All you B-25 people, especially the MAAM "BT" development team - have you ever read the book "Whip", by Martin Caidin? Mr. Caidin was a prolific writer of WW-II airplane books during the 1970s. An excellent writer. "Whip" is a work of fiction. It takes place in the Pacific, 1942-43, Northern Australia, New Guinea. Its about a B-25 outfit, and while it's fiction, it seems to be based on the exploits of the 3rd Attack Group, who fought those early dark and defensive days of the Pacific war. There are references to real people, like Paul "Pappy" Gunn, who, from the field, helped transform early B-25Bs and Cs from glass-nosed "green-house" level bombers into 50 cal armed low evel strafers. His work inspired the awesome B-25J gunship, armed with 14 forward firing 50 caliber guns, as depicted in the MAAM "Briefing Time" fs2004 plane. It's a great book. All B-25 "BT" fans should read it. Very moving. Good stuff.prb

No I haven't, but you can bet I will now! Martin Caiden is one of my favorite authors. In fact, he wrote a non-fiction book I will recommend in turn, called "The Ragged, Rugged Warriors". My Dad's outfit, the 22d Bomb Group, known as the "Red Raiders", was one of the subjects of that book.Here's a short excerpt from that book on the home page of the Red Raiders http://www.redraiders22bg.comDad was one of the ground crewmen Mr. Caiden was writing about.Thanks for the tip.Bill Rambow MAAM-SIM - Rambow, Visser, Banting, Young, and Womackhttp://www.fssupport.com/maam_sim/maamsim_logo.gif

I have that book!I think I have all the Martin Caidin WW-II airplane books. I love the history of the 22nd BG. They flew the short winged so-called "killer" B-26s. But the guys of the 22nd loved 'em because they could almost outrun the Zeros over Lae, as told in "Ragged Rugged Warriors." That's a great book. The chaper on the four Marauders from the 22nd and 38th BGs who made the torpedo attack on the Japanese fleet at Midway is unbelievable ("The Other Midway").The Chino Planes of Fame Air Museum out here in CA restored one of the short winged B-26s some years ago. It was beautiful. They restored it for somebody else, so it didn't remain at the Planes of Fame museum, and I never found out where it went. Glad I got to see it shiny on the flight line once.prb

I believe that must be the Marauder that went to Kermit Week's "Fantasy of Flight" in Jacksonville. http://www.fantasyofflight.com/Aircraft/b26.htmLast I heard she had been grounded as she was making some rather troubling groaning noises. I guess the old gal is tired. Too bad, as she is the only flyable Marauder in the world.Despite the fact that the 22d started with Marauders, then transitioned to Mitchells, and finally Liberators, making it the only group in the war to be equipped with three different types, Dad always considered himself a Marauder man. Bill Rambow MAAM-SIM - Rambow, Visser, Banting, Young, and Womackhttp://www.fssupport.com/maam_sim/maamsim_logo.gif

That's gotta be right. The time (1997) is right, the paint job is consistent with what I saw on the flight line out here, and finally, sadly, if she is the only flyable B-26 left, well, then that does it. Interesting that the only flight worthy B-26 is one of the early short-winged birds.It's a difficult choice, made more so as the years fo on... Do we fly them and risk loosing them, or do we preserve them? I'm for flying them, but I understand the other side of the argument. If you have the last remaining B-26...Can't wait for the MAAM P-61 to get in the air. That's got to be the most interesting airplane of WW-II. Full-span spoilers for roll controll -- not until the Grumman A6 Intruder and F-14 Tomcat would such a flight control system be employed. Good stuff!prb.

Just visited the Red Raider's site. It's fabulous! Lots of pictures of the planes and crew members. Lots of history there.WWII veterans have always been my heros and my Dad is at the top of the list. He was a Combat Medic with the 30th Inf Div in Europe.Jim

You'll get no argument from me! As a combat infantryman (Vietnam), combat medics are my special heroes, too - mine and just about every other grunt you'll ever run in to.Bill Rambow MAAM-SIM - Rambow, Visser, Banting, Young, and Womackhttp://www.fssupport.com/maam_sim/maamsim_logo.gif