Who was Jimmy Doolittle?

An American aviation pioneer and general (1896 to 1993) who led the Doolittle Raid on Japan in 1942.

What was the Doolittle Raid?

An attack on Tokyo and other Japanese cities on 18 April 1942 by sixteen B-25 bombers launched from the carrier USS Hornet.

Why was the Doolittle Raid important?

It raised American morale after Pearl Harbor and helped push Japan toward the attack on Midway, where it suffered a decisive defeat.

Did Doolittle receive the Medal of Honor?

Yes, for planning and leading the raid on Japan.

What was Doolittle's blind flight?

In 1929 he made the first flight flown entirely on instruments, from take-off to landing.

Jimmy Doolittle: the airman who struck Tokyo

Four months after Pearl Harbor, America struck back at the heart of Japan. Sixteen army bombers, never meant to fly from a ship, lumbered off the deck of an aircraft carrier and headed for Tokyo. Leading them was Jimmy Doolittle, already one of the most famous pilots in the world.

A daredevil pilot

Born in California in 1896, Doolittle became an army aviator in the First World War era and made his name as a racing and test pilot. In 1929 he made the first flight flown entirely on instruments¹, from take-off to landing, a milestone for safe flying in bad weather. He also won some of the most famous air races of the 1930s.

Black and white photograph of Doolittle standing on the float of his Curtiss racing seaplane — Doolittle with the Curtiss R3C-2 racer in which he won the 1925 Schneider Trophy, photographed on a visit to Langley in February 1928. NASA photograph. Public domain

A raid on Tokyo

After Pearl Harbor, the United States wanted to strike Japan's home islands. Doolittle was chosen to plan and lead a raid using B-25 bombers flown from the carrier USS Hornet, something never done before in combat. His crews trained to take off in a very short distance.

Black and white photograph of airmen and naval officers posing around a bomb on a carrier deck — Doolittle (front left) and Captain Marc Mitscher, commander of USS Hornet, with raid aircrews and a 500-pound bomb on the carrier's flight deck on the way to the launch point, April 1942. US Navy photograph. Public domain

18 April 1942

Spotted by a Japanese patrol boat, the task force launched² the sixteen bombers early, farther from Japan than planned². They bombed targets in Tokyo and other cities, then flew on toward China. Short of fuel, most crews bailed out or crash-landed; several men were killed and some were captured³. Doolittle himself parachuted into China and made his way back.⁴

Black and white photograph of American airmen in flight jackets standing with Chinese men in front of steps — Doolittle (centre) and his crew with Chinese officials in China after bailing out at the end of the raid, April 1942. US military photograph. Public domain

Why the raid mattered

The damage was small, but the raid lifted American morale and shocked Japan's leaders, contributing to the decision to attack⁵ Midway, which turned into a decisive American victory. Doolittle received the Medal of Honor.⁶

Black and white photograph of President Roosevelt at his desk pinning a medal on Doolittle — President Franklin D. Roosevelt presents the Medal of Honor to Doolittle at the White House in 1942, watched by General Henry Arnold, Josephine Doolittle and General George Marshall. Office of War Information photograph. Public domain

Commanding the air war

Doolittle went on to command air forces in North Africa and the Mediterranean, and from 1944 the Eighth Air Force in England⁶. He was promoted to four-star general in 1985⁶ and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1989. He died in 1993.

Sources and notes

Numbered notes in the text point to the works below.

National Institute of Standards and Technology, “How NIST Helped Hero Pilot Jimmy Doolittle Fly” ↩
Naval History and Heritage Command, “H-004-4: The Doolittle Raid, "Shangri-La"” ↩ a b
Carroll V. Glines, The Doolittle Raid: America's Daring First Strike Against Japan (Orion Books, 1988). ↩
James H. Doolittle with Carroll V. Glines, I Could Never Be So Lucky Again: An Autobiography (Bantam Books, 1991). ↩
Naval History and Heritage Command, “Doolittle Raid” ↩
Arlington National Cemetery, “James H. Doolittle” ↩ a b c
Wikipedia, “Jimmy Doolittle”
Wikipedia, “Wikipedia: Doolittle Raid”