Photo: Cpt. Charles Ross Greening, AO/Washington State 1936 (l) and Lt. Harold F. Watson A/Norwich 1940 (r) with the Distinguished Flying Cross Awarded to All Doolittle Raiders
April 18th marks the 71st anniversary of the Doolittle Raid on Japan. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941, America was in desperate need of a morale boost. At the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt that Japan be bombed as soon as possible, a plan was set in motion.
Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, a famous civilian aviator and aeronautical engineer, was selected to plan and lead the attack. Planning indicated that a modified version of the B-25 bomber would be the best aircraft for the mission. After a successful practice take off from an aircraft carrier off the coast of Norfolk, the raid was approved.
Soon after, the 17th Bomber Group in Oregon, which was flying submarine patrols along the coast, was relocated to Lexington County Army Air Base in South Carolina. The squadron was told that they were relocated to fly similar patrols on the east coast, but the actual reason behind the transfer was because the squadron had the most experience flying the B-25s. Shortly after relocating, the combat crews were offered the opportunity to volunteer for an unspecified mission that was deemed "extremely hazardous". Two of those volunteers were Theta Chi members: Captain C. Ross Greening, Alpha Omicron/Washington State 1936, and Lieutenant Harold F. Watson, Alpha/Norwich 1940. Greening became the Pilot of the Hari-Kari-er, the #11 plane while Watson piloted Whirling Dervish, the #9 plane.
Brother Greening entered military service on June 23, 1936 at Fort Lewis, Washington, and graduated from Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field, Texas, June 9, 1937. He served at bases in Louisiana and California before joining 17th Bomb Group at Pendleton, Oregon in June, 1940.
Brother Watson completed his degree at Norwich University and entered military service August 31, 1940. He completed flight training and commissioned as Second Lieutenant in September, 1940.
In late February, the 24 groups that were selected went to Minnesota to pick up the bombers and fly them to Eglin Field in Florida. For three weeks the crews received intensive training in simulated carrier deck takeoffs, low-level and night flying, low-altitude bombing and over-water navigation. During this training, the planes were modified: The Norden Bombsights were removed from all 16 of the aircraft for fear that they might fall into Japanese hands if any planes crashed in Japanese territory. Greening designed the "Mark Twain" bomb sight that was used on the Raid. They were constructed in the Eglin Field shops at a cost of 20 cents apiece.
On March 25, 1942, 22 of the B-25s departed for McClellan Field, Calif., for final modifications, then on to Naval Air Station, Alameda, Calif.
On April 1, 1942, the 16 modified B-25s, their five-man crews, and maintenance crews boarded the USS Hornet. Each aircraft carried four 500-pound bombs. The aircraft carrier departed Alameda April 2 and a few days later joined Task Force 16, an escort of cruisers and destroyers, waiting in the mid-Pacific. The escort would provide protection to the Hornet and its crew in the event of a Japanese attack.
The morning of April 18, the Hornet and its escort were spotted by a Japanese picket boat, approximately 650 nautical miles from Japan. As the result, the picket boat was sunk, and the B-25s launched immediately – flying single file at wave top level to avoid detection. The aircraft began arriving over Japan about six hours after launch and bombed 10 military and industrial targets in Tokyo, two in Yokohama and one target in Yokosuka, Magoya, Kobe and Osaka.
Lieutenant Watson and his crew conducted a highly effective bombing of the Tokyo Gas and Electric Company on the shore of Tokyo Bay before flying on to China. Arriving over land after dark and in a heavy rain, Watson ordered his crew to bail out 100 miles south of Pyong Lake. Lt. Watson was the only member of the crew injured, and was carried to Hengyang in a porter by Chinese Allies. He was returned home where he remained hospitalized at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. until the summer of 1944.
Watson remained in service after World War II and served at bases in Colorado, Washington, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma and California. He served in Japan from May, 1954 until October, 1955. Watson retired on October 31, 1961 and passed away three decades later on September 14, 1991. His decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, and the Chinese Army, Navy, and Air Corps Medal, Class A, 1st Grade.
Upon reaching Japan, Captain Greening's bomber inadvertently flew over an active enemy air base, and ten minutes later came under attack from four fighters. The gunner believed he shot down one of the enemy fighters and damaged another before the B-25 reached its targets to bomb a large oil refinery and storage area. The crew also fired on three enemy patrol boats at the mouth of Tokyo Harbor before heading west to China. The crew bailed out 200 miles inland from the coast. Though two crew members were injured, his entire crew made it safely to Chuhsien where his men received treatment.
After the Doolittle Raid, Greening was assigned to a B-26 Group in North Africa and was shot down on July 17, 1943 while on a raid against Naples, Italy. He was captured by the Germans and escaped after two months of captivity. He evaded capture for six months, but ultimately was recaptured and spent the rest of the war in Stalag Luft I at Barth, Germany.
After the war, he had Stateside assignments until 1955 at which time he was assigned for a brief period as Air Attaché to Australia and New Zealand. Brother Greening died March 29, 1957 at Bethesda Navy Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His military decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Silver Star, the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart and the Chinese Order of Yung Hui, 5th Class. In 2001, his widow Dorothy Greening and niece Karen Morgan Driscoll published a book, Not as Briefed, which contained Colonel Greening's notes and paintings.
Although none of the aircraft returned to the US, the mission was considered a success. Fifteen of the aircraft made it to China where the crews ejected from the planes due to the weather was deemed too bad to land safely. The 15th plane flew on to Russia where the plane was confiscated and the crew was held captive for a year. Most of the crews that came down in China made it to safety with the aid of Chinese civilians and military. Of the 80 men that participated in the raid, 69 of them escaped capture and death.
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Since 1946, the surviving members of the raid have gathered in different cities each April to commemorate the mission. It is highly likely that Greening and Watson participated in these reunions. In 1959, the city of Tucson presented the Doolittle Raiders with a set of 80 silver goblets. Each year the 80 goblets are transported in a display case to the reunion city. Each time a raider passes away, his goblet is turned upside down in the display case at the next reunion. Also in the display case is a bottle of 1896 Hennessy to be shared by the last two surviving raiders.
The 71st anniversary reunion will be the last for the Doolittle Raiders. The four remaining raiders feel that there are too few of them to continue with public reunions. Later this year, the four will gather privately, open the bottle of brandy, fill the four upturned goblets, and toast their comrades.
We salute the bravery and heroism of Brothers Greening and Watson and the other Doolittle Raiders who remained undivided in their loyalty to their flag and their country. Their actions lifted the morale of Americans and set the foundation for Victory in the Pacific.