World War Two

[Munden]

Aircraft from which US Ship made the first air attack on the Japanese mainland?

[thewillow]

Enola Gay.

[slimjim]

The Enola Gay was famously the penultimate aircraft to attack mainland Japan. And the question is asking about the ship that carried the FIRST aircraft to attack mainland Japan. I believe the answer is the USS Hornet which launched a series of raids over Tokyo. Hopefully, someone else knows even more.

[sddsddean]

Indeed it was the USS Hornet. http://www.grunts.net/wars/20thcentury/wwii/doolittle/doolit tle.html

[humming bird]

I'd like to add that, though the US claims various fantastic victories, the major victory, Milne bay, was achieved ONLY because a Australian General took control of the US troops who had been pinned down by the Japanese for many weeks, going nowhere. That General was very reluctant to have to put up with the US incomptence which would interrupt his own success. Nevertheless he said to me that "the American fighting man was as good as any pretty well ..but their officers left a lot to be desired". All major victories against the japanese on land were under this AUSTRALIAN leadership. Fortunately the seriously incompetent and narcissitic "General Macarthur " was finally recalled to the USA but not until his incompetence and ignorence has cost the lives of thousands of the best fighting men on the planet at that time..the Australians; you will also find that the brilliant air strategies used by the USA(though a majority, they were in supporting roles) were designed by an Australian.I add further that the Japanese surrender of Borneo was taken by an Australian General , not by the USA. Cheers

[dave520]

humming bird, what color is the sky in your world? Which Australian aircraft carriers fought at the Battles of Midway or Coral Sea? What Aussie regiments were at Iwo Jima or Guadalcanal? Which Aussie aircraft bombed the Japanese mainland or shot down Admiral Yamamoto? I am not saying that the Australians didn't contribute to the war effort in the Pacific, but they didn't win it single-handledly either- as you suggest. If you want to be rabidly anti-American, at least don't re-write history in the process.

[jerems]

Seriously humming bird, there might have been a general who did that, and everyone would agree that Australia did its part to rid the world of the Nazis and the expanding Japanese Empire, but come on. Are you an idiot? Anyway, I don't know if it was the hornet, but it sounds right, but the first U.S. air attack on the Japanese mainland was Doolittle's raid. I think they were eB-25 Mitchell's stripped down to be flying gas cans that hit Japan and ditched in China in like May of 1942. It wasn't meant to be an extremely damaging campaign but simply to show the Japanese that they were vulnerable after Pearl Harbor. Yes, the Enola Gay bombed Japan, but that was in August of 1945.

[Enola]

Ah yes....don't I know this one for sure!