Thread by @nicholadrummond

THE DOOLITTLE RAID ON TOKYO 1942
Like the British Dambusters raid, the German rescue of Mussolini, and the Italian midget submarine attack on the British fleet at Alexandria, the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in 1942 ranks among the most daring exploits of WW2.

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After Pearl Harbour, the USA wanted to conduct reprisal attacks against targets in Tokyo, but had no bomber capable of flying from Hawaii to Japan. Instead it decided to launch an attack using B-25 medium bombers flown off an aircraft carrier, the USS Hornet.

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It was an audacious plan:
- Sail as close to Japan as possible
- Launch the raid
- Bomb Tokyo
- Fly to China and re-fuel
- Fly south
With an anticipated flight time of 12-13 hours, limited fuel, and a high risk of being shot down, many viewed it as a suicide mission.

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Lt. Col. James Doolittle was selected to lead the mission with 80 airmen in 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers. This was the maximum number that could be carried by the Hornet. The B-25 was modified to fly-off a carrier deck by stripping out weight and adding larger fuel tanks.

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En route to Japan, the task force was discovered by a Japanese patrol vessel. Fearing that the mission would be compromised, Doolittle decided to launch the raid immediately - some 10 hours sooner than planned and 170 miles (272 km) further from the target.

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The crews took-off using just 467 ft (142 m) of deckspace and despite having only practised on dry land with a shortened runway. Each aircraft carried four bombs for a total payload of around 950 kg. When the raiders reached Tokyo, the bomb run lasted barely 30 seconds.

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Compared to the damage that would later be caused by B-29 bombers, Doolittle’s raid caused minimal damage. What it did achieve was to boost US morale, shake Japan's confidence in its own invincibility, and cause significant resources to be diverted towards local defence.

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Doolittle and his men now made their way to China. Worried about fuel, a strong tailwind added an extra 70 miles (112 km) of range. Even so, most of the aircraft barely managed to reach the Chinese coast and all but one crew had to ditch their aircraft and bale-out.

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Only one aircraft landed in-tact when its crew, low on fuel, decided to fly to Russia instead of China. Although they were interned by the Russians, in order not to compromise relations with Japan, they were later smuggled back to the US via Iran.

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Three airman were killed in action during the raid, and eight were taken prisoner. Of these, three were executed by the Japanese, for alleged war crimes, and one died in captivity. The amazing part of the story is that the other 69 all made it back to the USA.

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The Chinese locals did a heroic job in protecting the American flyers and helping them travel southwards so that they could return home. Japanese reprisals were swift and brutal, with an estimated 10,000 Chinese killed for helping the raiders to escape.

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On his return to the USA, Doolittle feared the raid would be regarded as a failure and he would be court-martialled. Instead he was promoted two ranks, to Brigadier-General, and awarded the Medal of Honor. All 80 flyers were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

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