Can you imagine sitting in an airplane that’s been stripped of every non-essential part to reduce its weight? Extra fuel tanks added to extend its range to absolute maximum, sitting on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, which It’s never taken off from before. General James Doolittle not only volunteered but also led a Group of 80 airmen on this very dangerous mission that changed the course of the Pacific theater of World War 2 called the “Doolittle Raid” (Nelson, C, 2002). The purpose of this essay is to tell you why I believe General James Doolittle was a visionary leader by leading a group of men on a daring mission on a strike against Japan. I will also explain why General Doolittle was an ethical leader by chairing 2 boards to
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He was the first to fly a cross country flight, he also was the first to fly “blind” he put a cover over the windshield so he couldn’t see out and flew by just using the instruments in the plane. (Hoppes, J, 2005). Many considered him a daredevil and reckless when in fact everything he did was very calculated, an experiment. He was the first to complete an outside loop, he wanted to know what effect it had on the human body because of the negative G forces it exerted on the body. He waited to tell anyone and have it documented until he perfected the maneuver. These examples might be why he was chosen to take on the mission because they knew he was fearless, daring but most of all smart and calculating. He was perfect for this …show more content…
When the Doolittle raid was being planned Americans were frustrated by the fact the Japan seemed unreachable by our forces and Japan felt safe knowing we couldn’t get close enough for an attack on their homeland without first being spotted. General Doolittle saw an opportunity to boost American moral and crush the spirits of the Japanese forces. He had assembled his men; they had modified the airplanes now they were on the aircraft carrier on their way to attack Japan. 2 days before the scheduled launch date they were spotted by a Japanese patrol boat which they sank immediately, fearing the patrol boat had radioed back to the rest of the Japanese naval fleet General Doolittle decided to launch the aircraft now. (Nelson, 2002) General Doolittle knew an already dangerous mission just became more grave by leaving a day earlier, so General Doolittle being the leader he is flew off the aircraft carrier first which he had the shortest takeoff, showing Idealized Influence (Thomas N. Barnes Center, 2012), he was showing his men a “follow me” attitude which motivated his men. After all of the planes took off they flew for 12 hours towards Japan, and then dropped their bombs, which caused minimal damage. The 16 bombers landed in different parts of China and most were helped by Chinese
He was the first to fly a cross country flight, he also was the first to fly “blind” he put a cover over the windshield so he couldn’t see out and flew by just using the instruments in the plane. (Hoppes, J, 2005). Many considered him a daredevil and reckless when in fact everything he did was very calculated, an experiment. He was the first to complete an outside loop, he wanted to know what effect it had on the human body because of the negative G forces it exerted on the body. He waited to tell anyone and have it documented until he perfected the maneuver. These examples might be why he was chosen to take on the mission because they knew he was fearless, daring but most of all smart and calculating. He was perfect for this …show more content…
When the Doolittle raid was being planned Americans were frustrated by the fact the Japan seemed unreachable by our forces and Japan felt safe knowing we couldn’t get close enough for an attack on their homeland without first being spotted. General Doolittle saw an opportunity to boost American moral and crush the spirits of the Japanese forces. He had assembled his men; they had modified the airplanes now they were on the aircraft carrier on their way to attack Japan. 2 days before the scheduled launch date they were spotted by a Japanese patrol boat which they sank immediately, fearing the patrol boat had radioed back to the rest of the Japanese naval fleet General Doolittle decided to launch the aircraft now. (Nelson, 2002) General Doolittle knew an already dangerous mission just became more grave by leaving a day earlier, so General Doolittle being the leader he is flew off the aircraft carrier first which he had the shortest takeoff, showing Idealized Influence (Thomas N. Barnes Center, 2012), he was showing his men a “follow me” attitude which motivated his men. After all of the planes took off they flew for 12 hours towards Japan, and then dropped their bombs, which caused minimal damage. The 16 bombers landed in different parts of China and most were helped by Chinese