How did the U.S. military make B25 take off from the aircraft carrier and bomb Tokyo in World War II?

B-25 is a medium-sized twin-engine propeller plane, with enough takeoff distance from the deck. The pull of turboprop engine is very strong, and the take-off distance is very short. In addition, the B-25 with only a few bombs can only take off 60 meters due to the head-on deck wind speed of at least 40 knots generated by the high-speed sailing against the wind of the aircraft carrier.

B-25 bomber (English: B-25 Mitchell), the "Mitchell" bomber developed by the United States, was one of the best light bombers on the global battlefield in World War II. The aircraft was named after "Mitchell" to commemorate the American commander william mitchell in World War I, and the B-25 bomber was one of the few aircraft named after the American Air Force.

Service event:

1, Tokyo air raid

It was used in the bombing of Japanese mainland planned by jimmy Doolittle in World War II. This mission is called an air raid on Tokyo. Originally, it was planned to be carried out by 24 B-25s in formation, but as the Hornet aircraft carrier could not accommodate so many B-25s, it was finally decided that 16 B-25s would complete the task.

In April 1942, the plane and crew boarded the aircraft carrier. Leaving California the next day. However, on April 18, in the sea about 1300 km away from Japan, Japanese patrol boats found that the aircraft carrier could not continue to move forward, and Doolittle decided to take off early.

At 8: 18, doolittle took off first, leaving about 30 meters of runway unused. The remaining 15 b-25s also successfully took off before 9: 2 1. They flew over Japan at 12: 30, dropped bombs, and then flew to China. However, due to the early takeoff, some B-25s ran out of fuel and crashed, and failed to reach the airport in China.

2, the Pacific battlefield:

The B-25 bomber had many outstanding performances in the Pacific War. In the middle of the war, B-25 participated in the use of "jumping" bombing technology similar to torpedo attack. The plane dropped the bomb low on the water, and then the bomb jumped on the water and flew to the enemy ship, which improved the hit rate, and often the bomb exploded below the waterline of the enemy ship, increasing the lethality.

In addition, throughout the Pacific War, in order to meet the needs of the war, the B-25 was constantly modified. For example, in 1943, during the amphibious support mission, the U.S. military found that the aircraft's strafing could destroy the enemy's effective force more effectively than dropping bombs, so the machine gun of the B-25 was strengthened and modified. The final result of the modification was that the 75mm M4 Sherman main gun was added to the nose of the B-25G, which was the largest caliber machine gun on the aircraft in World War II.

In the naval battle of New Britain and Bismarck in 1943, this 75mm naval gun was very effective against small fast-moving ships such as transport ships and landing craft. In fact, it was not until the 105mm howitzer appeared on AC 130 after the war that the record of B-25G was surpassed. However, in 1944, the M4 gun could not find any suitable target, so North America removed the movable nose and converted it into the final model B-25J at the end of World War II, which was mainly used to complete its bombing mission, but it was still equipped with 18 0.5-inch machine guns in all directions. The widespread use of B-25 can be seen from its modification.

3. War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression:

During War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression's period, China Air Force obtained about 100 C/D aircraft, about/kloc-0 G/H/J G/j G/j G/j G/j G/j G/j G/j G/j G/j G/j G/j G/J G/J G (including China-US mixed wing), and about 30 damaged aircraft. Among them, B-25C/D was obtained from June 1943, which was mainly distributed to China-US Mixed Wing 1 Brigade 1 ~ 4 Squadron, with each team 10.

The second squadron was first equipped. After completing the training in India, he entered the battle of Changde on 1943 using B-25D. At that time, the painting was still in the style of American Army Aviation, but the national emblem of American aircraft was painted and replaced by the symbol of China Air Force.

At the beginning of 1944, 1 brigade began to change to B-25H, and then got G-type in May and June, and changed to J-type in autumn. According to the division of labor, C/D and J are mainly used to bomb ground targets, while G/H is mainly used to patrol the southeast coast and the South China Sea and attack Japanese ships at sea.

Before War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression's victory, the 2nd Brigade of China Air Force was sent to the United States for training, and it was planned to receive 1 B-25. During the training period, War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression ended, and the team was transferred to a C-46 transport plane, which was later reorganized into an airlift unit.

After War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression's victory, all B-25s were incorporated into the Kuomintang Air Force 1 and Brigade 2, reaching 64 at most. After that, it received more than 50 B-25s left by the US military, and several F- 10 reconnaissance planes modified from B-25D were handed over to 12 squadron for use. Two B-25Ds were changed into special planes for commanders and deputy commanders of the Kuomintang Air Force, which were managed by 10 Air Transport Brigade [3].

China Air Force obtained the B-25, 1943, by way of lease bill. Since August, it has joined the battlefield in China, replacing the aging SB-2 and becoming the main tactical strike mission in China. The first brigade of the China-US mixed regiment and the second brigade of the Republic of China Air Force changed the aircraft. The model used in the early days was B-25C/D, and it was gradually supplemented by B-25J in the later period of the Anti-Japanese War.

B-25 is mainly used to attack Japanese traffic lines and supply lines on the battlefield in China, including the Japanese fleet on the Yangtze River or even Hong Kong or Hainan Island, because it has sufficient bomb load and ground firepower. During major competitions, front-line support tasks will be supported. For example, in the battle of Changde, the B-25 attacked the Japanese army with fighter planes many times and put pressure on it. Occasionally, strategic bombing will be carried out, such as1943165438+1October 25th. When the Chinese and American air forces bombed Hsinchu Airport in Taiwan Province Province, B-25 also participated.

4. War of Liberation:

1948 after the Liaoshen campaign, the PLA captured two such planes for the first time, and later returned from the uprising and captured them in various places. After maintenance, there are 5 available, all of which are J-type. On may 4th, 1949, Kuomintang air force B-24M bombers attacked Beiping nanyuan airport, destroying two. The other three were incorporated into the Combat Flying Brigade 1 Squadron established in March of the same year and the Combat Flying Brigade established in Peiping on August 5 of the same year.

On April 7th, 1949, Liang Huifu, captain of the 3rd Squadron of Kuomintang Air Force 1 Brigade, Huang Qiling, captain of Hankou Guard (son of Huang Xiang, commander of the 92nd Army of Kuomintang Uprising General), and Wang Yameng, a primary school teacher, let their vigilance relax before dawn, sneaked into the airport and took off from Hankou Airport with a 1 American B-25 bomber.

On March 27th, 195 1, Dai Zijin, a major pilot of special forces of Kuomintang Air Force 10 brigade, and Shi Dianwen, a mechanic, hijacked the 1 B-25 bomber over Taipei and landed safely at Jiangwan Airport in Shanghai.

1 On February 9, 954, the Kuomintang Air Force1Brigade Captain Staff Officer Huang Tiejun and the gunner Liu Mingsan took off from the Taiwan Province Hsinchu Airport and forced to land at Sanmen, Zhejiang Province due to fuel exhaustion.