medal of honor pacific assault rescue pows hero moment

Until recently, the story of the Doolittle Raiders focused largely on the U.S. Four spent 40 months in Japanese captivity before being freed in August 1945. One died after bailing out. Eight airmen were captured by Japanese soldiers. There they were hailed as heroes by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and his glamorous wife Song Meiling. Most of the Americans reached safety and their ultimate destination of Chongqing (then called Chungking), the seat of the Chinese Nationalist government. The American pilots had to rely on the kindness of Chinese strangers, who provided many of them with shelter and food, tended their injuries and led survivors on perilous journeys to evade Japanese patrols. But once on land they faced formidable challenges: unknown terrain, language difficulties, in some cases dire injuries – and above all the very real threat of capture by the Japanese.

Exhausted by flying up to 15 hours, and scattered over a vast area encompassing several provinces, most of the US airmen survived. In all, 15 of the 16 American crews that bombed Tokyo in April 1942 bailed out or crash-landed near the Chinese coast. Details about the Chinese side of the Doolittle Raiders’ story have emerged increasingly in recent years, due to recognition from the Beijing government, Chinese media, and aging residents with firsthand knowledge of the historic event. Valiant rescues on Chinese beaches, dangerous escapes from Japanese patrols, emergency surgery in a hardscrabble local hospital. Doolittle Raiders > History > The Raiders In China

Medal of honor pacific assault rescue pows hero moment