North American B-25J Mitchell bomber repainted in colours of plane flown by Catch-22 author Joseph Heller
This article originally appeared on Culture24.
IWM Duxford reveals the new authentic paint scheme of its World War II North American B-25J Mitchell bomber
A front and underside view of the North American B-25J Mitchell in its new colour scheme© IWMThe aircraft now represents North American B-25J Mitchell 43-4064, which served with the 488th Bomb Squadron of the 340th Bomb Group, 12th Air Force, United States Army Air Forces, in the latter stages of the Second World War.
The 340th Bomb Group flew 898 combat missions in the latter stages of World War Two attacking targets in in North Africa, Italy, Bulgaria, Albania, Yugoslavia, Greece, southern France and Austria.
Based in Corisca, the formation was the inspiration for the Bomb Group represented in American author Joseph Heller’s satirical novel Catch-22. Heller served as a bombardier in the 488th Bomb Squadron and had extensive experience flying bombing missions in Mitchells.
As a medium bomber, the Mitchell gained a reputation for versatility and durability. The exploits of Heller and his fellow crew members in B-25J Mitchell 43-4064 formed the inspiration for some of the events in his classic novel.
Dave Roper paints the nose art onto IWM’s B-25J Mitchell© IWMChris Knapp, a conservation expert at the museum, explained how the museum’s Conservation Team had carried out a structural survey prior to a team of three repainting the aircraft within a six week period.
“I’m really pleased with the work they have done,” he said. “The only element of the repainting that we didn’t undertake in-house was the nose art as we don’t have a sign writer on our staff.
"We have carried out painstaking research to ensure that the aircraft matches the original 43-4064. All lines and colour changes are taken from original photographs of the aircraft during the Second World War.”
The North American B-25J Mitchell in its new colour scheme© IWMMore from Culture24's World War Two section:
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