North American B-25B Mitchell USAAF U.S.Army, 

"Whirling Dervish" Doolittle Raid, April 18th 1942/

AirForce1 1/72 - AF1-0111B

Designed to boost the morale of a nation still reeling from the attack on Pearl Harbour, the Doolittle Raid involved the USAAF flying a number of B-25 Medium bombers from an aircraft carrier near the Japan, to bomb Tokyo and then land in China. If the material damage is minimal, the effect on the morale of the Americans, and especially the Japanese, is enormous. As the task force of the USS Hornet approaches the Japanese coast, they are spotted by an enemy ship and decide to get their planes off the ground earlier than planned. On April 18, 1942, shortly after 8 a.m., sixteen B-25 bombers took off from the relatively short deck of the USS Hornet and headed for Japan - the first time these airmen had taken off from the deck of a aircraft carrier at sea. Flying at very low altitude, the raiders have six hours of flight time before them before reaching their targets, with the virtual certainty of being intercepted by enemy fighters. If they manage to fulfill their mission, they will then fly to China, but then it will be every man for himself.