[Video/Tide News]

Five representatives of the Children of the Doolittle Raiders arrived in Quzhou, Zhejiang province, on Oct 13, to visit sites connected with the Doolittle Raid of 1942, which witnessed the history of Chinese people rescuing United States airmen in East China following the raid.

In Wangcun village, Kecheng district, the group visited a former air-raid shelter at the No 13 air force station, where a number of Doolittle Raiders stayed decades ago after making their way to Quzhou.

The group also visited the former office of the station chief and a memorial marker at the former burial site of Leland D. Faktor, a flight engineer and gunner who took part in the raid.

They later toured the Memorial Hall to the Doolittle Raid in Quzhou and met members of the Quzhou Doolittle Raid Historical Research Association.

"Standing in the exact place where my grandfather stayed was very special," said Christine Johnson, granddaughter of John Hilger, pilot of Crew No 14.

On April 18, 1942, 16 B-25 bombers led by US Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle took off from the USS Hornet and carried out a bombing mission over Japan after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. 

After completing the mission, some crew members bailed out or made emergency landings in parts of China, including Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Fujian provinces, after running out of fuel.

Local residents risked their lives to search for and shelter the airmen, providing them with food and assistance despite the threat of Japanese retaliation. A total of 64 US crew members were rescued, becoming part of a notable wartime rescue effort.