Take Off Order
1
Tail # 40- 2344
Target: Tokyo

Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle's bomber was the first over Japan and the first to drop its bomb load.  The four incendiaries fell at 12:30 p.m. (Tokyo time) to incinerate a large factory.  Doolittle then flew west to reach the coast of China after dark.  By 9:30 fuel was low and unable to find an airfield in the heavy fog, Doolittle ordered his crew to bail out among the mountains of China.  He then followed them into the night, his B-25 crashing on a nearby mountainside.  The only injury sustained by any of the crew was a sprained ankle. Local Chinese escorted the Americans to Chuchow from where they eventually returned home safely.

LTC Doolittle

Notes

 Date of Death

 KIA*

Take Off Order
2
Tail # 40- 2292
Target: Tokyo

Lieutenant Hoover lifted off five minutes behind Jimmy Doolittle and caught up to the lead aircraft en route to Japan.  His B-25 followed Doolittle's until it reached the shoreline, at which time Hoover veered off to bomb his own targets, two factory buildings and storehouses.  He then trailed Doolittle most of the way to China where he managed to make a wheels-up crash-landing in a soft rice paddy.  The crew was uninjured and walked for three days before friendly local guerilla fighters found them.  On April 22 they went by boat to Sungyao, then traveled by train and by foot to arrive in Chungking on May 14.

Lt. Hoover

Notes

 Date of Death

 KIA*

Take Off Order
3
Tail # 40- 2270
Target: Tokyo

Lieutenant Gray flew his B25 through antiaircraft fire to drop his bombs on industrial areas of Tokyo and straffe a military barracks before flying on to China.  He ordered his crew to bail out when fuel ran out.  During evacuation of the airplane Gunner Leland Faktor became the first casualty of the raid.  Gray's navigator injured a leg upon landing and his copilot cut a hand while attempting to make a water bag out of his parachute's rubber cushion.  The four survivors were assisted by local Chinese in reaching Chuhsien.  The crew remained in the theater to conduct bombing missions. Robert Gray Field at Fort Hood, TX is named for the pilot of this B25 who was later killed in action.

Lt. Gray

Notes

 Date of Death

 KIA*

 Oct 18, 1942  

Oct 9, 2010 

 KIA

Take Off Order
4
Tail # 40- 2282
Target: Tokyo

 Shortly after takeoff Lieutenant Holstrom's rear gunner advised that the turret would not function, leaving the bomber protected only by a single .30-caliber nose-gun.  This became critical as the bomber approached land just south of Tokyo and was jumped by four Japanese fighter planes.  Holstrom ordered his bombs salvoed into Tokyo Bay before racing on to China.  His crew bailed out over land when their fuel was expended. The crewmembers, with the exception of Lt. McCool, remained in Indo-China to conduct missions until late 1943,  Holstrom commanding the 11th Bombardment Squadron.  Lieutenant McCool went on to fly missions in the European Theater.

Lt. Holstrom

Notes

 Date of Death

Take Off Order
5
Tail # 40- 2283
Target: Tokyo

Captain Jones took off safely despite a leak in the bomb bay gas tank and proceeded to Tokyo.  His bombs scored direct hits on a power station, oil tanks and a large manufacturing plant.  Continuing on to China, he flew on instruments until he estimated he was in the vicinity of Chuhsien.  His entire crew bailed out without injury and was the first of the raiders to reach Chuhsien.  Two of the crew remained in Indo-China while Captain Jones and Lieutenant Truelove went on to fly in Europe.  Though all five members of the crew survived the Tokyo raid, two were killed in action before the war ended and Captain Jones spent time in a German POW camp.

Cpt. Jones

Notes

 Date of Death

Nov 25, 2008

Take Off Order
6
Tail # 40- 2298
Target: Tokyo

Lieutenant Hallmark dropped his bombs on a steel mill north of Tokyo but not no damage assessment could be made until after the war when the one surviving crewman was repatriated.  The two enlisted members of the crew drowned when the pilot ditched his bomber in the ocean just off the coast of China after fuel ran out. Lt. Hallmark was slightly injured but swam to shore to meet up with the other two survivors. The following day they buried the bodies of Dieter and Fitzmaurice and then tried to reach safety with the help of friendly local Chinese.  All three men were captured and interred as POWs.  Of the 5-man crew, only Lt. Nielsen survived the war, the highest casualty rate of the raid.

Lt. Hallmark

Notes

 Date of Death

POW/KIA¹

Take Off Order
7
Tail # 40- 2261
Target: Tokyo

Ted Lawson and his crew successfully dropped their bombs on industrial factories in downtown Tokyo before withdrawing to fly on to China.  Lawson was forced to ditch in the water just off the coastline and was severely injured in the crash. Only the aircraft gunner was uninjured and Lt. McClure  had to remain hospitalized until 1943. The injuries of the crew were treated by Doc White who got himself included in the raid as a gunner on the 15th aircraft.  He had to amputate Lawson's leg in the field before either man could join the raiders at Chuhsien.  Upon his return home Lawson authored the first story of the raid in the book Thirty Seconds over Tokyo.

Lt. Lawson

Notes

 Date of Death

Take Off Order
8
Tail # 40- 2244
Target: Tokyo

Captain York's B25 had suffered engine problems prior to the loading of the aircraft on the Hornet, and the flight to Japan compounded this.  Despite heavy fuel consumption by both engines, York continued on course to drop his bombs on their assigned targets.  Throughout the run the aircraft was defenseless with a top turret that failed to work.  Without enough fuel to reach China, Cpt. York elected to fly the shorter distance to Russia where he landed at a field near Vladivostok in hopes of refueling to reach China.  Instead, the still neutral Soviets confiscated the bomber and interred the crew for thirteen months.  The crew returned home in May 1943 after escaping into Persia. 

Cpt. York

Notes

 Date of Death

Oct 7, 2007

Take Off Order
9
Tail # 40- 2303
Target: Tokyo

Lieutenant Watson and his crew conducted a highly effective bombing of the Tokyo Gas and Electric Company on the shore of Tokyo Bay before flying on to China.  Arriving over land after dark and in a heavy rain, Watson ordered his crew to bail out 100 miles south of Pyong Lake.  Lieutenant Watson was the only member of the crew injured, and was carried to Hengyang in a porter by friendly Chinese.  He was returned home where he remained hospitalized at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. until the summer of 1944. Sgt. Bissell returned home to take pilot training and earn his wings and a commission in 1943.  S/Sgt Scott also later earned a commission. 

Lt. Watson

Notes

 Date of Death

Take Off Order
10
Tail # 40- 2250
Target: Tokyo

This aircraft originally intended to take off from the Hornet two days after leaving California to test the bomber's ability to safely lift off.  That mission was cancelled and Joyce and crew joined the raid to bomb the Japan Special Steel Company and other targets.  The mission was highly successful despite heavy AA fire and an attack by nine enemy fighters.  It was the only plane to suffer any major damage over Japan (an 8" hole in the fuselage), but continued on to China where the crew safely bailed out.  Local Chinese assisted the crew in reaching Chuhsien in only four days and the entire crew remained in Indo-China to conduct missions well into 1943.

Lt. Joyce

Notes

 Date of Death

KIA*

Nov 26, 2008

Take Off Order
11
Tail # 40- 2249
Target: Tokyo

Upon reaching Japan Captain Greening's bomber inadvertently flew over an active enemy air base, and ten minutes later came under attack from four fighters. The gunner believed he shot down one of the enemy fighters and damaged another before the B25 reached its targets to bomb a large oil refinery and storage area.  The crew also fired on three enemy patrol boats at the mouth of Tokyo Harbor before heading west to China.  The crew bailed out 200 miles inland from the coast.  Lt. Reedy broke his kneecap and suffered a scalp wound and Sergeant Gardner sprained both ankles.  The entire crew made it safely to Chuhsien where the two men received treatment.

Cpt. Greening

Notes

 Date of Death

 POW¹

June 23, 2010

Nov 18, 2006

 KIA*

Take Off Order
12
Tail # 40- 2278
Target: Yokohama

 Lieutenant Bower and crew successfully bombed the Ogura refinery, two factories and a large warehouse along the docks at Yokohama.  This they accomplished despite two enemy fighters that trailed them inland, and a series of barrage balloons over their target.  On their flight to reach China flew over a Japanese weather boat.  They strafed and sank it before flying on to bail out over China  Sergeant Duquette broke his foot when he parachuted to the ground and was transported in a sedan carried by local Chinese as the entire crew traveled to join up with Lieutenant Joyce's crew from the 10th aircraft.  Both crews reached Chuhsien four days later.

Lt. Bower

Notes

 Date of Death

Jan 10, 2011

 KIA*

Take Off Order
13
Tail # 40- 2247
Target: Yokohama

Despite heavy anti-aircraft fire Lieutenant McElroy and crew attacked the Yokosuka Naval Base to bomb enemy shipping and supplies.  One Japanese ship took a direct hit and was seen to fall over on its side, and a second was sheathed in flames when the B25 continued west towards China.  The crew successfully bailed out over land and the only injury was a wrenched knee suffered by Sergeant Williams.  The crew arrived at Chuhshei three days later thanks to help from local friendly Chinese.  The entire crew remained in Indo-China to fly missions for more than a year, and all five crew members survived the war despite an enviable record of combat missions.  

Lt. McElroy

Notes

 Date of Death

Take Off Order
14
Tail # 40- 2297
Target: Yokohama

Major Hilger observed a Japanese patrol plane within hours of his takeoff, but the enemy apparently never saw the incoming bomber.  The B25 continued west without incident to drop bombs on a military barracks at Nagoya Castle and the Mitsubishi Aircraft Plant south of Nagoya.  The effectiveness of their aim was evident as the airplane continued westward.  More than 30 miles from one of their targets, they could still see a plume of smoke rising a mile into the sky.  The crew safely bailed out of their bomber inside China, and were able to reach Chuhsien within two days.  Part of the crew remained in Indo-China and others went on to serve in Europe.

Maj. Hilger

Notes

 Date of Death

June 9, 2007

Dec 20, 2009

 KIA*

Take Off Order
15
Tail # 40- 2267
Target: Kobe

Lt. Smith

Notes

 Date of Death

  KIA¹

  POW²

Take Off Order
16
Tail # 40- 2268
Target: Kobe

The last B25 left the deck of the Hornet 59 minutes after Doolittle, facing the prospect of a forewarned Japanese defense.  During takeoff a sailor slipped and fell into the propeller of one engine and lost an arm.  The ill-fated crew successfully bombed oil storage tanks and an aircraft factory despite enemy fighter attacks, then headed on to China.  Due to low fuel, Lieutenant Farrow instructed his crew to bail out even though he knew they were close to enemy-held Nanchang city.  Within an hour Lt. Barr was captured and before noon all five crewmen became Prisoners of War. 

Lt. Farrow

Notes

 Date of Death

POW/KIA*