Tag Archives: B-25

Guns of the Air Force at 75

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While Ben Franklin theorized using airships to deliver troops to battle behind enemy lines as early as 1783 and the Union Army fielded a balloon service in the Civil War, today’s Air Force traces its origin to the heavier-than-air machines of the U.S. Army’s Aeronautical Division, founded in 1907– just four years after the Wright brothers first flew. After service in Army green during both World Wars, the Air Force became an independent branch of the military in 1947 with the first Secretary of the Air Force named on Sept. 18 and its first Chief of Staff named on Sept. 26. 

To salute the 75th birthday of the USAF this week, I took a deep dive into the small arms of the organization over the years, including some rares.

Cold War-era Colt survival gun prototype
A Cold War-era Colt survival gun prototype on display at the USAF Armament Museum (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Remington XP-100 survival gun
The Remington XP-100 survival gun concept. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Bushmaster Arm Pistol in 5.56mm
The Bushmaster Arm Pistol in 5.56mm was another planned Air Force survival gun that made it about as high as a lead balloon. Bushmaster did, however, put it in limited commercial production. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

More in my column at Guns.com.

 

Liberantus Lardassarus Rex

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IMA just posted this awesome USAAF A2 leather flight jacket issued to a Lieutenant G.S. Tate who was a Bombardier in the 15th Air Force, 456th Bombardment Group, 745th Bomb Squadron who’s B-24’s motto was Liberantus Lardassarus Rex.

Original U.S. WWII B-24 Liberator 745th Bomb Squadron Lardassaurus Named Bombardier A-2 Flight Jacket

It just doesn’t get any better than that.

In semi-related news, I just blew through the six-episode miniseries, Catch-22 on Hulu, about the life and times of a B-25 bombardier trapped in an unwinnable situation on the Italian front in 1943 and found it great, if very dark.

I read Joseph Heller’s book at a young age and have revisited it often.

Of course, Heller himself in 1942, at age 19, joined the Army and flew 60 combat missions as a B-25 bombardier on the Italain Front with the 488th Bombardment Squadron, 340th Bomb Group, 12th Air Force, so Catch-22 certainly has some real-life to it.

The latest Hulu version is marketly different from the book in a number of ways, like Mike Nichol’s 1970 movie (which is on Amazon Prime) but it is nontheless enjoyable.

Major Major Major Major

That’s gonna leave a mark

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B25 bombers US attack Japanese warships incl submarine chaser CH-39 Off Three Island Harbor, New Hanover during World War II. February 16, 1944.

Notice the skip bomb?

B25 bombers US attack Japanese warships incl No.13 class submarine chaser HIJMS CH-39  (445-tons, 167 ft. aol, 16 kts, 1x76mm, 2x13mm) Off Three Island Harbor, New Hanover during World War II. February 16, 1944.

From Combined Fleet on the travels of the poor little CH-39:

16 February 1944:

Off Three Island Harbor, New Hanover in 02-24S, 150-06E. CH-39 is escorting cargo ship SANKO MARU towing a midget submarine. The convoy is attacked by Fifth Air Force B-25 “Mitchell” medium-bombers of the 500th Bomb Squadron of the 345 Bomb Group. The B-25s bomb, strafe and sink CH-39 and SANKO MARU (14 crewmen KIA) and damage the midget.

That same afternoon, B-25s of the 499th Bomb Squadron of the 345 Bomb Group find CH-39 sunk by the stern on a reef and abandoned, but the midget submarine is still on the surface. They bomb and strafe the midget and claim a sinking.

17 February 1944:

B-25s of the 500th Bomb Squadron return to the scene again and find the midget submarine still on the surface. They again bomb and strafe the midget and also claim a sinking.