Were the Do Little raids something that really happened?

Doolittle used B 25's twin engined medium bombers. B 25 were 4 engined heavy bombers, and too big to fly off a carrier. But yes, they did launch planes against Tokoyo. At the time FDR stated the planes (B 25s are land based) that they were launched from a secret base "Shangra La" (From the movie Lost Horizon) Later in the war, the Navy christened an aircraft Carrier USS Shangra La.

Worth nothing? The damage was minor, but the Japanese military heads were afraid of more raids, so they tied up a significant number of planes for nation defense. Those plane would have easily killed Allied pilots had they been deployed. Also, the Japanese people had been told they were invulnerable and untouchable, and this proved that wrong: for the first time, some doubt did form in the minds of the Japanese people. Therefore it was a strategic success, much like the Battle of Coral Sea, the following month.

FDR didn't think of a carrier raid, but he wanted to bomb Japan as soon as possible. It was a Navy guy that came up with the idea of launching off a carrier- FDR was thinking about bombing from China.

Most importantly, the morale of the US people surged after hearing about the raid- that was a dark time in US history- we had lost Wake and the Philippines, and the Pacific Fleet was in a shambles. The US needed a boost.

But yes, you are right about one thing: It was not worth the extra hour- NO fighter pilot would ever be selected to fly a B-25 bomber for a never-before tried secret mission. It took place almost 5 months after the events of Pearl Harbor, and almost nothing depicted in the movie actually happened during the raid, except they did actually bomb Tokyo, Yokohama, Yokosuka, Kobe and Osaka. THAT BS was pure Michael Bay, and the Alec Baldwin character was nothing like the real James Doolittle.

It would have been more poignant to show the trial of one crew- several were executed. THAT actually happened.

..Joe

I don't know much about history but my college professor is a history whiz. He told me the Dolittle raids were accurately portrayed in this movie and the 2 atomic blasts came right after the successful Dolittle raids