Author: Jim Cherry
Edition: Model Aviation - 2010/07
Page Numbers: 168

View From HQ - 2010/07

Dedicated to the living and departed heroes of the famous Doolittle Raiders.

Background

The "View from HQ" will not be from AMA Headquarters this month. It will shift approximately 95 miles east to Urbana, Ohio, a small town located 45 miles from Dayton and the National Museum of the Air Force (commonly called the Air Force museum).

On April 16-18, 2010, Urbana hosted the 68th and final reunion of the famous Doolittle Raiders. Only eight veterans remain of the original 80 who took off from the carrier USS Hornet on April 18, 1942, and only four were able to attend.

For context: on December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Imperial Japanese Navy, drawing the United States into World War II. American morale was low and Japanese forces advanced across the Pacific. Japanese leadership had told its population that the US could not reach mainland Japan. President Franklin D. Roosevelt sought a way to show Japan that American power could reach their islands. A plan was developed to bomb mainland Japan.

Sixteen B-25 Mitchell bombers, under the command of Jimmy Doolittle, were secretly trained to launch from a carrier on a one-way trip to bomb Tokyo. After the bombing run, most aircraft ran out of fuel and either ditched at sea or crashed in China; one successfully landed in Russia. The raid was the first American attack on Japanese soil, boosted U.S. morale, and forced Japanese high command to recall some units to defend the home islands.

The Reunion in Urbana

Urbana became the origin point for the reunion fly-in. On the Thursday and Friday before the event, 17 Mitchell B-25s—small WWII twin-engine bombers—flew in from across the United States for the memorial flight into Dayton and the Air Force museum.

Grimes Field, the small Urbana airport, was alive with the roar of the bombers. A few fortunate individuals paid $400 each for rides in the historic airplanes. Attendees were also treated to impromptu formation flying of the B-25s, along with two P-51 Mustangs that flew in for the celebration. It was said to be the largest gathering of B-25s since World War II, apart from the Catch-22 movie production in 1970.

Being able to walk among these historic giants of the sky was inspiring. To be within 100 feet when one came to life was breathtaking.

Mixed among the crowds and the youth of today were a few true American heroes—men who had dealt with these airplanes during the war. Their youthful expressions now exist only in old black-and-white photographs. These veterans viewed the aircraft with long-ago memories coming back to life; you could see it in their eyes.

Event Details

The AMA had an information booth at the event, thanks largely to one of the event organizers. The booth was inside the museum hangar amid restored and in-progress restoration projects, located beneath the wing of a B-25 that was still missing an engine.

On Saturday, April 17, at 7 a.m., the 17 B-25s took off one by one with a three-minute separation. The aircraft call signs of the day were "Raider 1" through "Raider 17." As Raider 1 was turning on final to the museum runway in Dayton, Raider 17 was beginning its takeoff roll in Urbana. One by one the Raiders took to the sky for the short hop to Dayton and a rendezvous with the four original Raiders.

As Raider 7 was on final for landing, a voice over the headphones asked, "I wonder what happened to these guys after the war. Did they just go back to normal life or what?" No one answered. The silence spoke volumes about what those young men—the "class of '45"—did to defend our nation at that time, then returning home to build a greater nation.

Web Resources

Acknowledgements

An event of this size doesn't just happen. Special thanks to:

  • Dave Millner of Urbana, Ohio, one of the many volunteers who made this historic event possible.
  • Joe Hass, who flew in on Friday and helped with transportation logistics on Saturday.

Staff Announcement

I'm pleased to announce that Tony Stillman, former AMA District V vice president, has been selected as the new nationwide Flying Site Assistance Coordinator. Tony brings a wealth of knowledge to the position and will be working with the staff to move this effort in a new, more aggressive direction.

In the spirit of flight.

Jim Cherry Executive Director [email protected]

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.