[Retain Mike]

I grew up around and noticed incredible men like these, because I related better to my dad’s generation than to my own. My Economics professor in college served in the first Navy UDT team operation. I would meet at the golf course where I played one of the Flying Tigers. I often ended up as a dishwasher at the country club. When I noticed the chef always limped as he moved around the kitchen he saw my puzzled look and he told me he got the limp from a wound received when he was with the Rangers at Pointe De Hoc. There are more stories I could related and many more I have forgotten.

April 18 is the anniversary of the mission and I offer this essay annually as a reminder. Men like these should never be forgotten. The reference and links contain much more information for those interested.

[piytar]

Thanks for posting this!

[piytar]

Thanks for posting this!

[arthurus]

But it was Eglin base in Florida not Elgin.

[righttackle44]

I've had the same experiences. Because I was born during WWII, nearly all my teachers, my Sunday School teachers, my coaches, my Cub Scout den Dad, virtually every male I knew, fought somewhere, somehow in WWII. (My own Dad had a bad leg injury as a child and walked with a limp. He ended up temporarily taking the job of government employee who had joined the service and was set to go overseas.)

Many, many stories about battles, narrow escapes, literal escapes (my camp counselor and his air crew, to evade capture in Europe, stole the town's fire truck and drove with siren wailing, through the German crossroads check point), my pastor flying deadly B-25 missions in the most litereal flying coffins of WWII, my relative having to leave his top turret gun to check whether or not the tail was going to stay on the B-17 because top turret gunners were also the crews' flight engineer.

So many stories. And STILL. none of them considered themselves heroes. I was raised by the men of the Greatest Generation.

[cd jones]

The best war documentary I have seen is by Ken Burns, “The War” 2007. I watch it every year..sometimes twice

[Radagast the Fool]

Thank you for posting this.

[Tupelo]

Growing up in Dayton, Ohio near the Air Force Museum, I was fascinated by these men. And still am.

One irony that I think many over look is the The aircraft was a B25B MITCHELL bomber.
General Billy Mitchell an advocate for air power and one of the men who predicted the Pearl Harbor bombing, twenty years earlier. At that point, his army career was over, because all the Wizards of Smart (thanks Rush) “knew” war was obsolete and the Japanese were so backward they could not possibly do something like that.

[WKUHilltopper]

As a kid, I used to delight to talk with guys from various theaters, missions, etc. It was kinda like a collection. I meet and knew guys who were waist gunners on B25s, B17 radio and turret gunners, various pilots, POWs, one guy who survived Bataan, another guy who flew the “Hump” (he was shocked I even knew about it), at D-Day, Iwo, Guadalcanal, etc.

Now those guys are getting harder and harder to find.

[ansel12]

The Army knew how to get things done.

[RaceBannon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZDa0Nl0RPs

[RaceBannon]

here’s the full movie

https://archive.org/details/ThirtySecondsOverTokyoNtsc

[llevrok]

Thank you for posting this!

I’ve said this before of LtC Doolittle’s raiders - there were so many courageous acts in WW2 (of which my own Dad fought).

But few were as audacious as this one. We let the Japanese know they were indeed touchable.

[jonrick46]

Bump!

[oh8eleven]

Real men who saved the world from tyranny. Ohhhh, how we could use them now.

And like most WWII vets, they came home, got jobs/married, etc, and never said much about any of it.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Two remain.

[Boowhoknew]

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

[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