Description:

World War II
n.p., ca. 1947
Doolittle & 50 of His Raiders Signed Book Cover, Representing All 16 Crews!
Signed Other

A detached front cover for "These Men Shall Never Die" by Lowell Thomas, signed on the verso by Jimmy Doolittle and 50 of his raiders. Measuring 6" x 9.5", n.p., ca. 1947. Recto is docketed in an unknown hand reading: "1947 Raiders Reunion/ Miami Beach, Fla./ Apr 18-21, 1947". The illustrated endpaper depicts a map of the Pacific theater, slightly affecting the visibility of some signatures. Exhibits uneven right side edge, with bumping to corners and light age toning throughout. Isolated ink smudging to lower right near the signature of Robert G. Emmens. Otherwise, very good- featuring at least one signature from each of the sixteen crews.

Signatures include:

Crew 1:
- James H. Doolittle (1896-1993), mission commander
- R. E. Cole (1915-2019), co-pilot
- Fred A. Braemer (1918-1989), bombardier

Crew 2:
- Travis Hoover (1917-2004), pilot

Crew 3:
- Jacob E. "Shorty" Manch (1918-1958), co-pilot
- Charles J. Ozuk (1913-2010), navigator
- Aden E. Jones (1920-1983), bombardier

Crew 4:
- Robert J. Stephens (1915-1959), bombardier
- Harry C. McCool, navigator
- Bert Jordan (1919-2001), engineer/gunner
- Lucian Youngblood (1918-1949), co-pilot

Crew 5:
- Davy Jones (1913-2008), pilot
- Ross Wilder (1917-1964), co-pilot

Crew 6:
- Chase J. Nielsen (1917-2007), navigator

Crew 7:
- Ted Lawson (1917-1992), pilot
- Dean Davenport (1918-2000), co-pilot
- Charles McClure (1916-1999), navigator
- David Thatcher (1921-2016), engineer/gunner

Crew 8:
- David Pohl (1921-1999), gunner
- Ted LaBan (1914-1978), engineer
- Edward J. York (1912-1984), pilot
- Nolan Herndon (1918-2007), bombardier/navigator
- Robert G. Emmens (1914-1992), co-pilot

Crew 9:
- Eldred V. Scott (1907-1978), engineer/gunner
- Tom Griffin (1916-2013), navigator
- Wayne Bissell (1921-1997), bombardier

Crew 10:
- Richard O. Joyce (1919-1983), pilot
- J. Royden Stork (1916-2002), co-pilot
- Ed Horton (1916-2008), gunner
- Horace "Sally" Crouch (1918-2005), bombardier/navigator

Crew 11:
- William L. Birch (1917-2006), bombardier
- Frank Kappeler (1914-2010), navigator
- C. Ross Greening (1914-1957), pilot

Crew 12:
- Waldo Bither (1906-1988), bombardier
- Thadd H. Blanton (1919-1961), co-pilot
- Bill Bower (1917-2011)
- William Pound (1918-1967), navigator

Crew 13:
- Robert C. Bourgeois (1917-2001), bombardier
- Richard A. Knobloch (1918-2001), co-pilot
- Edgar McElroy (1912-2003), pilot
- Clayton J. Campbell (1917-2002), navigator
- Adam Williams (1919-1993), engineer/gunner

Crew 14:
- James H. Macia, Jr. (1916-2009), navigator/bombardier
- John A. Hilger (1909-1982), pilot
- Jacob Eierman (1913-1994), engineer

Crew 15:
- Ed Saylor (1920-2015), engineer
- Griffith Williams (1920-1998), co-pilot
- Howard A. Sessler (1917-2001), bombardier/navigator

Crew 16:
- George Barr (1917-1967), navigator
- Jacob DeShazer (1912-2008), bombardier
- Robert L. Hite (1920-2015), co-pilot

On April 18, 1942, sixteen B-25s took off from the U.S.S. Hornet with crews of five men per bomber, or 80 men total. Named after the mission's leader James Doolittle, the raid marked the first American air operation to strike Japan during World War II. Although the raid caused comparatively minor damage, it demonstrated that the Japanese mainland was vulnerable to American air attacks, and served as retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbor. For his service, Doolittle was ultimately awarded with a Medal of Honor and received a promotion to brigadier general.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 6" x 9.5"
  • Medium: Signed Other

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