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Tokyo Bound
On April 18, 1942, under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, a
small force of B-25 Mitchell light bombers set forth on one of the most
audacious air raids of World War II. Launching in a rough sea from the heaving
deck of the carrier USS Hornet, the crews knew that even if they achieved
success, they were not to return. Their mission to bomb Tokyo and other
industrial targets some 800 miles distant would leave them barely enough fuel to
fly on to crash-land in China. Nine aircraft were attacked by enemy fighters,
every one made it to the target, all but one aircraft were lost. But the raid
was a triumph. The Japanese High Command were so alarmed by the Americans
ability to strike at their homeland they attempted to expand the perimeter of
activity in the central and southern Pacific - with disastrous results. Lt. Col.
Doolittle was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in recognition of the
extraordinary feat he and his gallant crews performed. Miraculously most
survived to fly and fight again later in the war, Jimmy Doolittle going on to
command the Eighth Air Force in Europe at the time of the Normandy invasion. |
