LT. COLONEL ROBERT L. HITE - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH - HFSID 322798
Sale Price $252.00
Reg. $280.00
DOOLITTLE'S RAIDERS: ROBERT L. HITE
Youthful photograph of the downed Raider and Japanese prisoner of war
(4x6¼)
Photograph signed: "Robert L. Hite #16". B/w, 4x6¼. Led by
James "Jimmy" Doolittle, 80 men on 16 B-25 bombers took off from the carrier USS
Hornet on April 18, 1942. The raid, which marked the first time fully
loaded bombers took off from an aircraft carrier, was in retaliation for Japan's
surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. "Doolittle's Raiders" hit targets in Tokyo,
Yokohama and other cities and scored a huge victory for U.S. morale at a time
when Japan's position in the Pacific seemed impregnable. Plane #16, with
Lieutenant Robert L. Hite (1920-2015) as co-pilot, the last to leave the deck of
the Hornet 59 minutes after Doolittle, faced forewarned Japanese
defenses. The ill-fated crew successfully bombed oil storage tanks and an
aircraft factory despite enemy fighter attacks, then headed on to China. Due
to low fuel, pilot W. G. Farrow instructed his crew to bail out, even though he
knew they were close to enemy-held Nangchang city. All five crewmen became
Prisoners of War. Hite's weight dropped to 80 pounds during his 40-month
captivity. He returned to active duty during the Korean War. Fine
condition.
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