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Aircraft History Built by North American Aviation (NAA) in Inglewood as the tenth B-25C manufactured. Constructors Number 82-5078. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-25C Mitchell serial number 41-12443. Purchased by the Netherlands for the Militaire Luchtvaart (ML-KNIL) Army Aviation Corps of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army for use in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) as B-25C Mitchell serial number N5-137. On March 3, 1942 arrived McClellan Airfield (SAD) and afterwards flown to Hamilton Field. On March 19, 1942 took off from Hamilton Field flown by a Royal Air Force (RAF) Ferry Command crew including pilot Don McVicar via Hickam Field then across the Pacific to Australia arriving March 28, 1942 at Amberley Field near Brisbane. Next, flown by a Dutch ML-KNIL crew to Archerfield Airfield. Wartime History In early April 1942, one of three B-25Cs requisitioned by the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF). On April 6, 1942 assigned to the 3rd Bombardment Group (3rd BG), 13th Bombardment Squadron (13th BS) at Charters Towers Airfield. Nicknamed "Mortimer" in block letters on the side of the nose. Royce Mission On April 11, 1942 took off from Batchelor Field near Darwin piloted by 1st Lt Smith with co-pilot 2nd Lt. Talley on the Royce Mission as one of nine B-25s with three B-17s on a flight 1,500 miles northward to Del Monte Airfield on Mindanao in the Philippines. On April 12, 1942 and April 13, 1942 one of nine B-25s plus three B-17s that bombed Cebu and Davao. Afterwards, flown back to Batchelor Field. On April 19, 1942 took off took from Charters Towers Airfield with a bomb bay fuel tank on a flight to 7 Mile Drome near Port Moresby arriving at dawn to refuel then took off again at 9:00am on a reconnaissance mission over northeast New Guinea. During October 1942 sustained damage and in transfered to a service squadron for repairs. In Australia, converted to a strafer, with the nose over painted. During November 1942 transfered to the 90th Bombardment Squadron (90th BS). In early March 1943 participated in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Fate Possibly this B-25 was flown across the Pacific back to United States. Ultimate fate unknown, likely scrapped or otherwise disappeared. A wartime advertisement for North American Aviation (NAA) had a watercolor artwork of B-25C "Mortimer" being serviced while parked at an airfield in the Pacific. References USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-25C Mitchell 41-12443 "12443 (MSN 82-5078) to Netherlands Indies AF as N5-124 [sic] Feb 5, 1942. Ferried to Australia but impressed Mar 27, 1942 by USAAF and assigned to 3rd BG" B-25 Mitchell in Dutch Service "In late June [1942], another five (N5-122, N5-124, N5-125, N5-126, and N5-127) were delivered, apparently replacing the first five B-25Cs which had "disappeared" into USAAF service during the interim." Oz @ War "B-25C Mitchell 41-12443 Mortimer in Australia during WW2" "Early NAA B-25C Mitchells of the ML/KNIL, February 1942-June 1942" by Dr. P.C. Boer 2009, revised December 2012, June 2014 and August 2016 pages 9, 15 (transfer to USAAF), 27 (Table I: B-25Cs ferried to Australia 41-12443 / N5-137), 30 (footnotes 2, 5) Harvest of the Grim Reapers Volume I (2019) pages 148 (Royce Mission), 158-159 (April 19, 1942), 460 (90th BS 41-12443) Thanks to Scott Wonderly for additional information Contribute
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