Planning for the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo
The Days After the Pearl Harbor Attack
On Monday, December 8, 1941 at 12:30, United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) addressed a Joint Session of the U.S. Congress. That speech, now referred to as the "Date of Infamy" speech, described the President's anger with the japanese for the unprovoked attack on the U.S. military facility at Pearl Harbor. Lasting just over 7 minutes, his intention was quite clear. The United States was now at war with Japan. The nation had remained neutral through the beginnings of World War II, but we could not stand idly by while we were attacked. The attack at Pearl Harbor claimed more than 2,500 lives with more than 1,000 wounded. The Japanese had destroyed or damaged 18 American ships and just shy of 300 aircraft. At the time, due to the technological limitations of the day, the majority of United States citizens were unaware of the severity of the attacks. This would not stop the nation from uniting together in their resolve for war against Japan. Shortly after they speech, congress unanimously passed a declaration of war against Japan.
In the days that followed the attack, the President would constantly inquire about the possibility of attacking the Japanese mainland in his daily briefings. The attack would happen. It was always a question of when and how. There were many plans devised, and indeed many were implemented. Each plan had advantages and disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage was time. This attack had to happen soon. Although many people simultaneously devised the concept of bombing the Japanese mainland, there was one specific set of circumstances that led to the Doolittle raid.
The Plan
Captain Frances S. Low was an operations officer on Admiral Ernest J. King's staff. Admiral King was the Chief of Naval Operations at the time. Captain Low was flying to Norfolk, Virginia to check on the readiness of the U.S.S Hornet, the Navy's newest aircraft carrier. While flying in to the naval base, he noticed twin-engine bombers practicing simulated bomb runs on the outline of a carrier on the runway below. This gave him the idea to fly Army Air Corps medium bombers off an aircraft carrier to attack Japan. On January 10, 1942, he pitched the idea to Admiral King, saying "Sir, I've got an idea for bombing Japan". Admiral King responded, "Low, you might have something there". The Captain was given further instructions to start planning a Japanese raid.
Captain Donald "Wu" Duncan, Air Operations officer, was given the task of planning the raid on January 11, 1942. On January 16, 1942, he delivered is handwritten, 30 page plan to Admiral King. His proposal, written in outline form was very detailed. He included provisions for weather, routes, and which carriers could be used. It also contained a detailed discussion of which bomber would be best suited for the task. According to Captain Duncan, the B-18 was too old to be effective. With a wingspan of 92 feet, the B-23 was too big to fly off the carriers of the day. The B-26 required more room to take flight than would be available. The B-25 however, just might work. With a wingspan of approximately 68 feet, the B-25 would be able to clear the island on the aircraft carrier. With the carrier turned into the wind, the B-25's take off speed was slow enough to make flight possible in the length provided by the Navy's newest carrier, the U.S.S. Hornet. They might be able to take off, but this was to be a one-way flight. None of the medium bombers of the day could land on an aircraft carrier. They would have to get close enough to fly into China after their bomb runs before leaving the carrier. Admiral King approved the plan and sent Captains Low and Duncan to General "Hap" Arnold.
On January 17, 1942, General "Hap" Arnold met with Captains Duncan and Low to discuss their plan to bomb the Japanese mainland. General Arnold immediately approved the idea for further planning. With his experience, General Arnold decided to divide the responsibilities for the raid. Captain Duncan is to continue leading the Navy planning, and Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle is given the task of leading the planning for the Army. A member of General Arnold's staff, Lt. Col. Doolittle was a highly respected pilot. He held a Ph.D. in Aeronautical Engineering and had returned to active duty in 1940 feeling his talent would be needed to stop the growing threat from the Luftwaffe. Agreeing with the plan, he too felt the only aircraft capable of the mission would be the B-25 Mitchell bomber.
The plan was now set. Fifteen B-25s would be loaded on an aircraft carrier. The carrier would be part of a larger task force that would escort the bombers as close as possible to the Japanese mainland. From there, the B-25s would be launched from the carrier and attack strategic targets before landing in China. The plan would work, but it relied on speed and secrecy to be effective.
Proof of Concept
Although the math had been done, a B-25 had never been launched from an aircraft carrier. At some point the group would have to fly a B-25 off a carrier to be certain it was possible. Captain Duncan's first task was to choose which carrier was up to the task. The Navy's newest, fastest carrier was currently in the Atlantic undergoing sea trials. She was due back at her port in Norfolk, Virginia on January 30, 1942 to be readied for her first mission. Captain Marc Mitscher, the Captain of the U.S.S. Hornet CV-8, was contacted by Captain Duncan and told he would meet on arrival to "discuss urgent business".
Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle was hard at work planning as well. He arranged for 3 B-25's from the 13th Bombardment Group to arrive at Chambers Field a week prior to the expected arrival of the Hornet. There, the pilots practiced short field take-offs from a runway with a painted outline of an aircraft carrier while awaiting the arrival of the Hornet. One of the planes developed engine troubles due to the strain of repeated take-offs. As the Hornet neared the base, the two remaining planes were weighted with sandbags. The first was loaded to simulate a full bomb load, and the second with half that weight.
Early in the morning of February 2, 1942, the two B-25s were loaded by crane onto the deck of the Hornet. The lighter of the two would be flown by Lt. John E. Fitzgerald, a B-25 test pilot that had flown early B-25s at Wright field. His B-25 would be positioned approximately where the first of the contemplated 15 B-25s would launch for the raid. The second B-25, flown by Lt. James F. McCarthy would be placed well aft. The wing of the first aircraft was within six feet of the island. The left wing extended well over the side of the carrier. It would be a tight fit, but it could be done. The carrier left port and headed out, just over the horizon.
At 12:55 p.m., the Hornet went to flight quarters and she turned into the wind. On February 2, 1942, at 1:27 p.m., Lt. John Fitzgerald was given the signal to launch. He flew off the carrier without incident. Twenty minutes later, Lt. James F. McCarthy used only 275 feet of the carrier to launch his B-25 into the air. During the launches, general quarters was sounded as a periscope from a submarine was spotted. A quick and decisive attack was launched and an oil slick was soon seen, but the periscope remained. Investigation into the matter reviled they had just attacked a previously sunken merchant ship. The all clear was sounded as the bombers continued back to land at an airbase in Virginia.
Crew Selection
As preparations for the initial carrier tests progressed, attention turned to crews. Doolittle knew the mission called for 15 B-25s and their crews. He also knew the mission would require special training. Because of this fact, he he would need to train extra crews. At the time, the 17th Bomb Group had the needed B-25s. They also had the most experienced B-25 crews. Their previous successes in the Louisiana and Carolina maneuvers made them the obvious choice. Currently, the 17th Bomb Group had orders to report to Savannah, Georgia to train on the B-24, but this was about to change. On February 3, 1942, just 24 hours after the successful carrier testing, 17th Bomb Group commander Lt. Col. William C. Mills received a telegram. His orders were to transfer the entire group to Columbia, South Carolina immediately. The telegram went on to state that volunteers were needed for "an extremely hazardous mission". Nearly every member of the 17th Bomb Group volunteered with no further information.
Initial Modifications
With the successful test of the first carrier launch of a B-25, work began on modifications to 24 B-25s to increase their range. In February of 1942, 18 B-25s and 6 spares were sent to Mid Continent Airlines in Minneapolis, Minnesota for "alterations as required". These modifications included the addition of a 265 gallon fuel tank inside a modified bomb bay. A 160 gallon rubber fuel tank was installed on top of the bomb bay. As this fuel was used, the tank would collapse which would allow crew to pass through the crawl space if needed. It was in Minneapolis that the unusual "broomstick" tail guns were added. There is some discrepancy in the references on what modifications were performed at Minneapolis. It is important to realize, the Minneapolis modifications were the first of at least 3 distinct locations of modifications.
