JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
2012 marks the 70th anniversary of two pivotal actions of World War II - Doolittle's Raid and the Battle of Midway. As we continue to build joint relationships and communications between our local bases, I thought it would be germane to look back and pay tribute to past historical joint success; success that would ultimately usher in the 20th century American way of war - superior firepower, mobility and technological ingenuity.
In the photograph with this article, Lt. Col. James Doolittle (left front) and Capt. Marc Mitscher, USS Hornet (CV-8) commanding officer, posed with a 500-pound bomb and United States Army Air Forces aircrew during ceremonies on Hornet's flight deck while U.S. Navy Task Force 16 sailed west towards Japan, April 17, 1942. The raiding force's mission was to answer a directive issued by President Franklin Roosevelt shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, that U.S. forces must attack the Japanese mainland as soon as practicable. On the morning of April 18, 16 modified B-25B bombers lifted off the pitching deck of Hornet and into near-gale force winds en-route to Tokyo. President Roosevelt's directive would be satisfied and the Japanese would suffer the initial vengeance of a determined American foe.
Having yielded the advance air bases of the Philippines to earlier Japanese conquest, an attack against Japan's homeland would need to emanate from the sea; specifically, from the decks of the highly maneuverable carrier fleet. Unfortunately, the short range carrier-based aircraft required a launch point well inside enemy defensive capabilities. A demand signal was sent and answered by the U.S. Army Air Force and the capable B-25B "Mitchell" bomber. Chosen for its size, endurance and payload, the B-25B offered the best option to reach Japan without placing the valuable carrier fleet at risk of land-based aircraft. The initial plan was to ferry the bombers to within 400 nautical miles of the Japanese mainland, giving the aircrews enough fuel to deliver their ordnance and safely reach landing sites in China. After sighting a Japanese picket ship, the bombers were forced to launch early - from more than 650 nautical miles. Then Vice Adm. William "Bull" Halsey, embarked in USS Enterprise (CV-6) and in command of the task force, later recounted the exploit as "one of the most courageous deeds in military history."
U.S. Army and Navy leaders had championed the raid as an opportunity to boost American morale while striking a disheartening blow against the enemy. The marriage of ingenuity, technology and joint planning allowed the two services to leverage their organic capabilities to accomplish the objective. This daring tactical action produced operational and strategic level military and psychological effects. Beyond lifting American spirits, this joint endeavor ably brought the war to Japan and forced her military commanders into consolidating behind an ill-conceived strategic plan that ultimately led to the decisive battle at Midway. American success came with a price tag that included the loss of all 16 aircraft, nine of the 80 Raiders and the Japanese reprisal against Chinese villages that aided the downed aircrews.
Commissioned in Oct. 1941, USS Hornet was not only instrumental in delivering Doolittle's Raiders and the first offensive blow to the Japanese mainland, she was also vital in forcing Japan to the strategic blunder at Midway, less than two months later. Unfortunately, after one short year of fleet service she was fatally wounded by enemy dive bombers and subsequently sunk by Japanese forces Oct. 27, 1942. Like the 16 Army Air Force bombers that launched from her decks and claimed glory over the skies of Japan, Hornet proved to be an expendable asset in the growing arsenal of democracy.
As we move forward embracing the ingenuity, technology and joint planning effort that is Joint Base Charleston, I highly recommend we all pause to celebrate our past accomplishments - and recognize that the Air Force/Navy team has been working together successfully for more than seven decades! Additionally, whether you plan to join Doolittle's five remaining "Tokyo Raiders" at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base this April, or celebrate the Battle of Midway at Patriot's Point in June, I encourage you to build a bridge to our rich military heritage - and commemorate historical joint success that has given us today's freedoms.