Deadly Duo

The photos in this edition are black and white. Deadly Duo is a highly photographic review covering two of the most fascinating medium bombers of WWII, the North American B-25 Mitchell and the Martin B-26 Marauder. The North American B-25 was a boxy appearing, stable performing plane with a structure capable of absorbing major redesign and field modifications. Its rugged, forgiving nature allowed use in the difficult South Pacific where crude landing strips, supply shortages and ground-level attack missions were daily occurrences. Its modifications ranged from lightened photo reconnaissance planes to 12- and 14-gun models with nose-mounted cannon. The Martin B-26, on the other hand, was a very streamlined, state-of-the-art aircraft. Its short wingspan, big engines, and enormous bomb bay resulted in a high speed aerial hot rod... the type of plane a pilot had to fly all the time. Limited prop clearance, long runway requirements and demanding maintenance needs ruled out the South Pacific, so Europe became the battle ground over which the B-26 saw action. Although initial experiences were marginal at best, eventual modifications to the aircraft and changes in combat tactics resulted in the B-26 compiling one of the better survival records of the war. Deadly Duo: The B-25 and B-26 in World War II is a detailed overview of two important aircraft, with particular emphasis on their development and combat histories. Included are over 225 photographs, 10 pieces of original artwork produced for this volume and special Data Directory sections which provide specifications as well as performance and production information for each model of the two aircraft.