The Raider’s carrier task force (TF-16) was spotted by Japanese vessels well before they arrived at the intended departure point so the Raiders were forced to launch from the carrier Hornet earlier than planned. Fuel calculations now fell short of the planned amount needed for their destination, Chuchow, China. Their arrival in China would be at night, rather than during daylight as originally planned. Fortunately, sailors on the Hornet filled ten, five-gallon gas cans and passed them hand-to-hand to each aircraft, providing the fuel that made the difference between pitching at sea and coming down over land. In this scene, General Doolittle and his crew in aircraft 02344 break into a momentary area of clear sky. The last rays of sunlight bring only slight hope that they will survive their ordeal, as their fuel levels continue to fall and the hour of landfall is uncertain.

"Fuel State Critical — Outcome in Doubt" is counter-signed by four of the Doolittle Raiders. The signing of the print took place at their April 2010 reunion in Dayton, OH. They include the Crew 1 co-pilot of Doolittle’s plane (the B-25 depicted here), Colonel Richard E. Cole, Lt. Colonel Robert L. Hite of Crew 16, Major Thomas Carson Griffin of Crew 9 and Staff Sergeant David J. Thatcher of Crew 7.