NEWS

Historical photos of the Doolittle Raid on Japan

Northwest Florida Daily News
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Pictures of the Doolittle Raiders air crew during World War II.
Pictures of the Doolittle Raiders air crew during World War II.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Pictures of the Doolittle Raiders air crew during World War II.
Pictures of the Doolittle Raiders air crew during World War II.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Pictures of the Doolittle Raiders air crew during World War II.
Pictures of the Doolittle Raiders air crew during World War II.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Pictures of the Doolittle Raiders air crew 8 during World War II. Crew 8 landed near Vladivostok with engine trouble and were interred ni Russia until they escaped through Iran in May 1943.
Pictures of the Doolittle Raiders air crew 8 during World War II. Crew 8 landed near Vladivostok with engine trouble and were interred ni Russia until they escaped through Iran in May 1943.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Doolittle Raider Crew 11: Capt. Ross Green (second from left( was shot down over North Africa on July 17, 1943. He was captured, escaped, recaptured and spen tthe rest of the war as a POW.
Doolittle Raider Crew 11: Capt. Ross Green (second from left( was shot down over North Africa on July 17, 1943. He was captured, escaped, recaptured and spen tthe rest of the war as a POW.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Pictures of the Doolittle Raiders air crew 12 during World War II. Crew 12: Sgt. Duquette (far right) was killed six weeks after the raid when his plane hit a mountain while returning from a bombing mission
Pictures of the Doolittle Raiders air crew 12 during World War II. Crew 12: Sgt. Duquette (far right) was killed six weeks after the raid when his plane hit a mountain while returning from a bombing mission
U.S. AIR FORCE
Pictures of the Doolittle Raiders air crew 16 during World War II. Crew 16 was captured by the Japanese after bailing out. Lt. Farrow (second from left) and Sgt. Spatz (far right) were executed on Oct. 15, 1942 along with Lt. Hallmark from Crew 6.
Pictures of the Doolittle Raiders air crew 16 during World War II. Crew 16 was captured by the Japanese after bailing out. Lt. Farrow (second from left) and Sgt. Spatz (far right) were executed on Oct. 15, 1942 along with Lt. Hallmark from Crew 6.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Pictures of the Doolittle Raiders air crew during World War II.
Pictures of the Doolittle Raiders air crew during World War II.
U.S. AIR FORCE
The plan fo the 1942 Doolittle Raid on Japan.
The plan fo the 1942 Doolittle Raid on Japan.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
Pictures of the B-25 aircraft onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier during the 1942 Doolittle Raiders mission over Japan.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Aerial photo of Eglin Field in March 1942. Note the two hangers in the center the photo. Hanger 68, is the left one.
Aerial photo of Eglin Field in March 1942. Note the two hangers in the center the photo. Hanger 68, is the left one.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Doolittle aircraft next to Hanger 68, where Eglin mechanics made modifications to Doolittle aircraft. The Doolittle B-25Bs were stripped of all non-essential weight including guns, metal fuel tanks, radios and the Norden bombsights in order to extend their range to bomb Japan and land in China.
Doolittle aircraft next to Hanger 68, where Eglin mechanics made modifications to Doolittle aircraft. The Doolittle B-25Bs were stripped of all non-essential weight including guns, metal fuel tanks, radios and the Norden bombsights in order to extend their range to bomb Japan and land in China.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Doolittle aircraft on the ramp of Eglin main field March 1942. The Doolittle Raiders used the ranges at Eglin to hone skills for Low-level Overwater celestial night navigation in preparation for the attack on Japan and planned aircraft recovery at airfields in China.
Doolittle aircraft on the ramp of Eglin main field March 1942. The Doolittle Raiders used the ranges at Eglin to hone skills for Low-level Overwater celestial night navigation in preparation for the attack on Japan and planned aircraft recovery at airfields in China.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Doolittle Raiders enjoy some "down time" while training for their raid at Eglin Air Force Base.
Doolittle Raiders enjoy some "down time" while training for their raid at Eglin Air Force Base.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Eglin Auxiliary Field #1 (Wagner Field). Doolittle's "Raiders" secretly trained at Eglin Aux #1 9-23 March 1942 for their historic carrier-based B-25 bomber raid on Japan. Naval Aviators from NAS Pensacola assisted the Raiders in short take off procedures to prepare them to launch from the carrier deck.
Eglin Auxiliary Field #1 (Wagner Field). Doolittle's "Raiders" secretly trained at Eglin Aux #1 9-23 March 1942 for their historic carrier-based B-25 bomber raid on Japan. Naval Aviators from NAS Pensacola assisted the Raiders in short take off procedures to prepare them to launch from the carrier deck.
U.S. AIR FORCE
The DoolittleÕs crew 2 (SSgt Paul Leonard, Lt Henry Potter, Lt Col Doolittle, Lt Richard Cole, SSgt Fred Braemer (left to right) at Eglin near Hanger 68. The water tower in the background still exists.
The DoolittleÕs crew 2 (SSgt Paul Leonard, Lt Henry Potter, Lt Col Doolittle, Lt Richard Cole, SSgt Fred Braemer (left to right) at Eglin near Hanger 68. The water tower in the background still exists.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Aircraft 40-2231 practicing short takeoffs on an unknown auxiliary field on the Eglin military reservation in preparation for the historic Doolittle Raid. Members and aircraft of the 17th Bombardment Group (Medium), Columbia Army Airfield, South Carolina, spent most of March 1942 training for the Doolittle Raid. (Courtesy of the Doolittle Organization)
Aircraft 40-2231 practicing short takeoffs on an unknown auxiliary field on the Eglin military reservation in preparation for the historic Doolittle Raid. Members and aircraft of the 17th Bombardment Group (Medium), Columbia Army Airfield, South Carolina, spent most of March 1942 training for the Doolittle Raid. (Courtesy of the Doolittle Organization)
DOOLITTLE ORGANIZATION/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
A memorial exhibit at the Air Force Armament Museum shows the headlines following the 1942 Doolittle Raid on Japan as well as replicas of the bomb sight used on the Doolittle B-25 aircraft and the Congressional Gold Medal that was awarded collectively to the Doolittle Raiders on April 15, 2015.
A memorial exhibit at the Air Force Armament Museum shows the headlines following the 1942 Doolittle Raid on Japan as well as replicas of the bomb sight used on the Doolittle B-25 aircraft and the Congressional Gold Medal that was awarded collectively to the Doolittle Raiders on April 15, 2015.
DEVON RAVINE/DAILY NEWS
16 B-25B Mitchell medium bombers, each with a crew of five, were launched from the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Hornet, in the Pacific Ocean, off Japan.
16 B-25B Mitchell medium bombers, each with a crew of five, were launched from the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Hornet, in the Pacific Ocean, off Japan.
U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO
16 B-25B Mitchell medium bombers, each with a crew of five, were launched from the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Hornet, in the Pacific Ocean, off Japan.
16 B-25B Mitchell medium bombers, each with a crew of five, were launched from the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Hornet, in the Pacific Ocean, off Japan.
U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO
An Army Air Force B-25B bomber takes off from USS Hornet (CV-8) at the start of the raid, 18 April 1942. Note men watching from the signal lamp platform at right. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.
An Army Air Force B-25B bomber takes off from USS Hornet (CV-8) at the start of the raid, 18 April 1942. Note men watching from the signal lamp platform at right. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Lt. Col. James Doolittle
Lt. Col. James Doolittle
U.S. AIR FORCE
The aircraft carrier Hornet had 16 AAF B-25s on deck, ready for the Tokyo Raid. U.S. Air Force Photo
The aircraft carrier Hornet had 16 AAF B-25s on deck, ready for the Tokyo Raid. U.S. Air Force Photo
U.S. AIR FORCE/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
USS Hornet • Found: Solomon Islands • Sunk: 1942 The USS Hornet, the aircraft carrier that launched the famed WWII Doolittle Raid against Tokyo, was later sunk by Japanese torpedoes during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Though 2,000 sailors were able to escape, 140 died on the sinking ship. In another discovery made by Paul Allen's R/V Petrel, the USS Hornet's remains were located more than three miles underwater off the Solomon Islands. ALSO READ: 24 Ancient Cities That Were Just Discovered
USS Hornet • Found: Solomon Islands • Sunk: 1942 The USS Hornet, the aircraft carrier that launched the famed WWII Doolittle Raid against Tokyo, was later sunk by Japanese torpedoes during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Though 2,000 sailors were able to escape, 140 died on the sinking ship. In another discovery made by Paul Allen's R/V Petrel, the USS Hornet's remains were located more than three miles underwater off the Solomon Islands. ALSO READ: 24 Ancient Cities That Were Just Discovered
Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons&nbsp
Lt. Col. Doolittle with members of his flight crew and Chinese officials in China after the attack. From left to right: Staff Sgt. Fred A. Braemer, bombardier; Staff Sgt. Paul J. Leonard, flight engineer/gunner; Chao Foo Ki, secretary of the Western Chekiang Province Branch Government. 1st Lt. Richard E. Cole, copilot; Doolittle; Henry H. Shen, bank manager; Lt. Henry A. Potter, navigator; General Ho, director of the Branch Government of Western Chekiang Province.
Lt. Col. Doolittle with members of his flight crew and Chinese officials in China after the attack. From left to right: Staff Sgt. Fred A. Braemer, bombardier; Staff Sgt. Paul J. Leonard, flight engineer/gunner; Chao Foo Ki, secretary of the Western Chekiang Province Branch Government. 1st Lt. Richard E. Cole, copilot; Doolittle; Henry H. Shen, bank manager; Lt. Henry A. Potter, navigator; General Ho, director of the Branch Government of Western Chekiang Province.
U.S. AIR FORCE
USS HORNET, PACIFIC OCEAN 1942 -- Lt. Col. James "Jimmy" Doolittle performs a full-throttle takeoff from the USS Hornet 650 miles from Japan on a secret mission. The Doolittle Raid, U.S. Army Air Force special order No. 1 of World War II, was a daring one-way mission of 16 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers with 80 aircrew, commanded by Colonel Doolittle, to carry out America’s first offensive attack on Japan. The crews secretly trained for two-weeks and modified the B-25s at Eglin Air Force Base's Wagner Field, Auxiliary Field 1 prior to the mission.
USS HORNET, PACIFIC OCEAN 1942 -- Lt. Col. James "Jimmy" Doolittle performs a full-throttle takeoff from the USS Hornet 650 miles from Japan on a secret mission. The Doolittle Raid, U.S. Army Air Force special order No. 1 of World War II, was a daring one-way mission of 16 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers with 80 aircrew, commanded by Colonel Doolittle, to carry out America’s first offensive attack on Japan. The crews secretly trained for two-weeks and modified the B-25s at Eglin Air Force Base's Wagner Field, Auxiliary Field 1 prior to the mission.
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE
James Doolittle received the Medal of Honor in 1942 from President Roosevelt in a ceremony attended by (standing, L–R) Lt. Gen. H. H. Arnold, Josephine Doolittle, and Gen. George C. Marshall.
James Doolittle received the Medal of Honor in 1942 from President Roosevelt in a ceremony attended by (standing, L–R) Lt. Gen. H. H. Arnold, Josephine Doolittle, and Gen. George C. Marshall.
U.S. AIR FORCE
Title: Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle, USAAF Description: Wires a Japanese medal to a bomb, for return to its originators in the first U.S. air raid on the Japanese Home Islands, April 1942. Photographed on board USS Hornet (CV-8), shortly before LtCol. Doolittle's B-25 bombers were launched to attack Japan. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. Catalog #: NH 102457
Title: Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle, USAAF Description: Wires a Japanese medal to a bomb, for return to its originators in the first U.S. air raid on the Japanese Home Islands, April 1942. Photographed on board USS Hornet (CV-8), shortly before LtCol. Doolittle's B-25 bombers were launched to attack Japan. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. Catalog #: NH 102457
U.S. NAVAL HISTORY COMMAND
Orders in hand, Capt. Marc A. Mitscher, U.S.N., skipper of the U.S.S. Hornet (CU-8) chats with Maj. Gen. James Doolittle, U.S. Army. Some of the 80 Army fliers who took part in the historic Japanese raid are pictured with the two fliers.
Orders in hand, Capt. Marc A. Mitscher, U.S.N., skipper of the U.S.S. Hornet (CU-8) chats with Maj. Gen. James Doolittle, U.S. Army. Some of the 80 Army fliers who took part in the historic Japanese raid are pictured with the two fliers.
U.S. AIR FORCE
In a photograph found after Japan's surrender in 1945, Lt. Robert L. Hite, copilot of crew 16, is led blindfolded from a Japanese transport aircraft after his B-25 crash landed in a China after bombing Nagoya on the the "Doolittle Raid" on Japan and he was captured. He was imprisoned for 40 months, but survived the war.
In a photograph found after Japan's surrender in 1945, Lt. Robert L. Hite, copilot of crew 16, is led blindfolded from a Japanese transport aircraft after his B-25 crash landed in a China after bombing Nagoya on the the "Doolittle Raid" on Japan and he was captured. He was imprisoned for 40 months, but survived the war.
U.S. AIR FORCE/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Then-1st. Lt. Dick Cole, at far left in the front row, is shown with a B-24 Liberator crew with the 8th Air Force's 446th Bomb Group in this photo from World War II.
Then-1st. Lt. Dick Cole, at far left in the front row, is shown with a B-24 Liberator crew with the 8th Air Force's 446th Bomb Group in this photo from World War II.
CONTIRBUTED PHOTO
Lt. Gen. James H. Doolittle (center), commander of the Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force, is surrounded by a group of U.S. flyers in this undated photo. The general took part in the first raid on Tokyo on April 18,1942, when a squadron took off from the USS Hornet in the North Pacific Ocean to bomb military installations in Japan. The Chief of staff of the Air Force, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., was recently presented with the Doolittle Award from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Lt. Gen. James H. Doolittle (center), commander of the Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force, is surrounded by a group of U.S. flyers in this undated photo. The general took part in the first raid on Tokyo on April 18,1942, when a squadron took off from the USS Hornet in the North Pacific Ocean to bomb military installations in Japan. The Chief of staff of the Air Force, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., was recently presented with the Doolittle Award from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
U.S. AIR FORCE/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The crew of the lead plane in the 1942 raid on Japan were (from left to right ): Henry Potter, navigator, Lt. Col. James Doolittle, pilot, Staff Sgt. Fred Braemer, bombardier, Lt. Richard Cole, co-pilot and Staff Sgt. Paul Leonard, flight engineer. U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO
The crew of the lead plane in the 1942 raid on Japan were (from left to right ): Henry Potter, navigator, Lt. Col. James Doolittle, pilot, Staff Sgt. Fred Braemer, bombardier, Lt. Richard Cole, co-pilot and Staff Sgt. Paul Leonard, flight engineer. U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO
U.S. AIR FORCE/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
USS HORNET, PACIFIC OCEAN 1942 -- Lt. Col. James "Jimmy" Doolittle performs a full-throttle takeoff from the USS Hornet 650 miles from Japan on a secret mission. The Doolittle Raid, U.S. Army Air Force special order #1 of World War II, was a daring one-way mission of 16 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers with 80 aircrew, commanded by Colonel Doolittle, to carry out America’s first offensive attack on Japan. The crews secretly trained for two-weeks and modified the B-25s at Eglin Air Force Base's Wagner Field, Auxiliary Field 1 prior to the mission. (Photo courtesy National Museum of the U.S. Air Force)
USS HORNET, PACIFIC OCEAN 1942 -- Lt. Col. James "Jimmy" Doolittle performs a full-throttle takeoff from the USS Hornet 650 miles from Japan on a secret mission. The Doolittle Raid, U.S. Army Air Force special order #1 of World War II, was a daring one-way mission of 16 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers with 80 aircrew, commanded by Colonel Doolittle, to carry out America’s first offensive attack on Japan. The crews secretly trained for two-weeks and modified the B-25s at Eglin Air Force Base's Wagner Field, Auxiliary Field 1 prior to the mission. (Photo courtesy National Museum of the U.S. Air Force)
National Museum Of The U.S. Air Force