Thirty Seconds Over TokyoFrom the Publisher: Ted W. Lawson's classic Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo appears in an enhanced reprint edition for the sixtieth anniversary of the legendary Doolittle Raid on Japan. "One of the worst feelings about that time," Ted W. Lawson writes, "was that there was no tangible enemy. It was like being slugged with a single punch in a dark room, and having no way of knowing where to slug back." He added, "And, too, there was a helpless, filled-up, want-to-do-something feeling that [the Japanese] weren't coming -- that we'd have to go all the way over there to punch back and get even." Which is what "the Tokyo Raiders" did. Lawson gives a vivid eyewitness account of the unorthodox assignment that eighty-five intrepid volunteer airmen under the command of celebrated flier James H. Doolittle executed in April 1942. The plan called for sixteen B-25 twin-engine medium bombers of the Army Air Forces to take off from the aircraft carrier Hornet, bomb industrial targets in Japan, and land at airfields in China. While the raid came off flawlessly, completely surprising the enemy, bad weather, darkness, and a shortage of fuel caused by an early departure took a heavy toll on the raiders. For many, the escape from China proved a greater ordeal. This anniversary edition features a foreword by noted aviation writer Peter B. Mersky and an introduction by Mrs. Ellen R. Lawson, Ted Lawson's widow, as well as twice as many photographs as the original book, several published here for the first time. |
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afternoon aircraft carrier American Army asked barrage balloons beach Bolling Field bomb bombers carried carrier chair Charlie China Chinese Choo Chow Lishui Chungking chute Clever coast coolies crash crew Davenport Davey Davey Jones deck Doc White Doolittle Doolittle raid dropped Eglin Eglin Field Ellen engines feeling feet fellows felt Fitzgerald flew flight flying gave going guerrillas guess guns head heard Hornet hospital inter-phone Japan Japanese Japs Jimmy Doolittle junk knew landing Lawson Lieutenant looked March Field McClure miles mission missionaries morning mother Navy boys night Parker Pearl Harbor pilot plane pulled radio raid reached rolled Ruptured Duck ship started stretcher take-off talk tank tell Thatcher thing thought Tokyo told took tried turret village waiting walked wanted watched wheel wife wing wonderful yelled