The Doolittle Raid

April 18, 2015 | Self

[Eric in the Ozarks]

My dad flew C-46s over the Hump in the China-Burma-India Campaign.

[Boowhoknew]

To their honor and memories! God Bless them all. May the nations they helped to save thank them!

[schurmann]

“But it was Eglin base in Florida not Elgin.”

Actually, the Raiders trained at Duke Field, more than ten miles north of Eglin AFB proper. Duke is still in use, situated today within the bounds of Eglin AFB Reservation, which extends across portions of three Florida Panhandle counties, encompassing over 460,000 acres. In 1942 Duke was called Eglin Auxiliary Number 3: its namesake, 1Lt Robert L. Duke, did not perish until December 1943.

[arthurus]

I have been to Eglin several times and across it on the coast many times.

[Retain Mike]

In his book Ted Lawson says Eglin Field near Pensacola. That is problably a better phrase to use, since Florida is such a big state. Thanks.

[tanknetter]

Unaware of this pending mission, the 24 crews flew to Minneapolis where the bombers received extensive modifications. Installing auxiliary fuel tanks increased capacity over 70%. Range eventually increased from about 1,000 to 2,500 miles by also utilizing flying configurations and practices designed to conserve fuel. Increased fuel weight then required removing a 230 pound liaison radio. The lower twin 50cal. remote control turret was later removed at Eglin Field in Florida saving 600 pounds. An armored 40gal fuel tank was then inserted. Cameras were installed to record bombing results.

...

On board the Hornet Greening installed a pair of black-painted broom handles in each aircraft's tail cone to intimidate attacking enemies.

Thanks for putting this together, and posting it every year.

Hope you don't mind that I suggest a small correction. The broomstick "tail guns" were put in at Minneapolis, actually before the belly turrets were removed. Here about halfway down you can see a couple pics of Doolittle B-25s at Minneapolis, one shot from the rear quarter of 02242 (Plane #8, piloted by Capt. Edward "Ski" York, which ended up landing in Russia) where you can just barely see the "tail guns" and the belly turret.

You can also see pictures here, about 20% of the way down (from the Roy Stork Collection) of the "tail guns" in place but the belly turrets now gone during the short take-off training.

[M Kehoe]

Bttt.

5.56mm

[tanknetter]

A book just out, titled “Target Tokyo,” reviewed in today's WSJ, suggests the primary accomplishment of the raid was to convince the Japanese that what remained of the American fleet had to be destroyed, and quickly.

Thus, the battle of Midway only a few months after the Tokyo raid. We know how that turned out...

Yeah, that the Doolittle Raid changed Japanese thinking on what they needed to do to take out the US carriers is pretty well-known fact. Covered pretty well in the opening scenes of Tora Tora Tora.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

It was an unintended carom shot for the raiders.

[Retain Mike]

I got the information about the belly turret and the broom sticks from Doolittle’s autobiography, which for some unknown reason I failed to list among my references. On page 246 of the hardcopy he says, “While the pilots were training at an auxiliary field, modifications were continuing on the B-25’s at Elgin…..A major problem we encountered concerned the electrically powered gun turrets. The early B-25’s had a top and lower turret with twin .50-caleber machine guns….. There were no guns installed in the tail section…..Much credit must go to Ross Greening for solving our armament problems. He suggested that we install two broomsticks in the tail and paint them black to simulate a tail gun position…..And since the lower turrets gave us nothing but headaches and were very complicated to operate, Greening suggested removing them. Again, I approved.”

I read those pages again and the book (I Never Could Be So Lucky Again) seems to be following a linear time line implying these events happened in Florida. Any mention of Ross Greening doesn’t show up until they are in Florida. But I think am also seeing the same things you are.

I found at least one other inconsistancy when I was checking about the guns again. His autobiography says the tank replacing the lower turret was 60 gallons and another source says 40 gallons. The book says the 60 gallon tank was always intended to be filled from 10 5 gallon cans loaded onto the planes, but Ted Lawson says all the tanks were topped off before they lifted into the air.