Offered is a black & white photo reproduction poster of the take-off from the USS Hornet of one of Doolittle’s Raiders, signed by five surviving members of the historic bomber squadron.  Across the top of the photo are the signatures, all in black marker, of “Ed Sayla #15,” “R.E. Cole #1,” “R.L. Hite #16,” David J. Thatcher #7,” “Tom Griffin #9.”  The Doolittle Raid on Saturday, April 18, 1942 was an air raid by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo, and other places on the island of Honshu during World War II, and was the first U.S. air operation to directly strike the Japanese home islands.  The raid was planned, led by, and named after Lt. Colonel James Doolittle of the U.S. Army Air Forces.  The 16 B-25B Mitchell medium bombers were launched, without fighter escort, from the U.S. Navy’s aircraft carrier the USS Hornet deep in the Western Pacific Ocean, each with a crew of five men. Saylor was the engineer/gunner of aircraft no. 15 during the raid; Cole was Doolittle’s co-pilot in aircraft no. 1; Hite was co-pilot of aircraft no. 16; Thatcher was the gunner of aircraft no. 7; and Griffin was the navigator of aircraft no. 9.  This item comes with a STICKER ONLY from PSA/DNA (K70162).

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