The Doolittle Raiders

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The Doolittle Raiders

• April 18th, 1942

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The Doolittle Raid

• President Roosevelt wanted to find a way to get
  back at the Japanese for Pearl Harbor
• Wanted to surprise the Japanese
• Boost morale in the United States
• Prove the U.S. was capable of striking back.

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Lt. Col. James H. Jimmy Doolittle

• Born in CA, raised in Alaska
• Flight instructor during WWI
• Test Pilot and aeronautical engineer between the
  wars
• Earned the Distinguished Flying Cross
• Helped develop instrument flying
• Set worlds speed record at 296 mph

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The Doolittle Raid

• 16 B-25 bombers took off from the U.S.S. Hornet
• Attacked 5 major cities in Japan, including Toyko
• Launch point was 450 miles from Japan
• A Japanese fishing boat discovered them 200 miles
  before their launch point

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Plane Modifications

• Removal of the lower gun turret
• Installation of de-icers and anti-icers
• Steel blast plates mounted on the fuselage around
  the upper turret
• Removal of the liaison radio set
• Installation of three additional fuel tanks and
  support mounts in the bomb bay, crawl way and
  lower turret area to increase fuel capacity from
  646 to 1,141 U.S. gallons (2,445 to 4,319 litres)
  
• Mock gun barrels installed in the tail cone
• Replacement of their Norden bombsight with a
  makeshift aiming sight.

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Cont.

• All 16 planes hit their target cities
• The early launch forced all crews to either bail
  out early or ditch their plane in the ocean
• 15 planes headed for China
• 1 to Vladistok, Russia
• 3 died, 8 captured, 4 of which died/killed
• Of the 50 who parachuted, 49 reached the ground
  safely

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Results

• Japanese killed 250,000 Chinese civilians looking
  for the downed airmen
• Attack did little actual damage, but boosted
  morale in U.S. and forced Japan to defend their
  home island
• Japanese thought the U.S. had developed a new
  long range aircraft.

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Crew

• Every participant received Distinguished Flying
  Cross
• 2 received Silver Star
• Doolittle received the Medal of Honor
• Doolittle received Presidential Medal of Freedom
  in 1989.

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U.S.S. Hornet