Initially the Marauder was one of the candidates for the Doolittle raid but was rejected due to
"questionable takeoff characteristics from a carrier deck" which begs the question, did they try a few tests?
Possible aircraft candidate:
Requirements for the aircraft for a cruising range of 2,400 nautical miles(4,400 km) with a 2,000-pound(910 kg) bomb load resulted in the selection of the B-25B Mitchell to carry out the mission.The Martin B-26 Marauder,Douglas B-23 Dragon and Douglas B-18 Bolo were also considered.However,the B-26 had questionable takeoff characteristics from a carrier deck,the B-23's wingspan was nearly 50% greater than the B-25's,reducing the number that could be taken aboard a carrier and posing risks to the ship's superstructure and the B-18,one of the final two types considered by Doolittle, was rejected for the same reason.Although,the B-25 had yet to be tested in combat,subsequent tests with B-25s indicated they could fulfill the mission's requirements.