This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SSgt Robert Bruce McClelland, Jr.
to remember
Bither, Waldo James, Sr., Maj USAF(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Houlton, Maine
Last Address Fort Worth, Texas
Date of Passing Feb 25, 1988
Location of Interment Greenwood Memorial Park and Mausoleum - Ft Worth, Texas
He was the bombardier in crew #12 on the Doolittle Raid. After the raid he was commissioned and went on to serve as a maintenance officer in the USAAF and USAF at bases in the US, Europe, and Japan until he retired Jan 31, 1954.
His DFC citation: Awarded for actions during World War II
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Sergeant Waldo J. Bither (ASN: 6101457), United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary achievement as Bombardier of a B-25 Bomber of the 1st Special Aviation Project (Doolittle Raider Force), while participating in a highly destructive raid on the Japanese mainland on 18 April 1942. Sergeant Bither with 79 other officers and enlisted men volunteered for this mission knowing full well that the chances of survival were extremely remote, and executed his part in it with great skill and daring. This achievement reflects high credit on himself and the military service. Action Date: April 18, 1942
Division: Doolittle Tokyo Raider Force Crew #12 (Plane #40-2278, "Fickle Finger of Fate", target Yokohama): 37th Bomb Sq. L-R: Lt. William R. Pound Jr., navigator; Lt. William M. Bower, pilot; SSgt. Omer A. Duquette, flight engineer/gunner; Lt. Thadd H. Blanton, copilot; TSgt. Waldo J. Bither, bombardier. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Aircraft/Missile Information
Specifications (B-18A)
General characteristics
* Crew: 6 * Length: 57 ft 10 in (17.6 m) * Wingspan: 89 ft 6 in (27.3 m) * Height: 15 ft 2 in (4.6 m) * Wing area: 959 ft² (89.1 m²) * Empty weight: 16,321 lb (7,400 kg) * Loaded weight: 22,123 lb (10,030 kg) * Max takeoff weight: 27,500 lb (12,600 kg) * Powerplant: 2× Wright R-1820-53 radial engines, 1,000 hp (750 kW) each
Performance
* Maximum speed: 215 mph (197 knots, 346 km/h) * Combat range: 999 nm (1,150 mi, 1,850 km)) * Ferry range: 1,800 nm (2,100 mi, 3,400 km) * Service ceiling 23,900 ft (7,280 m) * Rate of climb: 1,030 ft/min (5.2 m/s) * Wing loading: 23.1 lb/ft² (113 kg/m²) * Power/mass: 0.09 hp/lb (150 W/kg)
Armament
* Guns: 3× .30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns * Bombs: 4,500 lb (2,200 kg)