[bearoutwest]

One of the few mentions of air-to-air claims by B-25 strafer-gunships, from the bookazine "Forty of the Fifth" by Michael Claringbould.
B-25D-25 Mitchell "Mitch the Witch", #42-87293, 17th Recce Sqn/71st TRG

25-Feb-1944, during a regular reconnaissance shipping patrol of the Bismarck Sea, this B-25 encountered a Ki-21 armed transport. The B-25 pilot made a firing pass with his 6x fixed 50-cal machine guns, while the observer used his nose-mounted flexible 50-cal. As the pilot flew over the low flying Ki-21, he banked to allow the turret and waist gunners to fire. After multiple passes, the Ki-21 crashed with both engines on fire.

The B-25 crew: 1Lt B.A. Sill (pilot), S/Sgt R.F. Burns (turret), 2Lt W.J. Petersen (co-pilot), T/Sgt E.F. Duffy (waist), 2Lt J.H. Gunn (nose), S/Sgt G. Dixon (waist).


...geoff