Doolittle Raiders Reunion | Reunion Day Reenactor Meet Mark; as a living historian, Mark portrays a WWII Pilot at the 70th Doolittle Raiders Reunion at the Air Force Museum. This photo could have been taken in 1942 in New Guinea just before a mission. Yes, they were that young. To learn more about Doolittle Raiders Reunion, see Doolittle Raiders Reunion | a 7 Image Story.
Doolittle Raiders Reunion | Call to Action Take-off Miss Mitchell takes off from Grimes Field headed to the Air Force Museum Airfield to attend the 70th Anniversary of the Doolittle Raid. The B-25J “Miss Mitchell” served in the 310th Bomb Group, 57th Bomb Wing of the 12th Air Force in North Africa and Italy completing over 130 missions with no crew fatalities. After a 12 year restoration by the Commemorative Air Force Minnesota Wing, Miss Mitchell took her first flight on April 18, 1992 ~ exactly 50 years to the day of the Doolittle raid. Visit the Commemorative Air Force Minnesota Wing site to learn more about Miss Mitchell. To learn more about Doolittle Raiders Reunion, see Doolittle Raiders Reunion | a 7 Image Story.
Doolittle Raiders Reunion | Morning of the Mission And, of course, the night before gave way to dawn; the day of. So, it’s 0530. The flight crews are being briefed. The ground crews are making last-minute checks of the airplanes. By 0600, ground crews begin to move the B-25s into position and enough dawn light allows us photogs to begin capturing images as the Air Force Band plays Stars & Stripes. Then, by 0630, flight crews complete their preflight checks and soon after, the planes begin starting engines and taxiing into line to wait their turn to take-off at 0700. Now, the pilots are focusing all their attention on the mission ahead: a “milk run” to the U.S. Air Force Museum. To learn more about Doolittle Raiders Reunion, see Doolittle Raiders Reunion | a 7 Image Story.
Doolittle Raiders Reunion | Night Before The night before the next mission; a beautiful sunset and the calm before 0700 takeoff. Makes me wonder just how many times my father saw a similar scene during his tour of duty in the south pacific. B-25 Grumpy sat ready at sunset the night before it’s flight as part of 20 B-25s flying to the Air Force Museum for the 70th Doolittle Raider Reunion. Photographers like pilots must sometimes get up at o’dark thirty and retire late to get the shot. To learn more about Doolittle Raiders Reunion, see Doolittle Raiders Reunion | a 7 Image Story.
Doolittle Raiders Reunion | Day Before The crew of Miss Mitchell checked out the B-25 after a heavy rain shower. Miss Mitchell had come to Grimes Field in Urbana, OH while preparing to attend the 70th Reunion of the Doolittle Raiders at the Air Force Museum. Twenty B-25 aircraft attended the reunion the following day. During the rain shower, I was in the Champaign Aviation Museum hangar chatting with a WWII B-25 pilot with 65 combat missions in Europe and the Distinguished Flying Cross. And, he still flies a Beech Bonanza with his son. Anyway, I just happened to walk pasted the hangar door just after the shower ended. Then, just a simple click; didn’t even get wet. To learn more about Doolittle Raiders Reunion, see Doolittle Raiders Reunion | a 7 Image Story.
Doolittle Raiders Reunion | Taxiing for Take-off The B-25 Champaign Gal, along with another B-25, was taxiing for takeoff at Grimes Field in Urbana, OH while giving rides before attending the 70th Reunion of the Doolittle Raiders. Luckily, I was able to get a media pass so I could get out to the end of the runway for possibly a better shot. Champaign Gal is based at Grimes Field as part of the Champaign Air Museum. She has the home field advantage, but doesn’t seem to need it. Similar images could have easily been taken at numerous airfields around the world in 1942. To learn more about Doolittle Raiders Reunion, see Doolittle Raiders Reunion | a 7 Image Story.
Doolittle Raiders Reunion | B-25 Gathering B-25 Tondelayo was just one of the 20 B-25s attending at the 70th Doolittle Raiders Reunion. Tondelayo is owned and operated by the Collins Foundation. To find more information about this distinguished B-25, visit the Tondelayo on the Collins Foundation Website. To learn more about Doolittle Raiders Reunion, see Doolittle Raiders Reunion | a 7 Image Story.
Doolittle Raiders Reunion | a 7 Image Story On 18 Apr 1942, 16 brave flight crews took off from the USS Hornet aircraft carrier in B-25 bombers to strike the Japanese mainland in a daring mission early in WWII. Today, only one of the 80 men on the mission, Doolittle’s co-pilot, Colonel Richard “Dick” Cole, remains with us to remember that day. In 2017, the 75th Doolittle Raiders Reunion took place at Grimes Field in Urbana, OH and the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH. Colonel Cole was the only Raider able to attend. He came to both the official reunion at the Air Force Museum and to Grimes Field where a group of eleven B-25’s assembled before the official ceremony.
In April 2012, I also had the good fortune to attend a larger reunion at the 70th Doolittle Raiders Reunion, again at Grimes Field and the Air Force Museum. Five raiders celebrated 70th anniversary of their successful mission. The reunion remembered them and all the brave WWII air crews who fought and sometimes died to keep us a free nation. Twenty B-25 aircraft attended the reunion along with their pilots, flight crews, and ground crews.
The Heart of the Volunteer from Pearl Harbor; a musical score composed by Hans Zimmer.
What was the 70th reunion like to attend? The day before the reunion flight to the Air Force Museum was a great day to see the planes and talk with flight crews, ground crews, and even several WWII pilots. I even met “Bud”, an Army Signal Corp photographer assigned to the 5th Air Force. He and my dad served on the same base in New Guinea in WWII. The day before gave way to the night before. The planes were ready; 0530 would come early for these hard-working ground and flight crews. As the sun set, the crowds began to thin out a bit and the photogs began to do their thing. Solitary B-25s, soft light, and longer exposures can sometimes make for great images. It’s going to be a short night for the crews and for the photogs as well. At 0530, Grimes Field will be alive with flight crews, ground crews, airport staff, onlookers, and the Air Force Band. Take-off will be at 0700. But, for now, it’s a peaceful place; not unlike the peaceful nights WWII bomb crews enjoyed before the next day’s mission. Wonder what thoughts crossed their minds on the night before…
And, of course, the night before gave way to dawn; the day of. So, it’s 0530. The flight crews are being briefed. The ground crews are making last-minute checks of the airplanes. By 0600, ground crews begin to move the B-25s into position. Each plane must take-off in a prearranged order. By 0600, enough dawn light allows us photogs to begin capturing images as the Air Force Band plays Stars & Stripes. And, by 0630, flight crews complete their preflight checks and soon after, the planes begin starting engines and taxiing into line to wait their turn to take-off. Now, the pilots are focusing all their attention on the mission ahead.
Take-off is not a time to be nervous, but rather a time every pilot cherishes. Today’s mission is a “milk run” to the U.S. Air Force Museum at Dayton, OH. The 20 B-25’s take-off 90 seconds apart beginning at 0700. After landing at the U.S. Air Force Museum, the planes were on display along the Museum’s runway before, during, and after the formal reunion ceremonies. (The 75th reunion with fewer planes had a similar display.) Meet Mark; as a living historian and Doolittle Raider Reenactor, Mark portrays a WWII Pilot. The photo could have been taken in 1942 in New Guinea just before a mission. Yes, they were that young.
To see the nose art of all the B-25s at the reunion: B-25 Nose Art at the 70th Doolittle Raiders Reunion. To learn more about the Doolittle Raiders, visit their official website, Doolittle Tokyo Raiders. Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Doolittle Raiders Reunion.
Click any image below for a slide show!
