22. Finding the Right Men for the Job
Jimmy Doolittle picked 24 volunteer crews, and two dozen of the 17th Bombardment’s Group B-25s were sent to a modification center in Minneapolis to make some changes. Chief among them was the addition of auxiliary fuel tanks and cells to increase capacity from 646 to 1,141 gallons. To make space and compensate for the added fuel weight, the lower gun turret and radio were removed, while the standard Norden bomb sight was replaced with an improvised and lighter makeshift. When the planes were ready, the crews were sent to pick them up and fly to Eglin Field in western Florida.
There, starting on March 1st, 1942, Doolittle put the volunteers through an intense three-week crash course to prepare them for the raid. Emphasis was placed on low-level and night flying, low-level bombing, ocean navigation, and simulated aircraft carrier deck takeoffs. Two B-25s were wrecked in accidents, and a third was written off because of mechanical troubles. The remaining bombers flew to California and arrived at Sacramento Air Depot on March 27th. There, they were subjected to final modifications and inspections, and the best sixteen bombers were flown to Alameda Naval Air Station on March 31st.