This 500-lb bomb was about to become one of the most famous bombs used in WWII.
The next two photos show the skipper of USS Hornet, Capt. Marc A. Mitscher presents a medal to Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle. However, this medal was not awarded to Doolittle. It had been given by the Japanese government to Navy Lieutenant c, who had received it during pre-war naval attaché service. Jurika donated the medal and wished to return it to a hostile government. The bomb in the pictures is the same one as in the top photo.
However, the captions on the backs of both photos above misidentified Mitscher as Halsey, another famous Navy officer in WWII:
Doolittle tied the medal to the tail fins of the bomb:
Close-up view of the medal:
The next photo shows that words had been written on the tail fins too:
The last three words are “Straight To Hell” but I was unable to read the rest:
The following three photos show the bomber crews are busy loading ammunition into the magazines in final preparation for the raid.
