Artifact Friday: B-25 "Yellow Rose"

In preparation for our Warbird weekend next week, we will be looking at a rotating artifact

that will be in our museum and available to view temporarily, the B-25 “Yellow Rose.” The

Yellow Rose is a vintage B-25 Mitchell World War II bomber. The bomber was christened with

the name “Yellow Rose” in honor of the song “The Yellow Rose of Texas” due to the aircraft

being restored and flown by the Commemorative Air Force Central Texas Wing. The Yellow

Rose has been restored to its wartime prime and is now a flying museum piece belonging to the

organization “ghost squadron.” Thousands of hours were donated to restoring the bomber,

many from the Yellow Rose squadron. The bomber was donated in 1981, and the restoration

process took four years to complete. The B-25 is a twin bomber and was manufactured by North

American Aviation (NAA). The bomber served in every theater of the war, and nearly 10,000 of

these were produced from North American Aviation factories. After the war ended, Yellow Rose

stayed in service for nearly 40 years, and its restoration today serves as a reminder of

its former

glory and assistance during and after the war. The Yellow Rose took place in important battles

such as the Doolittle Raid, invasions in Sicily and Italy, and island-hopping campaigns in the

Pacific. The Yellow Rose is an important part of not just aviation history but of World War II

history. Join us on May 30th and 31st, where the Yellow Rose will be joining us at Drake Field in

celebration of Warbird weekend!