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Summary:

Interview with Robert E. Cole, an Army Air Forces veteran (Doolittle's Raiders), concerning his experiences as Jimmie Doolittle's co-pilot during the Tokyo Raid of April 18, 1942. Pre-war education and job experiences; enrollment in the Civilian Pilot Training Program, 1939; enlistment in the Aviation Cadets Program, 1940; brief descriptions of primary, basic, and advanced flight training, 1940-41; B-25 bomber transition training with the 17th Bomb Group, Pendleton, Oregon, 1941; transfer to Columbia, South Carolina, February 14, 1942; his decision to volunteer for a secret mission, March 1, 1942; his initial meeting with Colonel Doolittle; his assignment as Doolittle's co-pilot; mission training at Eglin Field, Florida; training in short field takeoffs of 450 feet; flight from Eglin to Alameda, California, and transfer of the sixteen B-25s to the carrier USS Hornet; the sailing of Task Force 16 en route to Japanese territorial waters; the takeoff at 0820 hours on April 18, 1942; the flight to Tokyo and the bombing; the flight from Tokyo to the Chinese coast; bailing out at 9,000 feet due to the plane running out of fuel at 2020 hours; his contact with Chinese Nationalist troops and being reunited with the rest of his crew, April 19; their subsequent meeting with Lieutenant John Birch and the trek to Chungking; transfer to Kunming and assignment to the 11th Bomb Squadron; various B-25 missions against Japanese targets in China and Burma, 1942; flying supplies over "The Hump," July, 1942-June, 1943; transfer to the States, June, 1943; his volunteering for service in Burma with the 1st Air Commandos to support Wingate's Chindits and Merrill's Marauders, October, 1943-July, 1944; reassignment to Tulsa, Oklahoma, as an acceptance test pilot for Douglas Aircraft until 1945; reunions of Doolittle's Raiders following the war.

Author/Creator:

Cole, Robert E., 1915-

Contributors:

Alexander, William J.

World War II Pacific Theater Oral History Project

World War II China-Burma-India Theater Oral History Project

Languages:

English

Language Notes:

Item content: English

Main Work:

Oral history interview with Robert E. Cole, 2001 August 08 [by Cole, R.E.]

Related Works:

University of North Texas oral history collection

Related Series:

Oral History; [volume] 1401

Subjects:

Doolittle, James Harold, 1896-1993

Birch, John, 1918-1945

Cole, Robert E., 1915- — Oral history

Civilian Pilot Training Program (U.S.) — Oral history

United States Army Air Forces — Aviation Cadets Program — Oral history

United States Army Air Forces — History — World War, 1939-1945 — Oral history

United States Army Air Forces — Bombardment Squadron (M), 11th — Oral history

United States Army Air Forces — Air Commando Group, 1st — Oral history

World War, 1939-1945 — Personal narratives, American — Oral history

World War, 1939-1945 — Aerial operations, American — Oral history

World War, 1939-1945 — Campaigns — Japan — Oral history

World War, 1939-1945 — Campaigns — China — Oral history

Mitchell bomber — Oral history

Tokyo (Japan) — History — Bombardment, 1942 — Oral history

Genres:

Oral history — Examples

World War II oral history — Examples

Pacific Theater oral history — Examples

China-Burma-India Theater oral history — Examples

General Notes:

Interview conducted in 2001 for the World War II Pacific Theater Oral History Project and the World War II China-Burma-India Theater Oral History Project. Interviewer: William J. Alexander.

Physical Description:

67 leaves ; 29 cm

Call Numbers:

OH 1401

OCLC Numbers:

417813906