Doolittle Air Raid
Most historians in the past will agree that the Doolittle air raid was an incredible act of bravery by the American forces in World War II. The Doolittle Raids helped boost American morale, lowered Japanese spirits and composure, and precipitated the Battle of Midway, which the Japanese were crushed with defeat. Many historians question the true success of the Doolittle Raid. But Carroll Glines helps to explain why the raid had such a great impact on the America. Carroll Glines, the most notable scholar of the Doolittle Raid, argues that psychologically the Japanese were not prepared mentally for the attack on Tokyo. James Merrill and others experts believe that American morale was most important part of the operation. The final group of historians questions the true success of the Doolittle Raid. They pull both the positive and negative aspects of the mission explaining how the Americans had great morale. But, is revenge the best way to carry out an objective? The Doolittle Raid argument begins with the foundation set by Carroll Glines. Historians researching the Doolittle Raid began their research by analyzing the psychological and mental effects of the mission. Although not all aspects were completely accurate at explaining the Doolittle Raid, John Dower explains how America's anger was fueled by the attack on Pear Harbor which in return filled their hearts with an abhorrent desire for revenge. The Doolittle Raid helped the Americans relieve their wishes of revenge and unite together so that they could later conquer the Pacific.
Carroll Glines an historian and a veteran of World War II helps shed light and give insight into what the Doolittle raids really were in his eyes. Glines explains how the Doolittle raid was one of the cleverest missions ever carried out in the Pacific. Glines had several works of literature that were published throughout the world but one of his most distinguished novels was Doolittle's Tokyo Raiders. In this book Glines goes into in depth detail of about how the Doolittle raid had affected the Japanese mentally and physically crushing the Japanese spirits. Glines states “the impact on Japanese morale, the primary objective of the raid, was considerable” (Glines 21). Glines believed that by carrying out the mission of the Doolittle Raid it would not only make a statement but cripple the Japanese by showing that there homeland security and overall leadership was not as strong as it appeared to be. The Japanese felt there military would succeed and continue to defeat the Americans throughout World War II. But after the Tokyo Air Raid the Japanese had a feeling of shock in that there government had allowed eighty American men to fly over to Tokyo and bomb everything that was special to them. The feeling of doubt began to enter there minds and there government that used to be so dear to them and protected them from the evils of the world had failed. Of course the government continued to place lies into the Japanese mindset by using significant propaganda that helped cover the real issues that were occurring. Also many Japanese generals felt the feeling of doubt many had truly believed that their government had failed them showing that there were problems in the military that had just now surfaced. The Tokyo raid had been the turning point in the war in the Pacific. Glines continued to publish several more books that exposed the negative feelings and doubt in the Japanese morale. In his book The Doolittle Raid: America's Daring First Strike against Japan, Glines states “the psychological after effects and the fact that the Battle of Midway might not have been fought except for the Doolittle raid are the real reasons this single air raid has become a legend and deserves to be remembered” (Glines 16). The Doolittle Raid was more of a mental battle then a physical battle. In any battle if the enemy is able to manipulate its opponent especially in the mind they are doomed for failure. Many other scholars believe that Glines is a credible source backing up each comment and suggestions he has maid about the Doolittle Raid. Craig Nelson the author of The First Heroes "The Extraordinary Story of the Doolittle Raid America's First World War II Victory explains how during the raid none of the Americans were scared. He states “Naturally, not knowing what it was going to be like, I didn't feel scared. A little sick, maybe, but not scared. That comes later, when you begin to understand what your chances of survival are” (Nelson 138). Motivation was the driving force behind the Americans in the Doolittle Raid. Pearl Harbor was a devastating blow but they had a chance to show they would not go down without a fight. Fear is weakness leaving the body. The Americans weren't scared because they were fighting for what they believed was right. If you go into a battle with any ounce of fear you are doomed for failure because in your mind you have already failed. An article written by Edward Oxford called “Against All Odds” also follows the view of the past historians I have just talked about. In this article he explains how the Americans were “shooting for the heart of the Japanese.” Making sure the Japanese would feel the pain the Americans had felt at Pearl Harbor. He states “The daring and dramatic raid stunned Japan, revived American morale, and signaled a new course for the Pacific War” (Oxford 1). But not all historians believe that the Doolittle Raid was a positive aspect some believe it had hurt the Americans on the home front. An article written by Dr. White explained how Absenteeism in war plants caused negative psychological problems especially the feeling of low morale on the home front. White states “Production in one plant jumped tremendously when the workers found out that the mysterious plastic something they had been producing was used by General Doolittle in his famous raid on Tokyo” (White 133). Of course production in any supply is going to sky rocket when it is used in an act of war.
The Doolittle Raid will be an event in history that will be talked about until the end of time. Although it did little material damage psychologically it stunned the Japanese in a profound way. As soon as the raid was released to the American public it quickly boosted the morale of several Americans. American morale had become the driving force for retaliation of the Pearl Harbor attack. The attack also was a means of strategy to take over the Pacific. Because after the Doolittle Raid Japan called back many units of airplanes because they believed the Americans had developed a new means of attack by using planes that supposedly could fire from long distances. By retreating their troops Japan had lost command of the air and in doing so crippled themselves from carrying out future attacks. James Doolittle the main person behind the Doolittle Raid made a statement that made controlling the air ever so clear. He stated “The first lesson is that you can't lose a war if you have command of the air, and you can't win a war if you haven't” (Schultz 46).
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