December 31, 2009 — Jonna Doolittle Hoppes speaks about her Grandfather, General Jimmy Doolittle from her new book “Calculated Risk” and the importance of recording history for future generations at the Historic Flight Foundation’s “B-25 Grumpy Welcome Reception”. This clip includes original film footage of the crews on the historic “Doolittle Raid” of WWII, which proved to the US and the Japanese Empire that America could and would strike back.
There’s obviously more to the story than we’re able to present here. The anniversary of the Doolittle Raid deserves recognition, as it was not only unimaginably dangerous and ballsy, but very necessary to send a message to Japan, as well as to the American public. It was created, orchestrated and accomplished in a little over 4 months after the unwarranted attack on Pearl Harbor.
Military Magazine recently published a first person account of a pilot who volunteered for the mission without knowing what it was. The mission wasn’t revealed until the modified bombers had been loaded onto the U.S.S. Hornet and the Hornet was at sea. Of the pilots who volunteered, all were given opportunities to decide for themselves whether they wanted to go on, without reprimand or dishonor, and not one of them sat down.
http://www.milmag.com doesn’t have the story on line yet, but it’s a must read.
[Crossposted here.]
Tacky Raccoons 
Sehr geEhrter Senor R
What an Interesting Episode of Admirable Bravery, achieved by those Courageous Young Men and those pScientists/Engineers most sagacious
Many thanks for this
G E
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G Eagle– I didn’t know that they’d taken out the tail guns and replaced them with black-painted broom handles, just to reduce weight and allow for additional ordnance and fuel. The entire story is amazing.
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peut-estre I think about these things de troppo
BUT did the Doolittle Raiders really bomb a Japanese Warship, as suggested by the 2nd film ???
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Herr Eagle– The Raiders themselves didn’t, but the USS Nashville sunk the 50 ton Japanese picket boat Dai-23 Nittō Maru after the latter spotted the flotilla and presumably alerted the mainland.
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