Oral History Interview with Richard E. Cole, August 8, 2000

One of 11 books in the series: World War II China-India-Burma Theater Oral History Project available on this site.
Thumbnail image of item number 1 in: 'Oral History Interview with Richard E. Cole, August 8, 2000'.
Thumbnail image of item number 2 in: 'Oral History Interview with Richard E. Cole, August 8, 2000'.
Thumbnail image of item number 3 in: 'Oral History Interview with Richard E. Cole, August 8, 2000'.
Thumbnail image of item number 4 in: 'Oral History Interview with Richard E. Cole, August 8, 2000'.
Showing 1-4 of 69 pages in this book.

PDF Version Also Available for Download.

Description

Interview with Army Air Forces veteran Richard E. Cole describing personal experiences about being Jimmy Doolittle's co-pilot during the Tokyo Raid on April 8, 1942, pre-war education, flight training, volunteering for a secret mission and meeting Colonel Doolittle, being assigned as Doolittle's co-pilot, mission training, various B-25 missions against Japanese targets in China and Burma, flying supplies over "The Hump." transferring to the states and volunteering for service in Burma with the 1st Air Commandos to support Wingate's Chindits and Merrill's Marauders, and reunions of Doolittle's Raiders the following war.

Physical Description

67 p. ; 28 cm.

Creation Information

Alexander, William J. & Cole, Richard E. August 8, 2001.

Context

This book is part of the collection entitled: UNT Oral Histories and was provided by the UNT Oral History Program to the UNT Digital Library, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. It has been viewed 287 times, with 11 in the last month. More information about this book can be viewed below.

Who

People and organizations associated with either the creation of this book or its content.

Interviewer

Interviewee

Originator

Publisher

Named Person

Person who is significant in some way to the content of this book. Additional names may appear in Subjects below.

Audiences

We've identified this book as a primary source within our collections. Researchers, educators, and students may find this book useful in their work.

Provided By

UNT Oral History Program

Affiliated with the UNT Department of History, the Oral History Program records, transcribes, and archives oral history interviews in order to preserve local, state, and U.S. history. The program also trains UNT students in the theory and methods of oral history, conducts workshops for community members, and maintains partnerships with related institutions and organizations.

About | Browse this Partner

Contact Us

Corrections Questions

What

Descriptive information to help identify this book. Follow the links below to find similar items on the Digital Library.

Titles

Description

Interview with Army Air Forces veteran Richard E. Cole describing personal experiences about being Jimmy Doolittle's co-pilot during the Tokyo Raid on April 8, 1942, pre-war education, flight training, volunteering for a secret mission and meeting Colonel Doolittle, being assigned as Doolittle's co-pilot, mission training, various B-25 missions against Japanese targets in China and Burma, flying supplies over "The Hump." transferring to the states and volunteering for service in Burma with the 1st Air Commandos to support Wingate's Chindits and Merrill's Marauders, and reunions of Doolittle's Raiders the following war.

Physical Description

67 p. ; 28 cm.

Notes

Summary: Interview with Robert E. Cole, an Army Air Forces veteran (Doolittle's Raiders), concerning his experiences as Jimmie Doolittle's co-pilot during the Tokyo Raid of April 18, 1942. Pre-war education and job experiences; enrollment in the Civilian Pilot Training Program, 1939; enlistment in the Aviation Cadets Program, 1940; brief descriptions of primary, basic, and advanced flight training, 1940-41; B-25 bomber transition training with the 17th Bomb Group, Pendleton, Oregon, 1941; transfer to Columbia, South Carolina, February 14, 1942; his decision to volunteer for a secret mission, March 1, 1942; his initial meeting with Colonel Doolittle; his assignment as Doolittle's co-pilot; mission training at Eglin Field, Florida; training in short field takeoffs of 450 feet; flight from Eglin to Alameda, California, and transfer of the sixteen B-25s to the carrier USS Hornet; the sailing of Task Force 16 en route to Japanese territorial waters; the takeoff at 0820 hours on April 18, 1942; the flight to Tokyo and the bombing; the flight from Tokyo to the Chinese coast; bailing out at 9,000 feet due to the plane running out of fuel at 2020 hours; his contact with Chinese Nationalist troops and being reunited with the rest of his crew, April 19; their subsequent meeting with Lieutenant John Birch and the trek to Chungking; transfer to Kunming and assignment to the 11th Bomb Squadron; various B-25 missions against Japanese targets in China and Burma, 1942; flying supplies over "The Hump," July, 1942-June, 1943; transfer to the States, June, 1943; his volunteering for service in Burma with the 1st Air Commandos to support Wingate's Chindits and Merrill's Marauders, October, 1943-July, 1944; reassignment to Tulsa, Oklahoma, as an acceptance test pilot for Douglas Aircraft until 1945; reunions of Doolittle's Raiders following the war.

Language

Item Type

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this book in the Digital Library or other systems.

Collections

This book is part of the following collections of related materials.

UNT Oral Histories

The UNT Oral History Collection in the UNT Digital Library contains a selection of oral history transcripts covering World War II, politics, community activism, desegregation, recollections of life in Texas, and more. Access to some of these items is restricted to the UNT community.

About | Browse this Collection

Texas Oral History Collection

The Texas Oral History Collection is a group of oral history interviews from a variety of people discussing their lives in Texas.

About | Browse this Collection

World War Two Collection

These materials focus on World War II and the immediate postwar period of the late 1940s. In addition to materials created during the time period, materials may include modern studies and commemorative works about the era.

About | Browse this Collection

What responsibilities do I have when using this book?

Digital Files

When

Dates and time periods associated with this book.

Creation Date

  • August 8, 2001

Covered Time Period

Coverage Date

Added to The UNT Digital Library

  • July 15, 2014, 5:33 a.m.

Description Last Updated

  • May 2, 2025, 8:14 p.m.

Usage Statistics

When was this book last used?

Yesterday: 0
Past 30 days: 11
Total Uses: 287
More Statistics

Where

Geographical information about where this book originated or about its content.

Place Name

Publication Place

Map Information

  • map marker Place Name coordinates. (May be approximate.)
  • Repositioning map may be required for optimal printing.

Mapped Locations

Interact With This Book

Here are some suggestions for what to do next.

Start Reading

Thumbnail image of item number 1 in: 'Oral History Interview with Richard E. Cole, August 8, 2000'.
Thumbnail image of item number 2 in: 'Oral History Interview with Richard E. Cole, August 8, 2000'.
Thumbnail image of item number 3 in: 'Oral History Interview with Richard E. Cole, August 8, 2000'.
Thumbnail image of item number 4 in: 'Oral History Interview with Richard E. Cole, August 8, 2000'.

PDF Version Also Available for Download.

Citations, Rights, Re-Use

International Image Interoperability Framework

IIF Logo

We support the IIIF Presentation API

Links for Robots

Helpful links in machine-readable formats.

Archival Resource Key (ARK)

International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF)

Metadata Formats

Images

URLs

Stats

Alexander, William J. & Cole, Richard E. Oral History Interview with Richard E. Cole, August 8, 2000, book, August 8, 2001; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc306966/: accessed March 9, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Oral History Program.

Back to Top of Screen