75th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid

[Jon]

Today, April 18th, marks the 75th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid. Sixteen B-25B Mitchell bombers, led by Lt. Col. James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle, took off from the USS Hornet in the early morning daylight on an assignment to strike the heart of Tokyo just five months after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. Although the raid inflicted a rather minor level of physical damage on Japan, it gave a much-need boost to morale in the U.S. and to the warfighters.

Eighty men volunteered and participated in the raid, and all but three crew members initially survived the mission. Eight airmen were captured by the Japanese in China, and three were later executed. Fourteen full crews, except for one crewman who was killed in action, returned either to the United States or to American forces.

Retired Lt. Col. Richard Cole, Doolittle’s co-pilot and sole surviving Doolittle Raider, will conduct the traditional “Goblet Ceremony” honoring those Raiders who died the previous year by overturning the Goblet belonging to retired SSgt. David Thatcher.

[MIKE JG]

Nice gathering of B-25's at the Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB (KFFO) yesterday to mark the anniversary.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/loc ... viyYSmriI/

[bismarck]

uploadcertificity.com

when my wife asked me why I photographed that piece of iron, I threatened her to divorce...

Women!!!

Giorgio