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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magnificant Is Right!,
By
This review is from: B-25 Mitchell: The Magnificent Medium (Hardcover)
Magnificant is right - for the plane and the book which covers the development, design and deployment of the B-25 medium bomber in WW2. This plane served mostly in the Pacific theater enjoying great popularity with its crews for reliability, ruggedness and versatility.
Most famous for the Tokoyo Dolittle air raid, over 9,800 of these bombers were built. The book covers each one in detail with many line drawings, clear black and white photos showing the weapon positions, bomb bays and interior. I really liked how the author captured how feedback from the field went to the factory for modifications to make the next version even better. There are sections covering post war use and survivors, which is always interesting. There are only 3 pages of color photos (these pictures are small, but helpful to show the color schemes used) and little in the way of pilot or crew narratives on flying the B-25, but these are minor criticisms of what is otherwise a fantastic book on this important medium bomber of WW2. I definately recommend this for all aviation buffs.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good overview coverage of a famous aircraft,
By Jersey Kid (Katy, Texas, America!) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: B-25 Mitchell: The Magnificent Medium (Hardcover)
A mix of design and combat history for the aircraft that, like the Spitfire, is most remembered for one pivotal event. For the Spitfire, it was, of course, the Battle of Britain. For the B-25 Mitchell, it is one single day and mission; namely the "Doolittle Raid" on the Japanese home islands on April 18, 1942.
The author begins the story in the late 1930s, describing how bombing continued to develop after World War One. While the concept of a four-engine strategic bomber was being exploited, there was also a tactical element, typified by a two-engine aircraft whose defensive capabilities were two-fold: armament and speed. During this time, Martin and Douglas were the primary aircraft suppliers, but another entrant appeared, North American. Author Avery leads us along the evolutionary path for the Mitchell, a journey that evolves into also explaining how and why combat experience and need stimulated the bomber's design cycle of meeting tactical needs beyond bombing. The latter stages of World War two saw this trend reach its zenith in the Pacific Theater as purpose-built "strafing" aircraft - that bring up to 14(!) .50 caliber guns to bear on a target. In many ways, the B-25 Mitchell became more of a fighter-bomber than a medium bomber. It was not alone in this aspect, the Douglas A-26 also evolved along this route. Interspersed with the design chapters - though not alternating - are the chapters dealing with usage. One is devoted to the Doolittle raid, others to use by the Dutch and the US Navy/Marines. The book concludes with the post-war use of the bomber by the military and subsequently in the civilian milieu. It is also graced with numerous appendices dealing with production volumes and allocations; the crew lists for the Doolittle raid and a likely dated list of surviving aircraft. Photographic coverage is good, though a bit restricted in number.
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