DOCSLIB.ORG

DOOLITTLE Raidby Robert B. Kane

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
DOOLITTLE Raidby Robert B. Kane SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO THIS MONTH, 80 AIRMEN DELIVERED A MUCH-NEEDED THE STRIKE AGAINST JAPAN. DOOLITTLE RAIDBy Robert B. Kane n April 18, 1942, at approxi- Franklin D. Roosevelt asked the Chiefs At Low’s direction, troops loaded mately 8:20 a.m., 16 B-25 of the Army, Navy, and Army Air Forces two Army B-25s onto Hornet, the bombers under the command (AAF) to plan a retaliatory strike on Navy’s newest carrier, at Norfolk. The of Lt. Col. James H. “Jimmy” Japan to boost American morale. He carrier sailed about 100 miles into the ODoolittle began taking off from USS repeated that request over the following Atlantic and launched the two aircraft Hornet, about 750 miles east of Japan. weeks. Since the bulk of the US Pacific from its deck without difficulty. About noon, local time, they struck Fleet’s battleships lay on the bottom of Meanwhile, Doolittle, a military factories and other industrial targets Pearl Harbor and American aircraft of test pilot, famed civilian aviator, and in six Japanese cities. the time could not reach Japan from the aeronautical engineer of the interwar The attack had minimal effect on closest American land base, the service years, was now special assistant to Lt. Japan’s military or industrial capa- Chiefs wondered how they could carry Gen. Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, Chief bilities and was carried out at the cost out the President’s request. of the Army Air Forces. Doolittle was of all the bombers in the raid. Seven On Jan. 10, 1942, Navy Capt. Fran- already trying to figure out which airmen died or were killed after being cis S. Low, assistant chief of staff for bombers could carry out an attack captured. Four spent the duration of anti-submarine warfare on the staff on Japan. the war as POWs. of Adm. Ernest J. King—head of the The needed aircraft had to have Still, the mission had a profound US Fleet and soon to become Chief a 2,400-mile cruising range, a effect on Americans, Japanese military of Naval Operations—watched two 2,000-pound bomb load, and be small leaders, and the Japanese people dur- Army pilots conducting mock bomb- enough that a reasonable number would ing the ensuing months. Seventy-five ing passes on an outline of a carrier fit on an aircraft carrier deck. Doolittle years later, the Doolittle Raid still has deck painted on the airfield at Norfolk decided on the B-25B, then the Army’s important lessons to teach. Naval Base, Va. The drill gave him the newest aircraft. It would be modified Two weeks after Japan’s Dec. 7, idea to launch Army bombers from an to carry double its normal fuel load 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, President aircraft carrier. and, thus, extend its range. A B-25, piloted by Lt. Col. James Doolittle, takes off from the deck of USS Hornet on April 18, 1942, for a daring raid against mainland Japan. US Navy photo 78 APRIL / MAY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM DOOLITTLE RAIDBy Robert B. Kane Once Roosevelt and the service Chiefs approved the concept for the retaliatory raid, Doolittle chose the 17th Bomb Group (Medium), assigned to Pendleton AAF, Ore., to provide aircraft and crews. He picked the unit because it was the first group to fly B-25s. On Feb. 3, the War Department or- dered the 17th BG to Columbia Army Air Base, near Columbia, S.C., osten- sibly to conduct anti-submarine patrols off the American East Coast. Doolittle diverted 24 of the group’s aircraft to Mid-Continent Airlines of Minneapolis, where they would get additional fuel tanks and other modifications. The 17th Bomb Group began arriv- ing at Columbia on Feb. 9, followed by Doolittle himself a few days later. He informed only Lt. Col. William C. Mills, the group commander, about the upcoming mission. Addressing the crews, Doolittle said he was looking for volunteers for a highly dangerous and US Navy photo APRIL / MAY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM 79 THE RAID CRACKED THE SENSE OF INVULNERABILITY THAT JAPANESE LEADERS HAD ENCOURAGED AMONG THE JAPANESE PEOPLE SINCE THE 13TH CENTURY. Top: Doolittle’s aircraft launches from USS secret mission that would contribute to “The Raiders at Eglin,” April 2015, p. 71.) Hornet’s flight deck. America’s war effort, but he gave no Between training missions, the bomb other details. When the entire group group’s enlisted men and Eglin techni- Below: The deck of Hornet lined with B-25 volunteered, Doolittle and the group’s cians made additional changes to the bombers on the way to the mission’s launching point. In the distance is USS squadron commanders selected the best aircraft. They installed a collapsible Vincennes. The bombers were modified for 24 crews for the mission. fuel tank and more fuel cells in the the special mission, including the removal The chosen men picked up the modi- fuselage, de-icers and anti-icers in the of the belly turret and a tactical radio and the addition of a collapsible fuel tank. fied B-25s at Minneapolis and flew them wings, steel blast plates around the to Eglin Field, Fla., arriving between upper turret, and mock gun barrels in Feb. 27 and March 1. With them came the tail. They removed the belly turret 60 enlisted personnel. During the next and a heavy tactical radio. The mechan- three weeks, the crews practiced carrier ics also fine-tuned new carburetors takeoffs, low-level and night flying, for the aircraft engines to obtain the over-water navigation, and low-altitude best possible engine performance and bombing at various Eglin auxiliary fields fuel consumption rate for low-altitude and over the Gulf of Mexico. The Navy cruising. provided Lt. Henry L. Miller, a flight Doolittle had the top-secret Norden instructor from nearby NAS Pensacola, to bombsights on the aircraft removed. supervise the short-takeoff training. (See They wouldn’t be of much value at the medium altitudes from which the raiders would strike, and it was too great a risk that they would fall into enemy hands. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo Command and Heritage Naval History US 80 APRIL / MAY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM US Navy photo Navy US Instead, Capt. Charles R. Greening, the combined task force was about 750 The pilot of the 16th aircraft, Capt. pilot and armament officer, created an miles east of Japan. Edward J. York, realized within hours of aiming sight dubbed the “Mark Twain.” At about that moment, Navy scout launching from Hornet that his engines The sights were built in Eglin’s sheet- planes detected a Japanese picket boat, were burning fuel at an unexpectedly metal workshops for about 20 cents each, and USS Nashville sank it by gunfire. high rate. (Civilian technicians at Mc- and Doolittle later said that they were The picket boat had sent Japan a mes- Clellan Field had incorrectly changed relatively accurate in the actual attack. sage of the sighting but didn’t confirm the settings of his aircraft’s carburetors.) Early on March 23, Arnold called the message before it was sunk. Faced York, realizing that his aircraft would Doolittle at Eglin Field and informed with the potential loss of surprise, Doo- not reach China, turned northwesterly him that it was time to move the secret little and Mitscher decided to launch toward Vladivostok, in the Soviet Union. operation to McClellan Field, Calif., the B-25s immediately, fully 10 hours The Soviet Union, allied with the US for final inspections and modifications and some 250 miles farther east than against Nazi Germany, was not at war to the aircraft. They would then fly to they had planned. All 16 aircraft took with Japan, however, and it imprisoned NAS Alameda for loading onto Hornet. to the air safely, but a sailor lost an arm the crew and confiscated the aircraft. It Though bad weather and installation when he stepped back into the prop took 13 months of persistent US gov- of the modifications had reduced the wash of an aircraft. ernment efforts and three relocations planned training time (about 50 hours Wave-hopping as they approached to get the crew to Ashgabat, 20 miles total) by 50 percent, Doolittle said in his the coast, the planes were seen by north of the Iranian border. There, the postraid report to Arnold that the crews Japanese fishing boats. Six hours after Soviet secret police arranged to smuggle had attained a “safely operational” level. takeoff, the B-25s arrived over Japan. York’s crew into Iran. Between March 31 and April 1 Climbing to 1,500 feet, the American Back in China, Chinese soldiers at Alameda, the Navy loaded 16 of bombers started their runs on targets in and guerrillas—and Japanese sol- Doolittle’s B-25s onto Hornet’s flight Tokyo, Yokohama, Yokosuka, Nagoya, diers—searched for the Americans. deck. This left about 450 feet of deck Kobe, and Osaka. Two Doolittle Raiders drowned when for the aircraft to make their takeoffs. None of the B-25s were lost to enemy their aircraft crashed off the Chinese Commanded by Navy Capt. Marc A. anti-aircraft fire or fighters, and two of coast, and one died after bailing out. Mitscher, Hornet left San Francisco on the crews shot down three Japanese Most of the raiders found their way into the morning of April 1, with 71 Army aircraft between them. friendly hands, but the Japanese army Air Forces officers and 130 enlisted- After dropping their bombs, 15 B-25s captured eight of them and executed men aboard, escorted by supply ships.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Index to the Reminiscences of Vice Admiral Truman
    Index to The Reminiscences of Vice Admiral Truman J. Hedding, United States Navy (Retired) Aircraft Carriers Development of tactical doctrine in 1943 for the fast carrier task force, 37-40 See also Carrier Division Three, Task Force 58 Air Force, U.S. Air Force members of the Joint Staff were well organized during the 1949-51 period in terms of the service's party line on various issues, 167-168; some of its responsibilities moved under the Pacific Command when that command became truly joint in the early 1950s, 169-172 Alcohol Cheap whiskey was available at the naval officers' club on Guam in the summer of 1945, 128-129 Ancon, USS (AGC-4) Amphibious command ship that served as a floating hotel in Tokyo for the staff of the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey in late 1945, 131-132; Japanese Navy wartime action reports that had been stored in caves were taken aboard the ship in late 1945 to be microfilmed, 139-140. site of 1945 interview of Prince Konoye, former Japanese Prime Minister, 141-142; returned to the United States at the end of 1945, 152-153 Anderson, Major General Orvil A., USA Army Air Forces officer who made inflated claims concerning the effectiveness of his service's bombing campaigns in World War II, 145; role in interrogating Japanese as part of the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey in 1945, 146-147 Antiair Warfare Effective U.S. antiaircraft fire during a carrier strike against the Marianas Islands in February 1944, 53 Army, U.S. Some of its responsibilities moved under the Pacific Command when that command became truly joint in the early 1950s, 169-172 Army Air Forces, U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Additional Historic Information the Doolittle Raid (Hornet CV-8) Compiled and Written by Museum Historian Bob Fish
    USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum Additional Historic Information The Doolittle Raid (Hornet CV-8) Compiled and Written by Museum Historian Bob Fish AMERICA STRIKES BACK The Doolittle Raid of April 18, 1942 was the first U.S. air raid to strike the Japanese home islands during WWII. The mission is notable in that it was the only operation in which U.S. Army Air Forces bombers were launched from an aircraft carrier into combat. The raid demonstrated how vulnerable the Japanese home islands were to air attack just four months after their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. While the damage inflicted was slight, the raid significantly boosted American morale while setting in motion a chain of Japanese military events that were disastrous for their long-term war effort. Planning & Preparation Immediately after the Pearl Harbor attack, President Roosevelt tasked senior U.S. military commanders with finding a suitable response to assuage the public outrage. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a difficult assignment. The Army Air Forces had no bases in Asia close enough to allow their bombers to attack Japan. At the same time, the Navy had no airplanes with the range and munitions capacity to do meaningful damage without risking the few ships left in the Pacific Fleet. In early January of 1942, Captain Francis Low1, a submariner on CNO Admiral Ernest King’s staff, visited Norfolk, VA to review the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, USS Hornet CV-8. During this visit, he realized that Army medium-range bombers might be successfully launched from an aircraft carrier.
    [Show full text]
  • Turkey Shoot and How Adm
    US Navy photo By John T. Correll Battle of the Philippine Sea, Leyte Gulf. It was also overshadowed 1944, the Japanese had scaled back their June 19-20, 1944, marked the by the other war news that month from plans but still hoped to hold a shorter end of Japanese naval airpower halfway around the world: The Allied inner perimeter, anchored on the east by as a signifi cant factor in World War II. landings in Normandy on D-Day, June 6, the Mariana Islands. It was the single biggest aircraft carrier to begin the invasion of occupied Europe. Japan’s greatest hero, Adm. Isoroku battle in history. However, naval history buffs still argue Yamamoto, who had planned the Pearl The fi rst day is remembered as “the about the Turkey Shoot and how Adm. Harbor attack, was dead, his airplane shot Great Marianas Turkey Shoot,” in which Raymond A. Spruance—the non-aviator down over the jungles of New Guinea in US Navy pilots and anti-aircraft gun- in command of the US Fifth Fleet—might 1943 by AAF P-38s. There was no one ners shot down more than 300 Japanese have conducted the battle, but didn’t. of comparable stature to take his place. airplanes. Before the two-day battle was Meanwhile, the US armed forces were over, the Japanese had lost fi ve ships, REVERSAL OF FORTUNES engaged in an intramural argument about including three fl eet carriers, and a total The heyday of the Japanese navy in the strategy. Gen. Douglas MacArthur called of 476 airplanes and 450 aviators.
    [Show full text]
  • Military Leadership and Organizational Innovation: a Case Study of the Pacific Theater in Ww Ii
    DISSERTATION APPROVED BY June 16, 2020 James R. Martin Jr. Date James R. Martin, Jr., Ph.D., Chair Elizabeth Elliot-Meisel, Ph.D., Committee Member Jennifer Moss Breen, Ph.D., Director _______________________________________ Gail M. Jensen, Ph.D., Dean MILITARY LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATION: A CASE STUDY OF THE PACIFIC THEATER IN WW II ___________________________________ By Anthony C. Zinni ___________________________________ A DISSERTATION IN PRACTICE Submitted to the faculty of the Graduate School of Creighton University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Interdisciplinary Leadership _________________________________ Omaha, NE (May 15, 2020) Copyright (2020), Anthony C. Zinni This document is copyrighted material. Under copyright law, no part of this document may be reproduced without the expressed permission of the author. iii Abstract The US military, faced with unprecedented challenges, has sought to transform its services and other commands into more innovative organizations and has struggled in trying to understand the process to accomplish this. Studies that have been conducted to determine how best to make this transformation have not offered a comprehensive methodology or model that has proven useful. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the practices of military leadership teams and organizational innovation in historic and highly successful military commands, specifically in the World War II Pacific theater of operations, to gain insights into how current and future leadership may influence innovation. The research examined historical documents, leader accounts, and scholarly literature on innovation. Through this case study, insights were gained into how current and future leadership may influence the transformation into innovative organizations through their practices.
    [Show full text]
  • Review Essay the Battle of Midway John Francis
    Review Essay The Battle of Midway John Francis “There has been much written about the Battle of Midway and in many respects there has been a startling lack of accuracy.”(1) This comment dates from 1946 prior to the immediate post-Second World War investigations into various aspects of the Pacific War and the official histories produced in the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was an accurate appreciation made, not by one of the investigators or historians, but by a participant, Stanhope Ring, commander of one of the USN’s three carrier air groups in the battle. Ring was also prescient. Much has since been written on Midway, but accurate accounts are still difficult to find. Early published works were brief, based on uncorroborated, often conflicting recollections and built on the story of American triumph “against the odds” that had been reported in the news at the time. The requirements of military security limited the release of information, and this was particularly true concerning the extent of code-breaking work by the USN’s radio intercept units, especially station “Hypo” at Pearl Harbor. Even after the war, it took a long time for details of the intelligence story to be revealed and later studies have shown that the initial published versions lacked much in accuracy. It is clear that these early accounts were heavily influenced by some of the central characters on both sides who, by then, had risen to high rank and in some cases had an opportunity to shape the official record. Japanese accounts were also influenced by a desire to remain on friendly terms with the victors of the conflict, who by then were the occupying power in the Japanese homeland.
    [Show full text]
  • April 2017 Newsletter
    Freedom’s Voice The Monthly Newsletter of the Military History Center 112 N. Main ST Broken Arrow, OK 74012 http://www.okmhc.org/ “Promoting Patriotism through the Preservation of Military History” Volume 5, Number 4 April 2017 World War I – April 6, 1917 World War I began in Europe in 1914, with the German invasion of Luxembourg on August 2 and Belgium on August The History Classic 3. By 1917, the opposing armies on the Western Front had been brutally killing each other for almost three years, yet the Golf Tournament battle lines had barely moved. On the Eastern Front, the Germans had much greater success against the Russians, who Benefitting by the beginning of 1917 were on the verge of collapse. Alto- gether, billions had been spent, and millions were dead. Military President Woodrow Wilson and the American people wanted no part of Europe’s war, even in the face of German History Center provocation. German restoration of unrestricted submarine warfare in early 1917, and the British interception of the in- and famous Zimmermann telegram made Wilson’s position of neutrality untenable. The Zimmermann telegram was a mes- sage from the German foreign office to the German ambas- sador in Mexico City, foolishly offering Mexico the restoration of Texas and the American Southwest if it would enter the Battle Creek Golf Club war on the side of Germany. This inflamed the American people, and President Wilson had no choice but to ask Con- Friday, May 5 gress for a declaration of war on Germany, which he did on April 2, 1917.
    [Show full text]
  • The Quiet Warrior Back in Newport—Admiral Spruance, the Return To
    Naval War College Review Volume 64 Article 8 Number 2 Spring 2011 The Quiet aW rrior Back in Newport—Admiral Spruance, the Return to the Naval War College, and the Lessons of the Pacific aW r, 1946–1947 Hal M. Friedman Follow this and additional works at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review Recommended Citation Friedman, Hal M. (2011) "The Quiet Warrior Back in Newport—Admiral Spruance, the Return to the Naval War College, and the Lessons of the Pacific aW r, 1946–1947," Naval War College Review: Vol. 64 : No. 2 , Article 8. Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol64/iss2/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Naval War College Review by an authorized editor of U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen Friedman: The Quiet Warrior Back in Newport—Admiral Spruance, the Return to THE QUIET WARRIOR BACK IN NEWPORT Admiral Spruance, the Return to the Naval War College, and the Lessons of the Pacific War, 1946–1947 Hal M. Friedman ar is about wreckage. Consequently, postwar periods tend to be about re- Wconstruction, and that phenomenon is what this article is about. It sets the scene for a larger exploration (the subject of projected sequels to the recent book from which this article is adapted) of how a military-academic institution —the Naval War College, in Newport, Rhode Island—attempted to readjust to a Hal M.
    [Show full text]
  • Case Studies of Operational, Strategic, and Diplomatic Naval Leadership During the 20Th and Early 21St Centuries
    Case Studies of Operational, Strategic, and Diplomatic Naval Leadership during the 20th and Early 21st Centuries Edited by John B. Hattendorf and Bruce A. Elleman d25395_DSGraphics_NineteenGunSalute-cvr.indd 1 10/15/2009 1:47:13 AM U.S. GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL EDITION NOTICE Use of ISBN Prefix This is the Official U.S. Government edition of this publication and is herein identified to certify its authenticity. ISBN 978-1-884733-66-6 is for this U.S. Government Printing Office Official Edition only. The Superintendent of Documents of the U.S. Government Printing Office requests that any re- printed edition clearly be labeled as a copy of the authentic work with a new ISBN. Legal Status and Use of Seals and Logos The logo of the U.S. Naval War College (NWC), Newport, Rhode Island, authenticates Nineteen-Gun Salute: Case Studies of Operational, Strategic, and Diplomatic Naval Leadership during the 20th and Early 21st Centuries, edited by John B. Hattendorf and Bruce A. Elleman, as an official publication of the College. It is prohibited to use NWC’s logo on any republication of this book without the express, written permission of the Editor, Naval War College Press or the editor’s designee. Table of Contents Acknowledgements . iv List of Maps and Illustrations . v Introduction: John B . Hattendorf . vi 1. Radical, But Right — William Sowden Sims (1858–1936), by Branden Little and Kenneth J. Hagan. 1 2. Efficiency — William Harrison Standley (1872–1963), by Craig C. Felker. 13 3. Sound Judgment — William Daniel Leahy (1875–1959), by Robert James Maddox . 25 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Marc A. Mitscher Personal Papers Identifier/Call Number: SDASM.SC.10099 Physical Description: 1.6 Cubic Feetthis Is a Four Box Collection
    http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8sb4b7w No online items The Descriptive Finding Guide for the Marc Mitscher Personal Papers SDASM.SC.10099 San Diego Air and Space Museum Library and Archives 2001 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park San Diego 92101 URL: http://www.sandiegoairandspace.org/ The Descriptive Finding Guide for SDASM.SC.10099 1 the Marc Mitscher Personal Papers SDASM.SC.10099 Language of Material: English Contributing Institution: San Diego Air and Space Museum Library and Archives Title: Marc A. Mitscher Personal Papers Identifier/Call Number: SDASM.SC.10099 Physical Description: 1.6 Cubic FeetThis is a four box collection. Three boxes measure 15 ½ x 10 ¼ x 5 inches. The fourth box is oversized and measures 15 ½ x 12 ¼ x 5 inches. The majority of the collection contains photographs, but there are some documents and personal papers relating to Mitscher from the early 1900s to his death in 1947. Much of the focus is his early-aviation career and his WWII service as Captain and Admiral in the US Navy. Date (bulk): bulk Abstract: Admiral Marc Mitscher had long and distinguished career in the US Navy as both aviator and ship commander. Mitscher’s strategies were crucial to the Allied forces during WWII. Conditions Governing Access This collection is open to the public by appointment. Conditions Governing Use For copyright and use restrictions please consult the library director. Immediate Source of Acquisition This collection of materials was donated to the San Diego Air and Space Museum. Preferred Citation [Item], Marc Mitscher Personal Papers, Archives, San Diego Air & Space Museum Biographical / Historical Admiral Marc Mitscher had long and distinguished career in the US Navy as both aviator and ship commander.
    [Show full text]
  • Index to Series of Taped Interviews with Admiral George W. Anderson, Jr., USN (Ret.) Volume I
    Index to Series of Taped Interviews with Admiral George W. Anderson, Jr., USN (Ret.) Volume I AERONAUTICS, BUREAU OF: Anderson relieves P.D. Stroop in Programs and Allocations in 1940, p. 58, pp. 60 ff.; War plan Rainbow V, pp. 64-65; British pass on lessons learned in World War II, pp. 67-68; Pearl Harbor and beyond, pp. 73 ff.; base requirements at the outset of war, pp. 78-79; comments on inadequacy in implementation of plans for aircraft, p. 87; Roosevelt-Churchill plans for plane production, 1942-1943, p. 91; Russian demands for plane allocations, pp. 97-98, 150-151; contract negotiations in wartime, pp. 99-100; program for lighter-than air ships for antisubmarine work, p. 101; Anderson's story of last- minute change of engines for the F6F, pp. 102-103; the story of the P-51 Mustang fighter, p. 105; close cooperation with the Royal Navy on requirements, pp. 105-106. AIRCRAFT CARRIERS: (late 1930s) a new appreciation of their worth and power, p. 56-57; ANDERSON, Adm. George W., Jr.: family history, p. 1 ff; family life in Brooklyn, p. 7-9; enters U.S. Naval Academy, p. 9 ff; marriage (1933), p. 46; son, George III born (1935), p. 49; family moves to Albuquerque during Anderson's service in the Pacific, p. 145-6; serious illness of Mrs. Anderson, p. 145-6; her death, p. 179; Anderson marries a navy widow, Mary Lee Sample, p. 179-180; p. 184; family life in Villefranche while Anderson serves with 6th fleet, p. 202; death of his father, p.
    [Show full text]
  • The Battle of Midway: a Bibliography (3Rd Ed.)
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Calhoun, Institutional Archive of the Naval Postgraduate School Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive Dudley Knox Library Publications Bibliographies 2007-05 The Battle of Midway: A Bibliography (3rd ed.) Huygen, Michaele Lee http://hdl.handle.net/10945/6979 The Battle of Midway A Bibliography nd 3 Edition Compiled and selectively annotated by Michaele Lee Huygen Dudley Knox Library Naval Postgraduate School May 2007 [INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK] Introduction "… Midway was indeed an ‘incredible victory’, as great a reversal of strategic fortune as the naval world had ever seen, before or since, and a startling vindication of the belief of the naval aviation pioneers in the carrier and its aircraft as the weapon of future maritime dominance." John Keegan, The Price of Admiralty: The Evolution of Naval Warfare. New York: Viking, 1989. p. 211 This is a selected, partially annotated bibliography listing books, periodical articles, web sites, and videos related to the Battle of Midway. Certain entries have brief annotations, many of which are taken from annotations in other bibliographies, books, and book reviews, when attributed, and directly from library cataloger’s notes when not. Although listings for materials in foreign languages are included, the greatest number of entries is for English language materials. The bibliography is intended to be a tool to assist researchers as they study this significant battle, which turned the tide in the Pacific theater. It is not intended as a comprehensive listing of all materials on the topic. Why are there so many citations to the same titles? In publishing, history tends to repeat itself as well.
    [Show full text]
  • The Doolittle Raid— 75 Years Later Dr
    The Doolittle Raid— 75 Years Later Dr. Robert B. Kane, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF, Retired Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed or implied in the Journal are those of the authors and should not be construed as carrying the official sanction of the Department of Defense, Air Force, Air Education and Training Command, Air University, or other agencies or departments of the US govern- ment. This article may be reproduced in whole or in part without permission. If it is reproduced, the Air and Space Power Journal requests a courtesy line. wo weeks after the 7 December 1941 Japanese attack on Hawaii, President Franklin D. Roosevelt informed the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Army Air Forces (AAF) that he wanted to strike back at Japan to boost American Tmorale—a request he repeated in the ensuing weeks.1 Their problem was how to accomplish the president’s objective since the heart of US naval power in the Pa- cific lay on the bottom of Pearl Harbor. The United States did not have an aircraft able to reach Japan from the closest American land base. Two individuals independently came up with the ideas that produced the Doolittle Raid: Navy captain Francis Low and Lt Col James “Jimmy” Doolittle—a famous pre- war military test pilot, civilian aviator, and aeronautical engineer and now special assistant for Lt Gen Henry “Hap” Arnold, AAF chief. Low was the assistant chief of staff for antisubmarine warfare for Adm Ernest J. King, chief of naval operations. His observation of Army pilots making bombing passes on an outline of a carrier deck painted on the airfield at Norfolk Naval Base, Virginia, on 10 January 1942, sparked the idea of launching Army bombers from an aircraft carrier.2 On 3 Febru- ary, Low had two B-25s—each with a pilot and copilot—loaded onto the Hornet, the Navy’s newest carrier, at Norfolk.
    [Show full text]