After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor pulled the reluctant United States into World War II, Americans wanted to strike back. Most people realized that crushing the sprawling and well-armed Japanese Empire wouldn't be a quick project, but giving Japan a bloody nose and avenging Pearl Harbor, at least in part, was psychologically important to the budding American war effort.

An air raid on Tokyo was just the ticket, and it was doable — barely. The result of pushing aircraft (and their pilots) to their limits and taking a big risk on landing in parts of China still controlled by friendly forces, the Doolittle Raid was the first of many, many American sorties to darken Japanese skies during the remainder of the Pacific war. While the damage on the ground was limited, it proved to the go

See Full Page