European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 18, 1963, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Stripes daily Magazine air crewmen watch As it col James Doolittle wires a japanese medal to Fin of a 500-Pound bomb which was later dropped on Tokyo. Tokyo raid the impossible had taken place by Homer Cable Sloff writer heavily loaded b25 struggle into air from Hornet s deck. Doolittle s bomber was first to take off from the Carrier. In april 1942. Moral in lha unite sin let was at a jul ebb. Starling wit the Iraq Fly Mienk no Turk on Pearl i in bar four months before Hie aim limn Publ Chud reeled under then is of us Nii Hinry setback aft or  Well prepared japanese in any was in the Marc h in my far knit nil. In Hie West Hitler s legions were in finn Ron Lrol of almost All of hip run i in c on Tinct with Britain fighting fiercely unjust air Mun nor  troops under the command of it Gen Tom Yukl  had capture the British stronghold of Singapore and Java was in dire  of All american and philippine troops had been slowly pushed Down the Bataan Peninsula after the foil of Manila and on april 9. Hod been forced to sur Render and Start the inf amount death Munch into  Corregidor Island in Manila buy some 12,000 heroic americans under it Gen Jonathan Waln Wright were enduring one of the most hellish Day and night Artiller bombardments of history. Then on april 18, 1942, american news papers blossomed Forth with headlines that gave americans a great psychological lift and served notice i hat the japanese Home land was not to be spared the retribution that must Cert Only come its Way Tokyo bombed the impossible had taken place. In above so secret that even the military intelligence division of the u a department general staff knew nothing about it 16 b2fi two engine medium bombers had Bee loaded aboard the aircraft Carrier Hornet at Alameda naval air station in san fran Cisco on april 1 and. Under covet of thick fog headed Westward on the morning Rotthe second. Leader of the group was it col late Gen James h. Dool Tutlo and the Hornet was commanded by Captain later adm Marc a. Mitscher. It was Only after the party a Well at am that the volunteers who Only knew they had Creed to a hazardous assignment were told their destination was Tokyo. Thursday april 18, 1963 the stars and stripes oru Inni in ton lion was to launch tin Haas about we Rolls from Tokyo but the Horny t run Tuross japanese patrol sin Pind the derision wan male to launch tin pianos while Mill some 670 Miles front Japan. Kijoo Llytle s plane was off first his Mission uni to drop intend Mes on the . But for Home front morale the strike was of inestimable value. Amerl tons knew they were on the Road Back from  account of the raid is included in strategy and command the first  the 10th volume in the army s history of the War in the Pacific which is being published on the 21st anniversary of the raid. The Pacific series is part of the army s comprehensive history of world War ii being issued by the department of the army s office of military history. Dealing with the crucial backstage a Nevers of to e first two years of the Pacific War the volume relates in absorb ing de Tail the Story of the first stunning defeats the plans for counteraction an the first offensives that turned the allies toward final Victory in 1045.written after meticulous research by Louis Morton a noted military historian and now professor of history at Dartmouth College. Strategy and command the first two year is a thoroughly enjoy Able Book. Page 11