“Allegedly that happened because Lt. Col. Doolittle wasn’t scheduled to fly but jumped into the pilot seat of Plane #1.”
Doolittle was an exceptional pilot.
He was so good that he was kept stateside during WW1 training pilots who went on to gain fame and notoriety in the skies of Europe.
Doolittle knew he would never get another chance to fly in battle so he jumped at the chance when Task Force 18 was approaching Japan.
Due to maintaining radio silence Task Force Commander Captain Marc Mitscher had little recourse when Doolittle announced he would be piloting the lead plane.
The rest is history.
“Task Force Commander Captain Marc Mitscher”
That’s someone who doesn’t have the fame that he deserves. He came up with the tactic that turned the fast carrier task force into a nearly invulnerable weapon that could strike at will.
Marc Mitscher commanded the task force when Spruance was in charge of the Pacific fleet. His counterpart when Halsey was in charge was John S McCain Sr.