Flying High Again by AJ Kittelson

In South St. Paul, the Commemorative Air Force has put in hours of maintenance into many extraordinary aircrafts. Countless of these aircrafts were used to drop bombs and perform combat missions during World War II. The aircrafts in the American Air Force were ahead of their time. Preserved for over 70 years, the planes from the previous World War now fly solely for nostalgia. 

“It’s a living history,” explains volunteer pilot David Kittelson, “Where else can you go see and touch an airplane that flew over 70 years ago in a pivotal part of human history?” The Commemorative Air Force is one of the only places that still holds secured airplanes from WWII.

The most prized airplane in the Commemorative Air Force goes by the name of Miss Mitchell. Miss Mitchell is a B25 Bomber which flew over 130 combat missions, including the bombing of Tokyo in 1942 as part of the famous “Doolittle Raid.” The mission was the USA’s first attack on Japan’s home islands, and the bomber was a pivotal part in the mission’s success.

 “The B25 bomber was the only type of airplane that could make it off the carrier without the wings coming off due to the compact dimensions of the carrier,” stated volunteer and amateur historian Mitch Bertrang. “When you watch the videos of the Doolittle Raid, the planes almost seem to lift straight off the carrier. That’s because the waves were rising so high due to the storm, so the pilots had to time the takeoff when they were on top of a wave. It was very high risk but all pilots were successful.” The B25 Bomber among many other aircrafts made an immense impact on WWII which caused many improvements to be made for planes in current day. 

The Commemorative Air Force has been receiving airplanes through donations and returning them to their former glory. This organization focuses on sustaining and maintaining the airplanes that helped win the Second World War. If you would like to learn more about the history of these aircrafts or donate World War memorabilia, visit the CAF’s website https://www.cafmn.org/to learn more.