Doolittle Raid

   On 18 April 1942, 16 twin-engine B-25 bombers led by Colonel James H. Doolittle took off from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet in the Pacific and flew some 600 miles to bomb Tokyo, Japan. Although the physical damage to Japan was slight, the attack had great psychological significance, boosting morale in the United States and embarrassing the Japanese naval command. Their determination to keep the U.S. Navy from mounting further attacks led to the Battle of Midway in June 1942 and a major Japanese defeat. Fifteen of the U.S. bombers involved in the raid made it to China, and most of the crew survived. However, eight were captured by the Japanese, three were executed, one died, and four were freed at the end of the war.

   See also World War II.