Doolittle Raiders

From right, retired Lt. Col. Dick Cole, retired Lt. Col. Ed Saylor and retired Staff Sgt. David Thatcher salute their fallen brother, retired Master Sgt. Edwin Horton, April 18, 2013 in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. The men were all part of the Doolittle Raiders, who bombed Tokyo 71 years ago today. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Carlin Leslie)

Doolittle Raiders

On 18 April 1942, airmen of the US Army Air Forces, led by Lt. Col. James H. (Jimmy) Doolittle, carried the Battle of the Pacific to the heart of the Japanese empire with a surprising and daring raid on military targets at Tokyo, Yokohama, Yokosuka, Nagoya, and Kobe. This heroic attack against these major cities was the result of coordination between the Army Air Forces and the US Navy, which carried the sixteen North American B-25 medium bombers aboard the carrier USS Hornet to within take-off distance of the Japanese Islands. Here, a pair of alert escorts follow the USS Hornet to protect her lethal cargo of B-25 bombers. (U.S. Air Force Photo)

Long Range Strike and the Doolittle Raiders - celebrating the last toast

Published Nov. 8, 2013
By Yancy Mailes
Air Force Global Strike Command History Office

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Long range strike has been wired into the Air Force's DNA since World War II. In the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack the nation tried to shake off the shock of the Japanese surprise attack. American morale was at an all-time low.

On Dec. 21, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and stated that to boost public morale the United States needed to bomb Japan as soon as possible. Jimmy Doolittle recounted in his autobiography later that the raid's intent was two-fold: to bolster American morale and to cause the Japanese to begin doubting their leadership. The raid would also have a tertiary effect causing Japan to redirect its forces from the edge of the empire back to defense of the homeland.

To meet the President's intent, the Army Air Force selected 80 Airmen from several bomb squadrons, including the 34th, 37th and 432nd. These volunteers, who became "The Doolittle Raiders", were told they would be a part of a dangerous, secret mission. They would later learn they would take 16 B-25s, launch them from the deck of the U.S.S. Hornet, and represent the nation's first return salvo against Japan.

On April 18, 1942, the 16 B-25s took flight carrying 500-pound demolition bombs and 1,000 pounds of incendiaries. The aircrews successfully hit their targets. Most encountered enemy anti-aircraft fire and some encountered enemy fighters. All but one either crash landed or the crews bailed out. The lone plane that did not crash landed in Russia and the crew was interned.

This tactical feat had strategic consequences, directly leading to United States' success at Midway, the campaigns that followed, the return of the bombers to the Pacific Rim, and Japan's eventual surrender.

After the war, the Doolittle Raiders have met annually. During the reunion the group held a solemn, private ceremony in which the surviving Raiders performed a roll call and then toasted their fellow Raiders who have passed on since their last meeting.

The Raiders will hold their final toast, Nov. 9, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. The Pentagon Channel will broadcast the ceremony live, beginning at 5 p.m. CST. It will also be streamed on the Air Force website (www.af.mil) and Air Force Museum website (www.nationalmuseum.af.mil).