16 B-25s Hit Japan - Then Yamamoto Forced the Midway Gamble

On April 18, 1942, sixteen American B-25 bombers launched from USS Hornet and struck Japan in the daring Doolittle Raid. The physical damage was limited, but the strategic shock was enormous. The attack shattered Japan's belief that its home islands were protected and gave Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto the political leverage he needed to overcome resistance inside the Japanese high command and push forward his plan to seize Midway. This WW2 documentary explores how one audacious air raid helped trigger a chain of decisions that led Japan toward the Battle of Midway, where American intelligence, carrier aviation, and a carefully prepared ambush would change the course of the Pacific War. Sources: https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-b... https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-b... https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Vis... https://www.history.navy.mil/research... #WW2 #WorldWar2 #DoolittleRaid #BattleOfMidway #Yamamoto #JimmyDoolittle #PacificWar #B25Mitchell #USSHornet #MilitaryHistory #NavalHistory #ww2history