Did the Doolittle Raids have any major effect in WW2?

Answer 1

The Doolittle raids had a big psychological effect for both sides.
Naturally, the Japanese were shocked that the US was able to pull off this feat, right on their own shores.

The Americans really got pumped up over this raid, although they never realized how costly it was in human life and how little damage was actually done.

The idea of retaliation was the winner in all of this. We were able to see tangable proof that we could get to these guys, and that was worth everything, at that time during WWII>

Answer 2

In a military sense, the Doolittle raids were a Pyrrhic victory -- the U.S. lost far more in men and materiel from the raids than did the Japanese.

But as a morale booster for the U.S., and a psychological/ propaganda blow against the Japanese, it was a stunning success. The Japanese Navy had sworn that nobody would ever get close enough to bomb the Japanese mainland, and then the bombs fell from the B-25s. The Japanese Naval Command and the Emperor lost much "face" with that.

Answer 3

Besides the morale benefits for the Americans and the insecurity for the Japanese that has been mentioned, the raid did have a major unintended consequence.

Admiral Yamamoto felt that the Japanese mainland would remain vulnerable to American attacks so long as the US Navy maintained viable bases in the Central Pacific. As a result, he rushed into the attack on Midway without taking the time to really assess the possibility of American countermeasures. He took the entire combined fleet and threw it blindly into action against a target that he had not properly studied, and he relied far too much on specific American countermoves that did not materialize. As a result, the striking power of the Japanese fleet was crippled and would never recover.

Answer 4

It was only April 1942, and US Public support as well as military morale was important at this stage of the war as would have been any realignment of Japanese defense forces towards the home islands away from defending and supplying any forces holding recenty conquered territory or forces aligned to invade Australia.

The US had the terrible defeat in the Phillippenes, the surrender of Corregidor, the Bataan Death March and the spectre of island to island fighting ahead for the Marines in the near future. Draftees, the earliest draftees and volunteers, were only just finishing basic training.

The military damage of the ordnance was inconsequential. The ability to strike Japan was an important engineering accomplishment and a vital boost to morale on the home front.

Answer 5

Yes and no. It did very little damage to the Japanese. The cost to the US was greater than the cost to Japanese. However, it boosted American morale by showing that Japan could be hit. It demoralized Japan, especially since the Japanese had promised that Japan would never be attacked. The last two ways made the attack extremely successful and did more than a typical "successful" bombing raid could have ever done.

Answer 6

It did have a major effect.

The raids demonstrated that control of the seas and islands up to Japan was not needed to attack Japan. The Japanese had to occupy every island you could fly a plane off of. The Americans realized that they could island hop and just seize the islands they need for their operations, leaving the rest in Japanese control.

This sped up the war by years, because the U.S. did not have to engage in assaults on dozens if not hundreds of islands in the Pacific before beginning the final attacks on Japan.

Answer 7

Yes there was the obvious morale boost in those dark early days. Then there was the final admission by the war cabinet that the american carriers had to be destroyed at once. So started the road to the battle of midway. Also the japanese home defenses were strengthened by keeping planes and ships in japan that should have gone to other areas.

Answer 8

The IRS blunder is absolutely the worst. there's no danger for Obama to spin his way out of it. In all honesty, if the Obama administration doesnt help somebody going to penal complex over this then the Obama presidency would be recorded using fact the worst political prepare wreck in American history.

Answer 9

In a way yes. It convinced the Japs that they will have to destroy the American Pacific Fleet together with the carriers. This led to them to conceive a plan to invade & over-run Midway island which led to... the rest is history

Answer 10

Not in the military sense. But the story of a "successful" bombing on the Japanese home islands sure got the attention of the American public.