BOISE, Idaho — The annual Warbird Roundup is returning to the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa to honor the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Japan during World War ll.
The exhibit, running Saturday and Sunday, will focus on the battle nicknamed the Doolittle Raid, which was named after Lt. Col. James "Jimmy" Doolittle who led the battle.
“It’s a very big date about an event that helped us win the war from the very beginning,” Warhawk Air Museum Executive Director, Sue Paul said. “The demoralization of the Japanese nation and the escalation of the building of morale in America was very necessary."
Doolittle's granddaughter, Jonna Doolittle Hoppes, will be speaking at the event and recapping her grandfather's life. She also authored a book about him called 'Calculated Risk'.
The Doolittle Raid occurred just one month after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States was still recovering from the attack, while Japan continued racking up victories in the Pacific.
At the time, Franklin D. Roosevelt was president and wanted to boost morale across the nation, so he ordered a bombing raid on Japan. B-25 aircrafts along with 24 trained crew members from the 17th Bombardment Group in Pendleton Field, Oregon, took off on April 18, 1942, for the raid.
Although the raid only caused minor damage, it forced Japan to recall its combat forces home and caused concern among Japanese civilians. It also boosted morale for Americans at home and allies.
The B-25 aircraft was chosen because it was the only aircraft available to the U.S. Army Air Forces that had the required range, bomb capacity and short takeoff distance.
Museum Aircraft Flying:
- P-40N Parrot Head
- P-40E Sneak Attack
- P-51C Mustang Boise Bee
Visiting Aircraft Flying:
- B-25J Mitchell Photo Fanny
- P-38 Lightning Honey Bunny
- F4U-1A Corsair
- F8F-2 Bearcat
- TF-51D Mustang Diamondback
- P-47D Thunderbolt Dottie Mae
- P-51H Mustang
The U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II Demo Team will also be returning to the roundup for a heritage flight.
“The Warhawk Air Museum is a living museum. We have thousands of personal collections and stories of our people and our veterans,” Paul said. “So, it makes for a very emotional, personal experience just to come to the museum on any day. We have all the beautiful airplanes, we have other equipment here, but it really is the stories that keep people here. So, this follows who we are. It’s all about living history, it’s about honoring our veterans and our people. These airplanes honor the best of the best of our country. So we’re pretty proud to have them all here.”
For more information about the exhibit times and costs, visit the Warhawk Museum website.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist: