Doolittle Raid

[Ray]

Tomorrow is the day - 78 th anniversary
Regards, Ray

 

[SC_Mike]

I remember at the 60th they had, according to the news, the largest gathering of B 25's seen since right after WWII. The fly overs were incredible.

Doolittle Raiders 60th Anniversary Reunion in Columbia

 

[Targets Guy]

They are all gone but we will never forget them.

 

[bigmtnman]

Thank you for the reminder. Everything about that raid borders on the miraculous. All that we have today, we owe to the sacrifices of our "greatest generation" for it's preservation.

 

[Ozark Marine]

They are all gone but we will never forget them.

WOW those guys had guts.
Look at the pitch of that bomber leaving the flight deck.
Unreal.

 

[PR24]

Naval Aviators always get my respect because landing on the pitching and rolling postage stamp in the water is not my idea of a good time. Then take a bunch of army pilots in an aircraft it was never intended to be used on an aircraft carrier take some serious moxie. Thank you for posting about this it’s good to remind people of the sacrifices made on our behalf so long ago.

‘Murcia!

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

Always an interesting WWII story for those of us who remember.

 

[Absalom]

One of my most distinguished memories:

In the late 1980s, through an invitation by a friend who was an Air Force veteran, I had the privilege to attend one of the Raiders reunions.

I got the signatures of all attending surviving Raiders in my copy of Carroll Glines' book, which had just been released. Gen. Doolittle himself was not able to attend for health reasons, but his son signed in his stead.

 

[Onomea]

My understanding is that the while of little conventional military value, the mission had immense psychological impact, both for the Japanese and for us.

Many of you know far more than I, but I recall that they did not have, could not carry, enough fuel to return to their carrier, and it was iffy if they could make a friendly airfield in China.

Early on, just four months after Pearl Harbor.

Brave men.

 

[Rudi]

In 5th grade I read 30 Seconds Over Tokyo. What a classic. True heroes with big brass ones! We owe them all so much.

 

[REM 3200]

Many of you know far more than I, but I recall that they did not have, could not carry, enough fuel to return to their carrier, and it was iffy if they could make a friendly airfield in China.
Brave men.

They would have had enough fuel it they had launched as planed.
They where forced to take-off early because of detection
by a Jap picket ship, thus making fuel run short.

 

[Targets Guy]

My understanding is that the while of little conventional military value, the mission had immense psychological impact, both for the Japanese and for us.

Many of you know far more than I, but I recall that they did not have, could not carry, enough fuel to return to their carrier, and it was iffy if they could make a friendly airfield in China.

Early on, just four months after Pearl Harbor.

Brave men.

It has been a long time since reading Lawson's book "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" but my recollection is that the plan was to bomb and then recover in China. When they were spotting by some Japanese fishing vessels the decision was to take off early (200 miles short of their intended take off point) knowing they may not reach non Japanese occupied China.

 

[eveled]

The Raiders were certainly heros. The Chinese that helped them escape were absolutely brutalized by the Japanese. The Chinese did right by the Raiders and paid a horrific price. It is hard to believe humans can be so evil. Never forget the sacrifices made for us.

The Untold Story of the Vengeful Japanese Attack After the Doolittle Raid
|
History

| Smithsonian Magazine

Some good pictures in this article.

 

[6518John]

I just watched the “new” Midway movie this week (it was excellent by the way) and the scene where the Japanese Emperor was eating, then all the sudden the table started rattling and he was rushed to an air raid shelter was my favorite. (Col. Doolittle showed him how “Divine” he was).

 

[6518John]

WOW those guys had guts.
Look at the pitch of that bomber leaving the flight deck.
Unreal.

When a Marine compliments an airman, you know the airman has accomplished something!

 

[bobcat]

I'll have to dig out my dvd copy of "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" and watch it tonight in their honor. Salud hombres, que huevos!

 

[XAVMECH]

Leaving Alameda...

78 years ago today, Doolittle’s Raiders attacked the Japanese homeland. Here’s an old picture of them leaving Alameda through the Golden Gate aboard the Hornet. Today, we’ve got another fight on our hands: COVID-19. I hope all of us can muster up the kind of courage and audacity needed to fight this battle...

 

[GypsmJim]

I needed this thread to remind me about the past, and that my sacrifices really aren't that bad.

I look back at what my Grandparents had to endure during WWI and the Great Depression, what my parents had to endure with WWII rationing, and what my mother's cousins had to endure with the Third Reich.

Kinda makes the Covid-19 look like just a bunch of chicken ships.

I just cracked open a beer and saluted General Doolittle.

 

[6518John]

78 years ago today, Doolittle’s Raiders attacked the Japanese homeland. Here’s an old picture of them leaving Alameda through the Golden Gate aboard the Hornet. Today, we’ve got another fight on our hands: COVID-19. I hope all of us can muster up the kind of courage and audacity needed to fight this battle...

I have never seen this picture—it is great! I wonder if any Japanese spies saw this and reported it? One would think any marginally intelligent spy would think “hey, why are a bunch of B-25’s on a aircraft carrier and heading west? This is not something we see everyday.”

 

[Ozark Marine]

I have never seen this picture—it is great! I wonder if any Japanese spies saw this and reported it? One would think any marginally intelligent spy would think “hey, why are a bunch of B-25’s on a aircraft carrier and heading west? This is not something we see everyday.”

I'm thankful that today's lame stream media wasn't there.
That carrier would of been at the bottom of the bay before the anchors were washed down and stowed away.

 

[6518John]

I am surprised even back then that they did not have the planes covered with tarps or hidden in some manner.

 

[Patrick L]

Thank goodness FDR had built that secret base in Shan-gri -la!

 

[REM 3200]

The Doolittle raid took place only four months and a few days after the Pearl Harbor raid by the Japs.

It's amazing that we were able to think of the idea of a raid like this, gather the volunteers.
weed through them to select the actual crews, select an airplane, select a place to train,
train them to take off from a carrier, get the carrier ready to receive the B-25s,
get the planes to where the carrier was docked, load them without problems/damage to the planes,
sail most of the way to Japan without being detected before they were, and then had to take-off early
(approx. 200 miles sooner than planed).

All this in four months and a few days. Amazing feat. Imagine trying to do that today.

 

[Zippo Guy]

This is a drawing a good friend of mine did of the General many years ago, probably middle 80s. The General signed this print. When I brought it home, my daughter accidentally tore the top trying to unroll it. Oh well, the framing company said they would fix it before they framed it. Didn't happen.

I keep this print and a couple of others from this same artist over my reloading bench. It has always been a conversation starter when friends come to visit.

 

[Ozark Marine]

Yup, General Doolittle raced airplanes and was quite the daredevil before the war.
Like I said earlier, those guys had guts.

 

[eveled]

I am surprised even back then that they did not have the planes covered with tarps or hidden in some manner.

That “picture” at the Golden Gate is a painting. Probably not how they really left.

 

[6518John]

Gotcha! I no military strategist but would not think them heading out in plain view of one of the most heavily traveled bridges in the world would lead to secrecy!

 

[Bob L]

Truly the Greatest Generation with the attitude that they would do what ever it took to get the job done.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

As I have posted before, my FIL met Jimmy Doolittle in West Africa.
Jimmy was taking the West route home.
Here’s my FIL.

 

[jimbo728]

The Dolittle Raid is said to be responsible for a decision to attack Midway earlier than JIN had planned. The JIN would have waited until carriers Zuikaku and Shokaku were returned from South Pacific operations so Yamamoto would be attacking Midway at Pearl Harbor strength.
It seems the Dolittle Raid caused the JIN to attack Midway sooner with 4 carriers instead of 6.
That was an unintended good thing for USN as a result of a Japanese sense of urgency because of Dolittles Raid.
Jim