Doolittle Raider Billy Farrow Remembered

From the April 17th SCNow "Darlington Doolittle Raider: Lt. Billy Farrow still remembered" by Dwight Dana.

Lt. William G. "Billy" Farrow never attended a Doolittle Reunion in person "but his indomitable spirit has been to each and every one."

Farrow's plane ran out of fuel and he was captured by Japanese soldiers April 18th, the day after the raid.  Later, Farrow and two others: Lt. Dean Hallmark and Sgt. Harold Spatz were executed by firing squad in October 1942.  Farrow had just turned 24 in September.

Farrow joined the new Army Air Corps in 1940 and got his wings.  On the raid, he was the last plane off the USS Hornet, taking off 59 minutes after Doolittle.  Flying just 100 feet above the Pacific to avoid detection, his mission was to bomb oil tanks and an aircraft factory in Nagoya, Japan.

Eight Raiders were captured and summarily tried by Japanese officers and sentenced to death, but for some, it was commuted to life in prison.  But, not for the unfortunate three.  They were used for propaganda purposes and then imprisoned and tortured for six months.  On October 14, 1942, they were taken from their cells and told to write farewell letters to family and friends.

They were taken to Public Cemetery No. 1 outside Shanghai, China, on Oct. 15th. Their arms then strapped to crude crosses and blindfolded with white handkerchiefs marked with black crosses between the eyes as targets and then executed.  Next, their bodies were cremated and remains not discovered until the end of the war when they were returned to the U.S. and buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Quite a Story.  --GreGen