Doolittle Raiders take off on their surprise bombing missions in our first srtike at Japan, in 16 B-25B Mitchell Bombers. Each bomber is crewed by 5 men. You have the Pilot, Co-pilot, Navigator, Bombardier and an Engineer/Gunner.

Ultimately 8 men were captured by the Japanese, four were executed by firing squad and starvation, the other 4 were rescued at wars end. A crew ended up in the Soviet Union and were placed in prison as Hostiles of the Soviet Union. This crew escaped and wound up being smuggled into I think Turkey. Or so as a new book out on them says so.

Doolittle Raiders Roster:

Plane #1:

P: Lt.Col James Harold Doolittle, (46) b. Alameda California.
CoPi: Lt. Richard E. Cole, (26) b. Dayton Ohio.
N: Lt. Henry A. Potter, (23) b. Pierre South Dakota.
B: Sgt. Fred Anthony Braemer, (25) b. Seattle Washington.
Engineer/Gunner: Sgt. Paul John Leonard, (29) b. Roswell New Mexico.

Plane #2:

P: Lt. Travis Hoover, (24) b. Melrose New Mexico.
CoPi: Lt. William N. Fitzhugh, (27) b. Temple Texas.
N: Lt. Carl Richard Wildner, (26) b. Holyoke Massachutsetts.
B: Lt. Richard Ewing Miller, (26) b. Ft. Wayne Indiana.
Engineer/Gunner: Sgt. Douglas V. Radney, (25) Mineola Texas.

Plane #3: (Whiskey Pete)

P: Lt. Robert Manning Gray, (22) b. Killeen Texas.
CoPi: Lt. Jacob Earl Manch, (28) b. Staunton Virginia.
N: Charles John Ozuk Jr. (25) b. Vesta Heights Pennsylvania.
B: Sgt. Aden Earl Jones, (21) b. Flint Michigan.
Eng/Gunner: Corporal Leland D. Faktor, (21) b. Plymouth Iowa.

Plane #4:

P: Lt. Everett W. Holstrom, (25) b. Cottage Grove Oregon.
CoPi: Lt. Lucien Nevelson Youngblood, (23) b. Pampa Texas.
N: Lt. Harry C. McCool, (23) b. La Junta Colorado.
B: Sgt. Robert J. Stephens, (27) b. Hobart Oklahoma.
Eng/Gun: Corporal Bert M. Jordan, (22) b. Covington Oklahoma.

Plane #5:

P: Captain David M. Jones, (28) b. Marshfield Oregon.
CoPi: Lt. Rodney A. Wilder, (25) b. Taylor Texas.
N: Lt. Eugene Francis McGurl, (25) b. Belmont Massachuttsetts.
B: Lt. Denver Vernon Truelove, (22) b. Claremont Georgia.
E/G: Sgt. Joseph W. Mansky, (21) b. Gowanda New York.

Plane #6: (Green Hornet)

P: Lt. Dean Edward Hallmark, (28) b. Robert Lee Texas.
CoPi: Lt. Robert John Meder, (24) b. Cleveland Ohio.
N: Lt. Chase Jay Nielsen, (25) b. Hyrum Utah.
B: Sgt. William J. Dieter, (29) b. Vail Iowa.
E/G: Sgt. Donald E. Fitzmaurice, (23) b. Lincoln Nebraska.

Plane #7: (Ruptured Duck)

P: Lt. Ted W. Lawson, (25) b. Fresno California.
CoPi: Lt. Dean Davenport, (23) b. Spokane Washington.
N: Lt. Charles C. McClure, (25) b. St. Louis Misouri.
B: Lt. Robert Stevenson Clever, (25) b. Portland Oregon.
E/G: Sgt. David J. Thatcher, (20) Bridger Montana.

Plane #8:

P: Captain Edward J. York, (29) b. Batavia New York.
CoPi: Lt. Robert G. Emmens, (27) b. Medford Oregon.
N/B: 1st Lt. Nolan A. Herndon, (23) b. Greenville Texas.
E: S-Sgt. Theodore H. Laban, (27) b. Kenosha Wisconsin.
Gunner: Sgt. David W. Pohl, (20) b. Boston Massachuttsetts.

Plane #9: (Whirling Dervish)

P: Lt. Harold Francis Watson, (26) b. Buffalo New York.
CoPi: Lt. James N. Parker, (22) b. Houston Texas.
N: 1st Lt. Thomas Carson Griffin, (24) b. Greenbay Wisconsin.
B: Sgt. Wayne Max Bissell, (20) b. Walker Minnasota.
E/G: S-Sgt. Eldred V. Scott, (34) b. Atlanta Georgia.

Plane #10:

P: Lt. Richard Outcalt Joyce, (22) b. Lincoln Nebraska.
CoPi: Lt. J. Royden Stork, (25) b. Frost Minnasota.
N/B: Lt. Horace Ellis Crouch, (23) b. Colombia South Carolina.
B: Sgt. George Elmer Larkin Jr. (23) b. New Haven Kentucky.
E/G: S-Sgt. Edwin Weston Horton Jr. (26) b. North Eastham Massachuttsetts.

Plane #11: (Hari-Kari-er)

P: Captain Charles Ross Greening, (27) b. Carroll Iowa.
CoPi: Lt. Kenneth E. Reddy, (21) b. Bowie Texas.
N: Lt. Frank Albert Kappler, (28) b. San Francisco California.
B: S-Sgt. William L. Birch, (24) b. Galexico California.
E/G: Sgt. Melvin J. Gardner, (22) b. Meza Arizona.

Plane #12: (Fickle Finger of Fate)

P: Lt. William M. Bower, (25) b. Ravanna Ohio.
CoPi: Lt. Thadd Harrison Blanton, (23) b. Archer City Texas.
N: Lt. Willaim R. Pound, (23) b. Milford Utah.
B: Sgt. Waldo J. Bittner, (36) b. Houlton Maine.
E/G: S-Sgt. Omer Adelard Duquette, (26) b. West Warnick Rhode Island.

Plane #13:

P: Lt. Edgar E. McElroy, (30) b. Ennis Texas.
CoPi: Lt. Richard A. Knobloch, (23) b. Milwaukee Wisconsin.
N: Lt. Clayton J. Campbell, (25) b. St. Maries Idaho.
B: Sgt. Robert G. Bourgeouis, (24) b. Le Compte Louisiana.
E/G: Sgt. Adam Ray Williams, (22) b. Gastonia North Carolina.

Plane #14:

P: Major John A. Hilger, (33) b. Sherman Texas.
CoPi: Lt. Jack A. Sims, (23) b. Kalamazoo Michigan.
N/B: Lt. James Herbert Macia Jr. (26) b. Tombstone Arizona.
E/B: Sgt. Jacob Eierman, (24) b. Baltimore Maryland.
G: Sgt. Edwin V. Bain, (24) b. Greenboro North Carolina.

Plane #15:

P:Lt. Donald G. Smith, (27) b. Oldham South Carolina.
CoPi: Lt. Griffith Paul Williams, (21) b. Chicage Illinois.
N/B: Lt. Howard Albert Sesser, (24) b. Boston Massachuttsetts.
E/B: Sgt. Edward Joseph Saylor, (22) b. Brusset Montana.
G: Lt. Thomas Robert White, (33) b. Haiku Maui Hawaii.

Plane #16: (Bat Out of Hell)

P: Lt. William G. Farrow, (23) b. Darlington South Carolina.
CoPi: Lt. Robert L. Hite, (22) b. Odell Texas.
N: Lt. George Barr, (25) b. Brooklyn New York.
B: Corporal Jacob Daniel DeShazer, (29) b.st Stayton Oregon.
E/G: Sgt. Harold A. Spatz, (20) b. Lebo Kansas.

Today there are appx 21 of these men still living.

[ 18. November 2002, 07:22 PM: Message edited by: C.Evans ]

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Dont you mean Mitchells?

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Twas very noisy here at the library today--I couldnt concentrate on my postings with all these screaming kids running around. This took me aroundd 3 hrs to post when it should have been maybe 45 minutes. [img]smile.gif[/img]

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

[ 19. November 2002, 08:15 AM: Message edited by: Doc Raider ]

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Living History at http://oldreliable9_47.tripod.com

Interesting Raider site to visit:
At the Air Force Academy, there is a cubby hole type case. In each cubby hole there is a chalace for each raider with a bottle of brandy (I think) in the center hole. When each raider dies, his chalace is turned upside down. The last two will drink a toast from the bottle to their fallen comrades. It is a quite moving site.

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"But few of any sort, and none of name" Shakespeare

Hi Richard and thanks. Also let me be the first (to my knowledge) to welcome you to these forums.

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Really, really interesting, Carl! Many thanks!

ha! I thought that libraries were places where people must be very, very quiet. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

__________________
"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun