Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Congressional Gold Medal

Issued in 2014

2014 Doolittle Toyko Raiders Bronze Medal Three Inch Reverse

2014 Doolittle Toyko Raiders Bronze Medal Three Inch Obverse

Coin Description

Reverse

Features B-25B Mitchell aircraft approaching their target with four patches representing the four squadrons (34thM, 37th, 89th, and 95th) that make up the 17th Bombardment Group.

Obverse

Features the North American B-25B Mitchell launching off the USS Hornet (CV-8), 16 stars representing the 16 flight crews that made up the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders.

The Story

This medal honors the volunteers of the 17th Bombardment Group, led by Lt. Col. James Doolittle during World War II, who made the first strike against Japan on April 18, 1942.

The top-secret mission called for the raiders to take off from an aircraft carrier approximately 450 miles outside of Japan, bomb select Japanese targets, and then fly to safety in unoccupied areas of China. The operation was risky, as medium bombers had never before flown from a carrier, and sailing so far into enemy territory was dangerous. Dwindling fuel supplies, however, prevented the crews from reaching the designated friendly airfields, forcing them to ditch their aircrafts at sea, bail out or crash-land in China. One crew flew to the Soviet Union, where its members were held as prisoners until they escaped 13 months later.

Thanks to the heroic efforts of the Chinese, most of the Doolittle Raiders evaded capture.

The bronze medal pictured is a duplicate of the Congressional Gold Medal.

2014 Doolittle Toyko Raiders Bronze Medal Three Inch Reverse

2014 Doolittle Toyko Raiders Bronze Medal Three Inch Obverse