Article 10155 of rec.aviation.military:
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From: jfb@usgp1.ih.att.com (Joe Baugher)
Subject: Bomber Series--North American B-25 Mitchell (5 of 32)
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Summary: The Doolittle Tokyo Raid
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Date: Mon, 9 Jan 1995 03:40:48 GMT
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The Doolittle Tokyo raid was perhaps the most famous exploit of the 
B-25 Mitchell.  It was carried out in an attempt to shore up morale on 
the home front during the early months of 1942, which was sagging as a 
result of defeat after defeat having been suffered in the Pacific.  

Planning for a retaliatory raid on the Japanese home islands seems to 
have begun very soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Contrary to 
general knowledge, Lt.Col. James Doolittle was not the originator of 
the Tokyo raid concept.  The basic idea of launching medium bombers 
from the deck of an aircraft carrier seems to have come from Navy 
Captain Francis Low, who was on Admiral King's staff.  Low took the 
idea to Captain Duncan, Admiral King's air officer.  Duncan concluded 
that the idea was technically feasible and passed it along to his 
boss.  The Admiral was enthusiastic about it, and on his orders, Capt 
Duncan passed the idea along to General Arnold.  General Arnold then 
sent for his new special projects officer, Lt. Col. James H.  
Doolittle, who was already a famous aviator as a result of his 
exploits with racing aircraft.  Doolittle was enthusiastic about the 
idea and immediately signed on.  

A "Tokyo project" was quickly and secretely formed.  Lt. Col.  
Doolittle and Captain Duncan were assigned project responsibilities 
for their respective services.  Lt. Col. Doolittle would lead a 
picked crew of aviators who would launch an attack against the 
Japanese home islands from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS 
*Hornet*.  Although it was believed that it was indeed feasible to 
launch medium bombers from the deck of an aircraft carrier, it was 
impossible for these types of planes to land on the deck of the 
carrier once the raid was over.  Consequently, plans were made for the 
planes to be recovered at prearranged airfields in eastern China at 
the end of the raid.  From there, the bombers would continue on to 
Burma and enter service in General Stilwell's command.  

The plan required an aircraft with an overall range of 2400 miles 
carrying a 2000-pound bombload and capable of taking off from the deck 
of an aircraft carrier.  The only two possible candidates at the time 
were the Martin B-26 Marauder and the North American B-25 Mitchell.  
The B-25 was selected on the basis of its superior takeoff 
performance.  

At that time, the only B-25s in service were with the 17th Bombardment 
Group.  The 17th Bombardment Group comprised the 34th, 37th and 95th 
Squadrons, plus the attached 89th Reconnaissance Squadron.  This group 
had been transferred from Oregon to South Carolina in order to meet 
the greater threat from German submarines operating off the East 
Coast.  24 B-25Bs were diverted from the 17th Bombardment Group, and 
volunteers were recruited, the crews being told only that this was 
going to be a secret and very dangerous mission against heavy odds.  

Two Mitchells had been flown off the deck of the carrier USS *Hornet* 
on February 3, 1942, confirming that the basic concept was feasible.  
The volunteers moved to Elgin Field in Florida for training.  Still 
not knowing what kind of mission they were training for, the crews 
practiced making takeoffs in as short a distance as possible.  It was 
found that with a reasonable headwind, a B-25 could get airborne with 
a 450-foot run.  

Certain modifications had to be made to the B-25Bs to make them 
suitable for the mission.  Since the raid was going to be made at low 
level, the retractable ventral turret was removed, saving about 600 
pounds of weight.  More fuel was added to the plane, bringing the 
total fuel load to 1141 gallons--646 gallons in the wing tanks, 225 
gallons in the bomb bay tank, 160 gallons in a collapsable tank 
carried in the crawlspace above the bomb bay, 160 gallons in the 
ventral turret space, and ten 5-gallon cans for refills.  The 
still-secret Norden bombsight was removed, lest it fall into Japanese 
hands.  It was replaced by a makeshift bombsight that proved more 
satisfactory for low level operations.  The bomb load consisted of 
four 500-pound bombs.  As a deterrent against Japanese fighters making 
stern attacks, a pair of dummy guns in the form of wooden sticks 
painted black were attached to the extreme rear fuselage, protruding 
out the back of the transparent tail cap.  Takeoff weight was about 
31,000 pounds.  

Upon completion of training, the crews left Elgin Field for McClellan 
Field in California.  On April 1, the crews departed McClellan for 
Alameda Naval Base near San Franscisco.  16 B-25Bs were all that could 
be loaded onto the *Hornet*, although all of the crew members who 
trained for the mission were embarked aboard the carrier in case 
backups were needed.  The task force steamed off toward Japan on April 
2.  

A chance encounter with Japanese picket boats forced the raid to be 
launched at a distance greater than the 400 miles offshore that had 
originally been planned.  On April 18, 1942, Lt. Col. Doolittle's 
plane took off from the *Hornet*, followed by the 15 others.  They 
headed for Japan, which was over 700 miles away.  

The Mitchells successfully bombed targets in Kobe, Yokohama and 
Nagoya, as well as Tokyo.  The altitude was about 1500 feet.  No 
aircraft were lost over the target.  However, bad weather prevented 
the flyers from finding their prearranged landing fields in China, and 
eleven of the crews had to bail out while four others crash-landed.  
One B-25B (40-2242) was flown to Vladivostock where both the aircraft 
and crew were interned.  

All sixteen B-25s that took part in the mission were lost, seven men 
were injured and three were killed.  Eight crew members were taken 
prisoner by the Japanese, of which only four survived the war.  The 
survivors who had landed in Japanese-controlled territory were 
sheltered and attended by courageous Chinese, and for this the 
Japanese occupying force in China wrought full vengeance on the local 
population.  

Doolittle at first told his crews that he thought that the mission had 
been a total failure and that he expected a court martial upon his 
return to the USA.  Although all the aircraft were lost and the damage 
inflicted during the raid was minimal, the operation provided an 
incalculable boost to American morale when just about everything else 
in the Pacific was going badly.  It also pointed out the vulnerability 
of the Japanese homeland to bomber attack, and four first-line fighter 
groups were retained in Japan rather than being sent to the Solomons 
where they were urgently needed.  Instead of being court-martialed, 
Doolittle was promoted to Brigadier General, awarded the Medal of 
Honor, and assigned a new command with greater responsibility.  

For the 25th anniversary of the Doolittle raid, B-25D-30 43-3374 (a 
former F-10 reconnaissance ship) was converted into a replica of 
Lt. Col. Doolittle's B-25B 40-2344.  This airplane is now on display 
at the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.  

40-2229/2348		North American B-25B Mitchell
				2242,2247,2249,2250,2261,2267,2268,2270,2278,
				2282,2283,2292,2297,2298,2302,2344 were 
				Doolittle Tokyo raiders.  2344 was Doolittle's
				plane.

Sources:

   B-25 Mitchell: The Magnificent Medium, N. L. Avery, Phalanx, 1992.

   Medium with the Mostest--The B-25 Mitchell, Jerry Scutts,
   Air International, Vol. 44, Nos 2 and 3, 1993.

   Boston, Mitchell, and Liberator in Australian Service, Stewart
   Wilson, Aerospace Publications, 1992.

   Famous Bombers of the Second World War, William Green, Doubleday,
   1959.

   North American's Flying Gun--The Story of the B-25 From Paper
   Airplane to Legendary Bomber, Jack Dean, Wings, Vol 23 No 4, 1993.

   United States Military Aircraft Since 1909, Gordon Swanborough
   and Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.

   North American B-25A-G Mitchell, Aircraft in Profile, Doubleday, 
   1966.

   Jane's American Fighting Aircraft of the 20th Century, Michael J.
   H. Taylor.


Joe Baugher			  **************************************
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