Sixteen planes and 80 airmen executed the Doolittle Raid, 18 April 1942. With one exception - the plane piloted by CAPT Edward J. York - none of the planes made a proper landing: all either were ditched, or crashed after their crews bailed out. Nonetheless, all but three men survived the flight.
The U.S. Army Air Forces chose the B-25 for the Doolittle Raid because it was the only aircraft available with the required range, bomb capacity and short takeoff distance. The B-25Bs and 24 trained volunteer crews came from the 17th Bombardment Group, Pendleton Field, Ore.
The airplane on display at the National museum of the United States Airforce ,1100 Spaatz Street
Wright-Patterson AFB Ohio is a B-25D rebuilt by North American to the configuration of a B-25B used on the Tokyo Raid. It was flown to the museum in April 1958. Well worth a look……
