Following the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, American morale was at its lowest point. President Franklin D. Roosevelt sought a way to strike back at the heart of the Japanese Empire to prove it was not invulnerable. The mission had two primary goals:
To bolster sagging American morale and deal a blow to Japanese confidence. Tokyo Raiders
The raid was planned and led by . Because standard Navy bombers could not reach Japan from carriers without being intercepted, the plan utilized 16 B-25B Mitchell medium bombers . Following the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor