Brought WWII To Japanese Mainland

Aero-News has learned two aviators who brought World War II to the Japanese mainland, and the daughter of the mission’s leader, will speak at the Air Force Academy March 14.

Retired Cols. Bill Bower and Dick Cole, along with Jonna Doolittle-Hoppes, are the speakers for a lecture sponsored by the Academy’s history department.

On April 18, 1942, 80 volunteer bomber aircrews led by then-Lt. Col. James Doolittle launched 16 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers from the USS Hornet, to bomb mainland Japan.

Colonel Cole and Doolittle were at the controls of the first bomber to take off from the aircraft carrier. Their destination was Tokyo. They dropped incendiary bombs near an armory, then made a low-level escape west to China, bailed out, met up with Chinese forces and returned to friendly territory.

This mission was the first American strike on the Japanese mainland. It also gave America a much-needed morale boost during the early days of World War II, and showed how unprepared the Japanese mainland was for air attacks.

"Nearly every plane, on its approach to Japan, has reported the sighting of naval and merchant vessels, innumerable small fishing craft, and a number of patrol planes," wrote Colonel Doolittle in his post-strike report. "Yet the Japanese apparently were entirely unprepared for the attack. Either their dissemination of information was faulty or the communication system had broken down completely."

"As we passed over the countryside, farmers in the field looked up and went back to work undisturbed; villagers waved from the streets; a baseball game continued its play; and in the distance, training planes took off and landed apparently unaware of any danger present," Colonel Doolittle said. "The overall picture is one of inadequate defense. The warning system did not appear to function; interception by fighters was definitely cautious; and anti-aircraft fire, responding slowly, did not reach the intensity one would expect for so important a city as Tokyo."

The 12th bomber on that raid was flown by Colonel Bowers, and was bound for Yokohama. His crew made their low-level attack at 1,100 feet, bombing Ogura Refinery, two factories, a factory area and then strafing an electric powerhouse.

After the Yokohama strike, Bower turned his bomber east toward China. They then strafed and sank a Japanese weather boat, crossed the China coast, ran out of fuel and bailed out. Local Chinese forces escorted the crew to Chuchow, where they could eventually return home safely.

Not all of the Doolittle Raiders were as fortunate as others. Three were killed during the raid. Five were interned in Russia. Eight became prisoners of war in Japan -- three executed by firing squad and another dying in captivity. Thirteen others would die later in the war.

Today, only 16 of the original 80 raiders remain alive to tell their story about the first American air raid on Japan during World War II.

FMI: www.usafa.af.mil