Reviewed by Brett Green

Osprey's "The Doolittle Raid 1942" may be ordered  online from Squadron.com

The long road back from Pearl Harbor started with one audacious attack by B-25s from the carrier Hornet led by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle. While much has been written about the raid this softbound book offers a compact and concise account of the raid.

The softbound book contains close to 100 pages complete with charts, paintings of significant moments of the raid and a bunch of charts, including the crew list. The illustrations are first rate and action packed.

I guess I didn’t know as much as I thought I did about the raid. I must admit I was under the assumption that the Hornet was the only aircraft carrier involved in the raid, but this book also talks about the Enterprise and its role. There are other numerous little facts that are nicely presented. How about the fact that the planners forgot about the international date line in their planned pick up of the flyers in China. I was under the impression that the Hornet’s escorts took care of the picket ships. This book shows the part that the Wildcats and SBDs from Enterprise took part in the attacks, although ineffectual and that it took 928 six-inch rounds to finally sink the ship. I also did not know that one of the B-25s claimed two aircraft shot down. Each aircraft’s bomb run is examined in detail. The

The book is a good one-stop source for information concerning the raid. Mr. Chun covers everything from the forces involved, to the key personnel, to the decisions, the attacks and the aftermath. Overall a very good book that is a welcome addition to my library.

It is well written with plenty of photographs and this book is indicative of the series and as such I highly recommend this book as a one-stop shop for reference on the raid.

Recommended

Thanks to Osprey Publishing for the review copy

 

The Doolittle Raid 1942 (Osprey Campaign 156)   Author: Clayton K S Chun Illustrated by: Howard Gerard US Price: $18.95 UK Price: £13.99 Publisher: Osprey Publishing Publish Date: January 31, 2006 Details: 96 pages; ISBN: 1-84176-918-5 Shop Buy it from Osprey Publishing

Review Copyright © 2006 by Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Page Created 13 February, 2006
Last updated 12 February, 2006

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