North American B-25 Mitchell

Operational photos - Page 2














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B-25 9M 'Athena' (serial # 43-27655) in olive drab with white tail letters.
B-25J 9M Athena (serial # 43-27655) painted in olive drab with white tail letters taking off from Alesani, Corsica. Photograph by Quentin Kaiser.


B-25 9M 'Athena' (serial # 43-27655) in olive drab with white tail letters.
B-25J 9M Athena (serial # 43-27655) painted in olive drab with white tail letters on a bombing mission over the Alps in the Brenner Pass. Photograph by Quentin Kaiser.


B-25 9M 'Athena' (serial # 43-27655) in light biege or silver with black tail letters.
Another photograph of B-25J 9M Athena (serial # 43-27655) but here painted light biege or silver with black tail letters somewhere over the Mediterranean Sea. Photograph by Quentin Kaiser.


B-25 9M 'Athena' (serial # 43-27655) in light biege or silver with black tail letters.
Here's another photograph taken by Quentin Kaiser of B-25 9M Athena (serial #43-27655) painted light with black tail letters somewhere on a bombing mission.


Contrasting styles of 489th B-25Js.
This photograph taken by Quentin Kaiser on a bombing mission of B-25J 9M Athena and B-25J 9B Legal Eagle clearly shows the two contrasting styles of 489th planes.


My dad's main plane in which he flew most of his 
missions: B-25J 9F 'Stella'.
Quentin Kaiser's main plane, B-25J 9F Stella in which he flew 15 missions, taking off from Alesani, Corsica. Photograph by Quentin Kaiser.







B-25 9C.

B-25J 8P damaged in mid-air collision with B-25J-8U.
This 488th Bomb Squadron B-25J 8P actually made it back to Alesani after a mid-air collision with B-25J 8U. The tail gunner of this plane (8P) and the entire crew of the other plane (8U) were killed. Of course everyone on the base wanted to see this plane after they heard what happened so there are many pictures of it.


B-25 8P with tail damage from mid-air collision with B-25 8U.
Here's another view of the damaged B-25 8P after miraculously returning to Alesani.


B-25 8P with tail damge from mid-air collision with B-25 8U.
This B-25J was the "8P" 43-27657 with pilot, 2nd Lt. W.B. Pelton. After the bombing of San Michele, the flak started to fire but nobody was hit. Changing the heading to join Corsica, a strong blast of wind unbalanced the "8U" 43-4064 with pilot, 1st Lt. W.Y. Simpson. The 8U collided with the 8P tail and killed the tail gunner S/Sgt. Aubrey B. Porter. The 8U came down in a spin and crashed with all the crew members (KIA). The 8P landed safely at Alesani with such tail. 8U crew: Pilot, 1st Lt. William Y. Simpson/ Copilot, 2nd Lt. Frederick C. Greenig/ S/Sgt. James C. Rice/ Sgt. Doyles G. Shipley/ Sgt. Robert J. Jackson/ Cpl. Fred B. Hicks. 8P crew: Pilot, 2nd Lt. W.B. Pelton/ Cap., F/O H.K. Shackelford/ S/Sgt. A.J.Bertagna/ S/Sgt. R.C. Garner/ Cpl. H. Lisby and S/Sgt. A.B. Porter (MIA). (The crew lists give only the pilot positions nothing about the gunners) I have only the names. Unfortunately for 1st Lt. Pelton, the 16th of March 1945, his B-25 "8H" ditched at 4 miles after the take-off, the two engines stopped at the same time, the plane blown up in touching the water. Only the body of the radio-gunner was found and buried at the cemetery of Bastia- S/Sgt. Lawrence W. Kahl."

B-25J 9N flying past the town of Bastia, Corsica on a mission.
This picture of B-25J 9N was taken by my father on a bombing mission after taking off from Alesani, Corsica as they passed over the town of Bastia, Corsica heading north.


Bastia Then (1944) and Now (2001).


B-25J 9N returning from a mission over the Italian Riviera.
B-25J 9N on the return trip for the same mission shown above starting out over Bastia, Corsica.
Three 489th B-25Js on a bombing mission.

 
B-25D 7C #42-87461 from the 487th Bombardment Squadron.



B-25J 7A & 7U, a Dogface.



Flight of three 487th BS B-25C or D models.



B-25J 7C dropping four 1000 pound bombs.'



B-25J 7C over the Alps.



Two 487th BS B-25J Dogfaces.



B-25J 7Q 43-27633 dropping four 1000 pound bombs.

B-25J 7E leaving pod.
B-25J 7E exiting pod before take-off from Alesani, Corsica.


This B-25 looks like its going down.



Box of 487th B-25Js on August 15th, 1944, D-Day, Southern France.'



Box of 487th B-25Js releasing 1000 pound bombs.



Box of 487th B-25s over the Alps.



Looking back at the smoke after dropping their bombs.



Box of 487th B-25s on a mission.



B-25J 7A banking.



Tight formation.