Doolittle Raids...

[Richard]

I was just reading through some stuff on the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo:

"...After dropping their bombs, mainly on or near their intended
targets, Doolittle's sixteen B-25B bombers left Japanese airspace,
essentially unhindered by enemy air interception and anti-aircraft
gunfire. One of them, suffering from excessive fuel consumption, had
no hope of reaching China and so headed for the closer Soviet Maritime
region. After landing north of Vladivostok, this plane and its five
crew members were interned by the then-neutral Soviet authorities. The
crew ultimately returned to the U.S. by way of Iran...."

I'm wondering why they didn't ALL head for Vladivostok... seems a
safer alternative in my mind...

(although I don't know the facts - there may have been a real good
reason for heading to China)

Cheers,
Richard

[Richard Stewart]

On Mon, 03 Nov 2003 20:55:59 +1100, Richard
> wrote:

>I was just reading through some stuff on the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo:
>
>"...After dropping their bombs, mainly on or near their intended
>targets, Doolittle's sixteen B-25B bombers left Japanese airspace,
>essentially unhindered by enemy air interception and anti-aircraft
>gunfire. One of them, suffering from excessive fuel consumption, had
>no hope of reaching China and so headed for the closer Soviet Maritime
>region. After landing north of Vladivostok, this plane and its five
>crew members were interned by the then-neutral Soviet authorities. The
>crew ultimately returned to the U.S. by way of Iran...."
>
>I'm wondering why they didn't ALL head for Vladivostok... seems a
>safer alternative in my mind...
>
>(although I don't know the facts - there may have been a real good
>reason for heading to China)
>
>Cheers,
>Richard
>

Woo... weird double post...
Apols...

Cheers,
Richard

[Keith Willshaw]

"Richard" > wrote in message
...
> I was just reading through some stuff on the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo:
>
> "...After dropping their bombs, mainly on or near their intended
> targets, Doolittle's sixteen B-25B bombers left Japanese airspace,
> essentially unhindered by enemy air interception and anti-aircraft
> gunfire. One of them, suffering from excessive fuel consumption, had
> no hope of reaching China and so headed for the closer Soviet Maritime
> region. After landing north of Vladivostok, this plane and its five
> crew members were interned by the then-neutral Soviet authorities. The
> crew ultimately returned to the U.S. by way of Iran...."
>
> I'm wondering why they didn't ALL head for Vladivostok... seems a
> safer alternative in my mind...
>

The idea was to land in China and then use the aircraft for further strikes
on the Japanese, the problem was that due to a combination of
an early launch and a screw up in China none of the aircraft was able
to make it to a safe landing on a Chinese airfield.

Had the Soviets followed the letter of international law any pilots
and aircraft landing in the USSR would have been interned for the
duration of the war.

Keith

[Chris Mark]

>From: Richard

>I'm wondering why they didn't ALL head for Vladivostok... seems a
>safer alternative in my mind...

The original plan was for the planes to land at airfields in China, launching
from Hornet at nightfall, bombing Japan at night and arriving over the
airfields in China in the early morning. But because of the encounter with
Japanese vessels the B-25s were launched 10 hours ahead of schedule, and
without time to plan a new exit strategy other than to try to get as far into
China as possible, otherwise ditch and hope for the best.
Capt. Edward J. York was flight (four planes) leader of the group that attacked
targets in southern Tokyo (bombing altitude 1,500 feet). Capt. York made an
individual decision to fly to the USSR when it became apparent there was no
hope of reaching China on their remaining fuel and ditching at night in rough
seas would be suicidal, as would bailing out. He landed safely 40 miles north
of Vladivostok.
Others on the crew were: lst Lt. Robert Emmens, Medford, Ore.; 2nd Lt. Nolan
Herndon, Sulphur Springs, Tex.; TSgt Theodore Laban, Kenosha, Wis.; SSgt David
Pohl, Wellesley, Mass.; Capt. Edward York, San Antonio, Tex.
Eighty men participated in the strike. Eight were captured, five were interned,
two were missing, one was killed eight remained in China to serve with
Chennault (two killed in action) and 55 returned to the States. Of these, three
were later killed and one captured while serving in the MTO. I believe one was
also killed in the ETO.


Chris Mark

[Chris Mark]

Just thinking about that 1,500 foot bombing altitude and imagining that flight.
Only four months after Pearl Harbor and here are these guys in a handful of
planes flying across Tokyo at mid-day in bright sun (the first plane launched
at 8:20 am ship time and picked up the coast 3hrs, 40 min. later skimming the
waves at 15-20 feet altitude. They stayed on the deck until nearing their
targets). It was Cherry Blossom time, so the Tokyo parks must have been
beautiful. They flew over a baseball game in progress. Ramon Lavalle,
commercial attache at the Argentine Embassy in Tokyo at the time of the attack,
wrote an account of the episode. He heard an air raid siren, and went up to
the roof of the embassy in time to see four B-25s thunder past so close he felt
he could have reached out and touched them. They stirred up quite a windstorm
as they passed, blowing drying clothes and airing futons from bamboo poles and
bowling over the cart of a goldfish vendor. Some people waved at the planes,
some ran for cover. Most just looked up and stared. After they had passed the
air was hot with the smell of burned gasoline and oil. There were distant
explosions. People looked at one another but said nothing; it was a police
state, after all. When he went back downstairs, one of the local-hire embassy
staffers, standing looking out the doorway, muttered, "Now the real war
begins." Lavalle, who had come to Tokyo two weeks earlier after four months in
Hong Kong, thought this was an inane comment until he reflected that for the
Japanese population, the statement was true. Of course it really wouldn't be
until the B-29s came.


Chris Mark

[Cub Driver]

On 03 Nov 2003 16:04:16 GMT, (Chris Mark) wrote:

>The original plan was for the planes to land at airfields in China, launching
>from Hornet at nightfall, bombing Japan at night and arriving over the
>airfields in China in the early morning.

As always, Chris, you put your finger on the part that was puzzling
me. Okay: they launched not an hour or two early, but eight or ten
hours.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put CUB in subject line)

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