The April 18, 1942, Doolittle Raid on Japan early in World War
II bolstered American spirits just months after the surprise
attack on Pearl Harbor and the loss of the U.S. territories of
Guam and the Philippines.
The commander of the raid, Army Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle (second from left).
On June 4, 1942, the Battle of Midway—one of the most
decisive U.S. victories against Japan during World War II
—began.
During the four-day sea-and-air battle, the outnumbered
U.S. Pacific Fleet succeeded in destroying four Japanese
aircraft carriers while losing only one of its own, the
Yorktown, to the previously invincible Japanese navy.
Lt. Edward Henry (“Butch”) O’Hare took off from the aircraft
carrier Lexington in a raid against the Japanese position at
Rabaul and minutes later became America’s first WWII flying
ace, shooting down five enemy bombers.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt congratulates Lieutenant
(j.g.) Edward H. O’Hare, United States Navy, on being
presented the Medal of Honor (below) at the White
House, Washington, D.C., 21 April 1942.
Lieutenant Commander Edward Henry O’Hare
(March 13, 1914 – November 26, 1943
O’Hare went missing in action on November 26, 1943, and
was declared dead a year later. His widow Rita received
her husband’s posthumous decorations, a Purple Heart
and the Navy Cross on November 26, 1944.
On June 7, 1942, the Battle of Midway—one of the most decisive
U.S. victories in its war against Japan—came to an end. In the
four-day sea and air battle, the outnumbered U.S. Pacific Fleet
succeeded in destroying four Japanese aircraft carriers with the
loss of only one of its own, the Yorktown, thus reversing the tide
against the previously invincible Japanese navy.
On June 4, 1942, the Battle of Midway—one of the most decisive
U.S. victories against Japan during World War II—began. During
the four-day sea-and-air battle, the outnumbered U.S. Pacific
Fleet succeeded in destroying four Japanese aircraft carriers
while losing only one of its own, the Yorktown, to the previously invincible Japanese navy.
