Second Sino-Japanese War. Mediterranean and Middle East. It was the first American air operation to strike the Japanese archipelago. Although the raid caused comparatively minor damage, it demonstrated that the Japanese mainland was vulnerable to American air attacks. It served as an initial retaliation for the December 7, , attack on Pearl Harbor , and provided an important boost to American morale.
The raid was named after Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle , who planned and led the attack. It was one of six American carrier raids against Japan and Japanese-held territories conducted in the first half of There were no fighter escorts. After bombing the military and industrial targets, the crews were to continue westward to land in China.
On the ground, the raid killed around 50 people and injured Damage to Japanese military and industrial targets was minimal, but the raid had major psychological effects.
In the United States, it raised morale. In Japan, it raised fear and doubt about the ability of military leaders to defend the home islands, but the bombing and strafing of civilians created a desire for retributionโthis was exploited for propaganda purposes. The consequences of the Doolittle Raid were most severely felt in China: in reprisal for the raid, the Japanese launched the Zhejiang-Jiangxi campaign , killing , civilians and 70, soldiers.
Of the 16 crews involved, 14 returned to the United States or reached the safety of American forces, though one man was killed while bailing out. All but one of the 16 Bs were destroyed in crashes, while one of the planes landed at Vladivostok in the Soviet Union. Because the Soviet Union was not officially at war with Japan, it was required, under international law , to intern the crew for the duration of the war, and their B was confiscated.
