18 April 1942: Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle leads 16 B-25B Mitchell twin-engine bombers off the USS Hornet to attack targets in the Japanese home islands.

The raid, mostly symbolic, got off to an inauspicious start because a Japanese picket ship spotted the American careers some 600 miles offshore, forcing Admiral Halsey to order the planes to take off early. This resulted in zero aircraft successfully reaching airfields in China as intended.

Despite this setback, Doolittle and his crews succeeded in carrying out their mission. This caused the Japanese to retain fighter units for home defense and increase the number of antiaircraft guns and crews around their cities as a precaution.

Doolittle was awarded the Medal of Honor for his role in planning and personally leading the mission.

For details, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doolittle_Raid#

ILLUSTRATIONS: (1) The USS Hornet (CV-8) leaves San Francisco Bay with its cargo of B-25B bombers bound for Japan on 2 April 1942. (2) Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle talks to B-25 crews on the deck of the USS Hornet. (3) TF-16 SBDs sink the Nitto Maru, a Japanese picket ship, forcing the Doolittle Raiders to launch early on 18 April 1942. (4) Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle takes off from the USS Hornet in the first of 16 B-25Bs to bomb Japan. (5) Jimmy Doolittle's B-25B climbs away from the Hornet bound for Tokyo. (6) Doolittle's B-25B approaches the Japanese coast. (7) Doolittle hits targets in Tokyo. (8) 1st Lt. Ted Lawson over Tokyo in his B-25B nicknamed "The Ruptured Duck." (9) 1st Lt. Edgar McElroy's B-25B damages the carrier Ryuho in Yokohama. (10) Capt. C. Ross Greening's B-25B "Hari-Karier" turret gunner downs two Ki-61 Tonys during their attack on Yokohama.