Review of "The Doolittle Raid: America’s Daring First Strike Against Japan," by Carroll V. Glines

Review of

The Doolittle Raid: America’s Daring First Strike Against Japan, by Carroll V. Glines

Five out of five stars

 There is no question that the sixteen bombers commanded by Lt. Col. James Doolittle that launched from an aircraft carrier and dropped bombs on Japan had a dramatic impact far beyond the actual destruction. After their stunning victory at Pearl Harbor and their naval forces taking over a buffer zone of all land masses in the western Pacific, the Japanese leadership told their people that bombs would never be dropped on their homeland.

 Yet, what is known as the Doolittle raid happened only four months after the the attack of Pearl Harbor. The Japanese response was strong, they recalled fighter squadrons back to the Japanese islands to defend them against air attack and they ruthlessly pushed forward into China and slaughtered entire villages that may have harbored the American air crews. All for naught as within three years entire Japanese cities were burned to the ground and in two instances vaporized.

 The account the the planning of the raid, the execution and the experiences of the crews after departing Japanese airspace are all covered very well. Particular attention is paid to what happened to the members of the crew after the raid. Nearly all of them were forced to bail out, one plane ended up at a Soviet airfield. Most quickly made contact with Chinese people very willing to help them, most of which paid with their lives. Those Americans unfortunate enough to end up in Japanese hands suffered a great deal.

 A very important point made in this book is one that constantly needs to be repeated. That is the viciousness of the Japanese forces in China. It is stated in this book that as many as 65,000 Chinese were brutally killed by the Japanese forces as they marauded across the country looking for the American fliers. Such behaviors should be remembered forever.