The Doolittle Raid - April 18, 1942

Jimmy Doolittle led 16 B-25 Mitchell Bombers off the deck of the aircraft carrier Hornet (CV-8). Admiral Halsey commanded Task Force 16. Excerpt from The Air Force Story (a series of films ordered made by General of the Air Force Hap Arnold). This is placed here in memory of Colonel Travis Hoover, my C.O. at Reese AFB, the number two raider. Colonel Hoover passed away in 2004. Only a few of the 80 raiders are left. (Source - The National Archives)

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• Halsey
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• April
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• n1014f

[alanheath]

I still cannot see the point of this raid. It was for morale only - it had no military effect whatsoever. What a waste of men and machines!

[n1014f]

@alanheath It is sad that many cannot find the time to research subjects of which they know not before commenting. The affect of the raid on the Japanese high command was profound and it led to the Battle of Midway ... yes, the raid did boost morale ... a badly needed boost ... akin to the boost that the BOB Boys gave to the UK and the world in 1940 ... morale is key to any victory ... You commented on a complex subject ...

[Togeita]

God Bless Jimmy Doolittle he saved and raised our hearts and spirits for reveng and showed the world that we were not weaklings nore playboys. He were Heros and I look up to Roosevelt as our father who led us the way to Victory and Peace. he saved the world.

[MuGeNTOM]

One word: Heroes

[gtofan2005]

@alanheath read lightning strike it covers both the japanese and american side leading up to the death of yamaoto. also flyboys is a good one.

[colindominy]

@alanheath : I'm an ex-university academic, & have published more than my share of research via that avenue. But it's an in-depth understanding of the topic of writing / commentary which is more important. Anyone with a friendly editor / publisher can play all kinds of games. But there's no substitute for genuine understanding.

[alanheath]

@colindominy I may not have much appreciation of WW2 history but something tells me that I have published more on it than you have.

[alanheath]

@gtofan2005 What history books would you suggest reading? Everyone seems to believe that they can break the enemy's will to fight and no-one seems to succeed. In any case it takes much more than a few bombs causing light damage.

[alanheath]

@VersusARCH Maybe this raid had some consequence on Midway but the US losses in machines, men and resources were greater and therefore it can only be seen as a military defeat. This planes would have been better deployed elsewhere.

As for the Soviet bombing raids on Berlin, the payloads were tiny and there was only a couple of raids also put on for propaganda - and I doubt many believed they had taken place at all (including people in Berlin).

[alanheath]

@rprince418 Do not believe that dropping a few bombs on someone is going to lower morale. Many have believed that in the past and it does not work. Neither the bombing of the UK or of Germany weakened morale.

[rprince418]

@alanheath The Japanese were proud that they thought we could not touch them. The raid proved we could fly to japan and bomb it, lowering the morale of the Japanese government.

[VersusARCH]

Had the Axis won the war the Italians would be learning of the "crucial importance" of Italian participation in the Battle of Britain (they flew a few insignificant raids, filming the whole thing so they could boast about bombing Britain).

[VersusARCH]

By far the most overrated military action in history, courtesy of US propaganda (including the movie Tora! Tora! Tora!). To say that the battle of Midway resulted from this raid is just as saying that the Germans disastrously marched on Moscow because of a few early Soviet bombing raids on Berlin (which btw few of the guys posting comments here ever heard of becaause they are not an interesting subject to US propaganda you are being showered with).