B-25D-NC

By 1939, the government knew that soon the United States would be going to war. Preparations began, and locations for new plants to build war machines were scouted. The Inglewood, California plant was near the coast. This makes it an easy target for foreign attack. The search was on for a location in the heartland to supplement bomber production. In 1940, a location was found adjacent to the Fairfax Municipal Airport in Kansas City, Kansas. On December 16, 1940, the construction of North American's Kansas plant at the Fairfax airport was approved. The formal ground breaking was March 8, 1941. On April 17, 1941, the first employees of the Kansas plant moved in to their office. On December 23, 1941, the first B-25D-NC bomber was completed. Christened "Miss Greater Kansas City" by Enid Bender, wife of Thomas L. Bender, B-25-D-NC SN 41-29648, the first B-25 assembled by the Kansas plant was completed on December 23, 1941. Prior to completion, she was painted overnight by Larry Cantrall (employee #145) for a visit from then Senator Harry S. Truman. Pilot Paul Balfour took "Miss Greater Kansas City" for her first flight on January 3, 1942. A total of 45 B-25D-NC bombers would be modified to B-25D/F-10-NC bombers. One of these aircraft was returned to North American Aviation in Inglewood, California and converted into a B-25B bomber resembling the B-25B-NA that was flown by Jimmy Doolittle in the Tokyo Raid. This will be discussed in detail on subsequent pages.

The original contract, NA-87, authorized the construction of 1,200 B-25D-NC bombers. These would be identical to the B-25C-NA bombers. In fact, the first 100 B-25D-NC bombers were built from B-25C-NA parts. In February of 1942, North American signed a contract to build 200 B-29 bombers at the plant and construction was started on the "high bay". By June of 1942, the need for more B-25 bombers was becoming clear. The contract for the B-29 bombers was cancelled. A new contract, NA-100, was signed on June 26, 1942 authorizing another 1,090 B-25D-NC bombers. B-25D-NC bomber construction would total 2,290 by March of 1944. The new "high bay" expansion would prove vital to the dramatic increase in B-25 production.

Early in B-25D-NC production, supply shortages plagued the plant. By late 1942, production was almost at a stand-still. Parts were being removed from completed planes to get new planes off the assembly floor. Something had to be done. North American brought representatives from General Motors to the plant to fix the problem. To decrease reliance on suppliers, the Fairfax plant moved more production to the plant. The assembly line was redesigned, taking advantage of the 376,300 square feet of additional space gained from the "high bay" expansion. An overhead conveyor was installed to move parts from production to assembly. Between April and May of 1943, the entire production line was moved without stopping production. The Fairfax plant would produce almost 4 times the number of aircraft in 1943 compared to the previous year due to these changes. Production would continue to increase throughout the war.

XB-25E

As the war continued, the B-25 bomber was involved in worldwide operations. The limitations of the current inflatable leading edge de-icer boots were becoming apparent. It was believed necessary to develop a system that would improve the issue. A new facility, The Ice Research Base, was established to study ice and frost effects on aircraft and to develop effective solutions to the problems. The XB-25E was North American Aviation's test aircraft. Also included in this test program were a B-17F, two B-24s, an XC-53A, an A-26, a C-82 and a B-26.

The XB-25E was not produced, but rather modified from an existing B-25C-10-NA bomber. Modification began in early 1943 and continued through February of 1944. Extensive modifications were made inside the wing to allow for the movement of air heated by exhaust gases. The engine cowlings were modified to provide the air to be heated for the system. A heat exchanger was fitted to the exhaust and control valves were placed to control air flow. After minimal testing by North American, the aircraft was delivered to the Lewis Research Center at Cleveland, Ohio in July of 1944.

Over the next several years, the XB-25E (now known as "Flamin' Mamie") was involved in extensive testing. In February and March of 1945, the XB-25E was used to test the effect of icing on propellers. The airframe de-icing system was so effective that it was possible to isolate the effect of icing on just the propellers. Through the rest of 1945 and 1946, the XB-25E was used in testing to develop improved anti-icing systems for just about every part on the aircraft.

Testing with the XB-25E would continue until February of 1953 when she was returned to the United States Air Force as Wright Field. The result of the testing proved the effectiveness of the design, but the cost was prohibitive. The information gathered in testing also proved invaluable to improve the safety of future aircraft in icing conditions.

B-25D/F-10-NC

At the time the United States entered World War II, the importance of aerial photography was known. A significant portion of the world had not been scientifically charted. Many of the existing maps were inadequate or just inaccurate. In 1942, the trimetrogon camera system was developed. Utilizing mainly 3 synchronized K-17 six inch cameras, the trimetrogon system allowed for easy photo mapping of large areas in a short period of time. The stability of the B-25 made it not only an excellent bomber, but also an excellent choice for aerial photography. A single B-25D/F-10-NC flying at 200 mph could map 20,000 square miles in four hours.

All of the B-25D/F-10-NC aircraft were taken directly from the Fairfax assembly line to the modification center for conversion. All of the armament as well as the armor was removed from the plane. This lightened the load by approximately 1,000 pounds. The unique "bug eye" nose was fitted to house the trimetrogon camera system. The aircraft usually retained it's standard reconnaissance camera aft of the bomb bay. Between 1942 and 1943, a total of 50 B-25D-NC bombers were converted into B-25D/F-10-NC aircraft.

The B-25 was no stranger to cameras. The usefulness of aerial reconnaissance was also well known to the military. Many B-25 bombers already had cameras mounted either just aft of the bomb bay, or later under the tail guns. Both of these camera systems were vital to measure the effectiveness of bomb runs. Typically, these cameras were K-17, K-20, K-21, or K-24 models. The cameras were set to continuously take pictures at a pre-defined time interval. Some systems would automatically start the cameras when the bomb bay doors were opened, and others could be manually started. The B-25D/F-10-NC was also used for aerial reconnaissance. The usefulness of photography "behind enemy lines" is obvious.

B-25D/F-10-NC bombers were used by several photo mapping and photo reconnaissance squadrons. They were initially used by the 311th Photo Wing. Later the 3rd, 7th, and 10th Photo Recon Squadron received B-25D/F-10-NCs. The 11th Tactical Recon Squadron, the 18th Combat Mapping Squadron, the 19th and 34th Photo Recon Squadrons also flew B-25D/F-10-NCs. The 91st Photo Mapping Squadron, the 101st Photo Bombardment Squadron and others were also known to have flown B-25D/F-10-NCs.

On November 7, 1957, Colonel Jack A. Simms had the idea to modify a B-25 to resemble Jimmy Doolittle's B-25B-NA. He wanted to present the plane at the upcoming Doolittle raider reunion planned for April 18, 1958. Every existing resource was to be used to meet the deadline. Since using an existing B-25B-NA was not possible, B-25D/F-10-NC SN 43-3374 was used. She was flown to the North American plant in Inglewood, California and reconfigured to visually appear as a B-25B-NA. The deadline was met and she now sits at the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

B-25G-NA

The B-25G-NA was designed at the request of the United States Army. The 75mm cannon, known as the M-4, had been in development and testing since 1936. In 1938, the M-4 cannon was successfully installed and tested in a Douglas B-18. The cannon was demonstrated at Eglin Field in 1940. Commercial firms were solicited to assist in further development. The improved design produced a lighter cannon and increased power.

There were a lot of unknowns with the addition of a cannon to the B-25. Engineer George Wing was set to the task. The bombardier's crawl tunnel was the perfect location for the cannon. It provided ample room for recoil as well as space in the navigators compartment for storage of ammunition. The forward section of a B-25 was assembled with modifications to test the new design. In order to fit the cannon, the nose of the B-25 was shortened by 26 inches. This was considered the most the nose could be shortened from an aerodynamic standpoint. The end of the cannon barrel was still just aft of the nose contour. Fire tests were conducted with progressively increasing propellant charges. The structure was strengthened until it could withstand prolonged firing of over-charged rounds.

B-25C-1-NA SN 41-13296 was modified to the XB-25G. Test flights were made on October 22, 1942 to test the aircraft's flight characteristics. On October 23, 1942 the first test shots were fired from the aircraft. The XB-25G was fully tested by North American prior to being flown to Eglin Field for further testing by the Air Corps. After successful testing, the Air Corps ordered 400 examples to be supplied without lower turrets. In addition to those 400 aircraft, there were an additional 65 B-25C-NA bombers modified and re-designated as B-25Gs. The majority of these modifications were done at the modification center in Kansas City. It was the production of the B-25G-NA that marked the beginning of the end of B-25 production in Inglewood, California. Although another 1,000 B-25H-NA bombers would be built, the production of P-51 Mustangs was starting. As the Inglewood, California plant production of B-25s was winding down, production was ramping up in Kansas City.

Other than the experimental aircraft built, The B-25G-NA and B-25A-NA are the only models that no airframe is known to have survived the war. Unfortunately, the B-25G-NA was not a popular aircraft. The firing of the cannon could throw off the navigational compass by as much as 15 degrees. The lower turret was never a popular item and was commonly removed in the field. The Hawaiian Air Depot replaced the cannon with the 8 gun nose on an unknown number of B-25G-NA bombers. Any remaining aircraft were sold for scrap at the end of the war.

B-25H-NA

Although not as successful in combat as expected, the cannon carrying B-25 concept was held with hope. Another 1,000 improved bombers were ordered. The B-25-H-NA would be an improved, if not controversial, aircraft. The M-4 cannon, was replaced by a lighter T13E1 75mm cannon. The aft top turret was moved forward and the fuselage slightly lowered to make room for twin .50 caliber tail guns. This makes the B-25H easy to identify. The B-25H also had 4 rather than 2 forward .50 caliber guns, but these were sometimes removed in the field. The first 300 B-25Hs also had 2 .50 caliber side blister guns on the right side of the aircraft only. The remaining 700 aircraft had the blister guns installed on both sides. Although the appearance was slightly different, there was an available field modification to add side blister guns to just about any B-25 model that was not manufactured with them. The revisions to the fuselage allowed for the addition of 2 .50 caliber waist guns as well. This made the B-25H the most formidable B-25 in the air at the time.

The first B-25H was again, a modified B-25C-10-NA SN 42-32372. As the new cannon was not ready at the time of the testing, the B-25C-10-NA was fitted with a B-25G 2 gun nose with the M-4 cannon. A revised tail section was added was well as the relocation of the top turret. Now known as "Mortimer II", the test aircraft was also fitted with a modified Wright R-2600-20 engine. The modified engine, for whatever reason, did not make it into the production blocks. The last B-25G-10-NA was delivered in August as was the first B-25H-1-NA.

The last B-25H-10-NA manufactured at the Inglewood, California plant was also the last B-25 produced there. "Bones" SN 43-5104 was completed in July of 1944. As the plane neared completion, the North American employees covered the aircraft with dollar bills. This money was collected and donated to the Army-Navy relief fund. North American President "Dutch" Kindelberger arranged for brushes and paint that employees used to sign the historic bomber. She was assigned to the 10th Air Force, 12th Bomb Group, and arrived in India on November 30. There are many pictures of "Bones" flying in service still wearing the signatures of the employees.

Today, there are only four surviving B-25H-NA bombers. Currently, just one of those, "Barbie III" SN 43-4106 is airworthy. Only one of the remaining 3, "Dog Daize" SN 43-4999, still has the B-25H nose. SN 43-4432 is currently in restoration, but has a B-25J nose. SN 43-4899 is currently a static display with a B-25J eight gun nose.

NA-98X "Super Strafer"

The progression of the B-25 to the NA-98X is a very natural one. Originally, North American wanted to build the B-25 with Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines. These were not made available, and the reliable Wright engines were used. By 1944, many B-25s were being field modified by the addition of more .50 caliber guns. Side blister packs were being retrofitted onto aircraft that weren't manufactured with them. The 75mm cannon was commonly removed and replaced with .50 guns as well. Improving the performance of the B-25 could also serve as a low cost alternative to the expensive Douglas A-26B. At some point, this aircraft was destined to be built.

The NA-98X was designed to get the most performance out of the existing B-25 platform. To that end, B-25H-5-NA SN 43-4405 was modified. The wing tips were squared off allowing for an increase in the aileron surface area. A new low drag turret canopy was developed. The 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney engines boosted the power significantly. They were also heavier, increasing the weight. A known issue with the B-25 was excessive bending moments in the wings in extreme conditions. Knowing the increased power and aileron area would allow the NA-98X to easily fly with excessive stresses, the NA-98X was fitted with larger rivets in the leading edge skins to account for this problem. During testing, both the maximum speed and acceleration would be restricted to minimize the stress on the wings.

On March 31, 1944, North American test pilot Joe Barton made the first test flight in the NA-98X. He reported a higher speed, acceleration, reduced vibration, and a significantly improved roll rate. The performance was clearly improved over the previous B-25 models. Over the next 25 days, the NA-98X would be flown by many test pilots. Chief test pilot Ed Virgin, army pilots Major Otto McIver, Captains Fountain and McFadden and Squadron Leader Hartford of the RAF would all fly the NA-98X. Her last test pilot was Major Perry Ritchie of the Air Corps at Wright Field.

Major Ritchie and First Lieutenant Winton Wey were to conduct testing of the new aircraft for the Army Air Force. Major Ritchie was not shy about expressing his pleasure with the new aircraft. At the end of each day's testing, he would complete a high speed, low level pass over the flight ramp, followed by a steep spiral pull up. The North American structural engineers emphasized the airplane was under strict airspeed and acceleration restrictions that were indeed justified. Major Ritchie chose to ignore that warning. As his third day of testing was finishing up, Major Ritchie once again started his high speed, low altitude pass. As he reached the flight line and North American's final assembly area, he once again pulled up hard. This time however, at about 200 feet the outer wing panels separated. They flew back into the tail shearing it from the plane. The plane crashed, instantly killing both Major Ritchie and First Lieutenant Winton Wey.

The NA-98X was completely destroyed. An investigation into the cause of the crash found a deep buckle on the top surface of the right wing panel. It is believed that this failure was not the cause of the crash, but the pilot's reaction to this failure was. It should be noted here that the increased power and improved handling of the NA-98X made it easy to fly outside the structural limits of the wings. This would necessarily have warranted some sort of modification of the wing structure to ensure the safety both the aircraft and crew. Whether this modification would have negated the benefits of the improved design or increased the cost to that of the Douglas A-26B is up for speculation. After the crash, the NA-98X program was halted.

B-25J-NC

Just as the B-25J contract was signed, the production of B-25's at the Fairfax plant was moved into the "High Bay". As space became available in the original areas of the plant, production there increased. More sub assembly was done at the plant to eliminate shortages by suppliers. During this phase of transition, the plant did not shut down. In fact, assembly and manufacturing work actually were accelerated. The first B-25J-1-NC bombers to roll off the assembly line did so in December of 1943.

What would become the most heavily armed B-25 yet, the B-25J-NC was really a combination of the best aspects of a B-25H-NA and a B-25D-NC. The United States Army described the B-25J-NC to be "preferred due to increased firepower, improved bomb run stability and superior to all other similar aircraft for armament, speed, performance at altitude, stability of bombing platform, visibility and night flying and short field characteristics". There were two basic versions of the B-25J built. The only real difference between the two versions was the nose that was fitted. There was an eight gun "strafer" version and the more familiar "greenhouse" version. With twin .50 caliber blister packs on either side and a turret up top, the eight gun "strafer" could point 14 .50 caliber guns straight forward.

The B-25J is the most recognizable of all B-25 models. This is mainly due to the amazing efficiency of the Fairfax bomber plant. At the peak of production, 10 B-25J-NC bombers were being produced every day! Even after the Inglewood, California plant ceased production, the Fairfax plant was able to keep up with demand for B-25s. As a matter of fact, toward the end of the war, production actually exceeded demand. It was this efficiency that earned the plant the Army-Navy "E" for excellence award on October 6, 1944.

The North American Kansas plant continued to make B-25J-NC bombers until August 15, 1945 when they received official notification to cease production from Captain William M. Howell, contracting officer. At that time, there were many B-25J-35s still on the production line. Based on conversations with many former Fairfax bomber builders, I have been able to piece together the story of the final 72 "incomplete but flyable" B-25s.

On August 15, 1945, an unknown high-ranking Colonel was seen on the final assembly line. He basically drew a line in the sand. Any aircraft that had engines already mounted would be completed. Everything behind that line would be scrapped. At that moment, there were 38 B-25J-35-NCs in final assembly from the engine mounting station forward. There were 12 in the armament hangar, and an additional 22 completed aircraft that were waiting to be fitted with their guns outside the armament hanger. This is the final 72.

All but 2,337 of the workers were laid-off on August 20, 1945. The remaining employees would start the scrapping process as well as complete the last 38. Incomplete for the other 34 just meant they didn't have their guns yet. As the war was over, they were flown to storage without their guns. The remaining B-25s were completed over the next 60 days by the small group that remained. The last B-25J-35-NC SN 45-8899 was photographed the day she was completed on October 15, 1945 at the Fairfax plant. The remaining B-25J-35-NC bombers were flown to storage on October 30-31, 1945. Jack Fichtner, security guard, turned off the lights to the Fairfax B-25 bomber plant for the last time. On November 5, 1945, General Motors took over the plant and started the process of converting from airplane manufacturing to automobile manufacturing.

During the war, there were several notable B-25 related events. On February 2, 1942, two B-25B's were launched off the CV-8 Hornet aircraft carrier. This "test" went largely unnoticed. Two months later on April 18, 1942, Lieutenant Colonel "Jimmy" Doolittle led 15 other B-25B's off the deck of the Hornet on his "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" raid. Though of limited military value, the raid served two purposes. The raid was as a big morale boost after Pearl Harbor. After the attack, Japan was forced to defend it's borders. This limited the Japanese military force elsewhere.

On Saturday, July 28, 1945, a B-25D piloted by Colonel William Smith flew into the Empire State Building. Crashing between the 79th and 80th floors, one engine went through the building and fell to the sidewalk. The other engine fell through an elevator shaft shearing 16 cables. The elevator attached to these cables fell 100 feet in 4 seconds. Betty Lou Oliver, the elevator operator, survived this drop.

At wars end, 1767 B-25's remained in U.S. service. The last U.S. military flight, TB-25J-25-NC SN 44-30854, landed in Eglin AFB on May 21,1960. The United States was not the only country to fly B-25's. Many aircraft were sold to other countries during and after the war. Here is the best information that I have to date on B-25 service in other countries:

Argentina: 1960-1964
Bolivia: 1947 to 1948
Brazil: 1941-1958
Chile: 1947-1954
China: 1941-1945
Colombia: 1947-1954
Cuba: 1947-1955
Dominican Republic: 1951-1965
Great Britain: 1941-1945
Mexico: 1945-1954
Netherlands (Dutch Indies and Royal Australian Air Force): 1942-1953
Peru: 1947-1954
Soviet Union: 1941-1945
Uruguay: 1950-1966
Venezuela: 1947-1957