Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-05-22
The DooIi++Ies
u. S. Secret
War Weapon
Best FIiers, Best Planes
Produced by America
BY PAUL MALLON

skill, energy ana ingenuity OF
the United States are beginning
TO appear in aggressive action.
You can see IL in the battle
of the Coral Sea, in the arrival
unScathed of a great mass of
conveyed troops in Ireland. but
particularly in the exploit of
General Doolittle and the 70
filters he took to Japan.
Their venture will be inn
perishably famous. not because
of the exceptional military dam
age done 1--WE do not yet know
how much it was), but because
of the incredible circumstance
that they carried a bombing at
lack half way around the ~efld
and escaped without a single
plane shot down.
THE feat was distinctive for
Il three reasons:
THE attack was made at
midday in clear weather. The
Nazis, British and others gen.
orally have been staging their
bombing raids at night, to get
the protecting cover of darkness.
Even the Jap raid on Pearl Har-
Dor was a sneak-up attack at
dawn.
1.-THE so Doolittlers did pre-
precision bombing. Each man
had a target designated. The
customary way of this war so
far has been what they call pat
tern bombing. The bombardiers
come in upon targets in for
nation and drop their eggs to-
gether, hoping few will strike
home in the right spots. The
Doolittlers picked the right
spots, went to them, saw them
and split them from 1900 feet.
3-Every one else has been
looking for altitude to get away
from anti-aircraft fire. They
devised even stratosphere bomb
ers with telescope bombsights.
Doolittle found the answer they
have been looking for, but in
the opposite direction. He rem
dered the anti-aircraft guns of
Japan useless by coming in over
Japan at an altitude of about
100 feet or less and staying
there until the boys found their
detectives. OF course, that is
too low for actual bombing.
You are apt to get caught in
the explosion you cause. At the
detectives. the Doolittlers went
up, TO 1900 feet where they
could drop an egg through the
eye of a needle.
IT is practically impossible for
L any A-A gun to catch a fast
plane at 1900 feet, wholly i'm
possible at 100 feet.
But at their invasion altitude
of 100 feet or less they crossed
the horizon of any given ma
chine gun so fast the gunner
could hardly have known they
were coming before they were
gone.
CAN you imagine one OF these
~ Doolittlers carrying a bomb
all the way to Japan TO waste it
on non-military objective at
midday from 1900 feet? Why,
he could shave off the emperor's
mustache under those condi-
tons.
We have always had the best
flierS and the best planes. 1t
has taken us while TO adapt
them to surprise conditions
which were presented TO us.
The secret weapon of the
United States is the same as al
ways. We have Doolittles in our
armed services and our fac
tories.
THE questioned column sug-
Il costing the Japs would
probably next turn back on
China to knock her out of the
war with a pincer drive down
the YangtZe and up through
Yunnan. has now been fully
confirmed in dispatches from
Chungking. The prospect that
China would be in a bad way is
now being suggested by the
Chinese authorities.
Invasion of Australia now
seems more remote than ever.
Attack on India seems out of
the Jap program entirely. Both
these remote possibilities then
were being widely predicted you
will remember
Of two real prospects sug-
gested in that e.stioned
column, one is still alive. a Jap
attack on Russia may be started
Jointly with the operations in
China at any time.
But the Jap move 10 seize is
lands east of Australia New
Hebrides. New Caledonia, New
Zealand) 10 cut our line of sup
plies. has certainly been delayed
by the battle of the Coral Sea.
However, no one knows for how
long.
THE Russia fighting is involved
Il on both sides in a compli-
Gated system of counter-attacks
which are difficult 10 measure
from day TO day. The Germans