Doolittle, Jimmy (1896–1993)

A noted aviator who combined pioneering air exploits with engineering genius and military prowess in a near-legendary life. Born December 4, 1896, at Pebble Beach, California, Jimmy Doolittle studied at the California School of Mines before enlisting in army aviation in World War I and becoming a skilled pilot and instructor. His most famous exploit, the Tokyo Raid of 1942 during World War II, actually paled in significance with his other military activities.

Doolittle remained in the army after World War I, becoming a first lieutenant in 1920. He earned a doctorate in aeronautical engineering from MIT in 1925 and continued to rack up an enviable record as an aviator and test pilot until resigning in 1930 to head the aviation department of Shell Oil Company. Among his several accomplishments were the first complete flight on instruments, a Florida-to-California flight in less than a day, and winning several air races and prizes. At his urging, Shell gambled on production of 100-octane aviation gasoline long before the requirement emerged, enabling American aviation to achieve significant performance levels. After 1937, the Army Air Corps would buy only the 100-octane fuel.

Doolittle was recalled to duty during World War II. His first important mission was to train and lead 16 medium-bomber crews in an unprecedented takeoff from aircraft carrier Hornet, which had brought his squadron within extreme range of Tokyo for a reprisal raid against the Japanese capital on April 18, 1942. This bold action, conceived as a morale booster and riposte for the Pearl Harbor attack, required specially modified bombers to be flown off carrier decks with fuel and bomb overloads, using special piloting techniques developed by Doolittle and imparted by him to his volunteer aircrews. Doolittle and his crew bombed Tokyo and three other cities, with most of the aircraft making crash landings in China. Although it caused negligible damage, the exploit aroused the spirit of the American public.

Decorated with the Medal of Honor and promoted from lieutenant colonel to brigadier general for his role in this exploit, known as Doolittle's Raid, Doolittle next served in numerous command positions in Germany. He formed the 12th Air Force in the Mediterranean theater and eventually led the 8th Air Force as a lieutenant general in its decisive 1944–45 strategic-bombardment operations from England against the Germans. Although an opponent of terror bombing, he nevertheless carried out his instructions with great effectiveness.

At the end of the war, Doolittle took the Eighth Air Force to Okinawa and was slated to command the strategic air forces for the invasion of Japan. But the war ended before the invasion became a reality. After the war, Doolittle resumed corporate leadership at Shell Oil and took advisory positions in both the public and private sectors, remaining active in the aerospace industry after retiring in 1959. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1989.