Doolittle Raid Launch Footage (1942)

[MrScott8]

Parts that are filmet out-of-Hornet deck were filmed from Enterprise or which ship?

[colindominy]

Great footage !! This entire mission, from conception to execution to post-rescues of downed pilots in China, is just an incredible story of courage, bravery-in-action & valour. It was daring-beyond-belief in concept - so much so, that I truly believe that only the yanks, with their famous "adapt / improvise / can-do" approach, would have been capable of pulling this mission off. No other country nor its military personnel could've done so, nor would have even considered it remotely feasible.

[kdp262]

Little bit of film means so much....

[GoldenIronify]

love it

[CaptainNomura]

Best complete footage of the actual Doolittle Raiders I've seen so far. Gives more credit to the braveness of these men, launching at such rough seas from such small flighdeck. The 2001 movie does no justice. This is real. Note no #8 on flightdeck. The Doolittle Raiders changed the course of war, because of them, the Japanese were forced to focus on Midway, which led to their ultimate defeat. Even Japanese like me with 30+ years in USAF service are proud of them,

[spaguru]

@Coins4Cheese Not really. Yes, there was an air raid drill that day, but my fathers airplane encountered 16 hostile enemy aircraft, suffered a large 10" hole in the fuselage, dodged AA Fire all over, and had many bullet holes through his B-25. Your story is true up to the point where Doolittle's crew, plane 1, and first over Japan, dropped their first bomb, and it was a battlefield after that.

[spaguru]

@windseeker242 You are incorrect. Robert Hite came home and will be in attendance at the 69th Doolittle Raiders Reunion in Omaha NE in April 2011. Jacob DeShazer came home from that crew, and went back to Japan as a missionary. One of the most remarkable stories of any of the Raiders.

[spaguru]

@ZacKramer All B-25s took off from the very same spot as there was a cork inlay in the deck of the Hornet where the planes wheels sat and grabbed for traction as the plane locked its brakes and went to full power without skidding around the deck... They all had the same 368 feet of available runway.

[llennn]

#375

[llennn]

9764550463616503243

[GomerfromIsaan]

RIP and THANK YOU!!!

Those B-29s must have a stall speed of 50MPH. They look like Piper Cubs taking off in a headwind. Amazing!

[spaguru]

@GomerfromIsaan Those are B-25s

[spaguru]

@GomerfromIsaan Thise are B-25 Mitchell Medium Bombers, and not a B-29 Long Range Bomber

[AllieCat356]

Is there no volume on this or am i just a dum/dum.  R.I.P. TO THE DOOLITTLE OUTFIT, THE RAIDERS WHO GAVE AMERICA ADDITIONAL CONFIDENCE TO WIN WWII. WE LOVE YOU.

[Coins4Cheese]

Interesting fact:

When America launched it's first bombing raid against Japan (April 18, 1942), they met little resistance by the Japanese. This was because on that very day, the Japanese had their first bombing raid practice. When they saw the American planes overhead, they thought that they were only added for effect. Acouple of Zero's flew into the air, and fired acouple rounds at the plane, but they were unsure weather to shoot them, because they thought that the might of been Japanese.

[82blevins]

Co- Pilot of # 16 is Robert Hite he was captured in China, spent 4 years as a POW . He now lives near Memphis with his wife and daughter . You can read about his ordeal in the book four Came Home.

[ZacKramer]

i'd rather be the last one off the deck of the carrier because of more room to take off but first over japan so i don't get shot down before i drop the payload

[windseeker242]

@ZacKramer Not trying to shoot you down (no pun intended) but the last crew off, piloted by Lt. William G. Farrow, Aircraft name "Bat out of Hell" never returned to the United States.

[irish89055]

forgot to set the flaps...

[theforbiddentape]

wow you upload very often