Japan will slaughter hundreds of thousands of Chinese over the next few months in retaliation for Chinese assistance with the landings of the Doolittle Raid. This is just one chapter of the horror that civilians worldwide face during this war. We have an entire subseries called War Against Humanity that shines a light on that darkness, and you can see the playlist for that here: ruclips.net/p/PLsIk0qF0R1j4cwI-ZuDoBLxVEV3egWKoM You can also learn more about civilian life during the war in general in our subseries On the Homefront. Check those episodes out here: ruclips.net/p/PLsIk0qF0R1j5Ug9lCaxygenFf3lzuGXap And please read our rules of conduct before you comment, saves everyone headaches (and loads of time): community.timeghost.tv/t/rules-of-conduct/4518
The Hornet was really hurt by the Doolittle Raid. She was the newest carrier and her air wing needed a lot of training to catch up with their Enterprise, Yorktown, Lexington, and Saratoga counterparts. Obviously they had no flight ops until the Army bombers left. SPOILER ALERT: The Hornet air wing does not score a single hit during the four days of the Battle of Midway (June 3-6, 1942 US calendar). Book reference - "Shattered Sword", Parshall and Tully.
Ever since playing "Azur Lane", I can't think of those names other than those borne by what is the game's mascot suffering from PTSD and hates lemons and a cowgirl...
Ah yes, the World War Saga... *A Prussian Menace* *Attack of the Allies* *Revenge of the NSDAP* *A New Reich* *The Axis Strike Back* *Return of the Allies*
@@stefox5444 it wasn't pointless it had purpose and it fulfilled that purpose which was boost American morale Edit: also I am not defending it this was without a doubt a warcrime I am just arguing with what ste said he said it was pointless it was not it had a purpose but it still a warcrime
My great uncle, Chase Nielsen, was the navigator of plane #6, The Green Hornet. He was one of the eight Doolittle Raiders captured and one of the four to survive the war. I remember him telling stories of his time as a POW. His story and those of the other crewmen need to be remembered. Thank you for continuing to tell their story.
Commissar - "Alright Americans listen up that there is the Iranian border you best not get any ideas and cross it, I'm just going to turn around for a little while"
@@armchairgeneralissimo Molotov: eh Japan, still want to renew our non agression pact? We definitely didnt see any capitalist planes since the civil war in theFar East
My great grandfather helped to translate for the parachuted pilots from the flying tigers or maybe even the Doolittle crew as he was one of the few university educated men that can speak English in his hometown in Jiangxi. I still remember chatting with him in English over the phone about 20 years ago when he was 93 years old. What a sense to have that connection with that history.
My mom was born to Dutch colonial parents in Bandung April 1942 in a pow camp called Tjihampit. The first of three camps her and my Oma had lived in. What an honor for you to be related to such a wonderful man.
Proud to say I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Richard Cole who was Doolittle's copilot on that raid about five or six years ago. Even got his autograph in my collection because of it.
And he pulled it off in like a year because he finished his masters early and so he had the opportunity to get it done for free. The man also was paying for his bachelors by riding a motorcycle and fighting people for money, until he met this girl who refused to date such a rough man. He gave it up and married her.
Being impressed that Doolittle had a PhD in Aeronautics is a bit like being impressed that Stephen Hawking had a PhD in Physics. Both made groundbreaking contributions to their fields of endeavor far beyond the PhD level. I suppose people more familiar with his military career might not realize that Doolittle was central to the development of instrument flying techniques using gyroscopic instruments, the key development that made modern air transportation possible.
Wow, Churchill throwing shade on the U.S for behaving like a hungry hungry Empire! War makes strange bedfellows but sometimes it also sends natural bedfellows to go sleep on the couch!
I was just blindsided by so many key facts here...having never heard them before, even as much as we (Americans) hear of that daring raid (but on a superficial level, as with most other history)! You'd think they could at least be added as a footnote to the many documentaries & movies, given such a terrible retaliation & significant consequences to future events. Also was unaware of some of what Indy pointed out of Dolittle's colorful aviation pioneering...even as a passionate aviator & early-aviation factoid-junkie. As always, kudos to the TimeGhost team...very well done!
You've never seen the excellent documentary by Michael Bay called Pearl Harbor? They've managed to put in a love triangle drama into the Pearl Harbor attack and the Doolittle Raid.
What I didn't know was that China was really pissed about it. Another fun fact; Doolittle thought he was going to get court martialed when he got back for losing all the planes
Roland Emmerich's Midway depicts the Doolittle Raid, including the Japanese attacking Chinese civilians in retaliation for aiding the Americans, and it mentions the death toll of the Zhejiang-Jiangxi campaign. The movie's action sequences may have been hokey, but it got much of the history right.
This attack is physically hardly more than a pinprick, but it has great psychological effect on both US and Japan. Japan hastens their plans to fight decisive battle, while US gets huge morale boost. Can't wait for next few weeks to see your coverage of Coral Sea....
My grandfather was on the Hornet that awesome day down in the Engine Room. Whenever he talked about that day, he did so with a twinkle in his eyes. Which is reason #1 why I joined the Navy.
"Comrade Stalin we have a situation here,there's an airplane that landed in Vladivostok!" "What?Does that mean Japanese decided to invade us?" "No sir!It's an American bomber!" "The what?"
If I remember it correctly. The pilots were interned because USSR was still neutral with Japan and transferred to camp in central Asia, interestingly enough, not far from the border. By complete coincidence they soon escaped and fled over the border.
No other Allied leader was insulted so deeply or continuously. Chiang Kai-Shek was the only one, and he did his best to endure Stilwell's racism as long as possible.
SPOILER They were interned, as the USSR was not at war with Japan. Later they were allowed to escape to Iran. The Soviets kept the aircraft and analysed it.
The Soviets seized the B-25, which Washington wasn't happy about but didn't make a big deal over. The same thing happened a few years later with a B-29, which the Soviets dismantled and essentially completely copied to build their Tu-4.
@@dfsengineer That was like half of the Cold War tech for them. Soviets copying and stealing crap and then making their own version. The KBG got darn good at that.
My favorite bit about that is that American carriers in WW2 tended to be named after famous American battles. They made the USS Shangri La after the Doolittle raid.
Apparently some of the bombs dropped on Tokyo had Japanese medals attached to them that had been awarded to US citizens in peacetime. This was a way of returning them to sender. Doolittle was rewarded, but he had expected to be court-martialled as all the bombers had been lost and damage to the targets was minor.
9:17 Thank you to Indy & team for mentioning this part of the Doolittle raid which often gets left out or overlooked. Sure, the Doolittle Raid is often talked about for its major boost to American morale, but ultimately thousands of Chinese civilians had to pay the ultimate price when the Japanese launched retaliation campaigns in the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangxi.
Britain and the USA were the last two "outsiders" supporting China with the Burma Road and Flying Tigers. China had been at war with Japan for over four years with little to show for it. The only way Japan was going to leave China was if another nation defeated Japan. The Japanese did not need a reason to kill Chinese (or any other) civilians.
@@nickdanger3802 The biggest issue was that China was being treated as a junior partner after it had already been at war for over four years on its own. This contributed to the Japanese onslaught into previously-untouched provinces.
@@rtsgod I agree, but that doesn't deny the fact that China was treated as a junior partner. What if the US had at least told the Chinese to move more troops into Zhejian and Jiangxi for unknown reasons? Keep in mind that China had already won some major victories by this point of the war, so putting up a strong resistance in the ravaged provinces would have been an actual possibility. That would be much easier to swallow than knowing a quarter million of your people were slaughtered because your own allies decided not to tell you anything.
Little bit of trivia about the Doolittle Raid; among the fighters scrambled to intercept the bombers (though they failed) were prototypes of the Ki-61 "Hien" (Codenamed Tony). This fighter was highly unusual for the Japanese since it used an aircooled inline engine rather than the radial engines that typified Japanese planes such as the Zero. Capt. C. Ross Greening who flew during the raid misidentified them as German ME-109's due to the similarity in appearance.
"aircooled inline engine"!? That's the Kawasaki Ha-40/140 version of the Fluid-Cooled Daimler-Benz DB-601/605 engines used by the Luftwaffe's Bf-109. The Ha-140 engine was so heavy that the Kawasaki Ki-61 had a lead counterweight installed to balance the aircraft. When the factory (slowly) building the Ha-140 was destroyed by bombing, there were a number of engine-less fighters left over. That was when the IJA created "their FW-190" by using a Mitsubishi Ha-112-II radial engine. Removing the lead weight and creating an cowling for the radial engine resulted in a somewhat slower fighter that could dog fight with F6Fs and P-51s on an equal basis, the Kawasaki Ki-100.
Dear Indy, You are a gem! This show would not have been as engaging without you or the team. I have been binge watching this and The Great War and it is really really interesting to see all the untold stories about the war.
This series is absolutely fantastic! The details that I would have never learned about the war unless I watched what you have researched and presented have really opened my eyes to the complexity and horrific nature of the war. I knew the slaughter was bad, but not this bad! Also, the degree of the Russian involvement and sacrifice is beyond words and that is not to discount in any way everyone else's sacrifice . Again, beyond words. Now I understand a little bit more about while why my Uncle George was a medic in the US army in Southeast. Asia. An amazing level of research and detail along with a fantastic presentation! Thank you!
I more or less listened rather thab watched today's episode. And to my satisfaction, your voice took me there. Hitting the right notes between educator and narrator and what 1940's radio host would sound: knowledgeable, impartial with a dose of 2020's historian. Loved it. When I managed to look up, I saw the stripped shirt and dotted tie and I don't have words. 4/5 for the voice.
The Doolittle Raid also had the effect of ceasing the Japanese Army's resistance to the Midway operation and committed troops for the invasion force. The raid was useless tactically, but it had great influence on the strategic course of the Pacific Theater. And now we will see with IJN's next round of offensives how they do against an enemy who is prepared for battle.
There's a book about escape of Giraud, "Timetable for the General" by Bernard Frizell. Well, it's main character is called Alain de Forge but that is just an alias and all facts are based on real life. Read the book some 25 years ago, highly recommended.
RIP William J. Dieter (1912-1942) Donald E. Fitzmaurice (1919-1942) Leland D. Faktor (1921-1942) and 50 Imperial Japanese civilians who were killed in the Doolittle Raid
In 2016 and 2017 I had the privilege of sitting down and listening first hand the tale off the raid from Richard Cole. Cole was Doolittles copilot on the raid and the last living raider. He passed away a few years ago.
Seems like the best place to mention it, I received my confused Indy mug yesterday and I love it. I'm actually surprised at how quickly it arrived, seems supplies from the east are easier to get than supplies to the east. (it was shipped from Latvia)
Yorick - Hahaha, I see what you did there!! "Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him Heratio!! " ... I just HAD to say it!! I know, I know, i'll see myself out then, shall I? ... I don't know ... people these day's, just don't know 'ow to 'ave a good laugh, oh it's not enou.... blah, blah, blah....
Hi Indy and crew Another good episode Another fact about the Doolittle Raid was the signal intelligence it gave the USA. All types of radio protocols were broken as Yamamoto urged all of his home fleets out to try and strike back at the Americans This intelligence coup led them to reading all sorts of codes and callsigns of the ships and obviously led the US to their first big breaching of their codes, and revealing their plans over the next 2-3 months They could read and try understand the order of battle and equipment (supplies, planes, oil) needed for operations near Coral Sea (Mo), Midway (AF) and Operation FS (Fiji Samoa which obviously never went beyond planning). The only real thing stopping them was the lack of staff at FRUMEL & HYPO HQs. They got about 60% of the traffic around this time but needed days to decipher them of which they might decode 40% by the end of it. The other thing you mention in the episode is Tulagi, Port Moresby and Midway all being back to back. It was actually Tulagi (2 May), Port Moresby (11 May - while carriers bomb Townsville if necessary), then cover the OCEAN and NAURU invasion forces on about 18 May which had a lot of the world's phosphate) then back to Truk and sortie for Midway (4 June). After arriving back at Truk with Kido Butai after Midway, they then sortie for fortnight long Operation FS at the start of July then back to Japan by the end of July. Carrier Division 5 of Shokaku and Zuikaku would have run ragged after 3 months of continuous operation with little or no replacements or recovery for the aircrew or sailors I wish the episodes were longer but keep the fantastic work.
YESSS! I've been waiting for the Doolittle Raid! I am surprised it helped lead to Midway too! I also didn't know about the repercussions in China. You guys are great!
Then there was the monsoon. For the British, food was a problem. One 14th Army veteran interviewed on the 1973 "World At War" documentary said that when they opened tins of bully beef (a British Army staple, the beef imported from Latin America for the most part), the contents had turned into liquid and were unusable.
These breakdowns of the world wars that you do here should be turned into some type of required study for Jr High and and Highschool classes. I've read for decades about world war two, watched every documentary I can get my hands on...some can be very boring. These 20 minute bite size breakdowns are pure gold.
The Republic of China (Nationalists) is still on good terms (albeit unofficially) with India. The People's Republic of China (Communists) is currently on tense terms with India.
The nationalist Taiwan is always at good terms with India unofficially as communist China is recognised. China and India only issue is land claim which you know how expansionist China is like in South China sea
@@ShubhamMishrabro Yeah, the crazy geography makes the border a monster to negotiate, but I think y'all will be fine. Despite what others think, both sides actually want peace and are trying to work towards it.
My father held a banquet for the Tokyo Raiders at Holiday Bowl in Hayward, California on April 18, 1967, the 25th Anniversary of the Raid. Over 1,000 people attended.
If you were stroking a cat while giving that final thought about Japan, you would look and sound just like a Bond villain. Even the slow zoom in adds to the effect.
This is just the Timeghost Team's standard technique to raise the suspense and drive the message home at the end of each episode. It can be easily seen through, but we all just adore these endings and got hooked on them big time. Please do never change, Timeghost Team! We all adore you!
I remember reading that the Japanese were having a practice air raid drill when Doolittle appear overhead. And for USS Nashville sinking the patrol boat. Supposedly took hundreds of shells do actually sink it cause aim was so bad.
@@davidhimmelsbach557 I read somewhere it's 2-3% percent hit chance. Unless you're point blank range and good weather you'll have a hard time hiting anything
I hope you consider showcasing the story of the Countess Aline de Romanones in your spies series. An OSS operative in Spain, her story highlights the intrigue in neutral Spain during WW2. I am confident Astrid will bring a sense of class and tact to the story of Aline Griffiths.
Still struck by how excellent this is... not only are military operations laid out in detail, but overall strategic situations (China) along with political developments (India) are also taken into full consideration. Particularly interested in the India/Burma situation, as it involves so many factors, is so strategically important, and I know so little about. Keep it up Indy & Co.
And the chinese paid for it in the hundreds of thousands....but that doesnt make a nice news paper headline and well.....they arent us citizens so who cares.....
@@noobster4779 The Japanese did that, not the Americans. The war would've never ended if the Allies were scared to attack the Axis, out of fear of repercussions.
Unless you had good air reconnaissance and some luck, the vastness of the Pacific made it rather easy for someone to sneak up on you. It worked for the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, it worked for the Americans in the Doolittle Raid.
@@noobster4779 No government ever does. Sometimes not if it is their own citizens. Back then racism was government policy, and no general ever said, "too many of someone else's people will die." The other issue is that no one in the US believed that the Japanese would kill that many civilians in cold blood. (Civilians are to be killed in high altitude bombing raids...)
A few years ago I had the opportunity to meet one of the survivors of the Doolittle raid in Galveston, Texas. He told me the amazing feats of the crew and what he did, though by now I cannot remember his name or what aircraft he was in. Absolute legends, they even took their guns off of the B-25's and replaced them with black broomsticks because of the weight.
Dr Felton did a vid just the other day how the Japanese treated downed airmen and the death march in Bataan. You both are doing great vids and it would great to see a video yo made together.
You put all your courage, skill and your life on the line for your country and as thanks you get the headline "Doolittle DOOD it!"? The man deserves a medal of honor for restraining himself from not using the Herald Express as target practice for a heavy bomber squadron as soon as he came back. That headline deserves a mention in War Against Humanity.
I would not get too upset. They got plenty of praise from news organizations and the government and also an MGM movie 30 Seconds Over Tokyo recounting their exploits.
@@caryblack5985 So you could handle "Cary Cary's the day!" or "Cary's Cary-er Strike!"? You're a stronger man than me mate. Just joking here of course, have a great weekend.
@@sparkieT88 Indeed. No cameras in every pocket too. But not just that, the idea that you could censor and control a news agency to such an extent. I mean, a million people must have witnessed it and not one telegraph or telegram, or phone call or anything got out for weeks. It's so interesting. Another interesting aspect is after receiving report for picket boat the Americans stumbled upon and sunk; the Japanese were mustering a fleet to send out in a day or two to meet the U.S. carrier fleet, but it didn't even cross their minds that the bombing would be coming in hours. No one had ever, or really has since, used bombers on carriers like that. So the Americans could have gotten away with getting closer to allow for more range for bombers to land in China. That's why Japanese had to scramble in pursuit with what they had. A fools errand obviously with no radar.
@@jonny-b4954 the point of launching early was not that much about keeping the suprise. Don't forget they where with 2 extremely valuable carriers that they could not afford to lose, deep into enemy waters and it would take days to get back to safety. They basically launched the raid early to keep the fleet safe.
@@crazy031089 Yeah, I would assume so. Surprise was technically lost already, yet, they were still surprised due to odd nature of attack. I totally understand the decision; only one carrier air patrol for cover, plan called for you going deeper but now Japanese know you're there etc. I would have only considered it to give pilots more of a chance to survive. But they were all volunteers and carrier are more valuable than 16 bombers and their crews. They were already far enough in for the mission of bombing Tokyo to succeed. Was just crews being able to land that was in question so it was a good decision. Sorry, YT keeps deleting comment for some reason.
Kinda makes you think about the plausibility of conspiracy theories that would require thousands or even millions of people to keep quiet for decades, doesn't it?
The crazy thing about the Doolittle raid is how incredibly risky it was. If the Japanese had spotted the fleet, the two carriers would have been sitting ducks. With most of their Air wing being medium bombers. If those carriers were lost then the battle of midway might have been a one sided stomp in favor of the Japanese.
@@GoSlash27 Very true, the broken cypher was instrumental in winning the pacific. And the Japanese weren't expecting such a raid to occur. But if the Enterprise and Hornet were to meet the Kido Butai with only one air wing it would have been a disaster. And I doubt the US navy would have committed to midway with just Yorktown being available. The US would have still defeated the Japanese later. But the mission was nevertheless incredibly dangerous. And although in hindsight we now know what happened later on. At the time making the decision to risk a third of your carrier fleet in a potential suicide mission required balls of steel. Remember the weren't sure the Japanese cypher was truly broken and that midway was the target until the fake message about the water tanks being broken.
@@robertalaverdov8147 I would think that even a Japanese cruiser squadron could have spelled the end of Enterprise/Hornet. The carriers would be unable to outpace the cruisers and there wouldn't be enough air cover to deter (say) 6-8 light/heavy cruisers hot for American carrier blood. The cruisers were likely still somewhere in the Java Sea area, however. So thankfully that never happened.
@@GoSlash27 Bingo. The CVAW would just fly and fly and fly -- and the CC would just sink and sink and sink -- never getting within gun range. CVs were almost ALWAYS faster than CCs. In 1939-42 they simply did not pack a ton of armor. Like battle cruisers of yore the intent was to just steam away like Sir Robin -- and let the air wing do its thing.
B-25s off a carrier...to this day it never ceases to amaze what these guys pulled off. The realities of this war being what they are...still an impressive feat of flying.
Ironically I just finished reading Doolittle's biography "I could never be so lucky again". Incredible guy BUT....wait for it......just to pick-a-nit, that last image of the pilot standing by the prototype Gee Bee R-1 (2:23) was actually Russell Boardman (hard to tell them apart with the cap and goggles on). Unlike Doolittle, Boradman was later killed in a Gee Bee. Doolittle called the Gee Bee R-1 the most dangerous plane he ever flew.
Just a heads up, for Japanese names (cities and people), if it ends in “e”, it’s pronounced like the “e” in bell, cell, and fell. It’s not pronounced like “-y” and “ee” like how you pronounced Kobe. Keep up the good work!
@@firingallcylinders2949 yup, In Japanese, it’s written like ko-u-be so it’ll be a combination of “ko” from Kohl’s, “u” from Uber, and “be” from Best Buy’s
@@firingallcylinders2949 Close. It's more similar to "eh" like "e" in Spanish. Are you American? You know how we say "tamalee" when it's spelled "tamale"? If you can get the actual "e" sound like Mexicans say "tamale", that's the same "e" in Japanese. When we say "Kobee" for Kobe Bryant, that's fine. It just wouldn't be accurate for the Japanese city. Calling it "Kobay" is good enough, but if you really want to be accurate, it's closer to "Kobeh".
Made me think of a certain literary character who took an interest in air routes from the Mediterranean to Sweden and practiced ditching his bomber in the sea as often as he could..... Sitting out the war in a nice comfy officer's prison or a neutral country didn't sound so bad compared to what was going on elsewhere.
I look forward to every Saturday to watch these wonderful history lessons. These remind me somewhat of the old newsreels that would air in the movie theater each week.
@Robert Sears It's also the reason America's reputation is so badly shot to shit abroad. Whether or not that is a worthwhile trade-off I'll leave up to you.
@@GoSlash27 It's funny to me how many people always go to that response as if American aid was some sort of neighbourly act, forgetting that the US was perfectly happy to make billions selling arms to other warring nations in both World Wars, that Hitler declared war on the US in WWII (thereby not exactly leaving them a choice) and that a free Europe was considered essential as an overseas market for the US (which is part of why the Marshall-plan was enacted after WWII).
So my Great Uncle worked on the planes for the Doolittle raid, helping prepare them for the launch at sea. Interestingly, when Pearl Harbor the movie was shot, the Doolittle Raid training was shot at the Tustin, CA Blimp Hangars which I now drive by every day going to work.
This is probably never going to be found again, but in an episode about the B-25 Mitchell from the fighter pilot podcast, I heard something about how Doolittle got on the raid. Here I’ve tried to sum up what was said in the episode. James Doolittle was originally assigned by Henry Arnold (Chief of the Army Air Forces) to see if an army bomber could take off from 500 foot, with 5000 pounds worth of bombs and then fly 1200 miles. Doolittle came back and said that you could do that with a Douglas B-23 Dragon and North American B-25 Mitchell. When Arnold said that it had to be done from an aircraft carrier, Doolittle said that the only aircraft able to do that was the B-25, as the B-23’s wingspan was to wide. Then they took two B-25s down to Norfolk, put them on a carrier and tested that the B-25 could do that, which it did. Because they were on a tight schedule to do the mission there wasn’t any time to train new pilots for the mission. So they went to the only combat ready bombardment group, flying B-25s, as the B-25 had just entered service by that time. They asked for volunteers, as the mission would be very risky. The entire group applied and they went to Eglin Air Force Base to be trained by James Doolittle. Doolittle was only supposed to train them for this mission, because he was too old to go into combat. Near the end of the training one of the pilots developed an ulcer and was pulled off flying duty. James Doolittle then goes to one of his best pal, Henry Hap Arnold, in Washington. He tells him that he has trained these men for the mission and that he knows the mission better than anyone else. Arnold stops him and asks if he wants to lead the raid. Doolittle knew that Arnold wasn’t going to risk him to go on such a risky mission with his skills and knowledge. His friend, Hap Arnold, however wasn’t going to stop him. Arnold says that he has to ask general Ernest Harmon* for permission. Doolittle went as quickly as he could to Harmon’s office, down the hallway, and asked him for permission. Harmon reacted that if it is okay with Arnold then it’s okay with him, as Arnold was his superior. As Jimmy Doolittle left Harmon’s office he heard the intercom between Harmon and Arnold, with Arnold discussing why Harmon allowed Doolittle to go on. 1:02:55 - 1:08:00, B-25 Mitchell, The Fighter Pilot Podcast *I’m not if I’ve got the right Harmon. Please correct me if this is wrong.
"India is in great peril" It was, and this led to some less than great choices. But they were practical ones for the war that was currently raging, yet blame gets thrown around all the time at Churchill rather than the invading Japanese.
Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of Doolittle’s raid was the bounty of Japanese communications intercepted during and after the attack. Panicked messages, often repetitive, sometimes unencrypted, were like a Rosetta Stone for USN code breakers - just before Midway.
I must admit myself confused about the last two or three releases. It seems that every date has had Sunday's date on it and yet they've still been releasing on Saturday. Is this in error or was there a change-up I am not privy to?
It's my fault. I screwed up the dates and wrote an April 4th episode instead of the 3rd... and continued like that, and no one noticed until the April 4th one came out, by which time I'd written to June 20th! June 26th will be a six day week to get back to synchronization, but everything up to then is already filmed. Sorry- totally my fault.
One of the real gems about the Doolittle raid, in my opinion, is that the mythical Kamikaze winds that twice protected Japan from invading fleets was the same wind that helped push the bombers to China.
Japan will slaughter hundreds of thousands of Chinese over the next few months in retaliation for Chinese assistance with the landings of the Doolittle Raid. This is just one chapter of the horror that civilians worldwide face during this war. We have an entire subseries called War Against Humanity that shines a light on that darkness, and you can see the playlist for that here: ruclips.net/p/PLsIk0qF0R1j4cwI-ZuDoBLxVEV3egWKoM
You can also learn more about civilian life during the war in general in our subseries On the Homefront. Check those episodes out here: ruclips.net/p/PLsIk0qF0R1j5Ug9lCaxygenFf3lzuGXap
And please read our rules of conduct before you comment, saves everyone headaches (and loads of time): community.timeghost.tv/t/rules-of-conduct/4518
@Thanos 6.0 Thanks for pointing that out - an oversight
BEST CHANNEL ,THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING THESE INFORMATIONS
👏 have some claps 👏👏👏👏👏👏
I'm waiting for June.
Can you do an episode on the Ukrainian Insurgent Army ?
Enterprise & Hornet - there's an iconic duo
The Yorktown sisters proving that America can attack Japan on the home islands.
I'm seeing the word "Santa Cruz" for Hornet. I wonder what would happen to that carrier in this war?
The Hornet was really hurt by the Doolittle Raid. She was the newest carrier and her air wing needed a lot of training to catch up with their Enterprise, Yorktown, Lexington, and Saratoga counterparts. Obviously they had no flight ops until the Army bombers left.
SPOILER ALERT: The Hornet air wing does not score a single hit during the four days of the Battle of Midway (June 3-6, 1942 US calendar). Book reference - "Shattered Sword", Parshall and Tully.
Ever since playing "Azur Lane", I can't think of those names other than those borne by what is the game's mascot suffering from PTSD and hates lemons and a cowgirl...
Horny hornet
"America Strikes Back"? So what's next? "Return of the Kido Butai" and "The US Air Force Awakens"?
Followed by "The Last American Carrier" and "The Rise of Essex-class"
It all started with "An Industrial Hope"
Don’t forget “A New Bomb 1945” “The Phantom V2” “Attack of the Allies” and “Revenge of the Soviets”
Well, it was followed by the "Revenge of the Japan" from their attack in China, but... Lets see.
Ah yes, the World War Saga...
*A Prussian Menace*
*Attack of the Allies*
*Revenge of the NSDAP*
*A New Reich*
*The Axis Strike Back*
*Return of the Allies*
Henri Giraud had some prior experience, since he had also successfully escaped from the Germans as a POW in World War I.
"It's not the size/age of the dog in the fight, but the amount of fight in the dog."
What an absolute G!
Needless to say, if one was going to escape from captivity in Nazi Germany, it helped to speak German. Giraud was no Gorlomi or Margheriti!
OG-iraud
Apparently Edith Cavell aided him in his escape
Giraud's escape sounds like it could be its own special episode! Straight out of an action film.
Great work as always!
@peter michalski LOL! I bet you'd be shaking in your cute little boots if a French waiter gave you a dirty look.
@peter michalski you haven't followed the channel a lot have you
I don't feel so bad now. I turn 63 in 2 1/2 weeks! ha-ha!!! 😎💪🙃
I would absolutley play an action game with an older protagonist
@peter michalski Well, Napoleon's frenchmen with (musket) balls swept and reorganized Europe.
My grandfather was a landing signal's officer on the Hornet and flagged the raid off the carrier. I'm proud of him and I wish I could have met him.
For contributing to a war crime which also resulted in hundreds of thousands of Chinese deaths. For a pointless raid. Pointless.
Be very proud of him.
@@stefox5444 it wasn't pointless it had purpose and it fulfilled that purpose which was boost American morale
Edit: also I am not defending it this was without a doubt a warcrime I am just arguing with what ste said he said it was pointless it was not it had a purpose but it still a warcrime
@@stefox5444 War is senseless. Trying to find sense and rationality in it is pointless. But still, there it is and always will be, until ...
He helped end tha war just a bit sooner
Spoiler Alert:
My mom met Doolittle in the 1980s at a military ball and she got an autographed copy of his book about the attack.
When were you born? Was it in the 80s?
How exactly did she go about obtaining said autograph?
So dololitle raided them Islands
She later found out his doo wasn't so little
@@someonenoone1636 yea sounds like he landed on Kyushu, avoided Hokkaido and later finished on her Honshu
That shot of the B-25 taking off from the carrier is iconic
My great uncle, Chase Nielsen, was the navigator of plane #6, The Green Hornet. He was one of the eight Doolittle Raiders captured and one of the four to survive the war.
I remember him telling stories of his time as a POW. His story and those of the other crewmen need to be remembered. Thank you for continuing to tell their story.
Soviets interned an american crew, but later just let them "escape", when they were "accidentally" near border with Iran.
Commissar - "Alright Americans listen up that there is the Iranian border you best not get any ideas and cross it, I'm just going to turn around for a little while"
@@armchairgeneralissimo Molotov: eh Japan, still want to renew our non agression pact? We definitely didnt see any capitalist planes since the civil war in theFar East
put them up in air crew acc
omodations
Actually, the Soviets occupied northern Iran during WWII. That's why the conference was held at Tehran. The Soviets ran the joint.
@@davidhimmelsbach557 it's complicated. Occupation did not mean total control and British occupied southern part, so that was a move.
Yesterday my bf's grandma died. She survived japanese occupation and was the thoughest lady i knew. Stupid corona
Condolences
I'm honestly sorry. What an amazing thing to have accomplished.
RIP
Rest in Peace, my respects.
RIP
My great grandfather helped to translate for the parachuted pilots from the flying tigers or maybe even the Doolittle crew as he was one of the few university educated men that can speak English in his hometown in Jiangxi. I still remember chatting with him in English over the phone about 20 years ago when he was 93 years old. What a sense to have that connection with that history.
My mom was born to Dutch colonial parents in Bandung April 1942 in a pow camp called Tjihampit. The first of three camps her and my Oma had lived in. What an honor for you to be related to such a wonderful man.
2:03 Wait..wait...a PHD? So he literally is DOCTOR DOOLITTLE?
Proud to say I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Richard Cole who was Doolittle's copilot on that raid about five or six years ago. Even got his autograph in my collection because of it.
@Jacob Blomstrom Wow, that's incredible, it's amazing how close the people of this war are to us today. Thanks for sharing
I wasn't aware of Doolittle's huge academic background, PhD in aeronautics, wow!
And he pulled it off in like a year because he finished his masters early and so he had the opportunity to get it done for free. The man also was paying for his bachelors by riding a motorcycle and fighting people for money, until he met this girl who refused to date such a rough man. He gave it up and married her.
From MIT nonetheless
He was and is a real chap, Tim UK
Being impressed that Doolittle had a PhD in Aeronautics is a bit like being impressed that Stephen Hawking had a PhD in Physics. Both made groundbreaking contributions to their fields of endeavor far beyond the PhD level. I suppose people more familiar with his military career might not realize that Doolittle was central to the development of instrument flying techniques using gyroscopic instruments, the key development that made modern air transportation possible.
Wow, Churchill throwing shade on the U.S for behaving like a hungry hungry Empire! War makes strange bedfellows but sometimes it also sends natural bedfellows to go sleep on the couch!
I was just blindsided by so many key facts here...having never heard them before, even as much as we (Americans) hear of that daring raid (but on a superficial level, as with most other history)! You'd think they could at least be added as a footnote to the many documentaries & movies, given such a terrible retaliation & significant consequences to future events. Also was unaware of some of what Indy pointed out of Dolittle's colorful aviation pioneering...even as a passionate aviator & early-aviation factoid-junkie. As always, kudos to the TimeGhost team...very well done!
We are happy that you found it informative, thank you for your kind words!
You've never seen the excellent documentary by Michael Bay called Pearl Harbor? They've managed to put in a love triangle drama into the Pearl Harbor attack and the Doolittle Raid.
@@BleedingUranium True. Same as "Where Eagles Dare", mostly absurd, but fun.
What I didn't know was that China was really pissed about it.
Another fun fact; Doolittle thought he was going to get court martialed when he got back for losing all the planes
Roland Emmerich's Midway depicts the Doolittle Raid, including the Japanese attacking Chinese civilians in retaliation for aiding the Americans, and it mentions the death toll of the Zhejiang-Jiangxi campaign. The movie's action sequences may have been hokey, but it got much of the history right.
This attack is physically hardly more than a pinprick, but it has great psychological effect on both US and Japan. Japan hastens their plans to fight decisive battle, while US gets huge morale boost.
Can't wait for next few weeks to see your coverage of Coral Sea....
My grandfather was on the Hornet that awesome day down in the Engine Room. Whenever he talked about that day, he did so with a twinkle in his eyes. Which is reason #1 why I joined the Navy.
"Comrade Stalin we have a situation here,there's an airplane that landed in Vladivostok!"
"What?Does that mean Japanese decided to invade us?"
"No sir!It's an American bomber!"
"The what?"
I think Stalin had other things on his mind. It was probably an issue for whoever was in charge of the Soviet Far East at the time.
If I remember it correctly. The pilots were interned because USSR was still neutral with Japan and transferred to camp in central Asia, interestingly enough, not far from the border. By complete coincidence they soon escaped and fled over the border.
@@GoSlash27 Why? The US is given them away for free anyway, to help them.
@@GoSlash27 They probably wouldnt give the Chinese stuff they wouldn't give the Soviets though?
@@GoSlash27 Ever heard of the "Lend Lease Act"? US along with the UK gave the Soviets some of their weapons
Chiang Kai-shek (after not being informed about Doolittle raid): *Am I a joke to you ?*
Joseph Stilwell : *Yes, Peanut*
No other Allied leader was insulted so deeply or continuously. Chiang Kai-Shek was the only one, and he did his best to endure Stilwell's racism as long as possible.
To be fair, he’s horribly inept at controlling the corruption and faulty chain of command that he leads.
@@HaloFTW55 Are you really trying to defend Stilwell's racism?
@@ScottyShaw Chiang Kai-Shek being a bad leader is because of Stillwell's racism? Lol.
@@Aradim90 Are you really that bad at reading? Where did I say anything about his leadership?
Soviets in Vladivostok: Hold on just a minute...what are you doing here?
American bomber pilot: We bombed Japan
Soviets: You did what?! 😵
SPOILER
They were interned, as the USSR was not at war with Japan. Later they were allowed to escape to Iran. The Soviets kept the aircraft and analysed it.
America: We're gonna succeed where you did not.
The Soviets seized the B-25, which Washington wasn't happy about but didn't make a big deal over. The same thing happened a few years later with a B-29, which the Soviets dismantled and essentially completely copied to build their Tu-4.
@@dfsengineer That was like half of the Cold War tech for them. Soviets copying and stealing crap and then making their own version. The KBG got darn good at that.
@@firingallcylinders2949 Including the atomic bomb.
What do you mean the Bombers came from Aircraft Carriers Indy. They obviously came from Shangri la.
Ya beat me to it, lol.
@@billd.iniowa2263 Our SECRET base in Shangri-La.
My favorite bit about that is that American carriers in WW2 tended to be named after famous American battles. They made the USS Shangri La after the Doolittle raid.
@@404Dannyboy well, it was a popular thing to do back then, the British named American tanks with the names of civil war commanders.
Great CoD map
2:22 gunfingers to the person who added that plane. You made my day a bit brighter, thanks
World: *no battles this week*
Rommel: I guess I'll have to do something next week
Rommel: I'm gonna do what's called a pro-gamer move
The gaza line will be cracked and went around , 1940 called it wanted its oudated tactics back .
A friend's brother met Gen. Doolittle. He was a kind gentleman. They had a nice visit at the General's house in the late 1980s. Good Luck, Rick
Apparently some of the bombs dropped on Tokyo had Japanese medals attached to them that had been awarded to US citizens in peacetime. This was a way of returning them to sender.
Doolittle was rewarded, but he had expected to be court-martialled as all the bombers had been lost and damage to the targets was minor.
Random French man: "Giraud, don't try and escape. Even if you make it the Swiss will just inter you until the end of the war."
Girard: "Duh"
9:17 Thank you to Indy & team for mentioning this part of the Doolittle raid which often gets left out or overlooked. Sure, the Doolittle Raid is often talked about for its major boost to American morale, but ultimately thousands of Chinese civilians had to pay the ultimate price when the Japanese launched retaliation campaigns in the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangxi.
The 2019 film 'Midway' did a very good job of telling this often overlooked result of the Doolittle Raids.
Britain and the USA were the last two "outsiders" supporting China with the Burma Road and Flying Tigers. China had been at war with Japan for over four years with little to show for it. The only way Japan was going to leave China was if another nation defeated Japan. The Japanese did not need a reason to kill Chinese (or any other) civilians.
@@nickdanger3802 The biggest issue was that China was being treated as a junior partner after it had already been at war for over four years on its own. This contributed to the Japanese onslaught into previously-untouched provinces.
@@ScottyShaw i wouldn't necessarily say that. The Japanese just lashed out at who they could.
@@rtsgod I agree, but that doesn't deny the fact that China was treated as a junior partner. What if the US had at least told the Chinese to move more troops into Zhejian and Jiangxi for unknown reasons? Keep in mind that China had already won some major victories by this point of the war, so putting up a strong resistance in the ravaged provinces would have been an actual possibility. That would be much easier to swallow than knowing a quarter million of your people were slaughtered because your own allies decided not to tell you anything.
I had not heard of the reprisals in China. Thankyou.
As he was the only Raider I'd had a chance to meet, I thanked Dick Cole for the Doolittle Raid. He laughed and said "Blame it on Jimmy!"
Dang Lt. Col. Doolittle packs some great credentials
He must have an impressive CV
@@stc3145 i wish i can get as many creds like him ahahah
Little bit of trivia about the Doolittle Raid; among the fighters scrambled to intercept the bombers (though they failed) were prototypes of the Ki-61 "Hien" (Codenamed Tony). This fighter was highly unusual for the Japanese since it used an aircooled inline engine rather than the radial engines that typified Japanese planes such as the Zero. Capt. C. Ross Greening who flew during the raid misidentified them as German ME-109's due to the similarity in appearance.
"aircooled inline engine"!? That's the Kawasaki Ha-40/140 version of the Fluid-Cooled Daimler-Benz DB-601/605 engines used by the Luftwaffe's Bf-109. The Ha-140 engine was so heavy that the Kawasaki Ki-61 had a lead counterweight installed to balance the aircraft. When the factory (slowly) building the Ha-140 was destroyed by bombing, there were a number of engine-less fighters left over. That was when the IJA created "their FW-190" by using a Mitsubishi Ha-112-II radial engine. Removing the lead weight and creating an cowling for the radial engine resulted in a somewhat slower fighter that could dog fight with F6Fs and P-51s on an equal basis, the Kawasaki Ki-100.
@@Otokichi786 Sorry I meant to say "liquid cooled" but I guess I just had a bit of a brain fart.
Dear Indy, You are a gem! This show would not have been as engaging without you or the team. I have been binge watching this and The Great War and it is really really interesting to see all the untold stories about the war.
Yeah if I didn't have a "never forget" kindda job; I would love to join your team.
This series is absolutely fantastic! The details that I would have never learned about the war unless I watched what you have researched and presented have really opened my eyes to the complexity and horrific nature of the war. I knew the slaughter was bad, but not this bad! Also, the degree of the Russian involvement and sacrifice is beyond words and that is not to discount in any way everyone else's sacrifice . Again, beyond words. Now I understand a little bit more about while why my Uncle George was a medic in the US army in Southeast. Asia. An amazing level of research and detail along with a fantastic presentation! Thank you!
You're welcome!
It blows me away how in depth this series is.
I more or less listened rather thab watched today's episode. And to my satisfaction, your voice took me there. Hitting the right notes between educator and narrator and what 1940's radio host would sound: knowledgeable, impartial with a dose of 2020's historian. Loved it. When I managed to look up, I saw the stripped shirt and dotted tie and I don't have words. 4/5 for the voice.
The Doolittle Raid also had the effect of ceasing the Japanese Army's resistance to the Midway operation and committed troops for the invasion force. The raid was useless tactically, but it had great influence on the strategic course of the Pacific Theater.
And now we will see with IJN's next round of offensives how they do against an enemy who is prepared for battle.
There's a book about escape of Giraud, "Timetable for the General" by Bernard Frizell. Well, it's main character is called Alain de Forge but that is just an alias and all facts are based on real life. Read the book some 25 years ago, highly recommended.
Many thanks for the recommendation! Just bought a copy, looking forward to (eventually) reading it.
Thank you, will read
For a time he was a political rival of De Gaulle, but the latter eventually outmanoeuvred him.
Read it! Good Read!
I love stories of great personal courage.
Another excellent episode!
Thanks!
The Battleship New Jersey RUclips channel had a half hour special on the Doolittle Raid released yesterday for a deeper dive into what they did.
RIP
William J. Dieter
(1912-1942)
Donald E. Fitzmaurice
(1919-1942)
Leland D. Faktor
(1921-1942)
and
50 Imperial Japanese civilians who were killed in the Doolittle Raid
Love the photo of Red Skelton & The newspaper saying 'Doolittle Dood It'
In 2016 and 2017 I had the privilege of sitting down and listening first hand the tale off the raid from Richard Cole. Cole was Doolittles copilot on the raid and the last living raider. He passed away a few years ago.
Seems like the best place to mention it, I received my confused Indy mug yesterday and I love it.
I'm actually surprised at how quickly it arrived, seems supplies from the east are easier to get than supplies to the east. (it was shipped from Latvia)
Thanks!
Yorick - Hahaha, I see what you did there!!
"Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him Heratio!! " ... I just HAD to say it!! I know, I know, i'll see
myself out then, shall I? ...
I don't know ... people these day's, just don't know 'ow to 'ave a good laugh, oh it's not enou.... blah, blah, blah....
Hi Indy and crew
Another good episode
Another fact about the Doolittle Raid was the signal intelligence it gave the USA. All types of radio protocols were broken as Yamamoto urged all of his home fleets out to try and strike back at the Americans
This intelligence coup led them to reading all sorts of codes and callsigns of the ships and obviously led the US to their first big breaching of their codes, and revealing their plans over the next 2-3 months
They could read and try understand the order of battle and equipment (supplies, planes, oil) needed for operations near Coral Sea (Mo), Midway (AF) and Operation FS (Fiji Samoa which obviously never went beyond planning).
The only real thing stopping them was the lack of staff at FRUMEL & HYPO HQs. They got about 60% of the traffic around this time but needed days to decipher them of which they might decode 40% by the end of it.
The other thing you mention in the episode is Tulagi, Port Moresby and Midway all being back to back.
It was actually Tulagi (2 May), Port Moresby (11 May - while carriers bomb Townsville if necessary), then cover the OCEAN and NAURU invasion forces on about 18 May which had a lot of the world's phosphate) then back to Truk and sortie for Midway (4 June). After arriving back at Truk with Kido Butai after Midway, they then sortie for fortnight long Operation FS at the start of July then back to Japan by the end of July. Carrier Division 5 of Shokaku and Zuikaku would have run ragged after 3 months of continuous operation with little or no replacements or recovery for the aircrew or sailors
I wish the episodes were longer but keep the fantastic work.
Thanks so much for producing this series. It’s become a fun Saturday morning routine.
Jimmy Doolittles' Autobiography- I could never be so lucky again- is a great read if anyone wants to know more about this remarkable man
Doolittle's bombing was certainly one of the gutsiest operations in the war. Thanks for the interesting analysis of its consequences.
YESSS! I've been waiting for the Doolittle Raid! I am surprised it helped lead to Midway too! I also didn't know about the repercussions in China. You guys are great!
“Temps up to 45°C.” Holy cow. Here in Las Vegas, temps will reach up to 43°C in the Summer, so imagine that plus Burmese jungle humidity.
Then there was the monsoon.
For the British, food was a problem. One 14th Army veteran interviewed on the 1973 "World At War" documentary said that when they opened tins of bully beef (a British Army staple, the beef imported from Latin America for the most part), the contents had turned into liquid and were unusable.
These breakdowns of the world wars that you do here should be turned into some type of required study for Jr High and and Highschool classes. I've read for decades about world war two, watched every documentary I can get my hands on...some can be very boring. These 20 minute bite size breakdowns are pure gold.
@Robert Thank you for your kind words. Feel free to share our videos as widely as you can!
the bit with Chiang kai shek meeting with gandhi and supporting their independence is nice to see considering their current relations
The Republic of China (Nationalists) is still on good terms (albeit unofficially) with India. The People's Republic of China (Communists) is currently on tense terms with India.
@@ScottyShaw good distinction
The nationalist Taiwan is always at good terms with India unofficially as communist China is recognised. China and India only issue is land claim which you know how expansionist China is like in South China sea
Let's China and India border issue gets solved as both can do great things together 😢🇨🇳🇮🇳☝️
@@ShubhamMishrabro Yeah, the crazy geography makes the border a monster to negotiate, but I think y'all will be fine. Despite what others think, both sides actually want peace and are trying to work towards it.
My father held a banquet for the Tokyo Raiders at Holiday Bowl in Hayward, California on April 18, 1967, the 25th Anniversary of the Raid. Over 1,000 people attended.
If you were stroking a cat while giving that final thought about Japan, you would look and sound just like a Bond villain. Even the slow zoom in adds to the effect.
This is just the Timeghost Team's standard technique to raise the suspense and drive the message home at the end of each episode. It can be easily seen through, but we all just adore these endings and got hooked on them big time. Please do never change, Timeghost Team! We all adore you!
Oh man your mention of Midway's got me pumped. Summer can't come any sooner.
Malgax The Great - "Summer can't come any sooner" ... Yes, your right!! And it wont
come any sooner, either!!
I remember reading that the Japanese were having a practice air raid drill when Doolittle appear overhead.
And for USS Nashville sinking the patrol boat. Supposedly took hundreds of shells do actually sink it cause aim was so bad.
The rough seas were moving the Japanese boat quite a bit vertically, fouling the aim , as it was little more than a small fishing trawler.
@@GoSlash27 I own Tin Can Sailors my Hornfisher. I'll have to take a look at it again
BB to BB is just about as bad. The hit rate of dumb shells at WWII ranges was pathetic for all navies.
@@davidhimmelsbach557 I read somewhere it's 2-3% percent hit chance.
Unless you're point blank range and good weather you'll have a hard time hiting anything
I hope you consider showcasing the story of the Countess Aline de Romanones in your spies series. An OSS operative in Spain, her story highlights the intrigue in neutral Spain during WW2. I am confident Astrid will bring a sense of class and tact to the story of Aline Griffiths.
The following headline ran in the Nome Nugget, Nome, Alaska about the Doolittle raid: "NOME TOWN BOY MAKES GOOD."
Classic.
Still struck by how excellent this is... not only are military operations laid out in detail, but overall strategic situations (China) along with political developments (India) are also taken into full consideration. Particularly interested in the India/Burma situation, as it involves so many factors, is so strategically important, and I know so little about. Keep it up Indy & Co.
The Emperor gets struck back. We just wanted to remind them that we were still out there, planning all sorts of mischief.
And the chinese paid for it in the hundreds of thousands....but that doesnt make a nice news paper headline and well.....they arent us citizens so who cares.....
@@noobster4779 The Japanese did that, not the Americans. The war would've never ended if the Allies were scared to attack the Axis, out of fear of repercussions.
Unless you had good air reconnaissance and some luck, the vastness of the Pacific made it rather easy for someone to sneak up on you. It worked for the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, it worked for the Americans in the Doolittle Raid.
@@noobster4779 No government ever does. Sometimes not if it is their own citizens. Back then racism was government policy, and no general ever said, "too many of someone else's people will die." The other issue is that no one in the US believed that the Japanese would kill that many civilians in cold blood. (Civilians are to be killed in high altitude bombing raids...)
@@MichaelMyers87 that's fine if you are not the victim.
The intro about Doolittle is amazing.
A few years ago I had the opportunity to meet one of the survivors of the Doolittle raid in Galveston, Texas. He told me the amazing feats of the crew and what he did, though by now I cannot remember his name or what aircraft he was in. Absolute legends, they even took their guns off of the B-25's and replaced them with black broomsticks because of the weight.
Always brings a smile to my face when you two chat over the phone,
confused russians in vladivostok: thank you for the b25 landlease
13:44 Churchill’s “Rank cant.”
Dr Felton did a vid just the other day how the Japanese treated downed airmen and the death march in Bataan. You both are doing great vids and it would great to see a video yo made together.
You put all your courage, skill and your life on the line for your country and as thanks you get the headline "Doolittle DOOD it!"? The man deserves a medal of honor for restraining himself from not using the Herald Express as target practice for a heavy bomber squadron as soon as he came back. That headline deserves a mention in War Against Humanity.
I would not get too upset. They got plenty of praise from news organizations and the government and also an MGM movie 30 Seconds Over Tokyo recounting their exploits.
@@caryblack5985 So you could handle "Cary Cary's the day!" or "Cary's Cary-er Strike!"? You're a stronger man than me mate.
Just joking here of course, have a great weekend.
2:35 The idea something could be kept secret like that for 3 weeks is NUTS
No Twitter back then
@@sparkieT88 Indeed. No cameras in every pocket too. But not just that, the idea that you could censor and control a news agency to such an extent. I mean, a million people must have witnessed it and not one telegraph or telegram, or phone call or anything got out for weeks. It's so interesting.
Another interesting aspect is after receiving report for picket boat the Americans stumbled upon and sunk; the Japanese were mustering a fleet to send out in a day or two to meet the U.S. carrier fleet, but it didn't even cross their minds that the bombing would be coming in hours. No one had ever, or really has since, used bombers on carriers like that. So the Americans could have gotten away with getting closer to allow for more range for bombers to land in China. That's why Japanese had to scramble in pursuit with what they had. A fools errand obviously with no radar.
@@jonny-b4954 the point of launching early was not that much about keeping the suprise. Don't forget they where with 2 extremely valuable carriers that they could not afford to lose, deep into enemy waters and it would take days to get back to safety. They basically launched the raid early to keep the fleet safe.
@@crazy031089 Yeah, I would assume so. Surprise was technically lost already, yet, they were still surprised due to odd nature of attack. I totally understand the decision; only one carrier air patrol for cover, plan called for you going deeper but now Japanese know you're there etc. I would have only considered it to give pilots more of a chance to survive. But they were all volunteers and carrier are more valuable than 16 bombers and their crews. They were already far enough in for the mission of bombing Tokyo to succeed. Was just crews being able to land that was in question so it was a good decision. Sorry, YT keeps deleting comment for some reason.
Kinda makes you think about the plausibility of conspiracy theories that would require thousands or even millions of people to keep quiet for decades, doesn't it?
7:48 American comedian Red Skelton, who originated the phrase "I dood it."
The crazy thing about the Doolittle raid is how incredibly risky it was. If the Japanese had spotted the fleet, the two carriers would have been sitting ducks.
With most of their Air wing being medium bombers. If those carriers were lost then the battle of midway might have been a one sided stomp in favor of the Japanese.
@@GoSlash27 Very true, the broken cypher was instrumental in winning the pacific. And the Japanese weren't expecting such a raid to occur. But if the Enterprise and Hornet were to meet the Kido Butai with only one air wing it would have been a disaster. And I doubt the US navy would have committed to midway with just Yorktown being available. The US would have still defeated the Japanese later. But the mission was nevertheless incredibly dangerous. And although in hindsight we now know what happened later on. At the time making the decision to risk a third of your carrier fleet in a potential suicide mission required balls of steel. Remember the weren't sure the Japanese cypher was truly broken and that midway was the target until the fake message about the water tanks being broken.
If they had spotted serious naval opposition, especially carriers, they would have immediately dumped the B-24s overboard and had two full air groups.
@@robertalaverdov8147 I would think that even a Japanese cruiser squadron could have spelled the end of Enterprise/Hornet. The carriers would be unable to outpace the cruisers and there wouldn't be enough air cover to deter (say) 6-8 light/heavy cruisers hot for American carrier blood. The cruisers were likely still somewhere in the Java Sea area, however. So thankfully that never happened.
@@GoSlash27 Bingo. The CVAW would just fly and fly and fly -- and the CC would just sink and sink and sink -- never getting within gun range. CVs were almost ALWAYS faster than CCs. In 1939-42 they simply did not pack a ton of armor. Like battle cruisers of yore the intent was to just steam away like Sir Robin -- and let the air wing do its thing.
B-25s off a carrier...to this day it never ceases to amaze what these guys pulled off. The realities of this war being what they are...still an impressive feat of flying.
Can't wait for this channel's video on Midway. When it comes out in two months.
I remember Doolittle Raid, Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett was in that Raid.
I actually got the privilege a few years ago to meet Doolittle's copilot from the raid and talk with him about it.
I look forward to the coverage on Battle of Midway
Ironically I just finished reading Doolittle's biography "I could never be so lucky again". Incredible guy BUT....wait for it......just to pick-a-nit, that last image of the pilot standing by the prototype Gee Bee R-1 (2:23) was actually Russell Boardman (hard to tell them apart with the cap and goggles on). Unlike Doolittle, Boradman was later killed in a Gee Bee. Doolittle called the Gee Bee R-1 the most dangerous plane he ever flew.
The Gee Bee Racers were designed and built in Springfield, MA (my old stomping grounds).
Climbs down cliff.
Mission Impossible music:* intensifies*
Japan's treatment of the captured American fliers has been or will be discussed by Spartacus, I trust.
Excellent History Lesson
Thanks!
Just a heads up,
for Japanese names (cities and people), if it ends in “e”, it’s pronounced like the “e” in bell, cell, and fell. It’s not pronounced like “-y” and “ee” like how you pronounced Kobe.
Keep up the good work!
So like Kobay basically not Kobe Bryant? Am I understanding that right?
@@firingallcylinders2949 yup,
In Japanese, it’s written like ko-u-be so it’ll be a combination of “ko” from Kohl’s, “u” from Uber, and “be” from Best Buy’s
@@firingallcylinders2949 Close. It's more similar to "eh" like "e" in Spanish. Are you American? You know how we say "tamalee" when it's spelled "tamale"? If you can get the actual "e" sound like Mexicans say "tamale", that's the same "e" in Japanese. When we say "Kobee" for Kobe Bryant, that's fine. It just wouldn't be accurate for the Japanese city. Calling it "Kobay" is good enough, but if you really want to be accurate, it's closer to "Kobeh".
13:44 Wow that's a sick burn
0:10 I heard prison escapes, jumping and swiss borders and was suddenly thinking of motorbikes for some reason
Made me think of a certain literary character who took an interest in air routes from the Mediterranean to Sweden and practiced ditching his bomber in the sea as often as he could..... Sitting out the war in a nice comfy officer's prison or a neutral country didn't sound so bad compared to what was going on elsewhere.
@@Raskolnikov70 He should've been aiming for Switzerland. It's a MUCH shorter route.
@@davidhimmelsbach557 Probably, but that's the way Heller wrote it.
It's important to rewatch The Great Escape regularly. One of these days, McQueen WILL make it over that fence.
@@Raskolnikov70 I have no idea...
I look forward to every Saturday to watch these wonderful history lessons. These remind me somewhat of the old newsreels that would air in the movie theater each week.
America is like that one friend who always tries to one up you
Amen.
@Robert Sears It's also the reason America's reputation is so badly shot to shit abroad. Whether or not that is a worthwhile trade-off I'll leave up to you.
@@DiggingForFacts The world: We hate you USA!
Americans: I don't even think about you
@@GoSlash27 It's funny to me how many people always go to that response as if American aid was some sort of neighbourly act, forgetting that the US was perfectly happy to make billions selling arms to other warring nations in both World Wars, that Hitler declared war on the US in WWII (thereby not exactly leaving them a choice) and that a free Europe was considered essential as an overseas market for the US (which is part of why the Marshall-plan was enacted after WWII).
Nothing like an American bragging about a war he wasn't even in. 🙄
So my Great Uncle worked on the planes for the Doolittle raid, helping prepare them for the launch at sea. Interestingly, when Pearl Harbor the movie was shot, the Doolittle Raid training was shot at the Tustin, CA Blimp Hangars which I now drive by every day going to work.
Generally it feels like the Brits and Americans get particularly creative in the war
This is probably never going to be found again, but in an episode about the B-25 Mitchell from the fighter pilot podcast, I heard something about how Doolittle got on the raid. Here I’ve tried to sum up what was said in the episode.
James Doolittle was originally assigned by Henry Arnold (Chief of the Army Air Forces) to see if an army bomber could take off from 500 foot, with 5000 pounds worth of bombs and then fly 1200 miles. Doolittle came back and said that you could do that with a Douglas B-23 Dragon and North American B-25 Mitchell. When Arnold said that it had to be done from an aircraft carrier, Doolittle said that the only aircraft able to do that was the B-25, as the B-23’s wingspan was to wide.
Then they took two B-25s down to Norfolk, put them on a carrier and tested that the B-25 could do that, which it did. Because they were on a tight schedule to do the mission there wasn’t any time to train new pilots for the mission. So they went to the only combat ready bombardment group, flying B-25s, as the B-25 had just entered service by that time. They asked for volunteers, as the mission would be very risky. The entire group applied and they went to Eglin Air Force Base to be trained by James Doolittle. Doolittle was only supposed to train them for this mission, because he was too old to go into combat. Near the end of the training one of the pilots developed an ulcer and was pulled off flying duty.
James Doolittle then goes to one of his best pal, Henry Hap Arnold, in Washington. He tells him that he has trained these men for the mission and that he knows the mission better than anyone else. Arnold stops him and asks if he wants to lead the raid. Doolittle knew that Arnold wasn’t going to risk him to go on such a risky mission with his skills and knowledge. His friend, Hap Arnold, however wasn’t going to stop him. Arnold says that he has to ask general Ernest Harmon* for permission. Doolittle went as quickly as he could to Harmon’s office, down the hallway, and asked him for permission. Harmon reacted that if it is okay with Arnold then it’s okay with him, as Arnold was his superior. As Jimmy Doolittle left Harmon’s office he heard the intercom between Harmon and Arnold, with Arnold discussing why Harmon allowed Doolittle to go on.
1:02:55 - 1:08:00, B-25 Mitchell, The Fighter Pilot Podcast
*I’m not if I’ve got the right Harmon. Please correct me if this is wrong.
Ya gotta love them cliffs.
Very well made video. Good stuff. Keep up the good work. 👍
"India is in great peril"
It was, and this led to some less than great choices. But they were practical ones for the war that was currently raging, yet blame gets thrown around all the time at Churchill rather than the invading Japanese.
True enough.
Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of Doolittle’s raid was the bounty of Japanese communications intercepted during and after the attack. Panicked messages, often repetitive, sometimes unencrypted, were like a Rosetta Stone for USN code breakers - just before Midway.
I must admit myself confused about the last two or three releases. It seems that every date has had Sunday's date on it and yet they've still been releasing on Saturday. Is this in error or was there a change-up I am not privy to?
It's my fault. I screwed up the dates and wrote an April 4th episode instead of the 3rd... and continued like that, and no one noticed until the April 4th one came out, by which time I'd written to June 20th! June 26th will be a six day week to get back to synchronization, but everything up to then is already filmed. Sorry- totally my fault.
@@Southsideindy
No problem we get them earlier:-)
It’s the International Dateline, silly...
Thank you for another superb episode.😎
You're welcome!
I need to remind just how incredible the Doolittle Raid was considered.
Excellent.
I mean, I knew that Doolittle was a badass... but holy shit.
One of the real gems about the Doolittle raid, in my opinion, is that the mythical Kamikaze winds that twice protected Japan from invading fleets was the same wind that helped push the bombers to China.
Simple, but perhaps a little tame. Not a bad tie, but nothing special really. 3/5.
"Do Little damage" was the motto of the raid.
More like: "We could bomb the Imperial Palace...if we wanted to" notice.