The movie Pearl Harbor ends with America's first strike against Japan - the Doolittle Bombing Raid on Tokyo. Eight (8) American's were captured and imprisoned by the Japanese, off these only four (4) or 50% would survive that imprisonment and return to their families in America at the end of the war.
On April 18, 1942, 16 B-25 bombers took off from the USS HORNET, the first fully loaded bombers ever to take off from an aircraft carrier. The raid was the United States' answer to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor four months earlier. Although the bombs Doolittle's Raiders dropped inflicted no serious damage, the mission was a much-needed boost to American morale. The crews planned to unload their bombs over Japan, then land in Chinese territory that was in friendly hands. But stormy weather made it impossible for them to reach safe haven, and most of the planes crash landed in China after running out of fuel, some in Japanese held areas. One ended up in the Soviet Union and it's crew was held for a year before being released.
Following the raid the crews of two planes were missing. On Aug. 15, 1942. it was learned from the Swiss Consulate General in Shanghai that eight American flyers were prisoners of the Japanese at Police Headquarters in that city.
