Bombers Of World War 2: Medium

"Twenty minutes out," Elias crackled over the intercom. "Gunners, check your belts."

The turret gunner's twin fifties hammered away, a steady thump-thump-thump that vibrated through the floorboards. One Zero overshot, unable to match the Mitchell’s sudden deceleration as Elias pulled the flaps. The enemy fighter zipped past—right into the sights of the nose guns. Elias squeezed the trigger on his yoke, and the Zero disintegrated in a ball of fire. Medium Bombers of World War 2

Unlike the heavy B-17s that droned at high altitudes, the Mitchell lived in the "dead zone." They flew fast and low—so low the salt spray sometimes smeared the cockpit glass. "Twenty minutes out," Elias crackled over the intercom

Suddenly, the airfield appeared. Elias didn't use a bombsight; at this height, it was all instinct. He toggled the "para-frags"—small bombs attached to parachutes designed to drift into aircraft hangars and fuel depots. "Bombs away!" The enemy fighter zipped past—right into the sights