Doolittle Raid

It is one of the decisive and most dramatic moments in the history of World War II, At that moment, the Americans were able to strike the Japanese on their own soil... that it Doolittle Raid.

The most famous photo of the Doolittle Raid, US B-25 bombers taking off from the aircraft carrier. Public Domain.

In this raid, eighty men, including pilots, navigators and others, flew B-25 Mitchell bombers, on a mission to change the course of World War II.

Facts about the Doolittle Raid:

The Doolittle Raid of April 18, 1942 was the first U.S. air raid to strike the Japanese home islands during WWII.

The Doolittle Raid was a quick response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which occurred on December 7, 1941.

Meaning that the Americans decided to respond less than four months after the Japanese attacked them.

The main difference here is that the Americans planned and attacked cities in the Japanese home islands, not the Japanese fleet.

The main problem for the Doolittle raid was "distance".

The Americans had no place from which they could launch an air strike within flying range of all their types of aircraft, whether ordinary or heavy bombers.

So their only solution was that the U.S. Army Air Forces bombers launched from an aircraft carrier into combat.

B-25 bomber by James Doolittle took off from the USS Hornet for Doolittle Raid in 1942, (Photo courtesy National Museum of the U.S. Air Force).

The proposal seemed crazy at first, but somehow they got it right.

On the way to this, they chose the B-25 Mitchell bombers, because of their range that would enable them to carry out the mission and return, as well as their large payload of bombs that they could drop on the heads of the Japanese.

Who led the Doolittle Raid:

Jimmy Doolittle is the leader of the Doolittle Raid.

At that time, General Henry Harley “Hap” Arnold, one of the most prominent names in the history of the American military, who was then Commander of the Air Force (1938-1941), and the only general in the US Air Force to hold the rank of five stars, had to choose a pilot. Suitable for leading the attack, which was named Special Aviation Project No. 1, the bombing of Japan.

General Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold searched through his group of pilots, and found Jimmy Doolittle the most bitter, toughest, and strongest of them...and here he decided to shoot the Japanese with him.

On Saturday April 18, 1942, the young pilot was still a lieutenant colonel. He would serve until the rank of general, and would become one of the most important American heroes of World War II.

What happened in the Doolittle Raid:

American bombers were able to bomb Tokyo with four bombs - each loaded with 128 four-pound incendiary bombs.

Japanese losses were minor, but the Doolittle Raid opened the door to many events that changed the course of the war.

What was the outcome of the Doolittle Raid:

Doolittle Tokyo Raiders, Crew No. 1 (Plane #40-2344, target Tokyo): 34th Bombardment Squadron, Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, pilot; Lt. Richard E. Cole, copilot; Lt. Henry A. Potter, navigator; SSgt. Fred A. Braemer, bombardier; SSgt. Paul J. Leonard, flight engineer/gunner. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Most of those who talked about the results of the Doolittle raid were interested in talking about its effects in military terms or even the number of deaths.

Although this is of course important, we believe that the most important result of the Doolittle raid is that it represented a success for the new American military doctrine.

That doctrine believed that the Air Force would be the foundation on which victories in wars would be built.

One of the most important adherents of this doctrine was the man who led the Doolittle raid, Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, after whom the raid was named.

About that says Gen. Jimmy Doolittle “The first lesson is that you can't lose a war if you have command of the air, and you can't win a war if you haven't.”

Future events would prove that point of view to be largely correct.

One of the most important results of applying this doctrine in order to win the war was to deal a devastating blow to Japanese industry in general, and military factories in particular.

what was the psychological effect of the Doolittle raid?:

In Arabic expression (before the Doolittle raid was not like what came after it).

The U.S. Army Air Forces North American B-25B Mitchel 40-2242, Doolittle Raider plane #8, after its emergency landing 40 miles North of Vladivostok, Soviet Union, on 18 April, 1942. The aircraft was scrapped by Soviets sometime in the 1950s, United States Army Air Force.

Before Doolittle Raid, the Japanese military invaded and overran much the Southwestern Pacific and Southeast Asia, threatening Australia, India and much of unoccupied China. The U.S. mainland itself was shelled by submarine deck guns as Japan appeared unstoppable and invincible.

After the Doolittle Raid,

1. The morale of the Americans rose so much, they realized that they had reached a point where they were can defeating Japan.. Why not. American pilots have arrived to fly over the commercial district of the Japanese capital, Tokyo, in addition to the Imperial Palace and even the muddy ditch surrounding the home of Emperor Hirohito
2. The United States instilled fear among Japanese civilians that these attacks would be repeated, which is what happened
3. The Doolittle Raid forced the Japanese to think about defense rather than sustained attack, and as a result they called upon part of their military capacity for that purpose.
4. Americans believed more that they were good not only at fighting, but at thinking, “How do they fight?”.