Better late than never...
Today, April 18th, marks the 73rd anniversary of the Doolittle Raid. Often considered the revenge for the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy (USS Hornet task force) and United States Army Air Corps collaborated, taking 16 land based B-25 medium bombers and placing them on an aircraft carrier to attack Japan. Led by General Jimmy Doolittle, the aircraft took off on the short carrier deck (the shortest takeoff run was 467 feet), as opposed to the minimum take off range of +500 feet that unmodified bombers required to take off. Due to limited range and a number of other factors, only 69 of the 80 crewmen that partook in the raid survived... many crashed in China where they were hidden by civilians under occupation, and one aircraft reached the Soviet Union. Although the raid did not actually inflict major damage to the Imperial Japanese Empire, a major psychological blow was dealt upon the Japanese people - and of course, the raid was a much needed boost of moral for the battered Americans, struggling to establish a foothold in the during the early years of the war.
Today, only three airmen that participated in the raid are still alive. As you all know, the Greatest Generation is rapidly disappearing. With that being said, take a moment to pause and think of the sacrifices all that these men and women made. And of course, always make sure you thank them for their service.
If you would like, you can watch a little interview and some footage from the raid here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxa7MOqwj-g
Being an aviation buff I have really realized how insane these guys were... the lead planes were basically told to push their planes to the limit and go close to a stall with their high attitude. The first planes actually dipped down on take off and looked like they crashed - essentially, they dropped off the front of the carrier, then began to fly.
Poll