West Columbia in Lexington County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Doolittle Raiders
By Mike Stroud, September 27, 2008
1. The Doolittle Raiders Marker
In February 1942, twenty-four B-25
bomber crews of the 17th Bombardment
Group at Columbia Army Air Base
volunteered to take part in a secret
project headed by Lt. Col. James H.
Doolittle. This group was the nucleus
of the Doolittle Raiders who, taking
off from the aircraft carrier "Hornet," bombed
Tokyo on April 18, 1942.Erected 1979 by South Carolina Department, Council of Abandoned Military Posts. (Marker Number 32-13B.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, World II.
Location. 33° 56.873′ N, 81° 7.675′ W. Marker is in West Columbia, South Carolina, in Lexington County. Marker is on Airport Boulevard near the "Cell-phone" Parking lot. Marker is near the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: West Columbia SC 29170, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Columbia Army Air Base / The Doolittle Raiders (here, next to this marker); 319th Bombardment Group (here, next to this marker); Bombardment Groups (here, next
By Mike Stroud, 2008
2. The Doolittle Raiders Marker, looking west, at the "Cell Phone Lot", Columbia Metropolitan Airport
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. other Doolittle Raiders' South Carolina tribute
Also see . . .
1. Doolittle Raiders Web Site. The North American B-25B twin engine bomber was selected by Lt. Col. James A Doolittle for the mission due to its range, power and its two thousand-pound bomb load. (Submitted on October 2, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
2. From Wikipedia, The Doolittle Raid,. " The Japanese had been told they were invulnerable. An attack on the Japanese homeland would cause confusion in the minds of the Japanese people and sow doubt about the reliability of their leaders. There was a second, equally important, psychological reason for this attack...Americans badly needed a morale boost." James H. Doolittle (Submitted on October 2, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
By Mike Stroud, 2008
3. The Doolittle Raiders Marker
3. 17th Bombardment Group. In February 1942 the group transferred to Lexington County Airport in South Carolina, where it practiced short take-offs and landings for yet another "first." On the morning of 18 April 1942, some 600 miles east of Japan, the aircraft carrier Hornet launched 16 Mitchells on the highly successful Doolittle raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities. A boost to American morale, the raid marked the first combat launch of bombers from an aircraft carrier and the first American aerial attack on the Japanese mainland. (Submitted on October 2, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
4. Columbia Journal; Doolittle Raiders Recall 30 Seconds in History. Published in the New York Times, Thursday, April 16, 1992. (Submitted on August 17, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
By Mike Stroud, 2003
4. The Doolittle Raiders used B-25s like this
Wikipedia
5. A Doolittle Raider's B-25 lifts-off from the USS Hornet
Credits. This page was last revised on December 14, 2019. It was originally submitted on October 2, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,795 times since then and 5 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 2, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
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