Continue reading]]>

Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr.)

Lieutenant Colonel Richard “Dick” E. Cole, Jimmy Doolittle’s copilot and last surviving member of the Doolittle raid on Tokyo on 18 April 1942, passed away on 9 April 2019.

Born in 1915, he enlisted as aviation cadet in 1940. He was one of the 80 crew members selected to take part in the famous raid against Tokyo and mainland Japan, led by the famous James “Jimmy” Doolittle. Taking off from the USS Hornet in their B-25 Mitchells, a medium bomber designed to operate from land, the raiders bombed Tokyo and other targets in the Japanese mainland. Running out of fuel after their mission, they parachuted or crash-landed in China. Five raiders were captured and executed by the Japanese, with another three becoming prisoners of war (one of whom died of malnutrition during his captivity).

Richard Cole remained in the China-Burma-India theater of operations after the raid. He served in the US Air Force until 1966, retiring with over 5,000 flying hours.

Our thoughts and prayers go to Lt Col Cole’s family and friends.

Read more about Richard Cole’s life and career on the US Air Force’s website.

Continue reading]]>

Staff Sergeant David Thatcher shortly before the April 18, 1942 raid. (Photo USAF)

David J. Thatcher, one of the two remaining survivors of the famous Doolittle Raid, passed away on June 22, 2016 in Missoula, Montana. “Dick” Cole, a close friend of Thatcher, is now the sole surviving member of the group of 80 men who attacked Japan on 18 April 1942. Although such honours are rarely accorded to enlisted men, full military honours will be given, and a B-1 Lancer and a B-25 Mitchell will overfly the funeral ceremony next Monday.

Powell was the engineer/gunner on the B-25 nicknamed “The Ruptured Duck” during the Doolittle Raid. (© Gaëtan Marie)

Punchy Powell on the wing of his P-51B Mustang “The West By Gawd Virginian”. (Photo USAF)

Robert H. “Punchy” Powell, who flew with the famous 352nd Fighter Group during World War II, also passed away on 22 June 2016. Born in 1920, he flew his first combat with the group on November 11, 1943. He was credited with 6 destroyed aircraft (4.5 on the ground and 1.5 aerial victories) and received the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf clusters and the European Theatre Award with three Battle Stars.

Continue reading]]>

(U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey)

Retired Lt. Col. Robert Hite, one of the last surviving Doolittle Tokyo Raiders, died at his home in Nashville, Tenn., on March 29, aged 95. Hite was the co-pilot on plane #16, dubbed “Bat Out of Hell,” during the April 18, 1942 mission to bomb Japan.

Hite was captured by the Japanese in China following the raid and was imprisoned in Shanghai for 40 months, during which time he was held in solitary confinement, tortured, and starved until he was liberated on Aug. 20, 1945. He remained on Active Duty until Sept. 30, 1951.

During the Korean War, Hite once again returned to Active Duty and served overseas before he was released from duty for the second time in November 1955. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Chinese Breast Order of Pao Ting. Hite, along with the other 79 Doolittle Raiders, also were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, which will be presented on April 15.

With Hite’s death, only two Doolittle Raiders are still living. They are retired Lt. Col. Richard Cole, co-pilot of crew #1, and retired SSgt. David Thatcher, engineer-gunner of crew #7.

Source: Air Force Magazine

Continue reading]]> Edward J. Saylor, the engineer of the 15th aircrew that participated in the famous 18 April 1942 Doolittle Raid on Japan, passed away at his home on January 28, 2015. His crew bombed targets in Kobe and had to ditch its aircraft near the Chinese coast after the raid. Saylor stayed with the Air Force after the war, retiring in 1967 with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

More details on his career are available from Veteran Tributes.

Continue reading]]>

Left to right: Lt. Col. Richard Cole, Lt. Col. Edward Saylor and Staff Sgt. David Thatcher at Eglin Air Force Base. (Photo USAF/Thomas Brown)

Three of the four surviving members of the 18 April 1942 Doolittle Raid on Tokyo gathered from April 17 to 21 at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida for a final meeting. The members who were present were Lt. Col. Richard Cole, le Lt. Col. Edward Saylor and Staff Sgt. David Thatcher. Lt. Col. Robert Hite could not travel and was absent from the meeting.

The men flew on a B-25 Mitchell, the type used in the raid, with Dick Cole doing part of the flying. A private meeting will take place later this year, where the surviving members will open a bottle of Hennessy cognac from 1896, the year when James Doolittle was born, and toast one final time to all of their comrades.

Source: Air Force Times

Continue reading]]>

(Photo USAF)

Thomas Griffin, who was the navigator on the ninth aircraft of the 18 April 1942 Doolittle raid on Tokyo , died on February 26 aged 96.

With the passing of Thomas Griffin, there are now only four surviving members of this legendary mission. Its success was mostly psychologival, as America needed some positive news in early 1942, a time when it was struggling to resist Japanese advance in the Pacific.

After the Tokyo raid, Thomas Griffin went to North Africa with the 319th Bomb Group, flying the B-26. He was shot down in July 1943 and imprisoned in Germany. He was released in April 1945.

Source

Continue reading]]>

A B-25 Mitchell flying off the USS Hornet. (Photo US Army)

The five remaining members of the Doolittle raid will be present at the National Museum of the USAF to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the raid from April 17 to 20, 2012. Also present for the first time will be Chinese survivors or members of their families who helped save the Raiders. The  Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Association, Inc. is working to secure sponsorship to have some 25 B-25 Mitchells fly in and land at the museum. This would be the largest gathering of B-25 Mitchell since WWII.

B-25B 40-2261"Ruptured Duck", crewed by members of the 95th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Group: pilot Lt. Ted W. Lawson, copilot Lt. Dean Davenport, navigator Lt. Charles L. McClure, bombardier Lt. Robert S. Clever and engineer/gunner Sgt. David J. Thatcher. (Profile © Gaëtan Marie.)

Those interested in helping to make this flight of B-25 bombers possible should contact Tom Casey with the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Association, Inc. at (941) 921-7361 or by email at tomcat911@comcast.net or Larry Kelley, B-25 coordinator, b25driver@aol.com or 410-991-2356.

B-25B 40-2249 "Hari Kari-er" (or "Hari Carrier" according to some sources) was the 11th aircraft to launch from USS Hornet's deck. Its crew was composed of pilot Capt. Charles R. Greening, copilot Lt. Kenneth E. Reddy, navigator Lt. Frank A. Kappeler, bombardier SSgt. William L. Birch and engineer/gunner Sgt. Melvin J. Gardner, all from the 89th Reconnaissance Squadron. (Profile © Gaëtan Marie.)

More information can be found on the USAF website.