Rural Life and History The two South Dakota men who survived the Doolittle Raid | Dakota Life SDPB | By SDPB Staff Published April 16, 2024 at 3:00 PM CDT Twitter LinkedIn Email The Doolittle Raid was an air raid on April 18th, 1942 by the United States on Japan during World War II. Two South Dakotans, Henry Potter, and Donald Smith, took part.