‘Doolittle Raiders’ to reunite, recall World War II mission

April 12, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

DAYTON

A reunion of American pilots who led an audacious bombing raid of Japan during World War II will feature the largest gathering of B-25 bombers since the war.

Five of eight surviving members of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders are reuniting this week at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. About 20 B-25 bombers like those used in the mission are expected to land Saturday, when the public can get an up-close view of the aircraft and meet the pilots.

The 1942 raid, led by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, came about four months after Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor. It inflicted little damage on Japan but boosted morale in America and led the embarrassed Japanese government to launch an ill-fated attack on Midway Island.

The raid was later dramatized in the film “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.”