Tag: USS Hornet
A legendary chapter in Air Force history has come to a close. Retired Lt. Col. Richard “Dick” E. Cole, the last survivor of the “Doolittle Raid,” died April 9, in San Antonio. “Lt. Col. Dick Cole reunited with the Doolittle Raiders in the clear blue skies today,” said Secretary of...
‘Rabbit’ Moranville and ‘Gunner’ were inseparable until Moranville was shot down over Indochina in January 1945. On the afternoon of Jan. 12, 1945, VF-11 ‘Sundowners’ F6F Hellcats launched from USS Hornet (CV-12) to attack Tan Son Nhut airport, in French Indochina. Armed with 0.50-cal machine guns and 5-inch High-Velocity Aerial Rockets (HVARs),...
Even if the Doolittle Raid caused only minor damage, it forced the Japanese to recall combat forces for home defense and raised fears among the Japanese civilians In the spring of 1942 U.S. morale slumped because of the numerous Japanese successes. The country desperately needed a victory. As explained by National Museum of the U.S. Air Force article America Hits Back: The...
