Missions That Changed the War

Four survivors of the immortal Doolittle Raid on Japan describe the events that led to the Raid, and to their volunteering to become ''Doolittle Tokyo Raiders.''

General ''Hap'' Arnold, Chief of the Army Air Forces, persuades aviation legend James H. Doolittle to return to active duty at age 46, to plan and execute the most daring aerial raid of World War II.

Doolittle's Raiders are forced to launch their planes early when the task force carrying the bombers is spotted by a Japanese patrol boat. Roaring in at treetop level, the Raiders strike Japan then race for refuge in China.

This raid was intended to raise morale of a war-stunned America. Instead, it set into motion a series of tactical missteps by the Japanese Navy and Air Force that resulted in the decimation of the Japanese war machine in the Pacific.