# Retribution for the Doolittle Raid

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retribution-for-the-doolittle-raid/499469>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 11, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retribution-for-the-doolittle-raid/499469 "2009-06-11T18:11:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 16

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**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retribution-for-the-doolittle-raid/499469/16 "2009-06-15T03:25:24Z")

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> [@Baal\_Houtham](#):
>
> However, the Wikipedia [article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doolittle_Raid#cite_note-27) claims that the Japanese killed an estimated 250,000 Chinese **while searching for** Doolittle’s men. The source is that is **Doolittle’s Tokyo Raiders** , by C.V. Glines (1998).
> 
> …
> 
> Is the claim for a quarter-million Chinese being killed during the search for Doolittle’s men well documented?

What the PBS site actually says is:

> [@](#):
>
> The Japanese would eventually execute 250,000 Chinese **for helping the American fliers escape**.

which is not quite the same thing. Also the wiki article on that [Japanese operation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhejiang-Jiangxi_Campaign) notes that number was a Chinese estimate, and that the operation had a secondary purpose of denying access to the area to the Allies for the building of airbases.

So without having a counter-cite, I’d say it’s very likely the Chinese estimate is unrealistically high, and what deaths there were, while doubtless large numbers, were not all due to the search for the Doolittle fliers per se.

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