Remembering the Raiders

Three of the remaining members of "Doolittle's Raiders" gathered in Ohio Saturday.
The Doolittle Raid did more than cheer a nation’s morale. Stung by the bursting of their illusions of invincibility, the Japanese advanced the timetable for their attack on New Guinea. As their huge fleet steamed into the Coral Sea, they were met by 3 American carriers, alerted to their plans by the cracking of the Japanese naval code. The resulting battle — the first naval engagement in history where neither side saw each other — was considered a draw. But a few weeks later when Admiral Yamamoto attacked Midway Island hoping to draw the American carriers into a trap, the US Navy turned the tables on the Japanese — with a big assist to the code breakers — as almost 300 carrier-based aircraft obliterated four Japanese carriers. From then until the end of the war, the Japanese were largely on the defensive.
They were real game-changers.