Search continues for WWII 'Pride of Conecuh' B-25 Mitchell Bomber

1943 'Pride of Conecuh' B-25 Mitchell bomber

In late August, I wrote a column in this space about an old photo that was published in the Aug. 26, 1943 edition of The Courant. That edition of the paper featured a large, front-page photo of a North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber that had been named the “Pride of Conecuh.” The War Department’s Bureau of Public Relations sent the photo to The Courant because the plane had been bought with funds raised during a war bond sale in Conecuh County in 1942.

“It was bombers of this type which blasted Tokyo, Rommel and is dreaded by the enemy on all fronts,” the caption beneath the photo said. “A Mitchell was the first U.S. bomber to sink a U-Boat. Conecuh citizens will follow with more than ordinary interest, the exploits of ‘Pride of Conecuh’ as it takes its place at battle front.”

After seeing the photo, I began hunting for more information about the plane and didn’t have any luck, which is why I asked readers to let me know if they knew anything about this plane that bore the county’s name during World War II. I wanted to find out what happened to the plane, to see if it had been scraped, shot down or if it still existed somewhere out there today, maybe as part of a veterans memorial or historical display.

Soon after my initial column ran in late August, I got an e-mail from loyal Courant reader, Jacob Lowrey. Lowrey’s father was a captain in the old Army Air Corp and piloted B-24s over the Himalayas, carrying supplies and fuel from India into China. In 2010, Lowrey attended a symposium at the State Archives in Montgomery that was held to mark 100 years of flight in the City of Montgomery. This aviation history symposium was organized by Dr. Bill Trimble of Auburn University’s History Department, and speakers at the event included aviation history experts at the Air Force Historical Research Agency at Montgomery’s Maxwell Air Force Base. Lowrey suggested that I contact these individuals to see if they had any information about the “Pride of Conecuh” in their extensive records.

Dr. Trimble at Auburn was very interested in the “Pride of Conecuh,” but he didn’t have any information about the plane in his records. He also suggested that I contact the Air Force Historical Research Agency, specifically archivist Archie DiFante. DiFante didn’t know what became of the “Pride of Conecuh” either, but he was extremely helpful. Here’s what he had to say.

“Attempting to identify an aircraft marked as purchased under the bond programs is usually fruitless because rarely did these aircraft actually depart the U.S. carrying this name,” he wrote in an e-mail to The Courant Wednesday of last week. “Based on what I have read, bond aircraft were usually chosen at random from a row of new aircraft at the factory, painted with the appropriate name, photographed carefully so that the serial numbers never are shown, and, usually, the name was removed, and it became another replacement aircraft. Crews would usually name their aircraft as they saw fit and, even if the previous name remained, they would have the right to remove it and replace it.”

In my first e-mail to DiFante, I sent him a copy of the “Pride of Conecuh” photo that ran in The Courant 70 years go. After examining that photo, he said “I can tell you that the aircraft shown is an earlier model B-25C and that, as expected, it has no unit or theater markings or visible serial number. The best chance to try to find if this aircraft actually carried the name beyond the airport tarmac is to place notices on websites relating to B-25s and hope for the best. Regardless, it is certain that the aircraft served well, no matter how it was named and where it was assigned. B-25Cs would most likely have served in North Africa and Italy or the Southwest Pacific and New Guinea.”

According to Boeing Company’s Web site, the North America B-25 Mitchell was a twin-engine bomber that was widely used by Allied Air Forces during World War II. Nearly 10,000 of these extremely versatile planes were produced between 1939 and 1945. They were used as fighter planes, for high- and low-level bombing runs, photoreconnaissance, strafing and submarine patrols. A typical crew consisted of a pilot, bombardier, radio operator and gunner.

These planes became the most heavily armed planes in the world during World War II. Some of them were armed with 75-mm cannons and machine guns as well as over a dozen .50-caliber guns in the bombardier’s compartment. Some of these planes were also equipped with eight .50-caliber guns in the nose of the plane. Its normal bomb capacity was 5,000 pounds.

B-25 Mitchells were 53-feet long and were powered by two 1,700-horse power Wright Cyclone engines. They were also fast, capable of flying over 300 miles per hour with a range of 3,000 miles. They had a wingspan of just over 67-1/2 feet.

In the end, I plan to continue to look for more information about the “Pride of Conecuh,” and I’ll update you if I learn anything new. If anyone out there has any information about this plane, please let me know. You can reach me by phone at The Courant by 251-578-1492 or you can write me at The Evergreen Courant, ATTN: Lee Peacock, P.O. Box 440, Evergreen, AL 36401. If you’d rather contact me by e-mail, please do so at courantsports@earthlink.net.