The Doolittle Raid 1942: America's first strike back at Japan

By Clayton K. S. Chun

Osprey's study of the United States' first offensive response to the Pearl Harbor attacks of World War II (1939-1945). In early 1942, the strategic situation was bleak for the United States. She had been in continual retreat since Pearl Harbor, surrendering major areas such as the Philippines, and was preparing for the worst in Hawaii and on the West Coast. The Japanese, on the other hand, had secured a well-defended perimeter, and were set for further expansion. Something needed to happen quickly and be of considerable impact. The April 1942 Doolittle Raid on Japan was a way to achieve this. This book examines the planning, execution, and aftermath of this innovative, daring and risky attack, which would show that the Japanese navy and air forces were anything but invincible.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781782004240

Reviews for The Doolittle Raid 1942

[charbonn-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This seems like a reasonably well-done description of the Doolittle raid, within the obvious limitations of the Osprey format. The most obvious limitations of that format are length (96 pages) and the absence of notes. There are several good maps in the book; the full-color paintings, specially commissioned for the work, are more questionable. Author Chun does seem to have done some original research, if the bibliography is any indication.