This was the first B25 medium bomber to be assembled at the Fairfax plant in Kansas. Christened on 23rd December 1941 by the wife of one of the employees, Mrs T L Bender. Her husband Thomas was the first man to be employed on the assembly line by North American Aviation.

Only 435 B25s were assembled at the Fairfax plant and this was the only one to be completed in 1941. The title of the plane would later be removed as a security measure after concerns regarding identifying the location of the factory complex. For the christening event a large red bow was place above the nose gun and the two engine nacelles were wrapped in cellophane. Mrs bender swung a bottle of champagne to smash against the .50 calibre gun barrel.

On 2nd February 1943 the B25 left Fairfax for Wright Patterson AAB and was accepted into USAAC service 15 days later and used for training. On 4th June she was transferred to La Junta, Colorado and assigned to 3020 Base Unit until scrapped on 21st July 1945.

 

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© Ray Bowden 9 December 2023