Read Target Tokyo: Jimmy Doolittle and the Raid That Avenged Pearl Harbor Online

Authors: James M. Scott

Tags: #Pulitzer Prize Finalist 2016 HISTORY, #History, #Americas, #United States, #Asia, #Japan, #Military, #Aviation, #World War II, #20th Century

Target Tokyo: Jimmy Doolittle and the Raid That Avenged Pearl Harbor (88 page)

163
 “Anybody seen the Staten Island ferry”: Ibid.

163
 “How are we going”: This exchange comes from Taylor,
The Magnificent Mitscher
, p. 119.

163
 “In the dusk I saw”: Harp Jr., “God Stood beside Us,” p. 16.

163
 Doolittle held a final inspection: “Preparation for Flight,” undated (ca. April 1942), included with Cooper, “The Doolittle Air Raid on Japan,” June 22, 1942.

163
 “It sure didn’t sound”: Joseph Manske diary, April 14, 1942.

163
 Shorty Manch packed: Greening, “The First Joint Action,” p. 54; Kenneth Reddy diary, April 7–17, 1942.

163
 “It may be quite”: Robert Emmens to Mrs. J. J. Emmens, April 14, 1942, Box 8, Series II, DTRAP.

164
 “Reuters, British news agency”: Field, “With the Task Force,” p. 90.

164
 The news alarmed Halsey: Potter,
Bull Halsey
, p. 59; Lawson,
Thirty Seconds over Tokyo
, p. 40; E. B. Mott oral history interview with the Navy, March 22, 1944, Box 20, RG 38, Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, World War II Oral Histories and Interviews, 1942–1946, NARA.

164
 “The Japanese radio”: “A Denial on Previous Day,”
New York Times
, April 18, 1942, p. 3.

164
 The
Cimarron
came along: Information is drawn from the
Cimarron
,
Hornet
,
Northampton
,
Salt Lake City
,
Sabine
,
Nashville
,
Enterprise
, and
Vincennes
deck logs, April 17, 1942; Task Force Sixteen war diary, April 17, 1942, Box 61,
Cimarron
war diary, April 17, 1942, Box 731, and
Sabine
war diary, April 17, 1942, Box 1394, all in RG 38, Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, World War II War Diaries, NARA.

164
 “I had left the destroyers”: “Halsey Remembers Day Doolittle Struck Tokyo,”
Arizona Daily Star
, April 18, 1959, p. B1.

165
 Sailors brought the incendiary bombs: A. Soucek, “Air Department Plan for Friday, 17 April, 1942,” Box 1, Series XI, DTRAP.

165
 Others helped load: Doolittle,
I Could Never Be So Lucky Again
, p. 273; Travis Hoover, Personal Report, May 15, 1942. All personal reports of the mission are included with Cooper, “The Doolittle Air Raid on Japan,” June 22, 1942.

165
 Two freshly painted: Doolittle,
I Could Never Be So Lucky Again
, p. 271.

165
 Airplane handlers spotted: Marc Mitscher to Chester Nimitz, April 28, 1942, “Report of Action, April 18, 1942, with Notable Events Prior and Subsequent Thereto.”

165
 “Jim, we’re in the enemy’s backyard”: Doolittle,
I Could Never Be So Lucky Again
, p. 271.

165
 Two Brooklyn Navy Yard employees: H. Vormstein to Frank Knox, Jan. 26, 1942, and E. J. Marquart to Frank Knox, Jan. 31, 1942, Box 1731, RG 38, Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, World War II Action and Operational Reports, NARA; “Japanese Medals Dropped on Tokyo,”
New York Times
, June 16, 1942, p. 5.

165
 “May we request”: H. Vormstein to Frank Knox, Jan. 26, 1942.

165
 “Following the lead”: Daniel J. Quigley to Frank Knox, March 2, 1942, Box 1731, RG 38, Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, World War II Action and Operational Reports, NARA.

165
 Jurika contributed:
The Reminiscences of Captain Stephen Jurika, Jr.
, vol. 1, pp. 467–69.

165
 The reserved Mitscher: Doolittle,
I Could Never Be So Lucky Again
, pp. 272–73.

165
 Thatcher grinned: McClure, “How We Bombed Tokio: Flyers aboard
Hornet
,” p. 4.

165
 “I don’t want to set”: M. A. Mitscher to W. F. Halsey, April 23, 1942, Box 1731, RG 38, Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, World War II Action and Operational Reports, NARA.

166
 “You’ll get a BANG”: Greening, “The First Joint Action,” p. 54.

166
 “Bombs Made in America”: Floyd Arnold to Jimmy Doolittle, Dec. 8, 1977, Box 2, Series I, DPUT.

166
 “This one is from Peggy”: Griffin,
A Ship to Remember
, p. 66.

166
 “We painted them all up”: “Tokyo Bombs Carried Plenty of Jap Medals,”
Los Angeles Times
, April 22, 1943, p. 4.

166
 “One of the most vivid”: Thad Blanton, “We Bombed Japan,” Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics,
Intelligence Reports
, no. 17 (Oct. 1943): 8.

166
 “It would take more”: Kenneth Reddy diary, April 18, 1942.

166
 He kept his instructions brief: Greening, “The First Joint Action,” p. 26.

166
 “If all goes well”: Doolittle,
I Could Never Be So Lucky Again
, p. 272.

166
 “When we get to Chungking”: Ibid., p. 273.

166
 Across the task force: Field, “With the Task Force,” p. 90.

166
 “Listen, you fellows”: Lawson,
Thirty Seconds over Tokyo
, p. 45.

166
 Lieutenant Colonel Edward Alexander: Details of Alexander’s mission, unless otherwise noted, are drawn from the following sources: E. H. Alexander to Briefing Officer, First Special Aviation Project, June 17, 1942, Report of Flight Operations in Support of First Special Aviation Project, Microfilm Box 3200, Box 46, RG 407, Classified Decimal File, 1940–42, NARA; S. L. A. Marshall, “Tokyo Raid,” undated (ca. 1944), Box 1, RG 319, Records of the Army Staff, Historical Branch, Background Files to the Study “Tokyo Raid,” 1942–1944, NARA, pp. 62–64. A copy of Marshall’s report is also on file with the U.S. Army Center of Military History.

167
 “My instructions”: E. H. Alexander to Briefing Officer, First Special Aviation Project, June 17, 1942.

167
 “Signal transmitted”: Chungking msg. to AGWAR for AMMISCA, No. 524, April 16, 1942, Microfilm Roll #A1250, AFHRA.

168
 “Neither Lieut. Spurrier”: Clayton L. Bissell, Note for Record, Instructions Issued to Lieut. Spurrier, April 3, 1942, Microfilm Box 3200, Box 46, RG 407, Classified Decimal File, 1940–42, NARA.

168
 Spurrier’s plane crashed: Chungking msg. to AGWAR for AMMISCA, No. 524, April 16, 1942.

168
 Japanese bombers: Ibid., No. 446, April 2, 1942, and Chungking msg. to Adjutant General, No. 459, April 4, 1942, both in Microfilm Roll #A1250, AFHRA.

168
 Tokyo claimed: “China Offers Closest Belligerent Bases for an Aerial Assault on Japanese Capital,”
New York Times
, April 18, 1942, p. 3.

168
 “Three essential fields”: Joseph Stilwell diary, April 4, 1942, in White, ed.,
The Stilwell Papers
, p. 81.

168
 “The surface weather”: E. H. Alexander to Briefing Officer, First Special Aviation Project, June 17, 1942.

169
 “It is to be particularly noted”: Ibid.

169
 Chiang Kai-shek had initially agreed: “Contributory Material Submitted to Lt. Col. Sam Marshall for His Story on Tokyo Raid,” undated (ca. 1943), p. 7, included in Doolittle Raid, Misc. Special Study, Iris #00116402, AFHRA. Pages 6–11 of this document include a detailed synopsis of the message traffic related to preparations for the raid that I depended on to construct this scene.

169
 prompting Chiang to urge: Ibid., p. 9.

169
 “Execution of first special mission”: George Marshall to AMMISCA, War Dept. No. 449, April 12, 1942, Box 51, RG 165, Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs, Office of the Director of Plans and Operations, NARA.

169
 “First project cannot”: Arnold msg. to AMMISCA, No. 461, April 13, 1942, Iris #00116401, AFHRA.

169
 Stilwell met with Chiang: Stilwell msg. to Adj. Gen., No. 522, April 15, 1942, ibid.; “Contributory Material Submitted to Lt. Col. Sam Marshall for His Story on Tokyo Raid,” undated (ca. 1943), p. 10.

170
 “We regret the apparent misunderstanding”: George Marshall to AMMISCA, War Dept. No. 479, April 15, 1942, Box 51, RG 165, Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs, Office of the Director of Plans and Operations, NARA.

170
 “The project is now”: Ibid.

170
 “Please report”: Ibid.

170
 Chiang’s repeated objections: Memorandum for the President, First Special Bombing Mission (China), April 16, 1942, Box 55, RG 165, Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs, Office of the Director of Plans and Operations, NARA.

170
 “I want personally”: Dwight D. Eisenhower, Memorandum to the War Department Classified Message Center, Far Eastern Situation, April 17, 1942, Box 51, ibid.; Chief of Staff (Marshall) to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, April 17, 1942, in U.S. Department of State,
Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers
,
1942, China
, p. 32.

171
 “Desire that there be no”: Dwight D. Eisenhower, Memorandum to the War Department Classified Message Center, Far Eastern Situation, April 18, 1942, Box 51, RG 165, Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs, Office of the Director of Plans and Operations, NARA.

CHAPTER 10

172
 “Measures now in hand”: Franklin Roosevelt to Winston Churchill, April 16, 1942, in Warren F. Kimball, ed.,
Churchill & Roosevelt: The Complete Correspondence
, vol. 1,
Alliance Emerging, October 1933–November 1942
(Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1984), p. 455.

172
 The darkened task force:
Enterprise
and
Hornet
deck logs, April 18, 1942;
Enterprise
war diary, April 18, 1942; Task Force Sixteen war diary, April 18, 1942, Box 61.

172
 throughout the carrier: Field, “With the Task Force,” p. 90.

172
 “Two enemy surface”: Ibid.

173
 Halsey ordered: Task Force Sixteen war diary, April 18, 1942.

173
 The contacts faded:
Enterprise
deck log, April 18, 1942;
Enterprise
war diary, April 18, 1942.

173
 Low broken clouds: M. F. Leslie to Commanding Officer, U.S.S.
Enterprise
, Reports of Action, April 19, 1942, Box 386, RG 38 Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, World War II Action and Operational Reports, NARA.

173
 “Went on deck”: Robert Casey diary, April 18, 1942, in Casey,
Torpedo Junction
, p. 426.

173
 “The sea was rough”: Kenneth Reddy diary, April 18, 1942.

173
 Lieutenant j.g. Osborne Wiseman: Excerpts of War Diary, VB-3, for April 1942, included with “The Navy’s Share of the Tokyo Raid,” Box 118, RG 38, NHHC, WWII Command Files, NARA.

173
 Halsey again: Task Force Sixteen war diary, April 18, 1942;
Hornet
deck log, April 18, 1942.

173
 “Three enemy carriers”: Military History Section, Headquarters, Army Forces Far East, “Homeland Defense Naval Operations: December 1941–March 1943,” Japanese Monograph #109, pt. 1, 1953, p. 8.

173
 The
Nashville
sounded: Details on the
Nashville
’s engagement are drawn from
Nashville
war diary, April 18, 1942, Box 1249, RG 38, Records of the Chief of Naval Operations, World War II War Diaries, NARA; F. S. Craven to Chester Nimitz, “Report of Sinking of Two Enemy Patrol Boats on 18 April, 1942,” April 21, 1942, Box 1264, RG 38, Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, World War II Action and Operational Reports, NARA; W. Kirten Jr., “Report by Gunnery Officer on Firing at Japanese Patrol Boats on 18 April, 1942,” April 19, 1942, ibid.

174
 “Terrific barrage”: Robert Casey diary, April 18, 1942, in Casey,
Torpedo Junction
, p. 426.

174
 “Her guns blazed”: Field, “With the Task Force,” p. 91.

174
 “I remember thinking”: Sutherland oral history interview with the Navy, May 14, 1943.

174
 “Well, if it’s all”: Ibid.

174
 “I could see the salvos”:
The Reminiscences of Captain Stephen Jurika, Jr.
, vol. 1, p. 466.

175
 “What’s going on?”: Holstrom, “General Recollections,” p. 32.

175
 The
Nashville
’s thunderclap: Thomas White, “Memoirs of ‘Doc’ White,” p. 7.

175
 “The whole side”: DeShazer oral history interview with Hasdorff, Oct. 10, 1989.

175
 Eight
Enterprise
fighters: Lundstrom,
The First Team
, pp. 149–50.

175
 
Enterprise
bomber pilot: Report of U.S. Aircraft Action with Enemy by Ensign J. Q. Roberts, A-V(N), USNR, included with M. F. Leslie to Commander in Chief, United States Fleet, Report of Action, April 18, 1942, Box 386, RG 38, Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, World War II Action and Operational Reports, NARA; Bombing Squadron Three war diary, April 18, 1942.

175
 “Liquidation of enemy”: R. W. Mehle, “U.S. Aircraft—Action with Enemy,” April 18, 1942, Box 436, RG 38, Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, World War II Action and Operational Reports, NARA.

175
 “a bloodthirsty”: Lundstrom,
The First Team
, p. 150.

175
 The
Nitto Maru
erupted:
Nashville
war diary, April 18, 1942; F. S. Craven to Chester Nimitz, “Report of Sinking of Two Enemy Patrol Boats on 18 April, 1942,” April 21, 1942.

176
 “Expenditure of 915 rounds”: F. S. Craven to Chester Nimitz, “Report of Sinking of Two Enemy Patrol Boats on 18 April, 1942,” April 21, 1942.

176
 “It looks like”: Doolittle,
I Could Never Be So Lucky Again
, p. 4.

176
 “Launch planes”: Ibid.

176
 “Now hear this!”: Ibid.

176
 Ross Greening had just: Greening,
Not As Briefed
, p. 22; McElroy, “When We Were One,” p. 28.

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