Following the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, American morale was at its lowest point. President Franklin D. Roosevelt sought a way to strike back at the heart of the Japanese Empire to prove it was not invulnerable. The mission had two primary goals:
The raid was planned and led by . Because standard Navy bombers could not reach Japan from carriers without being intercepted, the plan utilized 16 B-25B Mitchell medium bombers . Tokyo Raiders
To force the Japanese to divert military resources from the front lines back to the defense of their home islands. The Mission: Planning and Execution Following the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor