The items in this group relate primarily to two participants in the Tokyo Raid, with additional material related to a third; Master Sergeant Adam Ray Williams (engineer/gunner on plane #13), Master Sergeant Paul Leonard (engineer/gunner on Doolittle's own plane #1) and Sergeant Laurell Julius (standby engineer/gunner for the raid, and second husband of Sgt. Leonard's widow). Sergeant Leonard's participation in the raid merits particular note, as one of the men riding along with then-Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle for the unprecedented carrier-launched medium bomber "shuttle raid" retaliatory strike on the Japanese Home Islands early in the Pacific War. In terms of physical results, the impact of the raid was minor; some light damage was done by the bombs, and the flight failed in it's secondary objective to put a flight of bombers in the hands of General Chenault and his Flying Tigers. In psychological terms, it had quite disproportionate weight on both sides of the conflict; America finally had a win in a period where Japan was at the height of it's naval prowess, and the Japanese could no longer assume the home islands were safe from the fray. In a strategic sense, it led to a rearrangement of Japanese assets to increase protection in the back lines, as well as led to an increased effort to seek and destroy America's carrier assets, which in turn contributed to the decisive action at Midway. Of course, all this is known in hindsight; in the immediate aftermath, Doolittle was stranded in China with his plane smashed to bits, his men scattered, and little to show for it, sincerely worried that he was going to get court martialed. Reportedly, it was Leonard who tried to lift his spirits in the aftermath, predicting that they were going to make Doolittle a general. They did; before even leaving China, Doolittle had been bumped two ranks to Brigadier General. After making it back to the States Leonard did some War Bond work before returning to action, and would be killed in action in Algeria in 1943. Leonard's collection includes a number of photographs taken during and after the Raid (some taken by Leonard himself), including shots taken on the packed carrier deck, aerial shots, and a number taken after the bail-out in China, including shots of the Raiders with Chinese civilians and military personnel. Also included are scans of correspondence to Leonard's wife regarding her husbands awards and status, pictures of a cased display of Leonard's blood chit and other uniform items (case and items not included), his posthumous Purple Heart, and scans of documents relating to assorted promotions and commendations. Also included in the same binder are scans and records related to the aforementioned Sergeant Julius as well as post-war correspondence between General Doolittle and Leonard's widow. The items related to Sergeant Williams include a cased display of medals and memorabilia, including post-war Doolittle Raiders ID cards and badges, his membership card to the Caterpillar Club (the listed jump date corresponding to his bail-out during the Raid), and decorations including the Distinguished Flying Cross (numbered "1046" on the bottom edge), Purple Heart ("75275" on bottom edge), a Nationalist Chinese valor medal ("3065" on back), the British Distinguished Flying Medal (engraved "6969211 T/SGT A.R. WILLIAMS" on edge), and others. William's certificate for the DFC is included, along with a Chinese award certificate, wartime correspondence between General Doolittle and his wife, post-war portraits of Doolittle signed by Doolittle and several other surviving Raiders, post-war articles discussing the raid (including interviews with Williams), and a 33 1/3 RPM record from the 1961 Raider Reunion featuring the song "A Ballad of 80 Brave Men", prepared for the occasion. A large number of documents related to post-WWII Raider activities, including reunions and funeral announcements, are also included, many addressed directly to Williams or to his widow, Mary Williams, going as late as the 2000s. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection

Very fine overall. The paper items show wear and foxing appropriate to age. Leonard's photo archive and Williams' medals are both in fine order. A rare and historic collection of artifacts from one of the most famous actions in the history of aerial warfare.