Evening star., 1943-04-21

liISlll " VI OhSN Nv oi'S oAAtS
reached Russia.
That of the 80 officers and men
on the flight. one was killed. two
are missing, eight are prisoners or
presumed to be prisoners of Japan,
five are interned in Russia and 64,
including seven who were injured,
got home through China.
Tied Up Jap Air Forces.
The secret was kept as long as
possible, the War Department said.
and the japanese. not being sure of
the attacks Source-Whether China,
or the Aleutians or an aircraft car
rier-"Were forced to tie up part of
their military strength during cru
cial MONTHS
Then the department added:
If the secret could always have
been kept from the japanese
which in the end was impossible-it
would naturally have added to the
tension with which Japan awaits the
attacks that still lie ahead"
Identification of Shangri-La as the
carrier Hornet automatically un-
folded incidents of courage and
hcroism heretofore hidden by the
secrecy policy. Foremost among
these was the dramatic decision by
Gen. Doolittle and his men to risk
the action despite a drastic change
in plans.
president Roosevelt at press
conference shortly after the
Toxic raid said the planes were
based at Shangri-La. a mythical
land, supposedly in Tibet. in
James Hiltons book, Lost Hori-
zon'D
That decision was forced by the
fact that as the naval task force
organized around the Hornet ap-
preached Japan it was sighted by
an enemy patrol ship. Skippered by
Admiral William F. Halsey, jr.. now
supreme commander in the South
Pacific. the task force had already
avoided one japanese vessel and was
trying to avoid another when it was
seen by the third.
That ship was quickly sunk. but
1t was feared that it might have
radiOed warning to Tokio-a fear
which later was proved unfounded
by the surprise of the attack. But
the raiders had to plan for the worst
and act accordingly. 1t meant de-
parting hours and 400 miles ahead
of schedule.
Never before had such big bomb
erS scared aloft from a carriers
800-foot deck on a combat mission.
But back in the United States the
dangerous feat had been practiced
by proxy on the ground at Eglin
Field, Fla.
Veteran Jimmy Doolittle led the
flock up at 800 am, and the others
thundered aloft in quick succession
to blast the japanese centers.
To drop their bombs the B-25s
went up to 1900 feet. In Toxic,
Yokohama, Nagoya, Kobe and Osaka
the cities that constitute the in
dustrlal heart of Japan-the bombs
dropped with accuracy, blowing up
gasoline plant. starting a fire that
could be seen for so miles: blasted
an aircraft factory and a shipyard
where cruiser was building, hit
steel and powder plants. machinery
works and railroad yards. Direct
hits were made on new cruiser
or battleship under construction.
The japanese belatedly put up
about 80 pursuit planes in all, un-
limbered their anti-aircraft guns
and let out their barrage balloons
The anti-aircraft gunners shot down
one of their own balloons. and
American gunners knocked down
several enemy planes.
Beyond Japan the elements did
what the enemy had been unable to
do. Bucking a storm, the big motors
of the B-25s drank up their last
gallons of gasoline.
There in the darkness 5000 to
10000 feet above a strange land"
said the report, the ma ajority of the
men bailed out" The rest crash
landed.
Most touched the earth of unoc-
cupied China and despite innumer-
able hardships made their way to
Chungking. Two plane loads went
down in enemy-occupied territory