On 18 April 1942, Lt. Col. 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 Two. He 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 like - 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.
Black-and-white photograph is matted and framed with authentic B-25 skin, in wood under glass. Certificate of authenticity included. 11” x 14”