Doolittle Raid April 18th, 1942

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Doolittle RaidApril 18th, 1942

• Doolittle Raid on Japan, 18 April 1942
• PEARL HARBOR PAYBACK

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Doolittle Raid

• The Doolittle Raid of April 18, 1942 was the
  first U.S. air raid to strike the Japanese home
  islands during WWII.
• The mission is notable in that it was the only
  operation in which U.S. Army Air Corps bombers
  were launched from an aircraft carrier into
  combat.
• The raid demonstrated how vulnerable the Japanese
  home islands were to air attack just 4 months
  after their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.
• While the damage inflicted was slight, the raid
  significantly boosted American morale while
  setting in motion a chain of Japanese military
  events that were disastrous for their long-term
  war effort.

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A Need to Strike Back!!

• Immediately after the Pearl Harbor attack,
  President Roosevelt tasked senior U.S. military
  commanders with finding a suitable response to
  satisfy the public outrage. Unfortunately, it
  turned out to be a difficult assignment.
• The Army Air Forces had no bases in Asia close
  enough to allow their bombers to attack Japan.
• At the same time, the Navy had no airplanes with
  the range and munitions capacity to do meaningful
  damage without risking the few ships left in the
  Pacific Fleet.

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An Idea that might work!!

• In early January of 1942, Captain Francis Low, a
  submariner on Commander of Naval Operations
  Admiral Ernest Kings staff, visited Norfolk, VA
  to review the Navys newest aircraft carrier, USS
  Hornet CV-8.
• During this visit, he realized that Army
  medium-range bombers might be successfully
  launched from an aircraft carrier.
• Admiral King liked the idea and ordered a study
  to see if it was possible. This study showed that
  B-25 Mitchell bombers, with a reasonable bomb
  load, could take off from an aircraft carrier
  (although they couldnt land back aboard) and fly
  the roughly 2,000 miles the proposed mission
  would require.
• The idea was presented to President Roosevelt and
  he approved the operation! Quote from Pearl the
  movie I like sub commanders, they dont have
  time for bullshit and neither do I

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Training and Preparation

• Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Jimmy Doolittle was
  selected as the Armys project officer for the
  proposed raid on Japan.
• Doolittle indicated that the twin-engine B-25
  could be launched from a carrier 500 nautical
  miles from Tokyo with a 2,000lb bomb load, hit
  key industrial and military targets on Honshu
  Island, and fly on to China to land at airfields
  there and be used again for future raids.
• Doolittle handpicked 24 Army Air Corps aircrews
  to train for the mission. Ultimately, only 16
  aircrews would fly the mission.
• Doolittle and his men trained in three weeks of
  special training at Eglin airfield in Florida.
  The pilots learned the techniques of short field
  takeoffs under the guidance of a naval aviator.
• The B-25 bombers were heavily modified for this
  extremely long flight by having extra fuel
  compartments installed and removal of defensive
  weapons, armor, and non-essential equipment.

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Beginning the Operation

• On March 31, 1942, Hornet tied up at Alameda NAS.
  On this same day, the Army B-25s were flown to
  Alameda from Sacramento. Hornets normal aircraft
  were stored below in the hangar deck since the
  B-25s would not fit in there. Within 24 hours, 16
  of the Army bombers were loaded onto Hornets
  flight deck and tied down in the order of their
  expected launch position.
• The USS Hornet weighed anchor at 1018 a.m. on
  April 2 and began her top-secret voyage, steaming
  underneath the Golden Gate Bridge on a compass
  heading of 270 degrees. Rumors were circulated
  for the curious public that the ship was simply
  ferrying Army bombers to some outpost in the
  Pacific. In reality, she was headed for a
  position 500 nautical miles east of Japan.
• The USS Hornet would rendezvous with the USS
  Enterprises battle group for protection on the
  way to Japan.

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Preparation before launch

• By April 17, 1942 the bombers had been prepared
  for their mission. Each plane carried four
  500-pound bombs (three high-explosive and one
  incendiary), two .50-caliber machine guns in an
  upper turret, a .30-caliber machine gun in the
  nose, and extra fuel tanks.
• The B-25s were also fitted with two dummy wooden
  machine gun barrels, fashioned from broomsticks
  that were painted black, mounted in the tail
  cone. The Army wanted to save weight - but hoped
  this would discourage enemy fighter attacks from
  that direction.

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Preparation before launch

• LTC Doolittle and CAPT Mitscher held a small
  celebration on the flight deck with all the 16
  Army aircrew, which included tying 4 Japanese
  friendship medals to one of the 500-pound bombs
  for Special Delivery.
• The medals were given to the United States as a
  gesture of Friendship and Peace. The President
  of the United States wanted to give the medals
  back to the Japanese.

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Contact with Enemy!Launch NOW!!

• On the morning of April 18, 1942 while still 650
  nautical miles from Japan, the U.S. force was
  sighted by a Japanese picket boat (poising as a
  Japanese fishing boat) that immediately radioed a
  warning to its headquarters. The boat was
  destroyed by gunfire from one of the cruisers.
• However, to ensure the safety of the task force,
  Halsey decided to launch the strike immediately -
  12 hours earlier and 150 nautical miles farther
  from Japan than planned. The weather conditions
  were miserable with rain, 20-knot gusting winds
  and huge waves that occasionally crashed over the
  bow.

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The Raid April 18th, 1942

• While none of the B-25 pilots, including
  Doolittle, had never taken off from an aircraft
  carrier before, all 16 planes were launched
  safely in one hour.
• They then flew single-file at almost wave top
  level to avoid enemy detection, navigating by
  dead reckoning. The planes began arriving over
  Japan about noon and bombed military and
  industrial targets in Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe,
  Osaka and Nagoya.
• Although some B-25s encountered light
  antiaircraft fire and a few enemy fighters, none
  were shot down or severely damaged.
• Fifteen of the 16 planes then proceeded southwest
  along the southern coast of Japan and across the
  East China Sea towards eastern China, where
  recovery bases supposedly awaited them. One of
  the B-25s ran extremely low on fuel and headed
  for Russia, which was closer.

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The Raid April 18th, 1942

• The raiders faced several unforeseen challenges
  during their flight to China night was
  approaching, the planes were running low on fuel,
  and the weather was rapidly deteriorating.
• As a result of these problems, the crews realized
  they would not be able to reach their intended
  base in China, leaving them the option of either
  bailing out over eastern China or crash landing
  along the Chinese coast. When the action was
  over, fifteen planes had been destroyed in
  crashes.
• The crew who flew to Russia landed near
  Vladivostok, where their B-25 was confiscated and
  the crew interned until escaping in May 1943.

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The Aftermath

• Three Raiders were killed during their attempts
  to land in China.
• Eight were captured by the Japanese, of which
  three were subsequently executed as War
  Criminals and a fourth died of disease in
  prison.
• Following the Doolittle Raid, most of the B-25
  crews that came down in China eventually made it
  to safety with the help of Chinese civilians and
  flew other wartime missions.
• But the Chinese paid dearly as the Japanese
  killed an estimated 250,000 civilians while
  searching for Doolittles men.

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Cause and Effect

• In Military terms, battles are all part of the
  larger strategic campaign to win the war or
  conflict.
• Cause and Effect can have a nation that lost a
  series of battles, to win a significant battle
  that is considered a "turning point in the war.
• As casualties climb, military resources are
  spent, and the tools of war are lost the
  strategic plans change altering the outcome of
  future battles and possibly the war.

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Impact on the Japanese

• Cause The Doolittle Raid did little material
  damage. Nevertheless, the Japanese were so
  shocked and upset that the homeland was
  attacked too include the fact the Emperor could
  have been injured
• Effect the Japanese military recalled many
  units back to the home islands for defense, where
  they remained while battles raged throughout the
  Pacific.
• Cause Additionally, it provoked Admiral Yamamoto
  into attempting a hastily organized strike
  against Midway Island
• Effect that resulted in the loss of four fleet
  carriers, many sailors and a number of highly
  trained aircrew from which the Imperial Japanese
  Navy never recovered.
• Quote from Pearl the movie At Pearl they
  (Japanese) hit us with a Sledgehammer. This raid
  is just a pinprick but it is aimed directly at
  their hearts

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Impact on the Americans

• Cause The Doolittle Raid did little material
  damage.
• Effect Nevertheless, when the news of the raid
  was released American morale soared.
• Cause The Battle of Midway, where the Japanese
  planned on invading, securing, and fortifying the
  island against the American Navy
• Effect was a failure. The American Navy and
  Army were able to surprise the Japanese and
  inflict considerable damage on the Japanese Navy,
  Morale, and Honor.