[DeTomaso] NPC: Doolittle Raiders

gow2 at rc-tech.net gow2 at rc-tech.net
Mon Jul 29 21:03:32 EDT 2013


Good information on the take off distance. I had always had that info from
what I read but I interpreted it incorrectly. Much of that came form the
discussion planning before they actually did the take off and from the #2
pilot who figured if JD had room then he had room. Turned out the headwind
was plenty of room and the concern soon fell.

It is one thing to lift off by a certain mark on the ground, another to do
it off a carrier.

G



> In fact every aircraft took off from the same spot.  The B-25 bombers were
> too wide to take advantage of the additional space that was freed up by
> the
> planes that preceded them in taking off. There was a fear that if they
> tried to take advantage of the additional length they would hit the super
> structure of the carrier or go off on the left side as they tried to avoid
> the super structure on the right. The carrier headed into the wind at full
> speed and the B-25's took off one at a time. They were so short on fuel
> (especially due to being forced to take off early due to being spotted by
> a
> Japanese  picket ship that was able to radio a warning to japan before it
> was sunk by the destroyer Nashville) that they weren't able to form up and
> fly together in formation so each bomber flew on by it's self heading
> toward Tokyo as soon as they took off. The B-25's were not completely
> stripped off armaments, they had two .50 machine guns in the upper turret
> and a .30 machine gun in the nose (these came in handy as  three Japanese
> fighters were shot down by them) One by *Whirling Dervish*, piloted by
> Lieutenant Harold Watson and Two other fighters were shot down by the
> gunners of the *Hari Kari-er*, piloted by Ross Greening. The tail guns
> were
> removed and replaced with broom sticks to discourage attacks from the rear
> by Japanese fighters. They also strafed targets in Japan after they
> dropped
> their bombs.
> Boyd
>
>
> On Mon, Jul 29, 2013 at 2:27 PM, Ken Green <kenn_green at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> It helped having a Ph.D. from MIT in aeronautical engineering.
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: "gow2 at rc-tech.net" <gow2 at rc-tech.net>
>> To: Ken Green <kenn_green at yahoo.com>
>> Cc: detomaso <detomaso at poca.com>
>> Sent: Monday, July 29, 2013 11:09 AM
>> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] NPC: Doolittle Raiders
>>
>>
>> The airplanes were stripped of every piece of weight they could take off
>> including armor and guns. The most risk on take off was form the first
>> B-25 which was Jimmy Doolittle. As each aircraft took off the length for
>> take off increased by the airplane that was no longer on the deck of the
>> carrier.
>>
>> Japan did not think their home land could be hit and these guys had no
>> good return plan. It was a one way trip. This hit on Japan changed the
>> direction we were going on in the war.
>>
>> Jimmy Doolittle is also known for being the first to successfully
>> develop
>> and fly an instrument approach and many other things.
>>
>> G
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> > I'm guessing that most of the list member are much more familiar with
>> the
>> > Doolittle Raiders than most Americans, but it's still worth reading.
>> >
>> >
>> > Subject: Doolittle Raiders
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>....interesting historical account from WWII
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>Doolittle Raiders
>> >>>
>> >>>Perhaps this item will warm your heart?
>> >>>
>> >>>It's the cup of brandy that no one wants to drink.
>> >>>
>> >>>        On Tuesday, in Fort Walton Beach , Florida , the surviving
>> >>>Doolittle Raiders gathered publicly for the last time.
>> >>>
>> >>>        They once were among the most universally admired and revered
>> >>>men
>> >>>in the United States . There were 80 of the Raiders in April 1942,
>> >>>when they carried out one of the most courageous and
>> >>>heart-stirring military operations in this nation's history. The
>> >>>mere mention of their unit's name, in those years, would bring
>> >>>tears to the eyes of grateful Americans.
>> >>>
>> >>>        Now only four survive.
>> >>>
>> >>>        After Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, with the United
>> >>>States reeling and wounded, something dramatic was needed to turn
>> >>>the war effort around.
>> >>>
>> >>>        Even though there were no friendly airfields close enough to
>> >>>Japan for the United States to launch a retaliation, a daring
>> >>>plan was devised. Sixteen B-25s were modified so that they could
>> >>>take off from the deck of an aircraft carrier. This had never
>> >>>before been tried -- sending such big, heavy bombers from a
>> >>>carrier.
>> >>>
>> >>>        The 16 five-man crews, under the command of Lt. Col. James
>> >>>Doolittle, who himself flew the lead plane off the USS Hornet,
>> >>>knew that they would not be able to return to the carrier. They
>> >>>would have to hit Japan and then hope to make it to China for a
>> >>>safe landing.
>> >>>
>> >>>        But on the day of the raid, the Japanese military caught wind
>> of
>> >>>the plan. The Raiders were told that they would have to take off
>> >>>from much farther out in the Pacific Ocean than they had counted
>> >>>on. They were told that because of this they would not have
>> >>>enough fuel to make it to safety.
>> >>>
>> >>>        And those men went anyway.
>> >>>
>> >>>        They bombed Tokyo , and then flew as far as they could. Four
>> >>>planes crash-landed; 11 more crews bailed out, and three of the
>> >>>Raiders died. Eight more were captured; three were executed.
>> >>>Another died of starvation in a Japanese prison camp. One crew
>> >>>made it to Russia .
>> >>>
>> >>>        The Doolittle Raid sent a message from the United States to
>> its
>> >>>enemies, and to the rest of the world: We will fight. And, no
>> >>>matter what it takes, we will win.
>> >>>
>> >>>        Of the 80 Raiders, 62 survived the war. They were celebrated
>> as
>> >>>national heroes, models of bravery. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced
>> >>>a motion picture based on the raid; "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo ,"
>> >>>starring Spencer Tracy and Van Johnson, was a patriotic and
>> >>>emotional box-office hit, and the phrase became part of the
>> >>>national lexicon. In the movie-theater previews for the film, MGM
>> >>>proclaimed that it was presenting the story "with supreme pride."
>> >>>
>> >>>        Beginning in 1946, the surviving Raiders have held a reunion
>> >>>each
>> >>>April, to commemorate the mission. The reunion is in a different
>> >>>city each year. In 1959, the city of Tucson , Arizona , as a
>> >>>gesture of respect and gratitude, presented the Doolittle Raiders
>> >>>with a set of 80 silver goblets. Each goblet was engraved with
>> >>>the name of a Raider.
>> >>>
>> >>>        Every year, a wooden display case bearing all 80 goblets is
>> >>>transported to the reunion city. Each time a Raider passes away,
>> >>>his goblet is turned upside down in the case at the next reunion,
>> >>>as his old friends bear solemn witness.
>> >>>
>> >>>        Also in the wooden case is a bottle of 1896 Hennessy Very
>> >>>Special
>> >>>cognac. The year is not happenstance: 1896 was when Jimmy
>> >>>Doolittle was born.
>> >>>
>> >>>        There has always been a plan: When there are only two
>> surviving
>> >>>Raiders, they would open the bottle, at last drink from it, and
>> >>>toast their comrades who preceded them in death.
>> >>>
>> >>>        As 2013 began, there were five living Raiders; then, in
>> >>>February,
>> >>>Tom Griffin passed away at age 96.
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>        What a man he was. After bailing out of his plane over a
>> >>>mountainous Chinese forest after the Tokyo raid, he became ill
>> >>>with malaria, and almost died. When he recovered, he was sent to
>> >>>Europe to fly more combat missions. He was shot down, captured,
>> >>>and spent 22 months in a German prisoner of war camp.
>> >>>
>> >>>        The selflessness of these men, the sheer guts ... there was a
>> >>>passage in the Cincinnati Enquirer obituary for Mr. Griffin that,
>> >>>on the surface, had nothing to do with the war, but that
>> >>>emblematizes the depth of his sense of duty and devotion:
>> >>>        "When his wife became ill and needed to go into a nursing
>> home,
>> >>>he visited her every day. He walked from his house to the nursing
>> >>>home, fed his wife and at the end of the day brought home her
>> >>>clothes. At night, he washed and ironed her clothes. Then he
>> >>>walked them up to her room the next morning. He did that for
>> >>>three years until her death in 2005."
>> >>>
>> >>>        So now, out of the original 80, only four Raiders remain:
>> Dick
>> >>>Cole (Doolittle's co-pilot on the Tokyo raid), Robert Hite,
>> >>>Edward Saylor and David Thatcher. All are in their 90s. They have
>> >>>decided that there are too few of them for the public reunions to
>> >>>continue.
>> >>>
>> >>>        The events in Fort Walton Beach this week will mark the end.
>> It
>> >>>has come full circle; Florida 's nearby Eglin Field was where the
>> >>>Raiders trained in secrecy for the Tokyo mission. The town is
>> >>>planning to do all it can to honor the men: a six-day celebration
>> >>>of their valor, including luncheons, a dinner and a parade.
>> >>>
>> >>>        Do the men ever wonder if those of us for whom they helped
>> save
>> >>>the country have tended to it in a way that is worthy of their
>> >>>sacrifice? They don't talk about that, at least not around other
>> >>>people. But if you find yourself near Fort Walton Beach this
>> >>>week, and if you should encounter any of the Raiders, you might
>> >>>want to offer them a word of thanks. I can tell you from
>> >>>firsthand observation that they appreciate hearing that they are
>> >>>remembered.
>> >>>
>> >>>        The men have decided that after this final public reunion
>> they
>> >>>will wait until a later date -- some time this year -- to get
>> >>>together once more, informally and in absolute privacy. That is
>> >>>when they will open the bottle of brandy. The years are flowing
>> >>>by too swiftly now; they are not going to wait until there are
>> >>>only two of them.
>> >>>
>> >>>        They will fill the four remaining upturned goblets.
>> >>>        And raise them in a toast to those who are gone.
>> >>>
>> >>>        PLEASE SEND THIS ON TO EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK,
>> ESPECIALLY
>> >>>TO THOSE WHO WERE TOO YOUNG TO KNOW ABOUT THESE GUYS. THIS SHOULD
>> >>>BE READ BY EVERY KID IN GRADE AND HIGH SCHOOL SO THEY KNOW WHAT
>> >>>HAPPENED.
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
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