Doolittle Raid — B-25s Bomb Tokyo

Sixteen B-25 Mitchell bombers under Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle launched from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet and bombed Tokyo and four other Japanese cities on April 18, 1942. The raid caused minimal physical damage but had enormous psychological and strategic impact: it shocked Japan's military leadership who had promised the homeland was invulnerable, forced Japan to divert resources to homeland defense, and boosted American morale after months of defeats. The decision to bring the carrier force forward, requiring Doolittle's crews to fly beyond their planned landing range, meant all 16 aircraft were lost though most crews survived.