Erwin Posted April 18, 2022 Share Posted April 18, 2022 (edited) Today is the 80th anniversary of Major Doolittle's raid on Japan. A one-way trip. Hats off to a bunch of brave guys. "When things were their darkest for the U.S. after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the Doolittle Raiders gave the nation hope. Sixteen B-25s, each with a five-man crew, were lined up on the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. This had never been tried in war—sending heavy bombers off a carrier. Because the Japanese military had learned of the strategy, the planes had to take off from farther out in the Pacific than had been planned. Their mission was to hit Tokyo, but now they would lack enough fuel to reach safety beyond Japan’s borders. They went anyway. They bombed Tokyo, then tried to make it to China. Four planes crashed, 11 crews had to bail out, and three Raiders died. Eight were captured, and three were executed. One aviator died of starvation in a prison camp. But the signal had been sent to Americans back home: Nothing will stop us from winning this war. The mention of the Raiders brought tears of pride to their fellow citizens." Edited April 18, 2022 by Erwin 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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