Doolittle Raid April 10, 2010

The April 1942 air attack on Japan, launched from the aircraft carrier Hornet and led by Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle, was the most daring operation yet undertaken by the United States in the young Pacific War. Sixteen B-25s, took off from the aircraft carrier Hornet, a feat thought to be impossible, and attacked the Tokyo area. Though damage to the intended military targets was modest, the Japanese high command was deeply embarrassed and now sought the destruction of America's aircraft carriers - a decision that led them to disaster at the Battle of Midway a month and a half later.