Family members and distinguished guests, including Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., gathered to pay their respects for Cole, who died at the age of 103 April 9, 2019. Cole was the last surviving member of the Doolittle Raiders , a group of 80 crew members led by Lt. Col.
Who was the last surviving Doolittle Raider?
Dick Cole , the last surviving member of the Doolittle Raiders who rallied the nation’s spirit during the darkest days of World War II, has passed away. Tom Casey, president of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Association, confirmed to Air Force Times that Cole died Tuesday morning in San Antonio.
Where are the Doolittle Raiders buried?
Dick Cole, co-pilot of Jimmy Doolittle in famed Tokyo raid, buried at San Antonio’s Fort Sam .
How many men survived Doolittle’s raid on Tokyo?
Despite the loss of these 15 aircraft, 69 airmen escaped capture or death, with only three killed in action.
What was the name of Jimmy Doolittle’s plane?
Col. James H. Doolittle led 16 B-25 bombers from the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Hornet in a spectacular surprise attack that caused little damage but boosted Allied morale. The raid prompted the Japanese to retain four army fighter groups in Japan during 1942 and 1943, when they were badly needed in the South Pacific.
Who died in the Doolittle Raid?
Three of the 80 Doolittle raiders were killed in crash landings or while parachuting . Eight others were captured by the Japanese. Three of them were executed, another died of disease and starvation in captivity, and four survived more than three years of solitary confinement and brutality.
Was the Doolittle Raid Successful?
All sixteen crews reached their targets and dropped their bombs on Japan—after months of planning and many great technical innovations, the raid was a success . However, the Doolittle’s raiders had to find their way on to China, and then hope to find allies on the ground in a country full of Japanese occupying forces.
How many Japanese died in the Doolittle Raid?
The Japanese flew 1,131 raids against Chuchow—Doolittle’s intended destination—killing 10,246 people and leaving another 27,456 destitute.
How many planes made it back from the Doolittle Raid?
Sixteen planes and 80 airmen executed the Doolittle Raid, 18 April 1942. With one exception – the plane piloted by CAPT Edward J. York – none of the planes made a proper landing: all either were ditched, or crashed after their crews bailed out. Nonetheless, all but three men survived the flight.
Did Doolittle actually fly in the raid?
He is most famous for leading a daring bombing raid over Tokyo in 1942, the first American attack on the Japanese mainland. Doolittle’s 16 planes dropped their bombs and then, lacking fuel to return to their carrier, flew on to crash-land in China and the Soviet Union.
Where did Jimmy Doolittle live?
Alameda, California, U.S. Pebble Beach, California, U.S. James Harold Doolittle (December 14, 1896 – September 27, 1993) was an American military general and aviation pioneer who received the Medal of Honor for his daring raid on Japan during World War II.
How many b17 are still flying?
Many surviving examples are painted to represent actual planes that flew in combat. Today, 46 planes survive in complete form , 10 of which are airworthy, and 39 of which reside in the United States.
What kind of plane did the Doolittle Raiders fly?
North American B-25B Mitchell
The U.S. Army Air Forces chose the B-25 for the Doolittle Raid because it was the only aircraft available with the required range, bomb capacity and short takeoff distance. The B-25Bs and 24 trained volunteer crews came from the 17th Bombardment Group, Pendleton Field, Ore.
Where was Doolittle born?
Alameda, CADid Doolittle bomb Tokyo?
The Doolittle Raid was a bombing attack carried out by the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) against Tokyo during World War II . On April 18, 1942, 16 carrier-based U.S. bombers struck the Japanese capital city, taking off from the flying deck of the U.S.S. Hornet.
How many Chinese were killed after the Doolittle Raid?
Tragically, the Japanese reprisal for the Doolittle Raid – the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign – is barely remembered today, even though it cost 250,000 Chinese civilians their lives. After the shock of the unexpected Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had worn off, the United States decided to strike back at Japan.
What did the Doolittle Raid target?
The unexpected employment of long-range U.S. Army bombers, however, took the Japanese by surprise. Taking a little over an hour to launch, Doolittle’s B-25s, carrying high explosive and incendiary bombs, flew on and hit targets in Tokyo, Yokosuka, Yokohama, Kobe, and Nagoya , against negligible opposition.
Who planned the Doolittle 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.
Did Japan regret Pearl Harbor?
Abe’s Pearl Harbor speech has been well received in Japan, where most people expressed the opinion that it struck the right balance of regret that the Pacific war occurred, but offered no apologies.
How many bombs did the b17 carry?
| First flight July 28, 1935 (prototype) | Ceiling 35,600 feet | Power Four 1,200-horsepower Wright R-1820-97 engines | Accommodation 2 pilots, bombardier, navigator, radio-operator, 5 gunners | Armament 11 to 13 machine guns, 9,600-pound bomb load |
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How tall is Jimmy Doolittle?
Long before World War II, the chunky, rugged, baldish Jimmy Doolittle, who was just 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 160 pounds, was a legendary figure in aviation.
How many stars did Jimmy Doolittle have?
The first Air Force general to wear four stars , Jimmy Doolittle was an aviation pioneer and famed World War II air commander. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for personal valor and leadership as commander of the Doolittle Raid, a bold long-range retaliatory air raid on the Japanese mainland, on April 18, 1942.
What level of education did Jimmy Doolittle have?
James “Jimmy” Doolittle was educated in Nome, Alaska, Los Angeles Junior College , and spent a year at the University of California School of Mines.
What was the life expectancy of a B-17 crew?
Although such statistics were not circulated among Army Air Forces crews, the average life expectancy of an Eighth Air Force B-17 in late 1943 was 11 missions .
Where was the Swamp Ghost found?
Discovery. The aircraft was rediscovered in 1972 in Agaiambo swamp , where it earned the nickname Swamp Ghost. In 1989, the Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center planned to recover it. It was salvaged in 2006 and moved to Lae wharf where it lay waiting for permission to be transferred to the United States.
Are any of the Memphis Belle crew alive?
Robert Hanson, the last surviving crew member of the famed Memphis Belle B-17 bomber of World War Two, has died of congestive heart failure . He was 85. Hanson and his wife, Irene, had moved from Arizona to Albuquerque recently to be close to their daughter.
Are there any ww2 generals still alive?
Heinrich Trettner was Catholic, and in 1978 he published an article, The Holy See and disarmament, in the German-language edition of the Vatican literary journal Communio, and a corresponding reply the next year. Trettner died one day before his 99th birthday. He was the last living general of the Wehrmacht.
Why did Hirohito bomb Pearl Harbour?
Japan intended the attack as a preventive action. Its aim was to prevent the United States Pacific Fleet from interfering with its planned military actions in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and those of the United States .
How many gunners does a B-17 have?
It was operated by a crew of 10 , including the pilot, copilot, navigator-radioman, bombardier, and gunners.
How far did the Doolittle Raid fly?
One of Doolittle’s first tasks was to decide which AAF bomber had the potential to fly the mission against Japan. It had to take off within 500 feet, carry 2,000 pounds of bombs, and travel 2,000 miles with a full crew.
Who was fired after Pearl Harbor?
| Husband E. Kimmel | Service/branch United States Navy | Years of service 1904–1942 | Rank Admiral |
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How did the B-17 get to England?
The North Atlantic air ferry route was a series of Air Routes over the North Atlantic Ocean on which aircraft were ferried from the United States and Canada to Great Britain during World War II to support combat operations in the European Theater of Operations (ETO).
What was the bomb load of a B-17?
The B-17’s armament consisted of five . 30 caliber (7.62 mm) machine guns, with a payload up to 4,800 lb (2,200 kg) of bombs on two racks in the bomb bay behind the cockpit. The aircraft was powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet radial engines, each producing 750 hp (600 kW) at 7,000 ft (2,100 m).
