On April 18, 1942, Lt. Col. Richard (Dick) Cole (then 2nd Lieutenant) flew from the deck of the Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Hornet on what would be one of the most daring raids on the empire of Japan during World War II. Cole was the co-pilot of a B-25B Mitchell bomber piloted by Lt. Col. James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle, the mission leader. His plane was one of sixteen bombers with a mission to bomb Tokyo and other key cities in Japan that day. This attack, America’s first retaliatory strike, would be so decisive that it would ultimately lead to the turning point of the war by provoking the Japanese counter attack and defeat at Midway in June of that same year.

Photograph is personally signed by co-pilot Richard (Dick) Cole and is matted to include a piece of B-25 skin. Certificate of Authenticity included. Size: 13" x 16" x 3.5".