When the US Hit Tokyo After Pearl Harbor（原声文稿）

It's the morning of April 18, 1942, and on the deck of the USS Hornet, 16 B -25 Mitchell bombers get ready to launch a revenge attack at Pearl Harbor.

In command, Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle still has 10 hours before the planned launch, when a lookout spots a small Japanese boat.

The cruiser USS Nashville is immediately ordered to break formation and sink the enemy vessel.

Nashville opens fire, her guns echoing through the spray, but the tiny Japanese boat is difficult to hit.

As the Japanese boat is rocked, the crew frantically send out a message.

Shells straddle the tiny vessel, sending up huge splashes of water before striking home, and the little boat is completely destroyed.

The Americans know the Japanese message got out.

Doolittle must launch now and fly an extra 200 miles to Tokyo, stretching the B -25s to the edge of their range.

Doolittle revs his engines, building up the power.

A B -25 has never taken off from an aircraft carrier before, not even in training.

At the edge of the flight deck, the signalman crouches with his checkered flag, waiting until the carrier dips into a wave. Then he drops the flag.

The B -25 is now at max power, straining as Doolittle releases the brakes.

His bomber lurches forward and rumbles down the flight deck, blasting past the crowd of nervously watching sailors.

The signalman has timed the launch perfectly and the B -25 reaches the end of the flight deck just as the Hornets bow lifts on a wave.

The aircraft breaks through a cloud of spray way, and appears to drop dangerously low before recovering and lifting slowly into the sky with a full load of fuel.

Behind Doolittle, the rest of the bombers are soon rolling down the carrier, pulling away from the ship and following their leader.

Last to take off is First Lieutenant William Farrow in command of aircraft number 16, nicknamed That Out of Hell.

Farrow waits with anticipation, staring down the flight deck and concentrating trading hard as the Hornet's deck rises and falls in the gale.

Then a shout from his bombardier snaps him from his trance.

Corporal Jacob D. Deschizer has spotted a hole in the aircraft's plexiglass nose.

Farrow knows he should report the damage, but that will almost certainly lead to his mission being scrubbed, and there's no way he's going to be left behind.

He opens up the throttles and rolls down the deck.

his plane slips over the Hornets bow and disappears for a moment.

Then he pulls up and rushes forward to follow the rest of the bombers. The 16th aircraft rumble towards Japan.

There's no time or fuel to form up an unique formation, so they're strung out in a long line of several miles.

As they push on towards Tokyo, the weather worsens and the planes disappear into banks of low -hanging cloud.

Then, as they close in on the coast, Dolittle pushes down below the clouds and flies as low as possible to avoid radar and anti -aircraft guns. He braces himself for incoming fire. Surely the Japanese will be waiting for them. But nothing happens. The clouds are silent.

Japanese high commanders issued no instructions to fighters or air defense.

Now, after blasting over the Japanese beaches, the planes roar over suburban Tokyo. They're visible in the clear blue sky.

civilians assume their friendly planes and even wave at the Americans.

Suddenly, Doolittle hears an urgent shout from his co -pilot, Second Lieutenant Richard E. Cole.

Doolittle snaps his eyes towards the sky and spots nine Japanese A6M -0 fighters crossing high overhead.

All he can do is push forward on the control yoke and bring the bomber lower to try and hide amongst the clutter of the city below. below. The lead zero banks slightly.

Its pilot has noticed the lone twin -engined aircraft below.

For a long moment, he studies at Silhouette. The Japanese pilot reaches for his radio.

Only when the fighters disappear does Doolittle allow himself to breathe again and relax his grip on the controls.

The B -25 crosses the Sumida River, and Doolittle spots the Japanese Imperial Palace.

It's the final landmark. The target is just a few miles further on.

Bombardier, open the doors.

In the nose, Dolittle's Bombardier staff sergeant Fred Braemer hunches over the bomb site.

He reaches out and hits the switch that opens the B -25's cavernous Bombay doors.

Dolittle climbs, pulling his plane up to 1 ,200 feet.

The B -25s have been stripped of their Norden bomb sites to save weight and to prevent any of the advanced systems falling into Japanese hands.

Bremer works with an improvised hand -made bomb site called a Mark Twain, lacking any connection to the plane's autopilot.

It means that Doolittle has to manually hold the B -25 at a constant altitude and speed.

Bremer peers along the bomb site and sees the target, a large military arsenal.

Bremer hits the release switch and four 500 -pound incendiary clusters drop away.

As soon as the bombs have dropped, Dolittle wastes no time and dives down low once again. The lightened bomber begins gathering speed.

Behind him, each cluster bomb breaks over to release 128 tiny bomblets. The bomblets catch the wind and scatter across the target.

Fluttering down to the ground, they settle on the wooden structures of the arsenal buildings and quickly ignite dozens of blazes.

The flames spread quickly, merging into an enormous fire, which finally shakes the Japanese air defenses into action.

Sirens wail across the city, and the gunners scramble to their flak sights, cranking 25mm flak guns towards the sky.

They spot Doolittle's bomber before unleashing a torrent of flak, but caught by surprise, they struggle to track the fast -moving plane.

The shells punch into the air, exploding around Doolittle's escaping B -25, which rocks with each blast.

He keeps his plane low, rocking from side to side, and skillfully evading the Japanese gunfire.

The flak fades away as Tokyo disappears behind him, and Doolittle sets course for his final destination in China.

In the center of the Japanese capital, dozens of fires are burning, as the bombers start drawing in towards their target areas.

In aircraft number 10, Flight Lieutenant Richard O.

Joyce releases his bombs on a steel mill near Tokyo Harbour.

As the bombs fall, a small metal disc flutters behind each one on a length of wire.

In a symbolic gesture of the hate that now exists between the nations, the American crews have attached pre -war Japanese friendship and peace medals to their bombs.

The B -25 is hit by a massive blast wave as the bombs tear apart the steel mill and send an enormous cloud of black smoke rising into the sky.

In the pilot seat, Joyce battles with the controls as a storm of anti -aircraft fire engulfs his bomber.

He throws the aircraft left and right as flak shells explode all around him.

The enemy fire grows more and more accurate and a blast of shrapnel tears a hole in the Sergeant Edwin Horton with fragments of metal into his turret gun position.

Joyce calls out to his gunner over the intercom. Horton, you all right? There's silence.

Then Horton answers and gives you all clear. I'm all right back here. Okay, good.

Joyce pulls the plane down as low as he can once more, darting and weaving through the fire, which dies away as they part Tokyo area.

The crew scan the sky, looking for any fighters as they brace themselves for the long flight to China. To his horror, Joyce hears a call from his co -pilot.

There are nine Japanese fighters flying a few thousand feet above him.

Joyce stares up, hoping that the enemy pilots don't see him.

He watches as a pair of fighters roll over, start to die.

Two Imperial Japanese Army, key 27 Nates, roar down towards the B -25.

In the cockpits, the Japanese pilots strain their engines to get every scrap of power.

They're determined to wreak revenge for their burning capital city.

It's not just the damage and casualties that drive them forward, but the humiliation of being taken by surprise.

Joyce pushes forward on the stick, accelerating down towards the ground. Horton is shaken by the violent maneuver.

All around him, the ammo bouts for his twin 50 -caliber machine guns fly into the air, twisting and tangling and making the gun inoperable.

Within seconds, the enemy fighters have closed in on the bomber, but Horton's still desperately trying to untangle the ammunition belt.

Until he does that, the B -25 is defenseless.

One of the Japanese pilots lines up the bomber in his sights and squeezes the trigger, sending a stream of bullets erupting from the twin 7 .7mm machine guns.

The rounds fly past the left wing of the bomber, but without any defensive fire from the B -25, The Japanese pilot has time to adjust his aim and fire again.

This time, the bullets strike home, tearing into the B -25's left wing.

The Japanese pilot pushes on his struttle, roaring past the bomber and arcing round to come in for another attack run. In the cockpit, Joyce makes a quick damage assessment.

The B -25's left wing tip has been totally torn off, and chunks of metal are falling behind into the slipstream.

The uneven bomber starts buffeting and Joyce steps on the rudder pedal to correct for the extra drag.

He's able to keep the B -25 flying straight, but now a second Japanese mate is already closing in for his attack.

Hortons almost untangled the belts, but he needs more time.

The Japanese pilot lines up the B -25 in his sights.

He lets off a burst of rounds which pepper the bomber's fuselage.

It's another hit. But instead of joy, Japanese pilot can't contain his frustration.

His underpowered 7 .7mm machine guns are struggling to penetrate the B -25's fuselage, leaving little more than a few small holes.

Joyce jinxed his planes as he tries to avoid the next load of gunfire. His bombers sturdy, but it's not invincible. He leaves those guns back in action.

Seconds later, a shout comes from the rear of the plane as Horton finally fixes the 50 calibers.

He aims down his sights towards the Japanese fighter and squeezes trigger of the twin guns.

The machine guns chatter as the nape closes in.

Bullets tear through the Japanese fighters engine sending the aircraft ablaze and pushing it plunging towards the ground.

There's still one more Japanese fighter left and it's coming round for another attack.

The Japanese pilot grimaces as he lets off a burst of fire which passes just a few feet above the bomber. The Japanese fighter races past the bomber and breaks away.

Horton blazes away with his guns and manages to score a hit.

The stream of bullets tears into the nade which starts trailing thick black smoke behind it.

Unable to fight any longer, the Japanese pilot turns away and heads back to safety.

The bomber goes quiet with just the rumbling of the engines. Joyce tests the control surfaces. Despite the damage, they're still flying straight and level.

Further down the Japanese coast, the last of the American bombers is approaching its target. First Lieutenant William G.

Farrow heads towards an oil refinery near the city of Nagoya, far from most of the rest of the Dulith Raiders.

He dives down to 500 feet to open the bay doors and release the bombs.

He pulls up into the sky as the incendiaries scatter across the refinery and detonate in hundreds of explosions, which throw flames and burning oil across the streets of Nagoya.

Varro pulls his aircraft around and calls back to his navigator, 2nd Lieutenant George Barr, ordering him to plot a course to China.

Barr has hunched over the maps and fuel calculations.

He's run the numbers half a dozen times with every possible variation. It makes no difference.

Taking off 10 hours early, he's added hundreds of miles extra to their flight. They're run out of fuel, far from land.

Behind him, the men pour the last of the extra fuel reserves into the bomber's internal tanks.

They slice open the metal fuel cans so that they'll sink and not give away their position, and then throw them out of the plane into the water below. But it's nowhere near enough fuel.

Everyone knows it. But no one voices their fear.

Farrow looks down into the water below. The weather's worsening. Great clouds have gathered, and the sea is frothing. thing.

Ditching in the sea means drowning before anyone will find them. They have to make it to China.

Up ahead, Doolittle's crew have come to the same conclusion.

The Colonel reckons with his fate as the deadly waters of the Pacific Ocean surge below his plane.

Doolittle's navigator, Second Lieutenant Hank Potter, calls out.

The wind has swung round behind them and is pushing the B -25 along.

It's an extra 25 miles an hour, and it could just be enough to get them to safety in China.

Dolittle says a silent prayer in thanks. The Lord is with us. The dark clouds gather on the horizon.

As they approach the Chinese coast, they fly into a bank of severe rain and fog.

Visibility quickly falls to near zero as the aircraft shakes with the wind.

Dolittle fights with his controls, relying solely on instruments to keep the bomber are flying in the right direction.

He tries to contact the airfield at Chuchiao, but there's no answer.

The ground crews aren't expecting the B -25s for another 10 hours.

Without a radio signal to guide them to the runway, there's no way they can safely land in these conditions. There's only one option.

For a second, nobody moves. Then the crew jump into action.

They strap on their parachutes, grab hold of confidential papers, and bail out one one by one, disappearing into the darkness and the howling wind.

Finally, it's just do -little left.

He takes one last look at his bomber and then follows out the hatch.

The rush of air catapults him out into the grey turbulence.

The canopy inflates above his head and the howl of rushing air quietens, replaced by the sound of wind and rain.

He tries to steer himself down to the ground, but he can't even see through the dark and stormy weather.

He smashes down, it's a rough landing, and he feels an agonizing pain shooting through his ankle.

He's landed in a paddy field, he's alone in the dark, wet, and God knows where.

Pushed on by the same tailwind, Joyce's battle -damaged B -25 reaches the Chinese coast. As the plane shudders in the turbulence, he tries the radio.

There's still no signal from the airfield at Chuchao.

Like Doolittle, he has no choice and orders his men to bail out.

One by one, they land in the fields below and are rescued by the Chinese.

Pharaoh, in his B -25, comes in afterwards, but when he notices the lack of radio signal, he doesn't bail out.

Instead, he flies further west, hoping that the weather will improve and that he can save the precious aircraft by making a forced landing.

The B -25 pushes through the storm, soon it reaches clearer skies and Faro's hopes rise.

The clouds fall away and reveal a city twinkling down far below.

Faro calls over to his navigator, George Barr, trying to find out where they are.

Barr looks down as maps with dread. The city is Nanchang.

They've flown directly into Japanese -occupied China.

To bail out here means near certain capture, but the plane is totally out of fuel. Unless they want to crash, they have to jump.

They shove their Colt 45 pistols and spare ammunition into their overalls, along with cigarettes and chocolate bars.

Last of all, they grab their family photographs, then they bail out, leaping through the hatches into the enemy territory.

Within seconds, the wind pulls the men in different directions, scattering them across the countryside.

Faro plunges down to earth and lands in a field outside a small village.

For a moment, he lies still in the mud, winded and disorientated, listening to the rain and the distant rumble of his dying B -25.

He takes out his survival compass and heads towards Chinese controlled territory.

But he barely takes a few steps before voices cut through the darkness. Japanese soldiers are already searching the area. He reaches for his pistol, then stops himself.

of, firing now would only get him killed. A beam of light blinds him. The Japanese shout for him to surrender.

At a military post inside the city, Faro is shoved into a bare room and forced down onto a bench.

For the first time since jumping, he hears American voices.

His crew are already there.

One by one the Japanese have rounded them up from the fields and villages around Nanchang. For a brief second, Faro lets himself feel relief.

His boys are alive, but that also means they're all doomed to the same fate.

In total, eight men are now prisoners of the Japanese Empire.

After months of beatings, waterboarding, and psychological torture, the Japanese forced the men to sign false confessions, saying that they deliberately targeted civilians.

All eight men are sent to a show trial in Shanghai where they are found guilty of targeting civilians and are sentenced to death.

The intervention of Japanese Emperor Hirohito spares the lives of five of the men, but the sentences of three others are confirmed.

On October the 15th, 1942, William Farrow, his gunner Harold Spatz, and Dean Hallmark are led outside, tied toward in crosses, and executed by firing squad.

The remaining five prisoners are consigned to the Japanese prisoner of war camp for the rest of the war. First Lieutenant Robert J.

Meader dies of malnutrition and berry berry in December 1943.

The surviving four men endure years of brutal captivity before they're finally liberated at the end of the war in August 1945.

Almost all the rest of the 16 bomber crews were forced to bail out, crash land, or ditch in water upon reaching China. Three men lost their lives in the process.

One of the bombers diverted from his course and safely landed in the Soviet port city of Vladivostok.

Dolittle returned to the United States, half expecting to be court -martialed because of the losses.

But instead, he was awarded the Medal of Honor in May 1942 and promoted to Brigadier General.