The First Heroes

18 April 1942. Sixteen planes take off from a US Navy carrier in the mid-Pacific. A squadron of young, barely trained flyers under a famous daredevil, Jimmy Doolittle, they are America's first retaliation towards Japan since Pearl Harbor. Their to bomb Japan's 's five main cities including Tokyo. Critically compromised by the discovery of the US fleet by Japanese spies, they are not expected to come back. Having successfully delivered their bombs, most of the squadron run out of fuel and are forced to crash land in Japan, China and the Soviet Union. The stories of their journeys home are as heroic as that of the raid itself. Incredibly of the 80 flyers who left the USS ... 90% eventually returned alive to the US. The First Heroes tells the extraordinary story of the daring raid and shows for the first time the real story of what was to be the turning point in the war against Japan.

Advance praise for Craig Nelson's THE FIRST HEROES:

"The Doolittle Raid was Franklin Roosevelt's answer to Pearl Harbor. The gutsy mission shocked the Japanese, electrified America, and determined the shape and tenor of the entire Pacific War. If you want to read one book to understand how a humbled America rose to defeat mighty Japan, you hold that book in your hands. Read about the original 'Mission Impossible' of World War II. Read about the boys who flew off into history, believing they would never come back. Read about the boys who were the first heroes." (James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers)

"The First Heroes is epic in sweep. The story of the Doolittle Raid lifts off the page, as rich and engrossing as any legend, and Craig Nelson proceeds to bring to vivid life the dramatic story behind the story. This is an astonishing feat - the hours breathe with even the tiniest gesture of young men desperately fighting to stay alive, against the panorama of modern war and a turbulent century in the making. Nelson is an amazing storyteller." (Doug Stanton, author of In Harm's Way)

"In this passionate and intimate history, Craig Nelson reminds us that America's first response to Pearl Harbor was neither tepid nor undramatic, but rather one of warfare's boldest chapters of righteous revenge." (Hampton Sides, author of Ghost Soldiers)

"I vividly remember as a boy, in the demoralizing months following Pearl Harbor, the disbelief and elation that greeted news that American bombers had actually struck Tokyo! Now Craig Nelson has given us every detail, every secret, every story behind this raid, which first taught an insecure nation that we could hit this enemy and, in time, defeat him." (Joseph E. Persico, author of Roosevelt's Secret War)

"Craig Nelson has produced a book that is, quite simply, unforgettable. The First Heroes lives and moves with staggering power and vitality. I never wanted it to end." (Leon Bing, author of Do or Die)

"The First Heroes is the best kind of history: important, thoughtful, and wonderfully gripping. Craig Nelson has done a splendid job of making America's first victory in World War II seem so vital, so relevant, that reading it feels like living it." (Susan Isaacs, author of Long Time No See and Compromising Positions)