| Ted W. Lawson | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 7, 1917 Alameda, California |
| Died | January 19, 1992 (aged 74) Chico, California |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army Air Forces |
| Years of service | 1940–1945 |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | participated in Doolittle's Tokyo raid, 1942 World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross Purple Heart Chinese Army, Navy, and Air Corps Medal, Class A, 1st Grade |
| Other work | Author |
Major Ted W. Lawson (March 7, 1917 – January 19, 1992) was an American officer in the United States Army Air Forces, who is known as the author of Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, a memoir of his participation in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in 1942. The book was subsequently adapted into a film of the same name starring Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson and Robert Mitchum.
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Lawson was born in Alameda, California and attended Los Angeles City College. He joined the Army Air Corps in March 1940 while employed by Douglas Aircraft Company and received his pilot's wings and 2nd Lt. commission on 15 November 1940.[1]
In early 1942, Lawson, already a veteran B-25 pilot, was accepted as a volunteer for the mission led by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle to bomb Tokyo with 16 carrier-launched B-25 Mitchell bombers - the first air raid on mainland Japan during World War II following the Pearl Harbour attack. The aircraft that he flew on the raid was nicknamed "The Ruptured Duck." After launching the mission 170 miles (275 km) further out than planned, all of the aircraft ran out of fuel short of their intended destination in non-Japanese occupied China. Lawson and his crew were forced to ditch "The Ruptured Duck" off the coast of the small island of Nantien. Lawson and his co-pilot were both thrown clear of the B-25, with Lawson suffering a lacerated left leg in the process. After he was transported throughout several provinces in China, Lawson's leg was surgically amputated. The nose-art of the crashed bomber, "The Ruptured Duck", was later salvaged by the Japanese and put on display in Tokyo.
In January 1943, Lawson and well-known newspaper columnist Bob Considine decided to write a book about the mission, entitled Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo. In four nights and two days in the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, the entire story was worked out. Through friends in the Los Angeles area, Ted made contact with MGM producer Sam Zimbalist, and the movie was launched in 1944. The film starred Van Johnson as Lawson, alongside Spencer Tracy and Robert Mitchum. It won an Academy Award for Best Special Effects.[2]
After leaving the hospital, Lawson served as Liaison Officer, U.S. Air Mission, Santiago, Chile from May 1943 until April 1944. He was retired for physical disability on February 2, 1945. His decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, and the Chinese Army, Navy, and Air Corps Medal, Class A, 1st Grade.
Lawson owned and operated a machine shop in Southern California, as well as working for Reynolds Metals as a liaison between the company and the military. He died in his home in Chico, California on January 19, 1992 and was interred at the Chico Cemetery Mausoleum.
Lawson Army Airfield at Fort Benning, Georgia is partially named for Ted W. Lawson. It was originally named only for Walter R. Lawson (no relation to Ted), an Army Air Corps flyer who earned the Distinguished Service Cross in World War I. Several years later, after the Doolittle Raid in World War II, Ted W. Lawson's name was added to the memorial at the field.[3][4]
In 2003, Brassey's reprinted Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo with more photos and an introduction from Lawson's widow, Ellen.[5]