Sunday, April 1, 2018

More Exciting Doolittle Raid Adventures & A Giveaway

by Cindy K. Stewart

During World War II, the Doolittle Raiders launched sixteen fully loaded B-25's off an aircraft carrier, the first to do the impossible, and bombed Japan by total surprise. The pilots were ordered to fly from Japan to airfields in free China. Each crew member knew that if the Japanese didn't shoot them down they faced the likelihood of running out of fuel before reaching China. 


Due to a faulty setting on its stabilizer, Plane #2 launched too sharply from the Enterprise “lost its air and seemed to collapse in flight.” A strong gust of wind came to the rescue and the plane avoided a collision with the ship’s hull which would have sliced it in two.

Travis Hoover, pilot of Plane #2, followed Doolittle’s plane until they reached Japan, but the army intelligence photos they'd brought with them didn’t match what the airmen now viewed. His navigator eventually gave Hoover a new course, but they didn’t spot their primary target, a powder works. They picked a new target but were unable to rise above 900 feet. When their bombs struck, the concussion jolted the plane and smoke rose all around them. If they’d struck the powder works, they wouldn’t have survived.

Crew #2: Wildner, Hoover, Miller, Fitzhugh, Radney
Courtesy of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

Trav Hoover followed General Doolittle to the coast of China, where they ran into a storm. The navigator checked his charts and determined they were in Japanese territory. They headed southwest and discovered mountains which were missing from their maps. They attempted to climb to a higher elevation, but each time they did, the left engine died. Now “they were too low on gas to climb, and too low in altitude to jump.” Trav had no choice but to find a place to land. He brought the plane down in a rice paddy, and the airmen set it on fire so it wouldn’t fall into the hands of the enemy. The airmen knew the Japanese forces were very close, so they headed west through the mountains, guided by their dimestore compasses.

Not knowing whom they could trust, the Raiders avoided contact with the locals, and all five men managed to survive on “one canteen of water, one ration, and a few candy bars” for three days. They made their way through the mountains but ran out of food and turned to the Chinese for help. They discovered that the Japanese had just moved out of their area the week before. Chinese guerrilla soldiers took the airmen in, but they were unable to communicate with each other until a young man who spoke a little English asked them how he could help. Tung-Sheng Liu, a former university student from Beijing, was just traveling through the area, using the back roads to avoid the Japanese and had stopped overnight at a small hotel. He stayed with the airman and directed them away from areas where they would have been captured by the enemy.

The Crew of Plane #2 with Tung-Sheng Liu (in white coat)
Courtesy of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force via Wikimedia Commons


Tung-Sheng Liu and the Chinese guerillas led the five Raiders to Chuhsien, one hundred miles away. They traveled over trails through the mountains at night, covering ten to fifteen miles a day. Housing was arranged by the local guerrillas, and Chinese bearers carried the men in sedan chairs. After a week in Chuhsien, two buses arrived and took the airmen to Hengyang where they stayed for another week until an American C-47 landed and took them to Chungking and the American consulate. Tung-Sheng Liu immigrated to the U.S. and was named an honorary Doolittle Raider. 

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Crew #5: McGurl, Jones, Truelove, Wilder, Manske
Courtesy of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

Davey Jones, pilot of Plane #5, discovered that one of his tanks was short by thirty gallons, but the hose had been turned off “and he could either have his plane pushed overboard or get in line and join the mission.” He joined the mission. Plane #5 crossed Tokyo Bay “and headed for their assignment on the far side of the city.” They encountered machine-gun fire and ack-ack. Hundreds of tracers followed their plane, so Davey Jones pulled up to 1200 feet, and they chose a new target—an oil storage facility and a power plant—and they were successful. Antiaircraft fire was intense, but they made it out of the city.

Using dead reckoning, Plane #5 arrived at the coast of China. Davey Jones determined they were close “to land because the color of the water changed.” He pulled the plane up to 5000 feet. They dropped a parachute flare and spotted a river and discovered they were over mountains. They had no choice but to bail out, which none of them had done before. Because of the bad weather and zero visibility, Gunner Joe Manske didn’t think he was falling. He thought he was just suspended. Davey was the last airman out the hatch and was blown against the fuselage. He hung on with his arms stretched out and then pulled the ripcord.

Davey Jones and his co-pilot, Hoss Wilder, ran into each other at a railroad station house, and the Chinese took them up to the town of Yushan in a railroad boxcar. Jones and Wilder were greeted by the mayor, thousands of people and huge banners that said, "Welcome brave heroes! You've struck a blow for us." All five crewman made it out of China safely.

Come back on the first of next month for more Doolittle Raider stories.

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Source:  The First Heroes: The Extraordinary Story of the Doolittle Raid—America’s First World War II Victory by Craig Nelson (Viking, 2002)

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Cindy Stewart, a high school social studies and language arts teacher, church pianist, and inspirational historical fiction author, semifinaled in the American Christian Fiction Writer’s 2017 Genesis contest, and won ACFW’s 2014 First Impressions contest in the historical category. Cindy is passionate about revealing God’s handiwork in history. She resides in North Georgia with her college sweetheart and husband of thirty-six years and near her married daughter, son-in-law, and three adorable grandchildren. She’s currently writing a fiction series set in WWII Europe.


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Giveaway:  Leave a comment below by Wednesday, 4/4, at 8:00 PM EST and earn a chance to win a copy of Kristy Cambron's brand new novel, The Lost Castle, set during the French Revolution, World War II, and the present day. Earn an extra chance to win by sharing this post on social media. Be sure to leave your e-mail address in your comment and let me know if you've shared. 

26 comments:

  1. I find learning about the Doolittle Raiders so very interesting. Thank you for sharing your post. I would love to read The Lost Castle. Thank you for the opportunity. Happy Easter!

    mauback55 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for reading and commenting, Melanie. You're entered in the drawing for The Lost Castle.

      Delete
  2. I loved reading this post. I just love reading anything that has to do with history. (jozywails@gmail.com)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to hear from you, Misty. You've earned 4 entries in the giveaway. Thank you for sharing!

      Delete
  3. I shared on Pinterest / https://www.pinterest.com/pin/535506211936890527/ (jozywails@gmail.com)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I shared on twitter / https://twitter.com/AudreyS23511436/status/980423008723636224

    ReplyDelete
  5. I shared on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/audrey.stewart.140/posts/1629144463839627

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  6. Shared on twitter @cheetah1959/ cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom. Heard about Doolittle raiders and all they had done for the war effort.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Kim. Thank you for commenting above and for sharing my post on social media. You've entered 2 entries in the contest.

      Delete
  7. Love learning more about the Doolittle Raiders. Thanks so much for all your research! I shared this post on FB, Twitter, and posted it on Pinterest. The giveaway sounds fabulous. Thanks so much!
    bettimace at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for dropping by, Betti, and for sharing the post on social media. You've earned 4 entries in the giveaway for "The Lost Castle."

      Delete
  8. this is really interesting learning about these men. i thank the Lord that there are men and women that have helped us to live in this land.
    quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Lori. So glad you enjoyed learning about the Doolittle Raiders. You're entered in the drawing.

      Delete
  9. Wow! What adventures! Thanks for the information.
    bcrug(at)twc(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Connie. Thank you for stopping by, and I'm glad you enjoyed the adventures of the Doolittle Raiders. You're entered in the giveaway contest.

      Delete
  10. More interesting history about the Doolittle Raiders. Thank you for sharing.
    marilynridgway78[at]gmail[dot[com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Marilyn. Glad you're enjoying the Doolittle posts. You're entered in the drawing for The Lost Castle.

      Delete
  11. I've heard great things about this novel. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity! Email: roemerfarm(at)frontiernet(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Cynthia. I recognize your name as a fellow inspirational fiction author. Thank you for dropping by, and you're entered in the giveaway.

      Delete
  12. I always enjoy Kristy Cambron's novels and have been wanting to read The Lost Castle. Thanks for the giveaway and your interesting post. I have shared it on Pinterest.

    pmkellogg56[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Pam, for commenting and for sharing on Pinterest. You've earned 2 entries in the giveaway.

      Delete
  13. This is the first I have ever heard of the Doolittle Raiders. Your post was very interesting. Those men were sure gutsy and brave! Thank you for the chance to win The Lost Castle!
    nj(dot)bossman(at)gmail(dot)com

    I shared on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aligirl777/status/981243822943490048
    I shared on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/505177283195912972/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you enjoyed the Doolittle post. More installments to come! Thanks for sharing the post on Twitter and Pinterest - you've earned 3 entries in the giveaway.

      Delete
  14. Would love to read this!
    smincer10(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Susanne. Thank you for dropping by Heroes, Heroines, & History. You're entered in the drawing for The Lost Castle.

      Delete
  15. And the winner is . . . . . . Pam! Congratulations on winning "The Lost Castle," Pam. Watch for an e-mail from me.

    ReplyDelete