Five Things About the Doolittle Raiders-- Part 3

4.  The raid caused strategic scrambling by the Japanese.  Very little real damage was done to Japan during the raid.  But it did cause the Japanese to pull back its fleet from the Indian Ocean to protect the home islands.  It also contributed to Japanese Admiral Yamamoto's decision to attack Midway Island which became a major American victory and turned the tide of the War in the Pacific.

It was great for American morale and a blow to that of Japan.


5.  China suffered the most from the raid.  Chinese civilians and American missionary John Birch helped rescue and hide the raiders.  In retaliation for helping the Americans, Japanese forces massacred approximately 250,000 Chinese civilians in eastern China as part of its Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign.

A Gallant Effort.  --GreGen