Those who have been around a while will know that this is not the first B-25 book done in this series, but since it has been 35 years (1978) since the first one, it is probably good that a new one has been done. Now do not get the idea that this one simply rehashes the earlier edition. While some of the images and information is the same, this one adds so much more.

One of the biggest plusses for this one is the huge number of period color photographs that have been included. Sure, some are from the North American factory, but so many more are of the aircraft in the field and these really add a lot to this edition.

We get a look at the original development of the Mitchell from the NA-40 through the early prototypes to those sent into combat up to the ultimate B-25J. There is also a small section on post war usage of the B-25 and frankly, I think that a book on its own could be done covering post war B-25 operations in the US and around the world. Aside from small areas on British and Soviet use, the book sticks with US B-25 operations.

It is arranged by the variant and goes into the combat use of each version before going into the next version. In Action books are basically photo books with most of the information contained in the photo captions. This results in some redundancy of information, but overall, the photo selection is very good. In addition to all the color in this book, there are also some very interesting images that have come to light over the decades, such as many pertaining to the Doolittle raid I've never seen before.

It all makes for another superb effort and if your interest is in the Mitchell or you missed out on the initial release of this book, then it is one that you should seriously consider adding to your shelves.

June 2013

My thanks to Squadron Products for the review copy. Get yours today at your favorite shop or on-line retailer.

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