Jimmy Doolittle

James Harold Doolittle (December 14, 1896 – September 27, 1993) was an American aviation pioneer. Doolitle served with great distinction as a general in the United States Army Air Corps during the Second World War, earning the Medal of Honor as the commander of the Doolittle Raid.

Doolittle's Raid

He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on January 2, 1942, and went to Headquarters Army Air Force to plan the first aerial raid on the Japanese homeland. He volunteered and received Gen. H.H. Arnold's approval to lead the attack of 16 B-25 medium bombers from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, with targets in Tokyo, Kobe, Osaka, and Nagoya. The daring one-way mission on April 18, 1942 electrified the world and gave America's war hopes a terrific lift. As did the others who participated in the mission, Doolittle had to bail out, but fortunately landed in a rice paddy in China near Chu Chow. Some of the other fliers lost their lives on the mission.

Related Topics:
Lieutenant Colonel - Gen. H.H. Arnold's - B-25 - USS ''Hornet'' - Tokyo - Kobe - Osaka - Nagoya - April 18 - 1942 - China

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Doolittle received the Medal of Honor, presented to him by President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House, for planning and leading this successful operation. His citation reads: "For conspicuous leadership above and beyond the call of duty, involving personal valor and intrepidity at an extreme hazard to life. With the apparent certainty of being forced to land in enemy territory or to perish at sea, Lt. Col. Doolittle personally led a squadron of Army bombers, manned by volunteer crews, in a highly destructive raid on the Japanese mainland."

Related Topics:
Medal of Honor - Franklin D. Roosevelt - White House

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The Doolittle Raid is viewed by historians as a major public-relations victory for the United States. Although the amount of damage done to Japanese war industry was minor and quickly fixed, the raid showed the Japanese their homeland was not invulnerable, and forced them to withdraw several front-line fighter units for homeland defense. More significantly, Japanese commanders considered the raid deeply embarrassing, and their attempt to close the perceived gap in their Pacific defense perimeter led directly to the decisive American victory during the Battle of Midway.

Related Topics:
Doolittle Raid - Battle of Midway

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