BRUNSWICK – Ninety-year-old Donald Murchie stared wistfully at the World War II B-25 bomber on the tarmac.
“Ohhh,” Murchie sighed. “It was a great plane.” He flew one over German-occupied Italy in 1943.

On Friday, he yearned for a ride in the fully restored B-25 twin-engine combat aircraft, which will be on display Saturday and Sunday at the 2008 Great State of Maine Air Show at the Brunswick Naval Air Station.

The flying piece of history, one of dozens of aircraft displayed at the show, is sponsored by the Disabled American Veterans.

“We bring the plane in to keep the memory of these veterans alive, so people can see what those guys did and what they sacrificed for us,” DAV spokeswoman Lynn May said. “We have veterans come up to the plane. You see a tear come down their cheek. We owe them a debt of gratitude.”

Murchie is one of those veterans. The Brunswick man was drafted in 1941. “I wanted to fly,” he said. He became an aviation cadet in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was eventually assigned to fly a B-25 from a base in Africa.

His job there: “I was supposed to drive a B-25 to a target, drop bombs on it and come back. But I only made it nine and a half times.”

On his last mission he was over Italy when his prop governor went. His plane would only fly left. Murchie flew around and around for hours to burn up fuel, then ditched the plane, landing it in the ocean.

The crew of five survived and spent two days in a dinghy before reaching shore. They came up with a plan to get back to base.

“We were young and had seen a lot of movies,” Murchie said. “Our maps indicated a rail line running down the middle of Italy.” They planned to steal a ride on the train. But the trains were heavily guarded. “We decided to go back to the coast, steal a boat and set sail for Africa – but we got caught by the Germans.”

Murchie was a prisoner of war from 1943 to 1945, until his POW camp was liberated by Gen. George Patton.

“I didn’t feel like a hero,” Murchie said. “I felt like a jerk who got caught.”

Flight over Brunswick

The B-25 was among the most famous medium bombers used during WWII, and the most widely produced American twin engine combat aircraft. It held six crew members, a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, engineer, a waist gunner and a tail gunner.

World War II veterans and journalists were invited to ride Friday as a preview to the air show, which stars the Blue Angels and will be the final show in Maine before the naval base closes.

Two reporters got in by climbing up a ladder through the floor of the plane. They then jumped into a seat that once held a gunner. Strapped in, feet dangling, they listened as pilot Paul Nuwer gave instructions on how important it was to stay strapped in during takeoff and landing.

Space was tight. All around were steel, bolts, nuts and wires. Overhead, a machine gun. The B-25 started with noisy roars and rattles. The engine backfired. In front were the pilot and co-pilot. At the tail where gunners once sat was a war veteran and a news photographer.

The B-25 taxied out, then climbed. The engine grew louder. “During World War II they didn’t have these,” Nuwer said of the headsets, which everyone wore. Back then, the loud noise caused hearing damage for many.

The bomber flew for 15 to 20 minutes, then headed back to the airstrip for a smooth landing.

The ride was “deja vu,” said John Woods of Harpswell. “I’ve done this before.” Woods, 90, was a Navy pilot who dodged Japanese fire while flying over the Pacific.

Both Murchie and Woods were invited to fly Friday. Woods was physically able to climb into the bomber. Murchie, who walks with a cain, was not.

“I envy you,” Murchie said with a smile to Woods.

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