Editing Doolittle Raid (section)

==Preparation==
[[File:James H Doolittle medal bomb.jpg|thumb|upright|Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle wires a Japanese friendship medal to a bomb, for "return" to its originators.]]
When planning indicated that the B-25 was the aircraft that best met all of the requirements of the mission, two were loaded aboard the aircraft carrier {{USS|Hornet|CV-8|6}} at Norfolk and were flown off the deck without difficulty on 3 February 1942.{{sfn|Glines|1988|p=22}} The raid was immediately approved and the [[17th Bombardment Group]] (Medium) was chosen to provide the pool of crews from which volunteers would be recruited. The 17th BG had been the first group to receive B-25s, with all four of its squadrons equipped with the bomber by September 1941. The 17th not only was the first medium bomb group of the Army Air Corps, but in early 1942, also had the most experienced B-25 crews. Its first assignment following the entry of the United States into the war was to the U.S. [[Eighth Air Force]].{{sfn|Craven|Cate|1983|p=439}}

The 17th BG, then flying antisubmarine patrols from [[Pendleton, Oregon]], was immediately moved cross-country to [[Columbia Army Air Base]] at [[West Columbia, South Carolina]], ostensibly to fly similar patrols off the East Coast of the United States, but in actuality to prepare for the mission against Japan. The group officially transferred effective 9 February 1942 to Columbia, where its combat crews were offered the opportunity to volunteer for an "extremely hazardous", but unspecified mission. On 19 February, the group was detached from the Eighth Air Force and officially assigned to [[III Bomber Command]].{{sfn|Craven|Cate|1983|p=614}}

Initial planning called for 20 aircraft to fly the mission,{{sfn|Craven|Cate|1983|p=440}} and 24 of the group's B-25B Mitchell bombers were diverted to the [[Mid-Continent Airlines]] modification center in [[Minneapolis]], Minnesota. With support provided by two senior airline managers, [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport|Wold-Chamberlain Field's]] maintenance hangar was the first modification center to become operational. From nearby [[Fort Snelling]], the 710th Military Police Battalion provided tight security around this hangar. B-25B aircraft modifications included the following:
* Removal of the lower gun turret.
* Installation of [[de-ice]]rs and [[Antifreeze|anti-icers]].
* Mounting of steel blast plates on the fuselage around the upper turret.
* Removal of the liaison radio set to save weight.
* Installation of a {{convert|160|USgal|adj=on}} collapsible neoprene auxiliary fuel tank, fixed to the top of the bomb bay, and installation of support mounts for additional fuel cells in the bomb bay, crawlway, and lower turret area, to increase fuel capacity from 646 to 1,141 [[U.S. gallon]]s (538 to 950 [[Gallon#Imperial gallon|imperial gallons]], or 2,445 to 4,319 L).
* Installation of mock gun barrels (broomsticks) in the tail cone.
* Replacement of the [[Norden bombsight]] with a makeshift aiming sight devised by pilot Capt. [[Charles Ross Greening|C. Ross Greening]] that was dubbed the "Mark Twain". The materials for this bombsight cost only 20 cents.{{sfn|Craven|Cate|1983|p=439}}

Two bombers also had cameras mounted to record the results of the bombing.{{sfn|Doolittle|1942}}

The 24 crews were selected and picked up the modified bombers in Minneapolis and flew them to [[Eglin Air Force Base|Eglin Field]], Florida, beginning 1 March 1942. There, the crews received concentrated training for three weeks in simulated carrier deck takeoffs, low-level and night flying, low-altitude bombing, and over-water navigation, operating primarily out of [[Wagner Field|Eglin Auxiliary Field #1]], a more secluded site. [[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]] Henry L. Miller, a [[U.S. Navy]] flight instructor from nearby [[Naval Air Station Pensacola]], supervised their takeoff training and accompanied the crews to the launch. For his efforts, Miller is considered an honorary member of the Raider group.<ref name="Joyce">[http://www.doolittleraider.com/ "Memorial site of Richard O. Joyce"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130181901/http://doolittleraider.com/ |date=30 November 2017 }}. Doolittle Tokyo Raiders. Retrieved 23 October 2010.</ref>

Doolittle stated in his after-action report that the crews reached a "safely operational" level of training, despite several days when flying was not possible because of rain and fog. One aircraft was written off in a landing accident on 10 March<ref name="aviationarchaeology.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Mar1942.htm|publisher=aviationarchaeology.com|title=March 1942 USAAF Accident Reports|access-date=16 October 2016|archive-date=16 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916210344/http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Mar1942.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="joebaugher.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1940.html|publisher=joebaugher.com|title=1940 USAAC Serial Numbers|access-date=16 October 2016|archive-date=23 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923111033/http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1940.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and another was heavily damaged in a takeoff accident on 23 March,<ref name="aviationarchaeology.com" /><ref name="joebaugher.com" /> while a third was removed from the mission because of a nose wheel shimmy that could not be repaired in time.{{sfn|Doolittle|1942}}

On 25 March 1942, the remaining 22 B-25s took off from Eglin for [[McClellan Air Force Base|McClellan Field]], California. They arrived two days later at the Sacramento Air Depot for inspection and final modifications. According to notes written at the time, five crews did additional training on March 30 and 31 at the [[Willows-Glenn County Airport]].<ref>{{cite web |title=National Historic Place form |url=https://www.tedtalkshistory.com/willows-glenn-county-airport-national-historic-district/ |website=tedtalkshistory.com|date=4 April 2024 }}</ref> A total of 16 B-25s were flown to [[Naval Air Station Alameda]] on 31 March. Fifteen made up the mission force and the 16th, by last-minute agreement with the Navy, was loaded so that it could be launched shortly after departure from San Francisco to demonstrate to the Army pilots that there was sufficient deck space for a safe takeoff. Instead, that bomber was made part of the mission force.{{refn|group=note |1st Lt. Richard Joyce was to have flown this aircraft back to the mainland with Navy Lieut. Miller as his copilot. Instead, he flew the tenth bomber off ''Hornet'' and Miller remained aboard until the task force returned to port when Doolittle decided to increase the attacking force to all 16 aircraft.{{sfn|Glines|1988|pp=47, 51}} }}{{sfn|Glines|1988|p=47}}