American pilots, crew # 9, who took part in the Doolittle raid. The aircraft number is 40-2303. Nickname – Whirling Dervish. Target – Tokyo. 34th Bomber Squadron.
American pilots, first row, left to right:
Crew Commander – First Pilot, Lieutenant Harold F. Watson;
Co-pilot, Lieutenant James N. Parker Jr.
American pilots, second row, from left to right:
Navigator, Lieutenant Thomas C. Griffin;
Bombardier, Sergeant Wayne M. Bissell;
Flight Engineer Sergeant Eldred V. Scott.
Lieutenant Harold F. Watson’s plane was bombed by Tokio Gas and Electric Engineering Company. One of the bombs hit a standing single building. On low level flight, the bomber flew over the Imperial Palace, then crossed Tokyo Bay and headed for China. Lieutenant Harold F. Watson’s plane made an emergency landing in China. During landing, only Lieutenant Harold F. Watson was injured of all the American pilots. Upon returning home, Lieutenant Harold F. Watson was treated at a hospital in Washington until the summer of 1944. Sergeant Wayne M. Bissell enrolled in pilot training and became a pilot in 1943.
Sources of information on American Pilots Photo:
1.www.goodwearleather.com
2.sad-rascko.livejournal.com
Location: Pacific Ocean
Photo Time: April 18, 1942