1. They mistook them for Japanese planes conducting an air-raid drill
   They hoped the American bombing would dethrone the unpopular Emperor
2. They were trying to wave off the American pilots

Japanese homeland forces had been conducting air raid drills on a regular basis long before the attack on Pearl Harbor. One was conducted on the morning the Doolittle Raid arrived.

1. U.S. Army Lt Colonel
   U.S. Navy General
2. British Naval Bombardier
   U.S. Air Force Corporal

Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle had also been a stunt pilot prior to serving in the U.S. Army. After the Raid, he was promoted to Brigadier General and received the Medal of Honor.

1. USS Hornet
   USS Dreadnought
2. USS Enterprise

The Hornet’s participation was remarkable because U.S. Navy ships never carried U.S. Army aircraft.

1. Patrol boat
   Canoe
2. Rigid inflatable

The launch was set to happen in an area controlled by the Japanese Navy, so patrol boats were common.

1. It was a big morale boost for the U.S.
   It inflicted heavy damage on Tokyo and other cities on the Japanese mainland
2. It caused the Japanese ground forces to pull out of China
   It forced the Japanese Emperor to move out of Tokyo

After the Emperor announced to the Japanese people that their mainland would never be bombed, the Doolittle Raid was a response that forced the Japanese troops to refocus on protecting it, instead, thereby reducing their strength in other parts of the Pacific.

1. The weather was so bad the crew was getting seasick
   The captain of the aircraft carrier wanted to hurry up and get back to the safety of Pearl Harbor
2. A Japanese vessel was spotted nearby

A Japanese ship was spotted when the USS Hornet was still 10 hours and 250 miles from the location they’d originally planned to start the raid.

1. B-17 Flying Fortress bombers
   B-25 Mitchell bombers ("Mitchells")
2. A-24B Dauntless”gliders
   P-47 Thunderbolt fighters

The Mitchells were a new medium-sized bomber named after aviation pioneer Billy Mitchell. They were known for their versatility and twin tails, but hadn’t been used in combat before they were selected for the Doolittle Raid.

1. To find temporary landing strips in China
   To bail out over China at night
2. To bail out over the ocean at night
   To return to the USS Hornet

Everyone knew the planes couldn't carry enough fuel to make it all the way back to the Hornet. Originally the hope was that they could make it to temporary Chinese landing strips, but the unexpected early launch added 200 more miles of flight distance. That meant the crews needed to be ready to bail out...somewhere.

1. April 18, 1942
   December 7, 1940
2. September 29, 1935
   March 4, 1976

The Doolittle Raid was a response to the attack on Pearl Harbor, which occurred on December 7, 1941, as well as other Japanese military aggression across the Pacific.

1. U.S. Navy
   U.S. Army Air Force
2. U.S. Air Force

The U.S. Air Force at the time was part of the U.S. Army, not yet its own branch. All the pilots in the raid were volunteers, as it was generally considered to be a suicide mission.

1. It was the cheapest to produce
   It was the only bomber with folding wings
2. It was one of the lightest long-range bombers

The plane’s relatively light weight allowed its pilot to take off from the deck of a small aircraft carrier, another feat that had never been tried before the Doolittle Raid. Senior U.S. Navy personnel openly doubted such a take-off was even possible.

1. A Dear John letter from his wife
   He couldn’t swim
2. He would lose all 16 bombers and their crews

Doolittle was said to fear that the loss of all 16 aircraft and crewmen in his charge would also lead to a court-marshall, if not his own demise.

1. 16
   35
2. 9

Doolittle successfully piloted the first take-off to start the raid.

1. They were each awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross
   They were each awarded a Purple Heart
2. They were sent home to sell war bonds

The Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded for "Heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight.” After the Doolittle Raid, many crewmembers went right back into the war effort.

1. Sent a message to the Japanese mainland to warn them
   Waved a white flag to surrender
2. Immediately abandoned ship
   They fired a warning flare

The patrol boat did manage to transmit one message to the Japanese mainland: “warships” …which was also picked up by U.S. intelligence in Pearl Harbor.

1. All 16
   9
2. 3

This was an impressive outcome, considering the circumstances and level of risk involved.

1. It did very little to help the Allied Forces
   It was named after Jimmy Doolittle, the mission's lead pilot, commander, and strategist
2. It was named after a fictional doctor who talks to animals

Jimmy Doolittle, who had been a stunt pilot before the war, was the driving force behind the mission. Incidentally, there’s only one "o" in the last name of the fictional children's book character, Doctor Dolittle.

1. Strong winds forced it back onto the deck, causing a fiery crash
   It took a steep drop down toward the water at first
2. It was a surprisingly easy lift off because of the strong headwinds
   It had to drop ½ of its bomb load to gain enough altitude for the longer flight

The first two bombers “nearly went in the drink,” including the plane Doolittle was piloting, despite skilled attempts to gain altitude as fast as possible. Actual film footage even exists to prove it. To quote one expert, “It’s real hard to take off from an aircraft carrier in a bomber.”

1. Honshu
   Okinawa
2. Guam

Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, as well as Mt. Fuji, are all located on Honshu, which means "Main Island" or "Main Province.”

1. 2,000 feet
   467 feet
2. 850 feet

A B-25 typically used 2,000 feet of runway for take-off, but the Doolittle pilots trained themselves on runway lengths as short as 275 feet. During the raid, they knew their aircraft carrier would be packed with B-25s, dramatically limiting runway space, especially for the pilots who had to take off first.

1. Dick Cole
   Bobby Mitchell
2. Ronald Reagan

Richard “Dick” Cole, at 101 in 2016, was also the longest surviving member of the crew.

1. Russia had signed a neutrality pact with Japan
   Russia and the U.S. were already locked in a cold war
2. There weren’t any usable landing strips close enough to make up for the strong headwinds

The neutrality pact specifically forbade such landings in Russia

1. None
   14 crews
2. 16 crews

14 of the 16 crews returned to the United States or were assigned to other military units in various theaters. Each of the 16 planes had five crewmembers, for a total of 80 airmen.

1. A jet caught up with the carrier and loaded the parts on board
   The carrier returned to port to load the essential parts
2. The parts were lowered onto the deck by a Navy blimp

Now there’s something we bet you don’t see every day.

1. The Battle of Midway
   The Battle Guadalcanal
2. The Battle of Wake Island

The Battle of Midway is considered by many as an unsuccessful effort by the Japanese forces and a turning point in the war.

1. Engine stalls and failures due to the shorter runway
   Limited visibility in the storm
2. The motion of the aircraft carrier

Because of the short runway distance and subsequent lower speed, the biggest concern was that there would not be enough time to regain control of the plane if its engine stalled or failed before reaching the speed required for lift-off. The bad weather also wasn't helping any, but it was more of a secondary concern.

1. It was attacked and sunk.
   It took evasive action and escaped because of the storm and poor visibility.
2. It took evasive action, but continued transmitting information about the Hornet.

The Japanese patrol boat was attacked and sunk relatively quickly by the U.S. Navy ships escorting the Hornet.

1. None; they were sailing alone
   15 Navy ships of various sizes and capabilities
2. 20 Navy destroyers

The task group included cruisers, destroyers and one other carrier with fighter planes to provide coverage during the mission. The launch site was deep within areas known to be controlled by the Imperial Japanese Navy.

1. All 16 bombers
   15 of the bombers
2. None made it to China because of the early takeoff

Considering the risks involved, this was an impressive feat. All 15 bombers either crash-landed or were abandoned in flight; one crewman was killed during a landing.

1. Five were rescued from the water and taken prisoner
   They all drowned
2. They all escaped

The ship was sunk by the Americans in half an hour, partly due to rough seas.

1. 13
   42
2. 1

The Doolittle Raid did not inflict heavy damage on its targets.

1. All guns were removed
   The number of guns was reduced to three per plane; some were replaced by broomsticks
2. All guns were removed and the crews were told to use their handguns

Three guns were left on each plane to defend against attacking Japanese fighters: two 50-caliber machine guns in the top turret and a single 30-caliber gun in the nose station. All the others were removed – even the “belly turret – to help make the Mitchells as light as possible for take-off. Replacing the tail guns with broomsticks appeared to discourage the Japanese interceptors from attacking from the rear, while still lightening the load.

1. The Japanese military was now alerted and expecting them.
   That there wouldn’t be enough fuel to fly all the way to China, and definitely not before dark.
2. It was a dark and stormy night.
   All of the above.

It was a very stormy night, the Japanese had indeed received the message from the crew of the captured boat, and it was going to be very dark and dangerous when the American pilots either attempted to land somewhere or bail out over China.

1. Russia
   Back on the deck of the USS Hornet
2. Remote Japanese countryside

The plane that landed in Russia was confiscated, and the crew was interned for about a year until they escaped from Russia.

1. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
   Remember Pearl Harbor
2. Titanic
   Top Gun

Two years later, Hollywood's 1944 release of "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" starred none other than Spencer Tracy.