In April 1942 the Americans think of a reckless plan to scare the Japanese by bombing them on their home island. The plan is to attack Tokyo. The best plane for that move is the North American B-25 Mitchell, a 15 tons bimotor. The bimotors are not made to take off from a carrier's bridge and the 80 pilots under the orders of lieutenant-colonel James Doolittle (an engineer with many speed records) have to practice on a 125m runway at Eglin Field, Florida.
April 13th Halsey joins his fleet to the carrier Hornet which has onboard 16 B-25 and then go towards a spot at 925km of Tokyo. After the bombing the B-25 are supposed to move on China for landing. But at 400km East of their launching spot the fleet is seen by a group of japanese trawlers patrolling in the region which as soon notify Tokyo. Halsey orders immediatly the take off of the Mitchells. So April 18th 1942 the first bombs are dropped on Tokyo, Yokohama, Yokosuka, Nagoya and Kobe but no real damage is done. The 16 B-25 pass over Japan but only one will land, and it will be in USSR at Vladivostok where the team onboard will be made prisonners. The other planes crashed in the sea or in China when they were out of gas. So 5 men were prisonners in USSR, 66 were rescued by the Chineses, one died and the 8 others were captured and killed by the Japaneses.
After this great humiliation Yamamoto imposed its idea of attacking Midway (which is where the Japaneses think the planes come from) rather than Australia. Thus May 5th the order is given that Midway has to be conquered before June 20th.
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