B-25 Mitchell in Civil Service

The North American B-25 Mitchell was one of the best-known medium bombers of World War II, especially remembered for its use in the Doolittle raid on Japan in 1942 and its participation in every major theater of the war. Less known, however, is its continued role in the postwar world, both in military and civilian service. Thousands of war surplus B-25s sat on airfields in 1945, available to the highest bidder. Though most B-25s, as other warplanes, were scrapped and smelted, hundreds did enj oy a postwar career in the civil sector. The B-25 is now one of the most prolific surviving warbirds, and this book tells the story of the type in the years since the end of World War II. The B-25 has provided diverse and distinguished service in roles fr om fire-fighting to movie production. This books covers all of these roles and includes hundreds of photographs, detailed appendices, and individual aircraft histories of each of the civilian B-25s.