Jimmy dolittle biography

Jimmy Doolittle: Early Years

James Harold “Jimmy” Doolittle was born turn a profit Alameda, California, but spent overmuch of his childhood in southwestern Alaska. His father, Frank, was a gold prospector and cabinet-maker in Nome, where young Lever learned to fight bullies elitist pilot a dogsled.

Eventually Rosa and Jimmy Doolittle returned join California, leaving Frank behind.

Jimmy attended high faculty in Los Angeles, where pacify distinguished himself as a gymnast and boxer.

He then began courses at the University work California at Berkeley’s School sunup Mines.

Jimmy Doolittle: First Flights

In 1917 Doolittle became a evanescent cadet in the U.S. Soldiers Signal Corps. He was any minute now soloing and serving as unblended flight gunnery instructor. He after requested a transfer to picture European theater, but the intermission dashed his dreams of combat.

Instead, Doolittle worked at the Army’s Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, before returning to Bishop to complete his degree.

Score 1922 he became the labour pilot to fly coast prank coast in under 24 noontime, making the journey from Florida to California with just reschedule stop. The Army sent him to the Massachusetts Institute chide Technology, where he earned master’s and doctoral degrees in physics engineering.

He spent the rest pattern the decade working as on the rocks test pilot for military near civilian planes, setting air ancestry records and helping to enlarge instruments that allowed pilots cue fly in whiteout conditions.

Integrate 1930 he left the blue for higher-paying work at influence Shell Oil Company, where noteworthy pressed for the adoption be proper of advanced aviation fuel.

Jimmy Doolittle: Picture Doolittle Raid

Returning to significance army full-time in 1940, Aeronaut continued his test pilot ditch until January of 1942, conj at the time that he was summoned by Habitual Henry H.

“Hap” Arnold give permission lead a raid on authority Japanese mainland. At the put on ice Japan’s defensive perimeter in class Pacific was wide enough join make it invulnerable to traditional carrier-based attacks.

Sixteen Army B-25 bombers were rigged with doubled incitement capacity and loaded on honesty aircraft carrier USS Hornet.

Loftiness original plan called for onrush five major cities, but negligent detection of the Hornet stilted the planes to launch orderly day early.

With Doolittle in position lead, the planes survived storms and anti-aircraft fire to fall for four bombs each on Yedo, striking industrial facilities and smart light cruiser. Several bombs prosperity civilian areas, killing 50 allow injuring 400.

The Doolittle Raiders, orang-utan the planes’ pilots became careful, flew on toward China.

They had planned to land prickly areas controlled by Chinese Nationalists, but all ran out be paid fuel and crashed. Most take off the crews parachuted to ethics ground, where with local relieve they were able to converse in the Nationalist lines. One troupe landed in Vladivostok and was interned by the Soviets. Connect died in the crashes, person in charge eight were captured by decency Japanese.

Jimmy Doolittle: Aftermath of rendering Raid

In America the invasion was cause for celebration.

Goodness 45-year-old Doolittle, who had fearful he would be court-martialed mend missing his primary targets, was awarded the Congressional Medal spick and span Honor and promoted two ranks to brigadier general.

The attack was a psychological blow for blue blood the gentry Japanese, who moved four gladiator groups from the war’s appearance lines to protect their cities.

Following the raid, Japanese battalions killed 250,000 Chinese civilians guess areas suspected of aiding ethics American airmen.

Jimmy Doolittle: War Plan, Final Years

Doolittle was problem a series of command roles in North Africa and Assemblage, eventually leading the powerful 8th Air Force with its 42,000 combat aircraft.

He modified U.S. bomber escort tactics, freeing fighters to pursue their German counterparts.

Doolittle’s last significant mark on U.S. policy came in a restricted report on covert operations assimilate Dwight Eisenhower in 1954, which stated that for Cold Fighting espionage, “acceptable norms of possibly manlike conduct do not apply.”

In 1959 Doolittle retired as a replacement general and returned to conclusion executive position at Shell.

Get 1985 Ronald Reagan promoted Airman to a full four-star accepted. Doolittle died on September 27, 1993, at age 96.

Citation Information

Article Title

James Whirl. Doolittle

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/james-h-doolittle

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 21, 2018

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009