About the Doolittle Raiders
It started with a surprise attack
After the stunning losses at Pearl Harbor, and throughout the Pacific, the nation’s morale was at an all-time low. America had been forced into a war it had hoped to avoid—a war that had started with a surprise attack on American soil. With the exception of the carrier fleet, the US Navy lay in ruin unable to rise to the Japanese challenge in the Pacific that led to the fall of Guam, Wake Island, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
It was important for the morale of the American people that the war be brought home to the Japanese, and President Roosevelt was insisting on it. But how? Japan seemed safe and secure protected by the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Japan and countries hostile to the US. Japan was out of reach of the conventional means of the American military.
Attempting the Impossible
Retaliation seemed out of reach. That’s why Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle was asked to attempt the impossible. Could he lead a squadron of land-based B-25 bombers carrying maximum bomb loads taking-off on an aircraft carrier to strike at Japan, a feat that had never been done before?
The Raid was to be a top-secret mission to bomb Japan—a plan some people called a suicide mission.
And if that weren’t enough, the stripped-down bombers would not carry enough fuel for the return flight. The men who volunteered, if they survived, would be on their own to find their way to friendly territory.
Doolittle recruited his volunteers from the 17th Bomber Group and the 89th Reconnaissance Squadron. They began their training at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
On April 18, 1942, Doolittle and his 79 Raiders took off from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. Discovered by Japanese ships forced the crews to take off 150 miles farther from their targets than they had planned. The extra distance and turbulent weather and head winds gobbled up precious fuel, but they were still able to reach Japan and perform their mission.
The turning point of the war
The Doolittle Raid marked the first time the Japanese homeland was hit after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
This American victory is considered the psychological turning point of the war in the Pacific. It helped to overcome the mental defeat resulting from Pearl Harbor and gave the nation the confidence it needed to win.
The Raiders – What happened after the raid?
After bombing Japan, the Raiders hoped to be able to reach friendly parts of China. Not all of them made it, and some landed in enemy hands.
Fifteen planes crashed in or near China; one went down in Russia. Seven men didn’t make it: two drowned, one died in bailout, another from disease, and the Japanese executed three. Several survivors were imprisoned and later released.
"No man is truly great who is great only in his lifetime. The test of greatness is the page of history." - William Hazlitt
