The Emperor's 'Friendship' Medals.
When the Japanese Patrol Boats spotted Task Force 16, the Bombers were still 700 miles from their final destination in China. Still, the mission orders were given and the Bombers were launched.
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Before the launch, however, there were
multiple preparations and special ceremonies. First, the commanders were given
five “Friendship” medals the Emperor had sent to President Roosevelt just
before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Additionally, each Bomber was outfitted with
four 200o-pound bombs especially designed for the attack..
There were three
high-explosive bombs in each bomber along with a fourth bomb that wasn’t a
conventional bomb at all, but a bundle of small incendiary packets, each one filled
with flammable liquid fuels. The packets would separate in the air and slowly
float to earth. When they reached the ground, the packets ignited in the fires
of the explosive bombs that had already exploded.
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When the B-25s
reached Japan, they separated into smaller groups. Some bombed known
manufacturing plants in Tokyo while others concentrated on manufacturing depots
in other cities in Central and Southern Japan. All 16 planes successfully
dropped their bombs, doing minimal physical damage, but dealing a direct blow
to Hirohito and the Japanese people. It was now obvious that Japan was not
invincible and could be attacked in her homeland.
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As Tokyo burned, all but one B-25s turned south and headed
directly away from land. As soon as they were out of range of fighter
interceptors, such as the Ki-43 Oscar or even A6M Mitsubishi Zeros, the crews
turned west and headed directly for China. Fuel was short and Doolittle’s boys
couldn’t waste one single drop if they wanted to return home safely.
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