America Strikes Back!
A Project Management
Success Story
The Doolittle Raid, on 18
April 1942, was the first air
raid by the United States to
strike the heart of Japan
during World War II.
 By demonstrating that Japan
itself was vulnerable to
American air attack, it
provided a vital morale boost
and an opportunity for U.S.
retaliation after the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor on 7
December 1941.
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What happened…
What let to the raid?
Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle
The “Special B-25 Project”
Part of a bigger picture
What were the goals of this mission?
The events unfold
The aftermath
A Project Management success
 Doolittle and the PMI PMBOK® Guide
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A mission that changed the course of the war
Lessons learned for Project Managers
We will always remember
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On April 18, 1942, sixteen
B-25 Mitchell mid-range
bombers lifted off the USS
Hornet for a raid over Tokyo
and other Japanese cities.
Most of these planes then
crash landed in China, but
the majority of the crew
members managed to avoid
capture by the Japanese.
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The way the events
unfolded may lead some to
believe that this mission
was not well orchestrated,
but it was.
Given the significant
challenges that the
planning and execution of
this mission entailed, the
Doolittle Tokyo Raid was an
absolute success story from
a Project Management
perspective!
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The Japanese had been unstoppable through the
early part of 1942:
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Pearl Harbor
Malaysia
Singapore
Hong Kong
Guam
Wake
Philippines
Burma
The Solomons
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President Roosevelt’s
highest military priority was
a payback attack on the
Japanese home islands.
 The President wanted
desperately to raise the
morale of a nation stunned
by the surprise attacks and
sweeping conquests
launched by the Japanese in
December 1941.
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The biggest obstacle was
the lack of allied bases
close enough to Japan from
which to deliver an air
attack.
A sub commander came up
with the idea of bombers
taking off from an aircraft
carrier and discussed it with
his superiors, who decided
to pursue his idea.
Commander Francis Low
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On Jan. 17, 1942, Chief of US
Army Air Forces Henry Hap
Arnold assigned the
responsibility of carrying out
an air attack on the Japanese
home islands to Lt. Col.
James H. Doolittle.
With a target date of April 1,
1942 for the departure of a
task force for Japan, Doolittle
only had 74 days to complete
what seemed to be “mission
impossible”.
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The April 1 deadline created
major planning nightmares.
Doolittle had to figure out how
to:
 Have selected aircraft complete
major modifications.
 Determine targets and flight plans
to reach Japan.
 Calculate bomb sizes and weights.
 Redeploy the crews safely after
delivering the planes to China.
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Army Air Force Lt. in 1918.
Flight Instructor during WWI.
Test pilot and daredevil flyer.
Received DFC for flying from
Florida to San Diego in
“only” 21 hours and 19
minutes.
Received many other
trophies in the period
between the world wars.
Attended MIT.
 Doctorate in Aeronautical
Engineering.
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First person to takeoff, fly,
and land an airplane solely
using instruments.
Resigned his Army Air Force
commission in 1930 to work
for the Shell Oil Company
Aviation Department.
 Helped develop 100-octane
gasoline for high-performance
airplane engines.
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Concerned the U.S. was falling
behind militarily.
 The U.S. Army Air Force was a
third-rated force in the 1930s.
 After visiting Germany, he told
Hap Arnold that U.S. involvement
in a war in Europe would be
inevitable.
 Only 2 weeks after he got back
from Germany, WWII started in
Europe.
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Recalled to active duty in 1940,
as a Major, and promoted to Lt.
Col. on Jan. 2, 1942.
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A quick review of the types
of available planes led to
the North American B-25
Mitchell bomber.
 Against the B-26 Marauder
and the B-18.
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Doolittle requisitioned 24 B25s, as he had determined
at least 18 would take part
in the attack.
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 The B-25 had a crew of 5.
 Two Wright R-2600s
engines of 1,700 hp each,
max speed of 328 mph,
range of 1,300 miles, and
span of over 67ft.
 Could carry 2,000 lb of
bombs and make a 2,000mile flight if properly
modified, but would need
1,200 ft to take off .
 If lightened, it might be
able to take off in 1/3 of
that distance.
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Doolittle needed to quickly
assess which modifications
were needed.
He went to Wright Field in
Dayton, Ohio, where
engineers made drawings
for the installation of the
fuel tanks and necessary
plumbing.
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On Jan 22, Doolittle
requested that the B-25s
be sent to Mid-Continent
Airlines in Minneapolis to
begin work on the
necessary modifications.
 Removed all possible
weight.
 Removed the lower gun
turret and replaced it with
a 60-gallon tank.
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 Took out oxygen equipment
and most radio equipment.
 Installed other auxiliary tanks
and made room for twelve
five-gallon tanks.
 Optimized fuel mixture to
allow the plane to use less
fuel per hour.
 The additional tanks and the
portable gas tanks would add
425 to 646 gallons for a total
of 1,141 gallons of fuel.
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On February 3, orders were sent
to Pendleton, Oregon to
transfer planes, crews, and the
entire 17th Bombardment Group
to Columbia Army Air Base in
South Carolina.
Doolittle needed volunteers for
an “extremely hazardous”
mission.
After finding out that Doolittle
was going to lead the mission,
everyone volunteered to go.
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Crews train at Eglin Air Base
day after day for three weeks,
trying to take off in less than
500 feet.
On March 3, Doolittle lands at
Eglin Field and assembles the
140 men assigned to the
project.
Doolittle tells everyone that this
is a secret, dangerous mission
and anyone can still back out.
The whole group volunteers
again, including its group
commander.
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Maps and charts with
locations of military and
industrial installations in
Japan are secured in D.C.
 After the bombing raid and
after reaching China, the
plan called for refueling in
Chuchow and transfering
the B-25s to Chunkging.
 A portable homing station
would be available in
Chuchow to guide the B-25
bombers to safety.
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“Operation Aquila”
 In the first month after the United
States entered World War II, the Air
War Plans Division put forth a plan to
establish a major fighting air command
in Burma to turn back the Japanese
sweeping advance into China.
 That new command was to be
designated the 10th Air Force, and in
mid-January Operation Aquila was
employed to begin the initial buildup
necessary to establish that command.
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“Operation Aquila”
 Operation Aquila was a 5-point
program designed to provide
fighters, bombers, and a supply
chain to the India-Burma theater.
 One of the five points included the
B-25 airplanes and pilots under the
command of Lt. Colonel Doolittle.
 Theirs was a two-part mission. After
making the historic attack on Japan,
the raiders were to fly to China
where pilots, crews and their B-25s
were to join the 10th Air Force.
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Prove to the world that Japan
was not invincible.
Provide a much needed
morale boost to allied forces
everywhere.
Cause as much damage as
possible with the available
armament.
Reach China safely.
Refuel and join the 10th Air
Force.
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During the third week of
March, Navy Admiral Nimitz
wires a message to
Washington, saying “Tell
Jimmy to get on his horse.”
Planes are to leave Eglin for
the Air Depot in Sacramento
for last-minute checks,
before flying to San Francisco
to be loaded on the Hornet.
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On March 23rd Doolittle calls
the crews and tells them to get
ready.
Those left behind are sent back
to Columbia, South Carolina,
with the admonition not to say
anything to anyone.
The lives of their colleagues
and the success of the mission
would rest on their ability to
keep quiet about what they had
been doing.
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Planes fly to McClellan Army
Air Field in Sacramento with
Doolittle arriving on March 26.
 Only new propellers were to be
installed on the B25s by civilian
mechanics, but they insisted on
performing complete checks on
all the aircraft according to policy
for planes going “overseas.”
 Doolittle stopped them in their
tracks and the airplanes were
“salvaged” by the crew chiefs
regularly assigned to the
maintenance of the aircraft.
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Of the 24 planes, 2 had fallen
by the wayside during the
training period at Eglin.
Twenty-two planes fly to
Alameda to be hoisted on
board the Hornet.
There is room on deck for
only 16 planes for take off.
Six airplanes have to be left
behind in Alameda.
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On April 1, the crews go aboard
the Hornet.
 At 3pm the Hornet sails for San
Francisco and docks at berth #9.
 Crews get the night off in the city.
 Cover story was that the planes,
sitting visibly on top of the Hornet,
were going to be delivered to Hawaii.
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On April 2, the Hornet sails with
16 bombers and the original 22
crews.
 Two cruisers and 4 destroyers, as
well as an oiler, accompany the
Hornet.
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Doolittle brings his crews
together and tells them that
their mission is to bomb
Tokyo and that the chances
of getting back to the States
are slim.
He tells his volunteers that
any of them can step down,
but, once again, no one does.
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On April 8, the “Enterprise”
steams out of Pearl Harbor to
rendezvous with the Hornet
in the mid-Pacific.
Two cruisers, four destroyers
and an oiler accompany the
aircraft carrier.
Admiral William “Bull” Halsey
will be in charge of the overall
task force.
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At 3am on April 18, radar on the
Enterprise pick up 2 small ships
about 12 miles ahead.
 Ships are part of an early warning
network ringing the Japanese
islands.
 The task force changes course to
avoid being seen.
 At 3:40am the all clear signal is
given.
Four hours later they sight
another boat and the Hornet
intercepts a message in Japanese.
 Halsey’s task force has been
spotted.
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Admiral Halsey signals to
Captain Mitscher, skipper of
the Hornet.
 “Launch Planes.”
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His message to Doolittle is
“Good luck and God bless
you.”
A barrage of 924 six-inch
shells is fired at the picket
boat, the Nitto Maru, but only
one hit is made.
The Japanese raise the white
flag as the Nitto Maru sinks.
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Once in position, the planes have
their flaps fully down, brakes
locked, and throttle up to full
takeoff power.
 The flag officer gauges the pitch of
the ship’s deck, gives the signal to
take off.
 Brakes are released to begin the
takeoff roll, the pilots pull back on
the yoke, and at 85mph the plane
starts to take off.
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The Hornet was sailing at 24
knots (28mph), and with a 30knot headwind (35mph), and
a total speed of 63mph before
takeoff, the planes had to
accelerate only another
22mph to be able to take off
before having to reach a safe
single engine speed of
145mph.
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Ted Lawson has a difficult
takeoff.
 The propeller blast pushes their
plane across the deck.
 Lawson lifts his wing flaps to
reduce the sail effect, but forgets
to lower them again.
 The plane takes off, almost touches
the water, but slowly manages to
gain speed and fly off safely.
 Without the 30-knot wind in its
favor, the plane could have crashed
into the sea and would have been
run over by the Hornet.
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Planes take off over 600 miles
out instead of the planned 400.
Calculations show that they are
going to run out of gas 5 hours
after bombing Japan and be
short of China by 100-150 miles.
Each plane is on its own in what
is now a day raid.
It would take too much time to
fuel to get into flying formation.
All planes fly extremely low to
avoid detection by enemy radar.
They have to optimize fuel
consumption all around.
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The aircraft begin arriving
over Japan about noon, six
hours after taking off from
the Hornet.
They bomb ten military
and industrial targets in
Tokyo, two in Yokohama
and one each in Yokosuka,
Nagoya, Kobe and Osaka.
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It’s now off to China, but
the weather changes
abruptly.
The planes fly into storms
and visibility decreases
rapidly as the night
approaches.
The good news is that the
head wind becomes a tail
wind, which will help
most of the Raiders make
it to mainland China.
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Three Raiders die after getting
out of their planes.
Eight flyers are captured by the
Japanese.
 Three will be executed and one will
die in prison.
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All the other Raiders escape
capture with the aid of the
Chinese, who will pay dearly for
helping the American crews.
 As many as 250,000 Chinese
civilians and soldiers are killed by
the Japanese, who are incensed by
the success of the Doolittle Raid.
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As Doolittle sits next to his
smashed plane, he believes
that he will be court-martialed
upon his return to the U.S. and
tells his gunner Sgt. Paul
Leonard so.
Leonard tells Doolittle that he
will surely be awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor
and that he would fly with
Doolittle anywhere and
everywhere. Doolittle is
touched.
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All the Raiders receive the
Distinguished Flying Cross.
 Also given medals by the
Chinese Government.
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Two Raiders are awarded
the Silver Star for valor.
Those Raiders captured and
tortured by the Japanese
received the Purple Heart.
Lt. Col. Doolittle receives
the Congressional Medal of
Honor.
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Lt. Col. Doolittle and the PMBOK® Guide:
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Scope Management
Quality Management
Procurement Management
Communication Management
H.R. Management
Time Management
Cost Management
Risk Management
Integration Management
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Doolittle had to take an
impossible idea and
transform it into a viable
project.
 The scope of the project, as
finalized, was to take off
from an aircraft carrier just
before dark, bomb Japan at
night and proceed to
destination, arriving in
China soon after dawn.
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In order to make this
mission practical, one plane
was to take off ahead of the
others, arrive over Tokyo at
dusk and set on fire the
most inflammable part of
the city with incendiary
bombs.
This would have minimized
the overall hazard and
assured that the target
would be lighted up for the
rest of the airplanes.
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The B25s had to fly 1,900
miles from the Hornet to
Japan and on to China.
Doolittle needed to
increase the range of the
B-25s to 2,100 miles.
This meant extending the
normal 1,300-mile range
of the B-25s by 800 miles.
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Blueprints for
modifications to the B25s
had to be drawn quickly
at Wright Field in Dayton,
Ohio.
 The modifications to the
airplanes had to be made
at Mid-Continent Airlines
in Minneapolis.
 Satisfactory training had
to be completed in virtual
seclusion in Florida.
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Targets in Japan had to be
selected.
 steel works, oil refineries, oil
tank farms, ammunition dumps,
dock yards, munitions plants,
and airplane factories.
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Maps and charts had to be
secured from Washington, D.C.
Plans for refueling in China and
for the delivery of the planes
and crews to the 10th Air Force
were included in the scope of
the project.
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More innovative solutions
were developed for this
project by Capt. Greening.
 Painted broomsticks were
installed as 50-caliber gun
barrels in the tail cone of each
airplane.
 The $10,000 Norden bombsight
was replaced with a makeshift
aiming sight, called the "Mark
Twain" at a cost of only 20
cents.
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Since the make-or-break question
was whether a B-25 could take off
from an aircraft carrier, it was
arranged to hoist two B-25s aboard
the Hornet in Norfolk, Virginia.
 In a light snowfall off the Virginia
coast, puzzled sailors watched as an
Army pilot gunned the first B-25
forward.
 The plane became airborne almost
immediately, its right wing tip barely
missing the ship's island structure.
The second B-25 followed suit.
 Word went to Doolittle. With care
and luck, the takeoffs could be
accomplished.
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The project was
unfortunately plagued by
quality problems and
challenges.
 Modifications to the B-25s
did not go smoothly, as the
additional fuel tanks sprung
several leaks.
 Optimizing the fuel mix was
not an easy task and, in one
case, excessive fuel
consumption forced a plane
to land in Vladivostok (Soviet
Union), where the plane was
seized and the crew interned.
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 Keeping the planes in full
working order, while sitting
on the Hornet, was also
most challenging, as the
effects of the sea air, wind,
and spray called for
continuous maintenance.
 At McClellan, the pace at
which the ground crews
worked on the B-25s
exasperated Doolittle.
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Col. Doolittle would have the last
word.
 On April 1, just before leaving
McClellan to join his crews,
Doolittle was handed a standard
evaluation form for the work
done. He scrawled diagonally
across the form in large print the
single five-letter word "LOUSY“
and walked away.
 “Who does that guy think he is?
He’s heading for a lot of trouble”
complained one of the young
maintenance officers.
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“He sure is” was one of the
pilots’ reply, “He sure is.”
When the maintenance
crews at McClellan
eventually found out what
those B-25s had been sent
out to do, there was a lot of
regret among the men for
not having been a lot more
conscientious in handling
Doolittle’s planes.
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Doolittle had little trouble
securing the airplanes, the
materials, and the crews
needed to complete the
modifications to the aircraft.
Given the nature of the
mission, the Navy and the
Army Air Force were behind
the operation and did all they
could to address and resolve
any procurement issues.
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Personal and special
equipment such as
canteens, emergency
rations, hatchets, knives,
pistols, etc., were issued
and stowed before takeoff
time.
A one pint bottle of
whiskey was issued to
each crew member to
supplement this ration.
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Cloak of secrecy
permeated the project
and this made
communications difficult.
 Doolittle had to fly an
inordinate amount of
hours for face-to-face
communications with
Washington, Wright Field,
and his pilots to maintain
secrecy.
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“We requested that Chungking
be advised immediately after we
took off and felt that even
though they were not advised by
the Navy radio that the Japanese
radio would give them the
desired information.“
 “As a matter of fact, Chungking
did know that we were coming,
but official information was not
sent to Chuchow, presumably
due to the extremely bad
weather and the communication
difficulties resulting there from.”
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As a result of this, no radio homing
facilities were provided at
Chuchow, nor were light beacons
or landing flares provided.
 To the contrary, when the B25s
planes were heard overhead an air
raid warning alarm was sounded
and runway lights were turned off.
 This, together with the very
unfavorable flight weather over
the China Coast, made safe
landing at destination impossible.
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Hap Arnold appointed
Doolittle to the mission
because he was fearless,
technically brilliant, a
leader who not only could
be counted upon to do a
task himself, if humanly
possible, but could impart
that spirit to others.
Doolittle was not
scheduled to fly with his
boys, but quickly managed
to rectify this.
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Thirteen Doolittle
Raiders were born in the
State of Texas.
Tied for second were
Massachusetts and
Oregon with five each.
California and New York
next with four each.
Thirty-five States were
represented by the
Tokyo Raiders, including
the territory of Hawaii.
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The organization Lt. Col. Doolittle set up for his project was as follows:
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Project Commander
Executive Officer
Operations Officer
Navigation and Intelligence
Gunnery and Bombing
Engineering Officer
Supply Officer
1st Flight Commander
2nd Flight Commander
3rd Flight Commander
4th Flight Commander
5th Flight Commander
Navy Liaison Officer
Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle
Major J. A. Hilger
Captain E. J. York
Captain D. M. Jones
Captain C. R. Greening
1st. Lt. W. M. Bower
1st Lt. Travis Hoover
1st Lt. Travis Hoover
Captain E. J. York
Captain D. M. Jones
Captain C. R. Greening
Major J. A. Hilger
Lt. Henry Miller
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The pilots and the crews trained
hard to meet the goal of a short
takeoff run for the B25s.
 Training continued on the Hornet.
 This training consisted of:

 lectures on Japan given by Lt.
Stephen Jurika, Jr. of the Navy;
 lectures on first aid and sanitation
by Lt. T.R. White, M.C., the flight
surgeon;
 lectures on gunnery, navigation and
meteorology by members of the
Doolittle party and officers from the
Hornet.
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Actual gunnery and turret
practice was carried on using kites
flown from the Hornet for targets.
 Celestial navigation practice for
the navigators was supervised by
the Hornet navigation officer.
 Star sights were taken from the
deck and from the navigating
compartment in the airplanes.
 A high degree of proficiency was
developed and satisfactory
optical characteristics of the
navigating compartment window
were assured.
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66
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The project was very time
constrained:
 During the third week of
January, Hap Arnold told
Doolittle that he and Navy
Adm. Ernest King had decided
on a target date of April 1 as the
date of the departure of the
aircraft carrier Hornet for Japan
with 20 B-25s.
 April 19 was the date of the
attack and Doolittle had been
assigned to the project on
January 17.
 Only three months to do it all.
67
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Takeoff from the Hornet
occurred almost ten
hours early, with a
devastating impact on
the latter part of the
schedule for this project.
The Doolittle Raiders
had to survive on their
own after takeoff, as all
plans became useless.
68
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Having total support
from the Navy and the
Army Air Force, from a
project cost perspective,
allowed Doolittle to
focus on the scope,
quality, and schedule of
the project and ignore at
least one aspect of the
“triple constraint.”
69
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The “Special B25 Project” was undoubtedly a very high
risk project:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Information leaks that could favor the enemy.
Poor communication .
Extensive modifications required for the selected aircraft.
Flying mid-range bombers from a carrier deck.
Extensive training required for B25 crews.
Aircraft maintenance quality issues.
Schedule constraints.
Unfamiliar targets in Japan.
Unknown enemy defensive capability.
Unfamiliar destination in China.
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1.
Information leaks could favor the
enemy.
▪ A cloak of secrecy permeated this
project and the pilots and crews did
not find out about their mission until
they were on board the Hornet
aircraft carrier.
2. Poor communication.
▪ The impossibility to communicate
openly forced Doolittle on unending
flying runs between the different U.S.
locations of importance to the
project. This led to even less time
available for the completion of the
first part of the project.
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3.
Extensive modifications required
for the selected aircraft.
▪ All modifications had to be “invented”
and fitted on the B25s. Significant
“testing” helped mitigate some of the
most difficult challenges
▪ short takeoffs with full loads, fuel leaks, etc.
4. Flying mid-range bombers from a
carrier deck.
▪ A “prototype” run helped to reassure
everyone that a B25 could indeed take
off from an aircraft carrier in less than
500 feet, but the two planes used for
this test were not fully loaded with
bombs and extra fuel tanks.
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5. Extensive training required for
the B25 crews.
▪ The difficult training took a lot out of
the pilots and crews. Even Doolittle,
who did not want to be left behind,
had to endure the same tough
training program.
6. Aircraft maintenance quality
issues on land and sea.
▪ Not knowing the importance of this
mission, most maintenance teams on
the ground did not share Doolittle’s
sense of urgency. Fortunately Hap
Arnold stepped in.
▪ Impact of salt air on the aircraft
hydraulics, sparkplugs, and
generators was not foreseen.
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7.
Schedule constraints.
▪ The need to boost morale across
the country led our leaders to put
pressure on all involved to expedite
the planning and execution of this
project. Support from high-level
Army and Navy officers allowed
Doolittle to achieve the impossible.
8. Unfamiliar targets in Japan.
▪ There was no way to mitigate this
risk. Having to take off early
allowed the Raiders to bomb Tokyo
and the other targets during
daylight and proceed quickly
towards China.
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9.
Unknown enemy defensive capability.
▪ The attack was spread over a 50-mile front in
order to provide the greatest possible
coverage and to create the impression that
there was a larger number of airplanes than
were actually used. This would help to dilute
enemy ground and air fire.
10. Unfamiliar destination in China.
▪ No mitigation was possible after the early
takeoff from the Hornet. Airstrip lights were
turned off by the Chinese afraid of Japanese
bombing raids. No homing device was
available, as the plane carrying it had
crashed.
▪ The Raiders relied on the Chinese to help
them avoid capture.
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The Chinese risked it all to help the
American flyers reach safety.
 Tung-Sheng Liu, an interpreter and
guide, helped the crew of airplane
no. 2 escape at great risk to his own
life. He was made an honorary
“Doolittle Raider.”
 Mr. Liu came to the U.S. after WWII,
studied aeronautical engineering at
the University of Minnesota, and
became a U.S. citizen in 1954.
 in 1958, he began to work at Wright
Patterson AFB, in Dayton, Ohio,
where he helped build the C5
aircraft.

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Doolittle carried an incredible
load in making it all happen
without being able to
motivate people as he would
have liked.
 Considering how badly the
odds were stacked against the
Doolittle Raiders, this project
turned out to be extremely
well managed and most
successful.

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
Lessons Learned:
 First, sufficient modern airplanes
and competent pilots should be
retained within the territorial
limits of the United States to
assure her adequate defense.
 Second, an absolutely infallible
detection and communication
system must be provided.
 Third, the necessity for suitable
camouflage and adequate
dissimulation.
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
Lessons Learned (cont.):
 Fourth, the highest possible
degree of dispersal in order that
a bomb attack, if successful, will
do the minimum amount of
damage.
 Fifth, efficient utilization of
small surface craft, such as
fishing boats equipped with an
extremely simple radio could,
through the use of a simplified
code, send information to a
message center about an
enemy attacking force.
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The Japanese had intercepted an
American message and knew Halsey
was sailing towards Japan with 2
aircraft carriers.
 The Japanese expected Halsey to
attack on April 14 with fighters about
300 miles from the Japanese coast.
 The Japanese planned to counter the
American attack with land based
bombers.
 As April 14 came and went, and with
no additional intercepts made, bad
weather hid Halsey’s ships from
being detected and Japanese
officials relaxed and assumed Halsey
was going elsewhere.

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The Japanese government had
told its people that a Kamikaze
(“Divine Wind”) protected Japan
and the Japanese people
against any kind of harm.
 The speed at which the
Japanese had invaded so many
territories, after the attack on
Pearl Harbor on December 7,
convinced them that they were
invincible and that their
homeland was invulnerable to
the enemy.

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What started as a daring mission to
boost morale, ended up causing a
dramatic change in the outcome of
the war in the Pacific.
 Japan’s strategy changed after the
Tokyo Raid:

 Plans to invade Australia were
postponed.
 The Japanese kept more ships and
planes at home to defend its borders.
 The Japanese decided to expand their
defense ring and do away with the
threat coming from the U.S. Pacific
Fleet’s aircraft carriers, as they
launched into the battle of Midway,
which became the turning point of the
Pacific War.
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





Great leaders will lead from the
front, as Doolittle did.
Strong sponsor support will go a
long way towards project success.
Pick your team members carefully,
but don’t always look only for the
best.
Adm. Halsey wrote: “There are no
great men. Only challenges that
ordinary men are forced by
circumstances to meet.”
Your team members will rise to
the challenge if they believe in you
and in the effort at hand.
Identify and mitigate risk!
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




In the spring of 1942, the United States and
its Allies were demoralized by the
devastating attack on the U.S. Navy base at
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and pervasive
setbacks in the following months.
With the whole world at war, there was little
other than bad news followed by more bad
news.
Then, like a miracle, came the electrifying
bulletin: a daring raid by American planes,
under the command of Lt. Col. Doolittle,
had bombed Japan on 18 April 1942.
Allied morale was immediately lifted while
the Japanese cult of invincibility was
irretrievably shattered.
While little damage was actually inflicted
on Japan, the Doolittle Raid began to turn
the tide.
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America Strikes Back!
A Project Management
Success Story