My recent move to this area has me looking into the history of this area. I just found out that Jimmy Doolittle's Raiders practice the carrier takeoffs at a local USAAFAx field. These practice
missions lead to the end of the war.

Read the plaque.

Although the gate was open, no gate guard, I did not chance entry. Tempted to go in, I did not want to risk an arrest. To be so close to this history. #2 pic

I was at a AX field and saw this. #1 pic

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If it flies, I can crash it!

The marker left out the strategic importance of the Doolittle Raid. Because of the Raid the Japanese high command significantly increased the number of fighters assigned to protect the Home Islands from future attacks. This meant fewer fighters on the front lines which prevented the Japanese from having numerical superiority in air power at several key battles over the following year. Japanese victories in a couple of these battles might have turned the war against America delaying victory for years or even denying it to the Allies.

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Mid-South Rocket Society

NAR Level 1 - 3/12/11
NAR Level 2 - 4/9/11

And like the Sherman tank in Europe, the Zero needed significant numerical superiority to compensate for its shortcomings not limited to: fireballing with just a hit or two due to non self-sealing tanks, lower top speed, and severe lack of pilot training by that stage of the war.

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I love sanding.

I grew up in and around Crestview and Eglin AFB.

There is quite a lot of interesting history about the area. If you haven't seen it, watch the film "12 O'Clock High." Much of it was filmed at Duke Field (Field 9) and other areas of Eglin in 1949. "Dive Bomber" (1941) and "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" (1944) also have scenes filmed at Eglin.

Of course, there are also the rocketry connections. When I was young, my father took us to see one of the last Bomarc launches from Santa Rosa (Okaloosa) Island. We sat along the road in our Plymouth station wagon and waited. And waited. The sun went down and we waited. Nothing. Eventually, my dad started driving away and then the sky lit up as the rocket roared into the air.

Later, I worked on the AMRAAM project for a few years writing software for processing the test data. Near the complex of buildings supporting AMRAAM was an Apollo boiler plate capsule on display. It had been used for training by the Aerospace Recovery Squadron at Eglin. I recall seeing it years earlier on a barge in the bay when I was about 10.

My final job at Eglin was at the Joint Warfighting Center working in the former Bomarc hanger on Hulburt Field. They would assemble the missiles in the hangar then roll them across Highway 98 to the launch site.

Of course, there is also some rocketry history here in Central Florida were I live now ....

-- Roger

I believe one of the key objectives of the mission was strike down the Japs confidence they were safe from attack from the US. This attack stunned the military and was suppose to lower their moral. Historically, I think it might have on the civilians, but no so much on the military.
It did boost American Moral in both the civilian and military populous.

I was born at Eglin AFB and we relocated near there in the late 1960's (in Niceville, FL). Loved living there! That's when and where I got started on model rocketry (summer of 1969) and made my first model rocket launches at CW Ruckel Jr. High School. Fun days!

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Dave, NAR # 21853 SR.

Even if they had not pulled back fighter cover to the home islands, it might have delayed things for 6 months at most. When the war ended in 1945, the US industrial war output was already cutting back for 6 months by then. A total Japanese victory at Midway and Guadacanal would have been moot by late 1943 as the new Essex carriers on duty would have outnumbered those Japan would have still had.

A really good explanation is here - http://chicagoboyz.net/archives/49621.html

http://chicagoboyz.net/archives/49405.html

There's more that Trent Telenko has posted there on WW2

http://chicagoboyz.net/archives/category/war-and-peace

I was following you by a few grades. I first built and flew a model rocket in the sixth grade at Plew Elementary in 1972.

-- Roger

Of course, there is also some rocketry history here in Central Florida were I live now ....

-- Roger

Really?

Are you referring to NASA or something else?

And yes I've seen 12 O'clock High, just watched it a few months back, again. Never knew that tidbit about where it was filmed.

Now did you know there is a hanger on Eglin that they use as a big freezer to test aircraft, cars and ships.

https://www.asme.org/getmedia/703bb...atory-1944.aspx

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If it flies, I can crash it!

I've been in it a few times during Eglin Open House events. It is pretty cool to be able to play with snow on a warm day on Florida!

All of a sudden I am getting a rush of memories. :-)

-- Roger