Doolittle, James Harold (1896-1993), an American flier, led the first bombing raid on Tokyo in World War II (1939-1945). He led 16 B-25 twin-engine bombers, normally land-based planes, from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet in the surprise attack on April 18, 1942. He received the Medal of Honor for this daring raid.
A lieutenant colonel when he led his raid, Doolittle rose to lieutenant general during World War II. He led the 12th Army Air Force in northern Africa in 1942, and later the 15th Army Air Force in the Mediterranean area. In 1944 and 1945, he led the 8th Army Air Force, which bombed western Europe. He also commanded the 8th Army Air Force on Okinawa after Germany surrendered.
Doolittle was born on Dec. 14, 1896, in Alameda, California, and graduated from the University of California. He was an Army aviator during World War I (1914-1918). He earned a doctorate in aeronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1925. He left the Army in 1930 to work for the Shell Petroleum Corporation. He returned to military duty in 1940.
Doolittle was chairman of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics from 1956 to 1958. He was director of an aerospace firm from 1959 to 1962. President Ronald Reagan promoted Doolittle to full general in 1985. Doolittle died on Sept. 27, 1993.
