God bless the Doolittle Raiders. Those guys really embody the American spirit. Who would have thought that you could launch Army bombers from Navy aircraft carriers and strike the heart of Japan? It was so crazy that we made it work!
And in the teeth of a storm that produced 30 foot waves. The bobbing of the flight deck was such that pilots started their run looking at a wall of water hoping that the bow would be rising at take-off. Doolittle was the first to take off anxiously watched by all the flight crews. When he cleared the deck there was jumping and shouting as though the team had scored a touch down.
Realize as well that the carrier was reported to have been detected and the decision was made to launch 200 miles before the planned launch point into strong head winds, virtually guaranteeing that most if not all of the planes would not make it to the Chinese mainland. And yet not a man declined to fly.
That same storm provided cover for the Doolittle group over Tokyo. Interviews with Japanese revealed that many waved at the bombers believing them to be Japanese. After the raid the Japanese filed protest that the raid was 'unfair'. Imagine that.
After the bombing run providence stepped in and the winds shifted. They were then flying with strong tailwinds allowing most to make the mainland.
...Did I mention that there were no catapults yet.