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JBSA News
NEWS | April 12, 2007

Doolitte raid proves dominance of airpower

By Master Sgt. William Vanselow Cryptologic Systems Group

The Doolittle raid in April of 1942 illustrated how planning, training, coordination, intelligence, technology and diplomacy led to a successful mission and established the blueprint that became key in creating the Air Force.

The same processes utilized in the Doolittle raid opened the door and set things in motion that would eventually establish the United States Air Force as we know it today.

The Doolittle raid required many different elements to ensure its success. The first of these was the actual idea. The United States was still recovering from the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor just four months earlier and the president and military leaders were looking for a plan to strike back at the Japanese homeland itself.

The problem was there were no air bases close enough to launch a bomber attack and Navy planes didn't carry a big enough bomb load to do significant damage.

Aircrews needed to be trained. Launching land-based bombers off a carrier deck had never been attempted. Ideas were suggested, methods practiced and desired outcomes achieved.

Then everything was approved and finalized.

Coordination between services became a key element to success.

The solution was to combine Navy and Army Air Corps operations and launch land-based bombers from Navy carriers.

Once the "how" was established, then details that are still essential to all operations were put into place.

Intelligence needed to be gathered as to what military facilities and in which cities would be attacked, avoiding damage to the civilian population and civilian businesses. Some of the areas utilized in gathering information included people who had recently lived or worked in Japan and were familiar with the target areas.

Just prior to the mission a Navy submarine secretly entered Tokyo harbor and landed operatives on the coast to gather weather and other data vital to the mission and relayed that back to those who required it.

Utilizing the right tool for the job was another issue. Air Corps leaders needed to decide which plane would best serve the purpose. Four-engine bombers would not fit on a carrier deck. After looking at many different aircraft, the two-engine B-25 bomber was chosen as the most effective plane to fly the mission.

Establishing rapport and working with allies became another key item. Once the bombers left the carriers, they would not be able to return, as landing a bomber on a carrier deck was out of the question. The best option for the aircrews once they had dropped their bombs was to fly on to China and land at airfields that had been established and manned by our Chinese allies

The success of the Doolittle mission provided a picture that airpower really could and did have a positive effect. This was still the era where the belief was that armies still won and decided wars and naval battleships ruled the oceans.

As the war progressed, key individuals realized that the Air Corps was playing a very important and key role. At war's end, the Air Corps had been a critical element leading to Allied victories in both Europe and the Pacific.

All this helped in the decision to create the U.S. Air Force in 1947.

The same areas that led to the success of the Doolittle raid are still vital to all Air Force missions today, from planning, intelligence and avoiding collateral damage, having the best aircraft, training, coordinating with other service branches and working with allies.

Thanks to the Doolittle Raiders and those who worked on the mission ensuring its success, the path to establishing the Air Force was stated and continues today leading toward the service's 60th birthday celebration.



The local ties of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders

Training: 

Brig. Gen. James H. Doolittle: Attended Air Service Mechanical School, Kelly Field. 

Master Sgt. Paul John Leonard: Received training as airplane mechanic after  assignments to units at Kelly Field. 

Capt. Robert Manning Gray: Graduated as a pilot at Kelly Field. 

Brig. Gen. Everett W. Holstrom: Graduated as a pilot at Kelly Field. 

Col. Edward J. York: Pilot training at Randolph and Kelly Fields also served as chief of staff of USAF Security Service, San Antonio. 

Lt. Col. Richard O. Joyce: Graduated as a pilot at Kelly Field. 

Col. Charles R. Greening: Graduated advanced flying school at Kelly Field. 

First Lt. William G. Farrow: Completed pilot training at Kelly Field. 

Second Lt. William L. Birch: After the raid, attended pilot training and advance flying school at Lubbock. 

Brig. Gen. Richard A. Knobloch entered military service at Randolph Field. 

Col. James H. Macia Jr.: Retired as USAF Security Service, San Antonio, in 1973. 

Brig. Gen. John A. Hilger: assigned chief of staff, Air Training Command, Randolph AFB.

Native Texans: 

Master Sgt. Paul John Leonard from Fort Bliss 

Maj. William N. Fitzhugh from Temple 

Maj. Douglas V. Radney from Mexia 

Capt. Robert Manning Gray from Killeen 

Maj. Lucian Nevelon Youngblood from Pampa, enlisted at Fort Sam Houston 

First Lt. Dean Edwards Hallmark from Greenville 

Maj. Nolan Anderson Herndon from Greenville 

Maj. James M. Parker Jr. from Houston 

First Lt. Kenneth E. Reddy from Fort Worth 

Lt. Col. Thadd Harrison Blanton from Archer City 

Brig. Gen. John A. Hilger from Sherman 

Lt. Col. Robert L. Hite from Odell