Each year on the anniversary I post this because I believe it was such an audacious decision and exampled many of those made in that war. This year I sent it to Paul Greenberg who said, There were giants in the earth in those days.
This year I am reminded of Leon Panetta discussing Bengasi and saying, The basic principle is that you dont deploy forces into harms way without knowing whats going on, without having some real-time information about whats taking place. I think Von Moltke first said and others have repeated as there principle, No plan ever survived collision with the enemy. We are now lead by small, pathetic creatures hardly recognizable as humans.
Every year I also seem to get one or two comments that help me to tweet the write up.
To: Retain Mike
2 posted on
04/18/2013 9:27:44 AM PDT by
Theoria
To: Retain Mike
Great big clanking brass ones. Doolittle had them.
I aspire to be that cool.
/johnny
To: Retain Mike
Excellent post! I watched “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo” two nights ago and you can't help but get that swelling of pride but depressing realization that we had real leadership at one time. I'll watch “Destination Tokyo” later this week though it is largely a fictional tale but nonetheless entertaining.
To: Retain Mike
So many great, daring raids and acts of courage and bravery during WW2. In my mind, the Doolitle Raid stands as perhaps the most definitive of the then American spirit. The words “can’t be done” were not in our national vocabulary.
The valor and personal sacrifice of Doolittle and every single crew member stand as a benchmark we Americans need to aspire again.
Thanks for posting, Mike. Lest we never forget!
5 posted on
04/18/2013 9:38:26 AM PDT by
llevrok
(2013: The USA is in a Cold Civil War.)
To: Retain Mike
There was also the matter of some idiot at an airbase who took it on himself to re-set all the carbs at the last minute before the planes were put on the boat. They had been painstakingly tweaked to get every last mile out of their fuel, and there was no time left to undo the damage.
I always though history should have noted the guy's name so he could be known as a meddling asshole the rest of his life. How many of the planes that ran dry might have made it, or reached a safer haven if not for this guy?
6 posted on
04/18/2013 9:44:36 AM PDT by
Slump Tester
(What if I'm pregnant Teddy? Errr-ahh -Calm down Mary Jo, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it)
To: Retain Mike
Heading west on a following wind....
Thanks guys.
8 posted on
04/18/2013 10:05:02 AM PDT by
onedoug
To: Retain Mike; windcliff; stylecouncilor
Heading west on a following wind....
Thanks guys.
9 posted on
04/18/2013 10:06:02 AM PDT by
onedoug
To: Retain Mike
One minor correction to the article.
They did not train at Pensacola but at field 2 which was a remote airstrip at Eglin. They did have an officer from nearby Pensacola train them in short takeoffs.
They are going to have a reunion at Ft. Walton Beach sometime this year. This may well be the final one.
12 posted on
04/18/2013 10:27:57 AM PDT by
yarddog
(Truth, Justice, and what was once the American Way.)
To: Retain Mike
Desires to bolster moral(sic)
morale
discussing Bengasi(sic)
Benghazi
tweet(sic) the write up.
tweak
13 posted on
04/18/2013 10:35:14 AM PDT by
A.A. Cunningham
(Barry Soetoro can't pass E-verify)
To: Retain Mike
15 posted on
04/18/2013 10:51:25 AM PDT by
rlmorel
("We'll drink to good health for them that have it coming." Boss Spearman in Open Range)
To: Retain Mike
The N.Y. Times ran some stories on the one-year anniversary of the raid. We included some of them in the WWII + 70 Years threads, beginning with today's
April 18, 1943 thread. The articles are on page 10. In the April 22 issue they broke the story that some of the captured Doolittle raiders had been executed. That will be our lead next Monday.
18 posted on
04/18/2013 12:22:46 PM PDT by
Homer_J_Simpson
("Every nation has the government that it deserves." - Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821))
To: Retain Mike
There was an article several days ago about the last surviving member of the raid. Only one left.Those were men in those days, by God.
20 posted on
04/18/2013 12:27:07 PM PDT by
calex59
To: Retain Mike
The U.S. Army conducted air warfare on a level never seen since, or to be seen again.
22 posted on
04/18/2013 12:53:44 PM PDT by
ansel12
(The lefts most effective position-I'm libertarian on social issues, but conservative on economics.)
To: Retain Mike
However, the raid proved a crucial moral victory demonstrating Americans could do the impossible even if their battle fleet was blasted to wreckage, and they were losing an army in the Philippines. The Imperial Navy suffered a devastating loss of face, because Admiral Yamamoto had guaranteed the Emperor that Americans would never attack their home islands. IIRC, the raid caused the Japanese to recall their fleet in the Indian Ocean that had crushed all British opposition.
24 posted on
04/18/2013 6:30:33 PM PDT by
DeaconBenjamin
(A trillion here, a trillion there, soon you're NOT talking real money)
To: Retain Mike
Doolittle was the first off the deck.
28 posted on
04/18/2013 7:15:05 PM PDT by
Flag_This
(Real presidents don't bow.)
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