Built by North American, with no previous experience on multi-engined aircraft, the B-25 Mitchell proved to be one of the most versatile combat aircraft to see action in World War II. So impressed with what they saw on the drawing board, the USAAC ordered 184 aircraft -- to be designated the B-25 -- before metal had even been cut on a revised design.

Christened the Mitchell after maverick army bomber proponent William 'Billy' Mitchell, the bomber fought not only with the USAAF in the Pacific and ETO/MTO, but also with US Navy/Marine Corps, British, Dutch and Australian units. By war's end, the veteran Mitchell had outlasted its rivals from Douglas and Martin to become the most prolific American medium bomber of the conflict. Today some 34 remain airworthy across the globe.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a USAAF B-25J Mitchell bomber nicknamed "Lady Lil", that was deployed to The Philippines during 1945. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 11-1/4-inches
Length: 8-3/4-inches

Release Date: October 2013

Historical Account: "Bomb's Away" - Established as a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber group in late 1942, the 498th Bombardment Squadron trained under the Third Air Force in the southeast United States. It was deployed to the Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) in June 1943, thereafter being assigned to the Fifth Air Force in the Southwest Pacific Area.

It engaged in combat operations initially during the New Guinea Campaign, attacking enemy targets in New Guinea in support of General MacArthur's campaign, using B-25s for low-level strafing attacks. B-25s were modified with extra fuel tanks to increase range with extra .50 caliber machine guns installed in the noses of the aircraft. Squadron engaged in combat over New Guinea, the Bismark Archipelago, Northern Solomon Islands, the Southern Philippines and Leyte. Also flew long-distance attacks over Southeastern China and Formosa before the Japanese Capitulation in August 1945. Squadron demobilized on Okinawa during the fall of 1945, inactivated on December 19th.