Posted on 04/18/2018 8:15:13 AM PDT by fugazi
1775: Paul Revere and William Dawes begin their famous midnight ride from Boston to Lexington, Mass., where they link-up with Samuel Prescott, who rides on to Concord. All three are sounding the alarm warning town leaders and alerting the militia that nearly 1,000 British infantrymen, grenadiers, and Royal Marines are advancing from Boston.
1942: At 7:38 a.m. a Japanese patrol vessel spots the task force bearing Lt. Col. James H. Jimmy Doolittle and his raiders 650 miles east of Japan. The ship is sunk, but not before her crew can report the position of the American aircraft carriers. Their cover blown, sixteen specially modified B-25 Mitchell bombers have to launch from USS Hornet ten hours earlier than planned.
The crews will not have enough fuel to return to the carrier after the first raid against the Japanese mainland of World War II, so they have been instructed to strike Tokyo and other targets on Honshu, then fly to China and pray theyll find suitable landing sites or bail out.
The one-way mission will be successful, but all aircraft will be lost. Eleven airmen will be killed or captured. Doolittle will be awarded the Medal of Honor.
1943: Naval intelligence intercepts communications that give them the travel itinerary of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy, who is touring bases in the South Pacific to boost morale after the United States handily defeats Japan at Guadalcanal.
A select group of pilots scramble from Guadalcanal on their secret mission personally authorized by President Franklin Roosevelt. The P-38 Lightnings ambush Yamamotos Betty bomber and its fighter escorts over Bougainville, killing Japans top naval officer.
1945: As the Red Army smashes through Berlins defenses, 300,000 soldiers in the Ruhr Pocket mostly old men and young
I forgot to post the link: http://www.victoryinstitute.net/blogs/utb/2018/04/18/april-18-in-military-history/
Hafez Assad, surely was involved in this, if nothing more than to allow the bombers to cross Syrian land. And some like his son Basher.
Also the anniversary of the Battle of Sierra Gordo in the Mexican War.
Winfield Scott outflanked Santa Ana and he was in such a panic to get away he left behind his artificial leg.
It so distressed the military that it prompted a premature attack on Midway.
Thanks to the efforts of Captain Robert E Lee.
“I was only 11 at the time of the Doolittle raid,”
I was 10———and Dolittle was considered a big hero for the neighborhood kids.
.
It so distressed the military that it prompted a premature attack on Midway.
Japan had considered the homeland impervious to attack. Big shock. Yamamoto had been trying to sell the notion of attacking Midway but the Imperial Army was against it. Doolittle’s raid solidified Yamamoto’s backing with two missions added to pacify the Army ... Port Moresby and the Aleutian Islands.
BTW, was there really an intention to recover Doolittle’s bombers by landing back on the carriers? Could a bomber even land on a carrier?
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