The First Heroes: The Extraordinary Story of the Doolittle Raid--America's First World War II Victory

The First Heroes by Craig Nelson is a must read for anyone who is interested in history, especially World War Two. It is the story of America's finest pilots getting their first vengeance after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The task seemed impossible: fly bombers off of an aircraft carrier in the Pacific, drop bombs over Tokyo and somehow land in China. The mission didn't go as planned. Only one plane made it to Allied soil and the other 15 crashed in Japanese occupied China, but not before dropping their payload over Japan. It was a daring move but it paid off in the end. The book is full of first hand accounts which bring a sixty year old story back to the present times. It was so good that I read it in about two weeks. It had me from the first page. Instead of focusing on just one main character, Craig Nelson tells the stories of all 100 men involved, giving this unique event many different angles. I only read non fiction books and this one read like a work of fiction, with lots of suspense and surprises at every turn. It shows human suffering and how humans can overcome physical and mental suffering if they have the will to do so. I was also amazed at how the Japanese treated their prisoners of war. They had little respect for anyone who was not their own, something that the western world has a hard time fully understanding. This is a must read for anyone interested in the aviation of the Second World War. Craig nelson weaves an intriguing story.

After reading "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" many years ago and having seen the movie of the same name as a child, I knew the basic story of Jimmy Doolittle's raid on Japan in 1942, and I was familiar with the ordeal of those in plane #7, the "Ruptured Duck." However, I always wondered what happened to the guys in the other 15 planes. This book answers that question and many more. In it, you meet all the crew members; learn what their missions were and how they faired, and what became of them either during WWII or later in life. The book is well researched, well written, and well presented. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in World War II, American history in general, or simply in America's heroes. And these men were and are truly American heroes. The only drawback to the book, which I found from a reader's perspective, is that to some extent it lacks continuity. But to my mind this can't be helped. After all, the book relates the exploits of the five airmen in each of sixteen separate B-25s, all but one of which either crash landed or was abandoned in flight over Japanese held China when their fuel ran out. I found the stories of the captured airmen to be of particular interest. Anyone who believes that embarrassing Iraqi terrorists, as was supposedly done at Abu Grebe, is torture will have an eye opening experience when they see what real torture is all about. Rather than being treated as prisoners of war, these men were sentenced to death as "terrorists" on trumped up charges. Three were then executed. The sentences of the rest were commuted to life in prison in solitary confinement under inhumane circumstances. For example: with no windows, they were forced to sit on a plank facing the rear walls of their cells for eight hours a day. They had nothing to read and could only leave their cells to exercise, wash, and converse once a week. And they always lived with the knowledge that if Japan won the war, they would spend the rest of their lives in these same small unheated/un-cooled/un-ventilated cells, and if Japan lost the war they would be executed. One airman eventually starved to death, but the rest managed to survive. But the strangest story of all is that of Corporal Jacob DeShazer who had a revelation, foresaw the end of the war, and came to believe that God had called him to return to Japan and preach the gospel to the Japanese people, which he did following the war.

The First Heroes is not only an excellent rendition of the Doolittle Raid but it does a nice job of setting the general historical stage of the period as well. WW2 aficionados may find this stage setting a bit general but Mr Nelson does a fine job with it and its inclusion will certainly help those not familiar with the period put the Raid in its proper context.The book is very well written, entertaining, and is easily on par with Ambrose's best works.One reviewer complained "He was known as "Bull" Halsey to anyone else with just a modicum of knowledge of the major WWII players." This was odd I thought because not only does Mr Nelson cover this fact but also explains HOW Adm Halsey got the nickname.If you have never read anything on the Raid before this is a great place to start. If you have read other works Mr Nelson's is so well done you will certainly find it an enjoyable read.

I have read almost every book on this subject and First Heroes is by far the best. It captures the essence of the individuals who participated and the apparent hopelessness of the mission. It also accurately depicted the disparity of our nation at the time and how formidable the enemy was as none before had. First Heroes is a well-deserved testament to the character of the men who served our country during WWII. These men truly are heroes.

I feel this is the most accurate book on the Doolittle Raid. You are not wasting your time with this book. What has happened is that most military historians read one account of an event and make that the truth. Some people get one idea in their head and that is just the way it is regardless if ten others that were present dispute that thought. This author did much research. Over 80,000 documents. Interviewed ALL the living members of the raid. He was also was able to obtain original manuscripts of the interviews of 30 additional members ( Including Doolittle) while they were living from the Military Library in Alabama ( I think that is where it is located ). The names of Japanese Military that is listed backwards is such a small arguing point but this author did it correctly. This is a prime example of others not really knowing what they are talking about. In this custom, It is proper for the sir name - the last name- to be listed first. That he lists the names in such a way is a sign of respect. I assure you anyone that can get rid of all preconceived events and do countless hours of research with over 80,000 documents and interviews and present a more accurate presentation of this event would not let in error list the names of the important players names wrong. If that is all you can pick out??? Well that should tell prospective readers something. - This is an unbiased, most realistic account of the events of the Doolittle Raid.