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The Pure Insanity of The Doolittle Raid Against Tokyo During WWII
A madman's plan that was borderline impossible
The world was shocked on December 7th, 1941, after Japanese planes seemingly came out of nowhere and struck the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. The damage was catastrophic, and the images gut-wrenching. America was now at war with Japan, and Germany would soon follow. The raid on Pearl Harbor was an embarrassing scandal for the United States and for President Roosevelt, who was the Commander-in-Chief of all American armed forces.
Following the destruction at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese went on a rampage across Southeast Asia. Territory after territory falls to the Japanese, including the British fortress of Singapore. All the while, the American fleet continues to lick its wounds. Something had to be done. It looks like the Americans are sitting idle while the Japanese conduct war on their own terms.
So President Roosevelt calls up Admiral Chester Nimitz, the new commander of the Pacific fleet, and demands action. Roosevelt says that Nimitz must find a way to strike Japan as reprisal for Pearl Harbor. No matter what the cost.
The only way to hit the Japanese mainland in 1942 was by positioning an aircraft carrier in Japanese waters. Even then, the Americans didn't have any bombers…
