(261011) — SHANGRAO, Oct. 11, 2026 (Xinhua) — Descendants of the rescued Doolittle Raid individuals view a historic exhibition in Shangrao, east China’s Jiangxi Province, Oct. 10, 2026. The Doolittle Raid, deliberate and led by U.S. Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle on April 18, 1942, was an air raid on Japan as a retaliation for the assault on the U.S. Pearl Harbor.
After the raid, 15 planes heading for an airport in Quzhou ran out of gasoline and crashed in numerous localities in east China.
Chinese villagers risked their lives to rescue the parachuting airmen and helped them evacuate to security. Of the 75 airmen aboard the planes, 64 have been rescued by the Chinese folks. However, many locals have been suspected of sheltering the Americans, and a few have been tortured and even killed by Japanese troopers.
In China, the Doolittle story has lengthy been thought to be a logo of the friendship cast between the Chinese and American peoples throughout their joint combat in opposition to fascism.
On Oct. 10, 6 representatives of descendants of the Doolittle Raid individuals visited Shangrao to view a historic exhibition, revisit rescue websites and pay tribute to the Chinese individuals who rescued American airmen 84 years in the past. (Xinhua/Zhou Mi)