B-25 Mitchells... with torpedoes????

[Scott Rose]

B-25 Mitchells (43-3905 & ???) fitted with torpedoes preparing to take off to attack Japanese shipping, Okinawa, July 1945.

[sandiego89]

New one to me, and a bit surprised by torpedoes being used by the type that late into 1945.

[mike furline]

[Scott Rose]

Mike,

Thanks for the additional images.

[pjpahs]

Torpedo mounted to B25 is a GT-1 glide torpedo, notice the wings.

[phil65]

"Yankee Baka"

I like the wheel chocks...



Phil

[Mark Allen M]

North American PBJ-1D Mitchell patrol bomber (Bureau # 35094) Undergoing flight tests at Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland, circa Summer 1943.

[Ken]

In the first image, the rivet counter in me thinks something doesn't look right with the dimension of the star & bar nor its placement. Obviously it's fine, as it's "as seen in the service".

The layout and dimension calculation for the paint shop is not a simple task as I learned coordinating the insignia for the CFM A-1H.

Ken

[mike furline]

In the first image, the rivet counter in me thinks something doesn't look right with the dimension of the star & bar nor its placement. Obviously it's fine, as it's "as seen in the service".

The layout and dimension calculation for the paint shop is not a simple task as I learned coordinating the insignia for the CFM A-1H.

Ken

Count away....

Unfortunately the only description with the photo is "B-25's on deck, U.S.S. Natoma Bay, Aug. 30, 1944".

[Ken]

Interesting snapshot in the evolution timeline of the B-25. The rough PBJ equivalent of the very late C/D model. Tail gun position & waist windows taking shape toward the way they would look on the H/J. Early style package guns. Turret still aft. Not as common to see the horizontal bar on the windshield on the co-pilot side, as opposed to the bar and, often, armor, on the pilot's side. Cool pic.

Ken

[Noha307]

On the subject of Aeronca GT-1s, CriticalPast has a film titled Preset Glide Torpedo Model GT-1 that shows the weapon being tested. There's also a similar film for the bomb version.

Also, someone over on the War Relics Forum posted a bunch of pictures of GT-1s being worked on in the Pacific:

(Source: War Relics Forum)

(Source: War Relics Forum)

Finally, the grandson of one of the members of the 47th Bomb Group went to the National Archives and scanned the mission reports for the 41st Bomb Group. This of course includes the report for the one pictured above, mission number 41-24:

(Source: Google Drive)

(Source: Google Drive)

(Source: Google Drive)

Other missions where the GT-1 was used include 41-27, on 29 July 1945; 41-30 on 30 July 1945; 41-33 on 31 July 1945; and 41-38 on 1 August 1945. 41-30 was similarly a bust, with the B-25s returning when contact was not made with the fighter escort. Although torpedoes were dropped on 41-38, the fact that the B-25s immediately broke off after dropping their torpedoes at 12 miles out meant that there was no way to confirm whether anything was struck. On 41-27, only a single hit was scored, but the torpedo did not appear to explode. The biggest success was apparently 41-33, when one cargo ship and possibly two aircraft carriers were hit. Interestingly, one of the torpedoes is reported as being shot down by anti-aircraft fire:

(Source: Google Drive)

[shrike]

Interesting about what goes around.
The GT-1 is very similar to the Friedensengel and they are both the same concept as the "New" HAAWC-ALA for the P-8

[gregv]

interesting thread, thanks for the pics!

In all my years of looking at pics of B-25's I never realized that there were late C/D versions that had tail and waist gun positions... wow. Looks so weird when you're not used to it! Very cool.

thanks

greg v.