On April 18, 1942, all 16 B-25 bombers took
flight from the deck of the USS Hornet, an inconceivable accomplishment
only a few months before
All 16 B-25s successfully bombed their
targets. Most B-25s encountered anti-aircraft fire and some encountered
enemy interception in the air. All of the B-25s except one either crash
landed or the crews bailed out. The one plane that didn't crash land,
landed in Russia and the crew was taken as internees. After being held
captive, an escape attempt was executed to Iran. British Consul helped
the men back to the U.S. on May 29, 1943, more than a year after the
raid.
~
"The most amazing thing about the raid was the bravery and determination
behind the plan," Mead said. "The raid itself actually had very little
impact on Japan's military fighting capability. However, the psychological
impact on the Japanese military and Japanese society as a whole can't be
overstated. In one night, a very powerful empire transitioned from a
feeling of invincibility to one of vulnerability."
~
"The Doolittle Raid was this nation's first
return salvo against Japan after Pearl Harbor. Our nation was reeling -
trying to get its wartime footing while simultaneously shaking off the
national shock of a surprise attack," said Lt. Col. John Martin, 34th
Bomb Squadron commander. "National morale was exceedingly low and
President Roosevelt needed a victory."
~
The responsibility for planning the raid fell upon Gen. Henry Arnold,
Army Air Corps chief, and U.S. Navy Adm. Ernest King, Navy chief of
operations.
~
On January 1942, Capt. Francis Low, the operations officer on King's
staff, approached him with an idea. His idea was to launch an attack
from an aircraft carrier using bombers assigned to the Army Air Corps.
Alongside Low, Capt. Donald Duncan, an expert in carrier aviation, was
assigned to investigate the possibility of such an attack. In less than a
week, they presented King with a 30-page analysis - the conclusion
being - it could be done.
~
Lt. Col. Brian Mead, 37th Bomb Squadron commander, said at that point in
time, the Japanese felt their geographic isolation made them
untouchable.
~
For the planes, Duncan choose the B-25, a two-engine medium range bomber
capable, with modifications, of carrying 2,000 pounds of bombs, while
flying 2,000 miles with extra fuel. Normally a B-25 required 1,200 feet
of runway to take off, but it was possible that the aircraft might clear
a carrier deck a third of that distance with the aid of the forward
speed of the ship itself and headwind. Duncan started working on
balancing the two most important factors - bomb load and extra gas -
both of which meant additional weight and takeoff distance.
~
Duncan's report recommended the newly commissioned USS Hornet as the
vessel - the plan requiring the ship to be brought within 500 miles of
the Japanese mainland before launching B-25s. It would be impossible for
B-25s to return to the ship because the Hornet's deck was too short, so
provisions would have to be made for B-25s to proceed to an air base on
land after dropping their bombs on target.
~
After Arnold and King were both convinced with Duncan's plan, Arnold set
out to find a pilot who was accustomed to doing the impossible with an
airplane. In his search, he found Doolittle. A man, who Arnold believed
was not only an experienced pilot, but a man who could inspire and lead
by example.
~
From the moment Doolittle accepted the assignment, he immediately began
selecting aircrews for training and working out logistical elements of
the raid. There were 16 crews of 5 men each to fly the 16 bombers, a total of 80.
Crew No. 1 (Plane #40-2344, target Tokyo): 34th Bombardment Squadron,
Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, pilot; Lt. Richard E. Cole, copilot; Lt.
Henry A. Potter, navigator; SSgt. Fred A. Braemer, bombardier; SSgt.
Paul J. Leonard, flight engineer/gunner.
Crew No. 2 (Plane #40-2292, target Tokyo): 37th Bombardment Squadron,
Lt. Travis Hoover, pilot; Lt. William N. Fitzhugh, copilot; Lt. Carl R.
Wildner, navigator; Lt. Richard E. Miller, bombardier; Sgt. Douglas V.
Radney, flight engineer/gunner.
Crew No. 3 (Plane #40-2270, target Tokyo): 95th Bombardment Squadron,
Lt. Robert M. Gray, pilot; Lt. Jacob E. Manch, copilot; Lt. Charles J.
Ozuk Jr., navigator; Sgt. Aden E. Jones, bombardier; Cpl. Leland D.
Faktor, flight engineer/gunner.
Crew No. 4 (Plane #40-2282, target Tokyo): 95th Bombardment Squadron,
Lt. Everett W. Holstrom, pilot; Lt. Lucian N. Youngblood, copilot; Lt.
Harry C. McCool, navigator; Sgt. Robert J. Stephens, bombardier; Cpl.
Bert M. Jordan, flight engineer/gunner.
Crew No. 5 (Plane #40-2283, target Tokyo): 95th Bombardment Squadron,
Capt. David M. Jones, pilot; Lt. Ross R. Wilder, copilot; Lt. Eugene F.
McGurl, navigator; Lt. Denver V. Truelove, bombardier; Sgt. Joseph W.
Manske, flight engineer/gunner.
Crew No. 6 (Plane #40-2298, target Tokyo): 95th Bombardment Squadron,
Lt. Dean E. Hallmark, pilot; Lt. Robert J. Meder, copilot; Lt. Chase J.
Nielsen, navigator; Sgt. William J. Dieter, bombardier; Sgt. Donald E.
Fitzmaurice, flight engineer/gunner.
Crew No. 7 (Plane #40-2261, target Tokyo): 95th Bombardment Squadron,
Lt. Ted W. Lawson, pilot; Lt. Dean Davenport, copilot; Lt. Charles L.
McClure, navigator; Lt. Robert S. Clever, bombardier; Sgt. David J.
Thatcher, flight engineer/gunner.
Crew No. 8 (Plane #40-2242, target Tokyo): 95th Bombardment Squadron,
Capt. Edward J. York, pilot; Lt. Robert G. Emmens, copilot; Lt. Nolan A.
Herndon, navigator/bombardier; SSgt. Theodore H. Laban, flight
engineer; Sgt. David W. Pohl, gunner.
Crew No. 9 (Plane #40-2203, target Tokyo): 34th Bombardment Squadron,
Lt. Harold F. Watson, pilot; Lt. James N. Parker Jr., copilot; Lt.
Thomas C. Griffin, navigator; Sgt. Wayne M. Bissell, bombardier; TSgt.
Eldred V. Scott, flight engineer/gunner.
Crew No. 10 (Plane #40-2250, target Tokyo): 89th Reconnaissance
Squadron, Lt. Richard O. Joyce, pilot; Lt. J. Royden Stork, copilot; Lt.
Horace E. Crouch, navigator/bombardier; Sgt. George E. Larkin Jr.,
flight engineer; SSgt. Edwin W. Horton Jr., gunner.
Crew No. 11 (Plane #40-2249, target Yokohama): 34th Bombardment
Squadron, Capt. C. Ross Greening (89th RS), pilot; Lt. Kenneth E. Reddy,
copilot; Lt. Frank A. Kappeler, navigator; SSgt. William L. Birch,
bombardier; Sgt. Melvin J. Gardner, flight engineer/gunner.
Crew No. 12 (Plane #40-2278, target Yokohama): 37th Bombardment
Squadron, Lt. William M. Bower, pilot; Lt. Thadd H. Blanton, copilot;
Lt. William R. Pound Jr., navigator; TSgt. Waldo J. Bither, bombardier;
SSgt. Omer A. Duquette, flight engineer/gunner.
Crew No. 13 (Plane #40-2247, target Yokosuka): 37th Bombardment
Squadron, Lt. Edgar E. McElroy, pilot; Lt. Richard A. Knobloch, copilot;
Lt. Clayton J. Campbell, navigator; MSgt. Robert C. Bourgeois,
bombardier; Sgt. Adam R. Williams, flight engineer/gunner.
Crew No. 14 (Plane #40-2297, target Nagoya): 89th Reconnaissance
Squadron, Maj. John A. Hilger, pilot; Lt. Jack A. Sims, copilot; Lt.
James H. Macia Jr., navigator/bombardier; SSgt. Job Eierman, flight
engineer; SSgt. Edwin V. Bain, gunner.
Crew No. 15 (Plane #40-2267, target Nagoya): 89th Reconnaissance
Squadron, Lt. Donald G. Smith, pilot; Lt. Griffith P. Williams, copilot;
Lt. Howard A. Sessler, navigator/bombardier; Lt. Thomas R. White,
flight engineer; Sgt. Edward J. Saylor, gunner.
Crew No. 16 (Plane #40-2268, target Nagoya): 34th Bombardment Squadron,
Lt. George Barr, navigator; Lt. William G. Farrow, pilot; Sgt. Harold A.
Spatz, engineer/gunner; Lt. Robert L. Hite, copilot; Cpl. Jacob
DeShazer, bombardier.
~
With careful coordination with Duncan, Doolittle determined
the B-25s would carry enough extra gasoline to provide an effective
range of 2,400 miles. The bomb load would consist of two 500-pound
demolition bombs and 1,000 pounds of incendiaries.
~
Target objectives were the military and industrial sites in Japan,
including Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. After dropping their bombs, B-25s
were to head westward across the China Sea and land at bases prepared on
Chinese mainland southwest of Shanghai.
~
"The last time a foreign nation had attempted a direct attack on
mainland Japan was over 700 years before, when Kublai Khan sent a naval
armada from China," said Martin. "Kublai Khan ultimately failed in his
attempt due to a typhoon, and a lasting consequence of this failed raid
was that the Japanese people felt their homeland was protected not only
by favoring winds, but from divine winds known as the Kamikaze. Over
time Japan would perceive that their island nation was quite simply an
impenetrable fortress. "
~
Martin said Jimmy Doolittle set out to find and train a group of men, now known as the Raiders, to prove otherwise.
~
Aircrews for the 16 B-25s were selected from several Army Air Corps
squadrons, including the 34th, 37th and 432nd Squadrons. The Doolittle
Raid was a total secret to everyone who was involved. When the raiders
volunteered, they were told they would be a part of a, "dangerous secret
mission."
~
The 80 flyers that were chosen began their training at Eglin Field,
Fla., March 3. Due to maintenance problems and delays in B-25
modification, most of the crews received only 20 to 30 hours of actual
training flying time, but they all learned to pull their bombers off the
ground at near stall speed in the shortest possible distance.
~
The B-25s were ferried from Eglin Field to Alameda Naval Base in San
Francisco, where each was towed to a pier and hoisted aboard the Hornet.
Fueling of the carrier commenced at 6 a.m., April 2. At 10 a.m. the
Hornet moved slowly out of San Francisco harbor with 16 B-25s on its
deck.
~
Only after the Hornet was well under way, were the raiders were finally
told what their target destination was. At that point, Doolittle offered
each man the opportunity to withdraw from the mission. None of the 80
raiders did.
~
