B-25 Mitchell At The Caldwell Airport

This week, the “Maid in the Shade” will be at the Caldwell Airport for tours, walk-throughs, and flights. This B-25J Mitchell is one of only two surviving B-25’s to have seen Combat in World War II. Today, I had the pleasure of talking to Steve from the Arizona Airbase of the Commemorative Air Force about the aircraft and its current mission of educating and honoring.

First, let’s discuss the legacy of the B-25 Mitchell. This style of Aircraft is remembered for the Doolittle Raid on Japan only five months after the US entered in to WWII. The attack was extraordinary because it was unheard of for aircraft to take off from an aircraft carrier. There were nearly 10,000 B-25s produced and only thirty-four are still flying today. It also carried the top-secret Norden Bomb-sight. This allowed the United States to conduct bombings during the daytime, which was also unprecedented. If a B-25 was going down, the bombardier would pull the pins to the bomb sight and throw it out of the plane so it wouldn’t end up in enemy hands. On Maid in the Shade you can see the bomb sight at the nose of the plane.

Let’s discuss this particular plane. The Maid in the Shade was built in 1944 in Kansas City. She has flown fifteen missions based out of Corsica. Thirteen missions over Italy and two over Yugoslavia. The B-25 was primarily used for low-altitude missions, and Steve told us this plane is the granddaddy of the A-10. There are a few things you should look for when viewing the Maid in the Shade. Notice how compact all of the spaces are, considering this would have held a crew of six. The crew members flying on this aircraft would have been kids between 18-24 who grew up in the Great Depression and joined the war shortly after being considered adults. The second thing you should notice is the signatures on the bomb bay doors. These are all signatures of crew members who flew on this plane. Spend some time looking at it; this is your chance to touch history. In giving us a tour of the plane, Steve pointed out the Gatorade bottles collecting oil. He said, “If it’s not leaking, it’s not running.” These planes were mass-produced, with planes being made one every hour. They were not built for longevity or precision. Just built to go. A lot of the repairs made on them were made in the field. (pictures at the end of the article)

Below you will find more information about the tours. Don’t hesitate to ask questions! The Maid in the Shade took 28 years to repair and make flyable and has an incredible story. Everyone we talked to today was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable.