B-25 Mitchell

The B-25H "Rum Runner" from the 491st Bomb Squadron, the "RINGERS", flies in formation on a bombing mission during the Japanese "Ichigo" campaign. Sometime after this photo was taken Rum Runner, combat ID '439' was destroyed when they crashed landed near Liuzhou. No crewmen were seriously injured. Frank Willard Bates has provided photos of Rum Runner after the crash landing...

B-25H, "Wabash Cannonball", of the 491st Bomb Squadron in flight over China. Notice the 'smudge' behind the squadron emblem and below the pilot's side window. The smudge is the residue of the powder from when the side-mounted .50 caliber machine guns, are fired during a low-level attack on trains, rail yards, bridges, convoys, barges, troops, etc. From the collection of...

A B-25J of the 491st Bomb Squadron, drops bombs on a target somewhere in SW China or Burma. Named "Niagra's Belle", the squadron assigned combat id number '439' is visible on the tail and on the nose.

Photograph of B-25C in flight in the CBI, tail number 130367 (serial number 41-30367). Notice the machine gun (.50 cal.) barrel sticking out of the belly of '367.' This 491st Bomb Squadron aircraft was damaged by flak on 20 Dec 1943 and the crew bailed out. 2nd Lt. Charles H. Redd, navigator, became a POW. He survived and returned to...

An unidentified B-25H of 491st Bm Sq in formation flight somewhere over karst formations in SW China. Photo was taken from the right, waist gun position of an aircraft.

A 491st Bomb Squadron B-25H, tail #439, in formation flight somewhere over China. Look carefully above the tail to see two more B-25s just below the large cloud.

A 491st Bomb Squadron aircraft on a formation mission in China, #439, "Rum Runner." It was destroyed in a crash landing at Liuzhou in June 1944. Two more aircraft are silhouetted against the cloud in the background. They appear to also be B-25s, however, we are unable to identify whether they are also 491st or aircraft from the 11th Bm...

Two B-25Ds of the 491st Bm Sq fly above a solid cloud layer. Running out of fuel because clouds hid the air fields caused more aircraft losses in China than did the enemy aircraft or anti-aircraft fire.

This unidentified B-25C has its bomb bay doors open as the formation approaches a target somewhere in Burma. From the collection of Wozniak, combat photographer for the 491st Bomb Squadron, in the CBI.

Three aircraft of the 491st Bm Sq, including B-25C, 42-64650, and B-25D, 41-29930, fly in formation somewhere over the Naga Hills in Burma in 1943.