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<b>NARRATOR</b>: In 1943 America
launches a bold new strategy...

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... that promises victory...

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... but delivers the unexpected.

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<b>CPL. ROUSH</b>: There was no
battle before, no battle since,

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like Tarawa.

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<b>NARRATOR</b>: Ferocious conflicts
will shape the course of the war

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sparking new innovations

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and breaking new barriers.

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With color combat footage...

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... and rare film
from behind-the-lines...

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hear the voices...
and feel the fight.

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<b>COL. DONOVAN</b>: It looked
like you're headed for hell.

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Because you were.

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♫  Theme Music Playing  ♫

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Brought to you by <b>Sailor420</b>
!!! Hope you enjoy the film !!!

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<i>♫  ♫</i>

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<b>NARRATOR</b>: November 1943.

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A full-scale invasion force
cuts through the open sea.

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One hundred ships. 35,000 men.

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They're the tip of
the spear in America's

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first large-scale amphibious
assault of the Pacific War.

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Confidence rides high.

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The size of the
fleet dwarfs the target --

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Tarawa, a whisper-thin atoll

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with an airfield
tucked in the corner.

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This island is half the size
of New York's Central Park.

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The commanding
officers lay out their prize.

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The airbase is one of
Japan's most important,

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and the Americans must secure
it to advance in the Pacific.

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All have been trained...
but few have been tested.

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Marine combat cameraman
Norm Hatch is among them.

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He's carrying three
cameras and 5,000 feet of film.

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He's confident about the battle.

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<b>SGT. HATCH</b>: We packed shovels
along with us, but we figured

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we didn't have to dig any
foxholes, only Jap graves.

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<b>NARRATOR</b>: Hatch films the long
days leading up to the invasion.

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Marines assemble ammunition...

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... test-fire
weapons into the sea.

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(gunfire)

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Exercise relieves the tension.

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On the eve of the invasion,

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Father Frank Kelly
helps calm the nerves.

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He's a familiar face to those
who fought on Guadalcanal.

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But for the rest, it's
their first taste of war.

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It will be an
unforgettable baptism.

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<i>♫  ♫</i>

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Before dawn, the Marines
pour into the landing craft.

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As daylight breaks, the ships
open fire above their heads

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to soften defenses.

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They pound the tiny
island for four solid hours.

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Johnnie Singleton
recalls the destruction:

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<b>JOHNNIE</b>: We thought that after
all our bombarding and attacking

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there would be
nothing left on the island.

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<b>NARRATOR</b>: Then,
Navy planes take over.

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In all,
Americans rip into Tarawa

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with over four
million tons of steel.

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<font color="
promised that they would have

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all the Japs killed by
the time we got there.

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So we really
weren't all that worried.

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<b>NARRATOR</b>: The plan
is to land the Marines

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on the island's northern beaches

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and move towards the key target
-- the airstrip at the center.

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Sheltered in the landing
craft, the men are confident.

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They're using amphibious
tractors called Amtraks

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for the first time.

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Americans hope they can plow
through the Japanese defenses.

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As troops approach, the
Navy ships silence their guns.

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The island looks lifeless.

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(radio static)

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Suddenly, incoming
fire grazes the invaders.

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Marines feel relatively
safe huddled in their boats.

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But the pounding intensifies.

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(cannon fire)

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Then, unexpectedly,
the boats grind to a halt.

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<b>SGT. BROWN</b>: They anticipated
the tide was going to be in.

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It didn't turn out that way.

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The boats ran into a
reef about 500 yards out.

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<b>SGT. HATCH</b>: The Japs
began to get in our range

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and the range of the Amtraks.

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<b>SGT. ARTHUR</b>: The
water was a real low.

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We were just sitting out
there being slaughtered.

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<b>NARRATOR</b>: Naval
planners misjudged the tide.

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They expect five feet
of water over the reef --

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but there's only three.

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The Amtraks are stranded.

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(artillery fire)

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Machine-gun fire intensifies
and mortars rain down.

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The men are sitting ducks.

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They have one
choice: abandon ship --

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or be blown out of the water.

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Norm Hatch is
watching the invasion

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unravel right in front of him.

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<b>SGT. HATCH</b>:
Everybody had to go over

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with 80 pounds of gear
and drop in the water.

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The Marines are
forced to wade 700 yards

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under Japanese mortar
and machine-gun fire.

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They are being
mowed down in rows.

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<b>PTE. PASE</b>: We could see
the machine gun bullets

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hitting the
water like raindrops.

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We'd see a man disappear.

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Then, another
man would disappear.

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<b>NARRATOR</b>: Hatch carries
his hand-cranked 35mm camera

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and wades in right
beside machine gunners.

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They fight their way
onto the crowded beach.

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Men are pinned down in waves.

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<font color="
into a hornet's nest.

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<b>CPL. ROUSH</b>: It was brutal...
up front and personal.

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Eyeball to eyeball.

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<b>NARRATOR</b>: Some units have
already lost half of their men.

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What began as a smooth operation
is quickly going awry.

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Japanese footage
reveals the unnerving truth.

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Tarawa is a heavily
defended killing field,

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with 5,000
soldiers ready to fight.

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Hundreds of pillboxes, gun
nests, minefields, and bunkers

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dot the island -- all
surrounded by a huge seawall

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made of coral and coconut logs.

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The Marines that have
finally made it onto the beach

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are now trapped
against the massive wall.

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The Amtraks were
supposed to help the Marines

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breach these defenses.

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But many remain stuck on the
reef hundreds of yards offshore.

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Those that make the beach
are often too shot up to work.

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The few that do work are
unable to clear the wall.

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<font color="
using old alligator tractors,

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the first ones built.

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They were like a big tin can...

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My tractor reared up on the sea
wall, and most men fell out.

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(cannon fire)

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<b>NARRATOR</b>: The
Navy opens fire again,

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hoping to cover
the incoming troops.

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But things are
going from bad to worse.

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Marines can no
longer coordinate attacks.

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<font color="
lot of things went wrong.

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The radios got
salt water in them,

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so we didn't
have communications.

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<i>♫  ♫</i>

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<b>NARRATOR</b>: Just a few
hours into the invasion,

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hundreds of
bodies cover the beach.

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Tanks can't even
get around them.

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Americans thought they
were prepared for Tarawa.

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How did it come to this?

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Before Tarawa,
the Allies had begun

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to roll back the
Japanese in the Pacific.

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In June and July 1943

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Americans invade the remote
Aleutian Islands near Alaska.

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In a few short weeks they
reclaim these barren cold lands

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from Japan and regain
control of the North Pacific.

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In the far flung islands
of the Southwest Pacific,

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General MacArthur
is inching forward,

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targeting
strongholds through New Guinea,

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New Britain,

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and the Solomons.

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From here,
MacArthur envisions a path

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to liberate the Philippines

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and eventually
invade Japan itself.

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But Admiral Nimitz proposes
another route to Japan --

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far bolder and demanding an
entirely new form of warfare:

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island-hopping.

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Northeast of
MacArthur's theater --

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starting with
Tarawa in the Gilberts --

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tiny islands become
stepping stones to leap-frog

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through the open waters of the
Central Pacific -- to Japan.

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Led by Nimitz, the
troops set off for Tarawa,

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confident they have
enough men and machines

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to easily
overrun the tiny atoll.

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But what should
have been a cakewalk

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is turning into the
bloodiest American landing

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of the Pacific War.

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(artillery fire)

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<b>NARRATOR</b>: While troops on Tarawa
experience hell on earth,

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a smaller unit is sent to invade

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the neighboring island of Makin.

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Lucky for them
it's a different world.

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The Americans outnumber
the defenders two to one,

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and the Japanese
have few heavy weapons.

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They quickly secure a
large chunk of the island,

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meeting occasional
pockets of resistance.

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But back on Tarawa
it's a different story.

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For those who have survived this
far, luck may be running out.

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They can't move.

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They are pinned
down by enemy fire,

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and the reinforcements
are having trouble

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making it to the landing zones.

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During the night the
Japanese have swum out

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to wrecked amphibians
and set up machine guns.

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Now Americans turn
their guns back out to sea

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to pick off their own
hijacked landing craft.

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On the beach, the
Japanese continue to hurl

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massive firepower
from dug-in defenses.

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<b>CPL. ROUSH</b>: The Japanese were
mostly underground all the time.

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Then you'd go by, and
they'd come out and fire at you

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as you were passing by.

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You can't imagine it...

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It was unrealistic.

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<b>NARRATOR</b>: So far 1,500 Americans
are dead, missing or wounded.

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<b>CPL. ROUSH</b>: The
medics were overwhelmed.

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There were so many guys
that were in such bad shape

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that many of them were marked
dead and they were still alive.

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<b>NARRATOR</b>: Fresh
Marine reinforcements

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finally begin to arrive.

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They have a tiny
toe-hold on the island

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and command pockets
of the northern beaches.

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As the day winds on they
link up scattered Marine units,

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00:13:41,363 --> 00:13:43,766
take the airfield in
the center of the island,

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and try to push across Tarawa.

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00:13:49,638 --> 00:13:52,775
<i>♫  ♫</i>

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00:13:52,775 --> 00:13:56,512
The Marines call in
Sherman tanks to help,

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00:13:56,512 --> 00:13:59,715
the first to see
action in the Pacific.

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00:13:59,715 --> 00:14:02,818
But visibility
from inside is poor.

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00:14:02,818 --> 00:14:05,421
The relatively light 37mm guns

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00:14:05,421 --> 00:14:10,459
are powerless against the
strong Japanese fortifications.

212
00:14:10,459 --> 00:14:12,695
And tank radios have
different frequencies

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00:14:12,695 --> 00:14:16,465
than infantry radios.

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00:14:16,465 --> 00:14:18,601
The Shermans are worthless.

215
00:14:18,601 --> 00:14:25,107
Of the 14 used in the
battle, only two survive.

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00:14:25,107 --> 00:14:26,842
By the end of D 1,

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00:14:26,842 --> 00:14:30,746
Marines have split the
island's defenses in half.

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00:14:30,746 --> 00:14:32,414
They've crossed the airstrip

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00:14:32,414 --> 00:14:36,619
and occupy abandoned defensive
works on the south side.

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00:14:36,619 --> 00:14:38,554
<b>CPL. ROUSH</b>: We just charged
right across the island,

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00:14:38,554 --> 00:14:39,622
shooting anything,

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00:14:39,622 --> 00:14:43,826
trying to blow up every
bunker that we went by.

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00:14:43,826 --> 00:14:46,695
<b>NARRATOR</b>: But capturing
Tarawa will take a lot more

224
00:14:46,695 --> 00:14:49,431
than just running over it.

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00:14:49,431 --> 00:14:54,370
<b>SGT. HATCH</b>: This wasn't going
to be any 24-hour operation.

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00:14:54,370 --> 00:14:56,172
There were plenty
of Japs on the island,

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00:14:56,172 --> 00:15:02,111
and they had
decided to die there.

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00:15:02,111 --> 00:15:06,515
<font color="

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00:15:06,515 --> 00:15:09,485
<b>NARRATOR</b>: The Marines
still face an awesome task:

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00:15:09,485 --> 00:15:12,321
They must advance
east across the island,

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00:15:12,321 --> 00:15:16,559
removing each pillbox
and foxhole along the way.

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00:15:16,559 --> 00:15:24,233
It's a dirty and dangerous job.

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00:15:24,233 --> 00:15:29,638
Marines use hand grenades and
fire to blast out the enemy.

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00:15:29,638 --> 00:15:31,574
<b>CAPT. KERR</b>: They would use
flamethrowers and shoot them

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00:15:31,574 --> 00:15:35,144
in through the
openings into the bunker.

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00:15:35,144 --> 00:15:36,879
The flames really
didn't burn people up.

237
00:15:36,879 --> 00:15:38,848
Guys would either
suffocate or run out

238
00:15:38,848 --> 00:15:41,817
because you had
sucked up all the oxygen.

239
00:15:41,817 --> 00:15:46,789
(artillery fire)

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00:15:46,789 --> 00:15:51,360
<b>NARRATOR</b>: The battles
are ferocious and intense.

241
00:15:51,360 --> 00:15:57,132
<i>♫  ♫</i>

242
00:15:57,132 --> 00:15:59,768
Rarely do
Americans see their enemy.

243
00:15:59,768 --> 00:16:04,273
But Norm Hatch
captures one epic moment.

244
00:16:04,273 --> 00:16:05,741
<b>SGT. HATCH</b>: I heard
one of the Marines yell,

245
00:16:05,741 --> 00:16:16,085
"Here come the Japs," so
I just swiveled my body...

246
00:16:16,085 --> 00:16:18,254
That's the only time to the
best of my knowledge in the

247
00:16:18,254 --> 00:16:27,162
Pacific War that the enemy
is in the same frame as us.

248
00:16:27,162 --> 00:16:29,331
<b>NARRATOR</b>: As D 2 grinds on,

249
00:16:29,331 --> 00:16:34,336
the Marines mop up remaining
Japanese positions, one by one.

250
00:16:34,336 --> 00:16:37,506
The island looks blown to bits.

251
00:16:37,506 --> 00:16:42,478
It's like advancing
through a wasteland.

252
00:16:42,478 --> 00:16:45,347
Snipers are everywhere.

253
00:16:45,347 --> 00:16:47,149
They tie themselves in the trees

254
00:16:47,149 --> 00:16:49,485
and take potshots
at the Americans.

255
00:16:49,485 --> 00:16:59,595
(sounds of combat)

256
00:16:59,595 --> 00:17:04,600
The battle for Tarawa is
now a war of extermination.

257
00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:08,537
The men on land are
not the only victims.

258
00:17:08,537 --> 00:17:11,173
A Japanese
submarine scores a direct hit

259
00:17:11,173 --> 00:17:16,845
on the <i> USS Liscome Bay</i> .

260
00:17:16,845 --> 00:17:28,357
She sinks in 23 minutes,
and loses 687 of her men.

261
00:17:28,357 --> 00:17:30,359
Truman Gill sees the tragedy

262
00:17:30,359 --> 00:17:33,462
from the <i> USS Mississippi</i> .

263
00:17:33,462 --> 00:17:35,297
<b>CPL. GILL</b>: I jumped up
and saw an aircraft carrier

264
00:17:35,297 --> 00:17:38,300
that had been hit
by a big torpedo...

265
00:17:38,300 --> 00:17:40,469
all the ammunition exploded.

266
00:17:40,469 --> 00:17:46,208
The men were instantly killed...

267
00:17:46,208 --> 00:17:48,610
<b>NARRATOR</b>: This strike
will count as more than 30%

268
00:17:48,610 --> 00:17:52,147
of the total loss of American
life during the Battle.

269
00:17:52,147 --> 00:17:57,319
(artillery fire)

270
00:17:57,319 --> 00:17:59,822
A few hours later
Allied ships and planes

271
00:17:59,822 --> 00:18:12,568
unload another massive
barrage onto the island.

272
00:18:12,568 --> 00:18:14,436
It appears to pay off.

273
00:18:14,436 --> 00:18:20,175
Only a few pockets
of resistance remain.

274
00:18:20,175 --> 00:18:23,112
But those pockets are fierce.

275
00:18:23,112 --> 00:18:25,180
Here, Marines use a flamethrower

276
00:18:25,180 --> 00:18:32,621
against a
stubborn enemy stronghold.

277
00:18:32,621 --> 00:18:35,657
Norm Hatch keeps
his camera rolling.

278
00:18:35,657 --> 00:18:48,470
(artillery fire)

279
00:18:48,470 --> 00:18:52,775
<b>SGT. HATCH</b>: There wasn't
any end. You just walked away.

280
00:18:52,775 --> 00:18:56,345
There wasn't
anybody left to fight.

281
00:19:00,182 --> 00:19:02,084
<b>NARRATOR</b>: After
three days of fighting,

282
00:19:02,084 --> 00:19:05,821
Americans finally
declare the island secure.

283
00:19:05,821 --> 00:19:15,597
<i>♫  ♫</i>

284
00:19:15,597 --> 00:19:18,801
The Japanese have
fought to the last man.

285
00:19:18,801 --> 00:19:25,441
Of their 5,000
soldiers, only 17 survive.

286
00:19:25,441 --> 00:19:32,147
Americans take few prisoners;
most are Korean laborers.

287
00:19:32,147 --> 00:19:34,116
To guard against
concealed weapons,

288
00:19:34,116 --> 00:19:38,754
they cut away their clothes.

289
00:19:38,754 --> 00:19:42,858
Japan once boasted it would take
a million men a hundred years

290
00:19:42,858 --> 00:19:45,327
to take Tarawa.

291
00:19:45,327 --> 00:19:57,239
America proved otherwise.
But at a shocking cost.

292
00:19:57,239 --> 00:20:01,143
<i>♫  ♫</i>

293
00:20:01,143 --> 00:20:03,178
<b>NARRATOR</b>: President
Roosevelt grants permission

294
00:20:03,178 --> 00:20:08,383
to release images of
the battle to the public.

295
00:20:08,383 --> 00:20:10,786
<b>FILM NARRATOR</b>: Each
hour is getting close.

296
00:20:10,786 --> 00:20:12,387
For three days
before we moved in,

297
00:20:12,387 --> 00:20:14,223
over 4 million
pounds of explosives

298
00:20:14,223 --> 00:20:16,391
have been dropped
down on the island.

299
00:20:16,391 --> 00:20:17,426
It didn't seem possible

300
00:20:17,426 --> 00:20:23,298
that anyone could live
through that bombardment.

301
00:20:23,298 --> 00:20:24,500
<b>NARRATOR</b>: The
film shows Americans

302
00:20:24,500 --> 00:20:30,606
the true ravages of
the war -- uncensored.

303
00:20:30,606 --> 00:20:35,911
<b>FILM NARRATOR</b>:
These are Marine dead.

304
00:20:35,911 --> 00:20:41,583
<i>♫  ♫</i>

305
00:20:41,583 --> 00:20:49,658
<font color="

306
00:20:49,658 --> 00:20:56,165
A tropical island has
become a putrid graveyard.

307
00:20:56,165 --> 00:21:01,570
Thousands of bodies lie
decaying in the scorching heat.

308
00:21:01,570 --> 00:21:04,306
It takes three
days of hard fighting,

309
00:21:04,306 --> 00:21:07,743
over 1,000 dead
and 2,000 wounded,

310
00:21:07,743 --> 00:21:13,715
to capture an island of
less than three square miles.

311
00:21:13,715 --> 00:21:15,350
<b>FILM NARRATOR</b>: This is
the price we have to pay

312
00:21:15,350 --> 00:21:17,686
for a war we didn't want.

313
00:21:17,686 --> 00:21:19,354
And before it's over
there'll be more dead

314
00:21:19,354 --> 00:21:25,227
on other battlefields.

315
00:21:25,227 --> 00:21:30,866
<font color="
film wins an Oscar.

316
00:21:30,866 --> 00:21:39,208
Tarawa leaves the public shaken,
and the military under fire.

317
00:21:39,208 --> 00:21:42,611
The newly secured airfields
prove highly valuable,

318
00:21:42,611 --> 00:21:45,480
but the cost was too great.

319
00:21:45,480 --> 00:21:49,351
Island hopping has
failed its first big test.

320
00:21:49,351 --> 00:22:01,163
For war planners, it's
back to the drawing board.

321
00:22:01,163 --> 00:22:05,601
They redesign the
plan, from top to bottom.

322
00:22:05,601 --> 00:22:09,771
(artillery fire)

323
00:22:09,771 --> 00:22:13,875
Troops train under live fire,

324
00:22:13,875 --> 00:22:17,579
learn how to use
upgraded weapons,

325
00:22:17,579 --> 00:22:25,254
and experiment
with new landing craft.

326
00:22:25,254 --> 00:22:28,857
The failures of Tarawa
also spark a new concept --

327
00:22:28,857 --> 00:22:31,760
Underwater Demolition Teams,

328
00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:35,464
a precursor to
the U.S. Navy SEALS.

329
00:22:35,464 --> 00:22:40,535
180 men join the
first training program.

330
00:22:40,535 --> 00:22:43,405
They practice underwater
reconnaissance and demolition

331
00:22:43,405 --> 00:22:50,646
to clear the path
for future assaults.

332
00:22:50,646 --> 00:22:54,316
Other ideas push
America to think big.

333
00:22:54,316 --> 00:22:58,287
The new Essex-class
carrier joins the force.

334
00:22:58,287 --> 00:23:00,155
It is faster, larger,

335
00:23:00,155 --> 00:23:03,258
and carries almost
100 fighter planes --

336
00:23:03,258 --> 00:23:13,368
enough to support a
distant island invasion.

337
00:23:13,368 --> 00:23:14,770
Equipped with better radar,

338
00:23:14,770 --> 00:23:17,639
it can detect enemy
planes farther away --

339
00:23:17,639 --> 00:23:22,844
giving it more confidence
in the wide open seas.

340
00:23:22,844 --> 00:23:24,780
<b>SN. JONES</b>: Finally it could
go deeper in enemy territory

341
00:23:24,780 --> 00:23:26,682
than any other carrier had been

342
00:23:26,682 --> 00:23:31,320
since the Japanese
had struck Pearl Harbor.

343
00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:32,721
<b>NARRATOR</b>: Another
type of carrier --

344
00:23:32,721 --> 00:23:34,289
the Independence class --

345
00:23:34,289 --> 00:23:35,857
also enters the scene.

346
00:23:35,857 --> 00:23:41,596
(artillery fire)

347
00:23:41,596 --> 00:23:43,799
It's actually a
converted cruiser --

348
00:23:43,799 --> 00:23:48,570
smaller, but
faster than the Essex.

349
00:23:48,570 --> 00:23:52,708
They operate in groups
to concentrate firepower.

350
00:23:52,708 --> 00:23:55,544
Nimitz and the Allies are
hoping these new flat-tops

351
00:23:55,544 --> 00:24:00,415
will be the key to
island-hopping's success.

352
00:24:00,415 --> 00:24:02,718
Both the Essex and
Independence carriers

353
00:24:02,718 --> 00:24:09,424
will launch a new
airplane -- The F6F Hellcat.

354
00:24:09,424 --> 00:24:13,328
They are specially modified to
deal with their prime adversary

355
00:24:13,328 --> 00:24:17,332
-- the Japanese Zero.

356
00:24:17,332 --> 00:24:19,434
It's 30 miles per hour faster,

357
00:24:19,434 --> 00:24:24,773
with better armor
and more firepower.

358
00:24:24,773 --> 00:24:27,876
But improvements
don't stop here.

359
00:24:27,876 --> 00:24:30,278
After their
testy start at Tarawa,

360
00:24:30,278 --> 00:24:34,316
Americans completely
overhaul the Amtraks.

361
00:24:34,316 --> 00:24:37,252
Sporting a new
design, they're faster.

362
00:24:37,252 --> 00:24:38,587
More protected.

363
00:24:38,587 --> 00:24:40,756
And deadlier.

364
00:24:40,756 --> 00:24:47,162
Some have howitzer rockets to
blast Japanese fortifications.

365
00:24:47,162 --> 00:24:51,433
They'll be stronger,
but harder to drive.

366
00:24:51,433 --> 00:24:54,569
<b>SGT. GRAY</b>: They started putting
armor plating on our tractors.

367
00:24:54,569 --> 00:24:57,539
They would just cut a little
slot for you to look out.

368
00:24:57,539 --> 00:25:04,179
You couldn't see much,
only straight ahead of you.

369
00:25:04,179 --> 00:25:07,349
<font color="
-- another Tarawa flop --

370
00:25:07,349 --> 00:25:10,819
also get an overhaul.

371
00:25:10,819 --> 00:25:15,190
They have better radios,
and a telephone on the outside

372
00:25:15,190 --> 00:25:19,361
so infantry can
talk to the crew inside.

373
00:25:19,361 --> 00:25:24,766
They have more
armor, and bigger guns.

374
00:25:24,766 --> 00:25:28,370
And some have a
totally new weapon.

375
00:25:28,370 --> 00:25:31,306
Fire.

376
00:25:31,306 --> 00:25:33,275
Americans wonder
if flamethrowers

377
00:25:33,275 --> 00:25:38,146
can destroy what traditional
firepower could not.

378
00:25:38,146 --> 00:25:44,453
(artillery fire)

379
00:25:44,453 --> 00:25:45,654
With this new machinery,

380
00:25:45,654 --> 00:25:52,627
the US hopes to finally flex
its muscle over the Pacific.

381
00:25:52,627 --> 00:25:56,631
But it's all in
the hands of boys.

382
00:25:56,631 --> 00:25:58,633
Guys barely out of high school

383
00:25:58,633 --> 00:26:03,705
train for a life
they never expected.

384
00:26:03,705 --> 00:26:08,143
Doug Aitken recalls the
rough waters off California.

385
00:26:08,143 --> 00:26:10,445
<b>ENS. AITKEN</b>: We went for a few
weeks up and down the coast --

386
00:26:10,445 --> 00:26:12,581
for training.

387
00:26:12,581 --> 00:26:14,216
I think it was better known as,

388
00:26:14,216 --> 00:26:16,485
"Get rid of your
seasickness, guys."

389
00:26:16,485 --> 00:26:18,320
I was sick as a dog wondering

390
00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:22,858
why in the world did
I ever join the Navy.

391
00:26:22,858 --> 00:26:26,595
<font color="
team learns the ropes,

392
00:26:26,595 --> 00:26:32,234
net climbing and disembarking.

393
00:26:32,234 --> 00:26:34,436
They receive a week
of amphibious training

394
00:26:34,436 --> 00:26:40,542
and rehearse with simulated
naval gunfire and air support.

395
00:26:40,542 --> 00:26:42,577
<b>PTE. BAYE</b>: We did some
training with Amtraks...

396
00:26:42,577 --> 00:26:45,313
That was a scary thing.

397
00:26:45,313 --> 00:26:47,616
Here you are going off
the end of an LST ramp

398
00:26:47,616 --> 00:26:50,886
and the nose diving
down into the water,

399
00:26:50,886 --> 00:26:53,188
you're wondering how
much water can we take on

400
00:26:53,188 --> 00:26:55,390
before we'd start sinking...

401
00:26:55,390 --> 00:27:00,395
<i>♫  ♫</i>

402
00:27:00,395 --> 00:27:03,231
<b>NARRATOR</b>: The troops
practice hand to hand combat,

403
00:27:03,231 --> 00:27:06,101
jungle attacks, and
fire their weapons --

404
00:27:06,101 --> 00:27:08,370
all with live ammunition.

405
00:27:08,370 --> 00:27:09,804
<b>SGT. MUMME</b>: You'd be
surprised the people in there

406
00:27:09,804 --> 00:27:12,173
that got hurt in basic training.

407
00:27:12,173 --> 00:27:14,109
They didn't give a damn.

408
00:27:14,109 --> 00:27:17,279
"Hell, we're at war. Shape up."

409
00:27:17,279 --> 00:27:19,714
That's how they put us in shape.

410
00:27:19,714 --> 00:27:22,117
<font color="
final briefing, they load up

411
00:27:22,117 --> 00:27:29,724
for a 2,000-mile
trip across the Pacific.

412
00:27:29,724 --> 00:27:33,328
For most, it's the farthest
they've ever been from home --

413
00:27:33,328 --> 00:27:38,133
on the way to their first war.

414
00:27:38,133 --> 00:27:39,501
<b>ST. BRUNTON</b>: The
commander inherited a bunch of

415
00:27:39,501 --> 00:27:43,271
green, untested, untried,
untrained people like me

416
00:27:43,271 --> 00:27:45,206
into operating his ship.

417
00:27:45,206 --> 00:27:47,208
I was just a kid when I went in.

418
00:27:47,208 --> 00:27:52,614
I had never been
anyplace, hadn't done anything.

419
00:27:52,614 --> 00:27:54,449
<font color="
easy for us country boys

420
00:27:54,449 --> 00:27:56,651
because we were
used to hard work.

421
00:27:56,651 --> 00:27:58,353
But some of the city boys,

422
00:27:58,353 --> 00:28:03,425
you would hear them
crying in their bunks.

423
00:28:03,425 --> 00:28:09,431
<b>NARRATOR</b>: It's a 10-day voyage.

424
00:28:09,431 --> 00:28:13,768
Soldiers pass the time getting
briefed on their targets...

425
00:28:13,768 --> 00:28:16,071
getting to know each other...

426
00:28:16,071 --> 00:28:20,275
and preparing for a time-tested
ritual of naval bonding --

427
00:28:20,275 --> 00:28:23,211
hazing.

428
00:28:23,211 --> 00:28:25,146
When a ship crosses the equator,

429
00:28:25,146 --> 00:28:29,584
new troops endure
the Neptune Ceremony.

430
00:28:29,584 --> 00:28:33,455
This transforms a new
recruit into a trusty sailor.

431
00:28:33,455 --> 00:28:37,325
In Navy slang, a
Polliwog becomes a Shellback.

432
00:28:37,325 --> 00:28:44,633
<i>♫  ♫</i>

433
00:28:44,633 --> 00:28:48,336
Naval officer John Herchak
-- dressed as a chaplain --

434
00:28:48,336 --> 00:28:50,405
is on board the <i> USS Knox</i>

435
00:28:50,405 --> 00:28:56,411
and films the folly
with his own camera.

436
00:28:56,411 --> 00:28:58,313
There is often a beauty contest,

437
00:28:58,313 --> 00:28:59,614
and each department must present

438
00:28:59,614 --> 00:29:05,553
at least one
contestant in swimsuit drag.

439
00:29:05,553 --> 00:29:08,823
Presiding over the
ceremony is King Neptune,

440
00:29:08,823 --> 00:29:11,826
ruler of the high seas.

441
00:29:11,826 --> 00:29:15,430
<font color="
make you go up to King Neptune,

442
00:29:15,430 --> 00:29:20,268
and he's got this great big dong
and you have to go kiss it.

443
00:29:20,268 --> 00:29:23,505
... They cut your
hair and paint it yellow.

444
00:29:23,505 --> 00:29:25,707
<b>SN. RIPPER</b>: Damn, the
things those guys did to us.

445
00:29:25,707 --> 00:29:27,075
It was unbelievable.

446
00:29:27,075 --> 00:29:28,143
We were black and blue,

447
00:29:28,143 --> 00:29:36,418
and I was sure glad
when that day was over with.

448
00:29:36,418 --> 00:29:38,687
<b>NARRATOR</b>: For now
it's all fun and games,

449
00:29:38,687 --> 00:29:41,489
despite the painful hazing.

450
00:29:41,489 --> 00:29:44,359
But as they steam
directly into war,

451
00:29:44,359 --> 00:29:51,633
real pain is just
beyond the horizon.

452
00:29:51,633 --> 00:29:54,436
<b>NEWSREEL</b>: In the shadow of
the pyramids near Cairo, Egypt,

453
00:29:54,436 --> 00:29:56,404
in the heart of
the Muslim world,

454
00:29:56,404 --> 00:29:59,174
the leaders of China, Great
Britain and the United States

455
00:29:59,174 --> 00:30:02,343
meet face to face
for the first time.

456
00:30:02,343 --> 00:30:05,747
<b>NARRATOR</b>: At the Cairo
Conference in November of 1943,

457
00:30:05,747 --> 00:30:07,315
the three heads of state

458
00:30:07,315 --> 00:30:14,823
agree to the overall
plan for the defeat of Japan.

459
00:30:14,823 --> 00:30:16,224
America will maintain

460
00:30:16,224 --> 00:30:21,196
a two-pronged
approach across the Pacific.

461
00:30:21,196 --> 00:30:24,666
MacArthur will
advance from New Guinea,

462
00:30:24,666 --> 00:30:29,871
isolating Japanese
strongholds in the South.

463
00:30:29,871 --> 00:30:36,344
Nimitz will keep island-hopping
up the Central Pacific.

464
00:30:36,344 --> 00:30:38,813
After the capture of
Tarawa in the Gilberts,

465
00:30:38,813 --> 00:30:43,618
the next step is the
low-lying Marshall Islands.

466
00:30:43,618 --> 00:30:52,327
The first stop -- Kwajalein.

467
00:30:52,327 --> 00:30:57,599
America steams west with
new tools, and a new strategy.

468
00:30:57,599 --> 00:30:59,634
The key commanders
who fought on Tarawa

469
00:30:59,634 --> 00:31:03,471
have absorbed
their lessons well.

470
00:31:03,471 --> 00:31:09,544
They now know amphibious warfare
requires more of everything:

471
00:31:09,544 --> 00:31:17,786
more shelling, more landing
craft, and more air support.

472
00:31:17,786 --> 00:31:21,189
In late November,
airplanes launched from Tarawa

473
00:31:21,189 --> 00:31:25,293
begin to zero in
on the Marshalls.

474
00:31:25,293 --> 00:31:32,801
(aircraft and artillery sounds)

475
00:31:32,801 --> 00:31:41,309
American bombers drop more
than 111 tons of explosives.

476
00:31:41,309 --> 00:31:44,279
Here, a fighter locks
onto a prime target --

477
00:31:44,279 --> 00:31:53,388
a Japanese airfield.

478
00:31:53,388 --> 00:31:56,391
The onslaught continues
for two months, knocking

479
00:31:56,391 --> 00:32:01,496
virtually every Japanese
plane out of commission.

480
00:32:08,636 --> 00:32:12,373
But Japanese film
reveals the hidden truth --

481
00:32:12,373 --> 00:32:15,677
28,000 ground troops
await the Americans --

482
00:32:15,677 --> 00:32:19,180
23,000 more than Tarawa.

483
00:32:19,180 --> 00:32:23,451
<i>♫  ♫</i>

484
00:32:23,451 --> 00:32:25,353
Long and crescent-shaped,

485
00:32:25,353 --> 00:32:30,258
Kwajalein is the largest
coral atoll in the world.

486
00:32:30,258 --> 00:32:32,427
The targets are the
main island of Kwajalein

487
00:32:32,427 --> 00:32:34,829
at the southern tip

488
00:32:34,829 --> 00:32:41,135
and the island of
Roi-Namur the next day.

489
00:32:41,135 --> 00:32:43,137
Since they're 40 miles apart,

490
00:32:43,137 --> 00:32:47,375
the assault requires
two separate campaigns.

491
00:32:47,375 --> 00:32:50,612
The plan -- hit
Kwajalein on Day 1.

492
00:32:50,612 --> 00:32:57,852
Then attack
Roi-Namur the next day.

493
00:32:57,852 --> 00:33:01,222
As they approach
Kwajalein on February 1st,

494
00:33:01,222 --> 00:33:08,863
the enemy is nowhere in sight,
and the bomb damage is surreal.

495
00:33:08,863 --> 00:33:12,367
<b>CMD. KIMMINS</b>: I have never seen
such a shambles in my life.

496
00:33:12,367 --> 00:33:14,502
The beach was a mass
of highly colored fish

497
00:33:14,502 --> 00:33:20,708
that had been thrown up
there by nearby explosions.

498
00:33:20,708 --> 00:33:22,377
<b>NARRATOR</b>: One soldier confesses,

499
00:33:22,377 --> 00:33:25,313
"The entire island looked
as if it had been picked up

500
00:33:25,313 --> 00:33:32,620
20,000 feet and then dropped."

501
00:33:32,620 --> 00:33:34,789
As Americans
sneak up to Kwajalein,

502
00:33:34,789 --> 00:33:39,193
there is barely a
whimper of crossfire.

503
00:33:39,193 --> 00:33:41,763
The Japanese are
defending the ocean side,

504
00:33:41,763 --> 00:33:45,633
believing the reef side is
too shallow for landing craft.

505
00:33:45,633 --> 00:33:49,570
But the new
Amtraks make it possible.

506
00:33:49,570 --> 00:33:54,876
The Japanese are caught
defending the wrong beach.

507
00:33:54,876 --> 00:33:59,480
The landings go off with
the precision of a drill.

508
00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:04,819
They clear the
island in four days.

509
00:34:04,819 --> 00:34:09,090
On Roi-Namur,
Japanese are also overwhelmed.

510
00:34:09,090 --> 00:34:15,330
Of 3,500
defenders, only 51 survive.

511
00:34:15,330 --> 00:34:22,370
The islands are
secured in a day.

512
00:34:22,370 --> 00:34:25,473
America sweeps aside
the embarrassment of Tarawa

513
00:34:25,473 --> 00:34:28,109
with a glowing victory.

514
00:34:28,109 --> 00:34:31,379
Heavy machinery will pave
America's new stepping stone

515
00:34:31,379 --> 00:34:35,883
in the Pacific.

516
00:34:35,883 --> 00:34:42,724
The men celebrate their triumph.

517
00:34:42,724 --> 00:34:49,230
A dip in the surf helps
clean off the Kwajalein dirt.

518
00:34:49,230 --> 00:34:54,135
Admiral Nimitz himself comes
to inspect the island in person

519
00:34:54,135 --> 00:35:00,608
and congratulate the
troops on their success.

520
00:35:00,608 --> 00:35:10,351
But they might be even more
impressed by who comes next.

521
00:35:10,351 --> 00:35:12,520
Now that the island is secure,

522
00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:17,725
America deems it
safe for nurses.

523
00:35:17,725 --> 00:35:18,659
Women in the Pacific

524
00:35:18,659 --> 00:35:22,730
aren't allowed
anywhere near combat areas.

525
00:35:22,730 --> 00:35:24,399
Little more than a year ago,

526
00:35:24,399 --> 00:35:32,306
77 nurses were taken
prisoner in the Philippines.

527
00:35:32,306 --> 00:35:36,477
So on Kwajalein, nurses
are under a tight watch --

528
00:35:36,477 --> 00:35:41,616
fenced-in quarters, strict
curfews, and armed escorts.

529
00:35:41,616 --> 00:35:43,551
<b>MARGARET</b>: Conditions
were very primitive.

530
00:35:43,551 --> 00:35:46,554
There were 24 nurses
and millions of mosquitoes

531
00:35:46,554 --> 00:35:49,657
all living in one tent.

532
00:35:49,657 --> 00:35:52,260
<b>KATHRYN</b>: We
worked seven to seven,

533
00:35:52,260 --> 00:35:54,729
and we rotated for night duty.

534
00:35:54,729 --> 00:35:59,467
We didn't get a day off.

535
00:35:59,467 --> 00:36:00,735
<b>NARRATOR</b>: They work hard...

536
00:36:00,735 --> 00:36:03,237
and make the most of
whatever downtime they have

537
00:36:03,237 --> 00:36:05,840
in their
temporary tropical home.

538
00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:13,581
<i>♫  ♫</i>

539
00:36:13,581 --> 00:36:17,485
So far 60,000
nurses serve far and wide

540
00:36:17,485 --> 00:36:20,688
on America's war fronts.

541
00:36:20,688 --> 00:36:23,558
But women are
doing more than nursing.

542
00:36:23,558 --> 00:36:30,131
Every service branch is
making room for new roles.

543
00:36:30,131 --> 00:36:36,871
Some jobs are familiar,
but others are brand new.

544
00:36:36,871 --> 00:36:44,846
<font color="

545
00:36:44,846 --> 00:36:50,451
By now, close to half a million
women are working in factories.

546
00:36:50,451 --> 00:36:57,291
They're building
bombs, weapons, and aircraft.

547
00:36:57,291 --> 00:37:00,194
The Willow Run Ford
factory outside Detroit

548
00:37:00,194 --> 00:37:02,663
saw few women before the war.

549
00:37:02,663 --> 00:37:08,736
Now thousands of them are
building the B-24 bomber.

550
00:37:08,736 --> 00:37:11,105
They pick up
where the men left off

551
00:37:11,105 --> 00:37:18,112
and stay on pace to
build one bomber an hour.

552
00:37:18,112 --> 00:37:27,622
They operate cranes, assemble
parts and install wiring.

553
00:37:27,622 --> 00:37:32,593
Women prove they can
build airplanes from scratch.

554
00:37:32,593 --> 00:37:40,468
But who will
deliver them to the army?

555
00:37:40,468 --> 00:37:45,406
When a shortage of pilots hits
the Army air force in 1943...

556
00:37:45,406 --> 00:37:54,615
the WASPS are born. Women
Air Force Service Pilots.

557
00:37:54,615 --> 00:37:57,385
Led by top
aviator Jackie Cochran,

558
00:37:57,385 --> 00:38:01,322
WASPS are trained at Avenger
Field in Sweetwater, Texas,

559
00:38:01,322 --> 00:38:04,458
making it the first
coed military flying field

560
00:38:04,458 --> 00:38:07,161
in US history.

561
00:38:07,161 --> 00:38:09,096
<b>LORRAINE</b>: We went through the
same training as the men did,

562
00:38:09,096 --> 00:38:10,298
ground school in the morning.

563
00:38:10,298 --> 00:38:14,402
And flying in the afternoon,
primary, basic, advanced...

564
00:38:14,402 --> 00:38:18,806
night flying and
instrument flying.

565
00:38:18,806 --> 00:38:20,675
<b>NARRATOR</b>: But
wartime films reveal

566
00:38:20,675 --> 00:38:24,145
they can't quite
escape the old stereotypes.

567
00:38:24,145 --> 00:38:26,480
<b>FILM NARRATOR</b>: Though each
girl is a pilot when she comes,

568
00:38:26,480 --> 00:38:28,849
she must adjust
herself to a new technique,

569
00:38:28,849 --> 00:38:32,286
and hairdos are sacrificed.

570
00:38:32,286 --> 00:38:34,689
Time out for the daily
sunbaths, storing up energy

571
00:38:34,689 --> 00:38:37,592
against the grueling
training of minds and bodies,

572
00:38:37,592 --> 00:38:42,330
while the tremendous
responsibilities that lie ahead.

573
00:38:42,330 --> 00:38:44,465
Six American beauties.

574
00:38:44,465 --> 00:38:47,668
Twelve, for there's a
pilot and copilot in each.

575
00:38:47,668 --> 00:38:52,306
<b>NARRATOR</b>: The news spreads fast
and the rumors start flying.

576
00:38:52,306 --> 00:38:54,275
During the first
week at Sweetwater,

577
00:38:54,275 --> 00:38:55,810
more than 100 male pilots

578
00:38:55,810 --> 00:38:58,446
make unnecessary forced landings

579
00:38:58,446 --> 00:39:01,048
just to have a look
at the young women.

580
00:39:01,048 --> 00:39:03,651
Soon the place is
barred from all outsiders

581
00:39:03,651 --> 00:39:08,389
and becomes known as
"Cochran's convent."

582
00:39:08,389 --> 00:39:11,325
Nearly 1,100 women
earn their wings --

583
00:39:11,325 --> 00:39:17,665
the first women to fly
American military aircraft.

584
00:39:17,665 --> 00:39:19,367
They take test flights,

585
00:39:19,367 --> 00:39:22,570
ferry planes from
factories to air bases,

586
00:39:22,570 --> 00:39:28,109
and fly simulated
strafing missions.

587
00:39:28,109 --> 00:39:30,478
Women log more
than 60 million miles

588
00:39:30,478 --> 00:39:34,382
flying every type of airplane.

589
00:39:34,382 --> 00:39:40,321
Many will end up in the
skies over the Pacific.

590
00:39:40,321 --> 00:39:43,291
<b>BETTY</b>: I flew 43
different types of aircraft.

591
00:39:43,291 --> 00:39:45,126
There were a lot of
men who didn't think

592
00:39:45,126 --> 00:39:51,098
women could fly military
planes, but we showed them.

593
00:39:51,098 --> 00:39:55,369
<i>♫  ♫</i>

594
00:39:55,369 --> 00:39:59,740
<font color="
II is everybody's war.

595
00:39:59,740 --> 00:40:02,510
But only a few have
the power to decide

596
00:40:02,510 --> 00:40:09,717
where the war will go next.

597
00:40:09,717 --> 00:40:10,818
For Admiral Nimitz,

598
00:40:10,818 --> 00:40:13,854
it's been a
steep learning curve.

599
00:40:13,854 --> 00:40:17,591
Tarawa was a debacle, but the
lessons applied at Kwajalein

600
00:40:17,591 --> 00:40:20,594
were a stunning success.

601
00:40:20,594 --> 00:40:22,263
Now Nimitz wants to press on

602
00:40:22,263 --> 00:40:24,598
with his
island-hopping campaign.

603
00:40:24,598 --> 00:40:28,135
But General MacArthur
still isn't convinced.

604
00:40:28,135 --> 00:40:30,671
<b>GEN. MACARTHUR</b>: Island
hopping with extravagant losses

605
00:40:30,671 --> 00:40:34,342
and slow progress is not my idea

606
00:40:34,342 --> 00:40:38,846
of how to end the war as soon
and as cheaply as possible.

607
00:40:38,846 --> 00:40:40,448
<b>NARRATOR</b>: Instead
MacArthur wants to keep

608
00:40:40,448 --> 00:40:44,218
the pressure on in
the South Pacific.

609
00:40:44,218 --> 00:40:46,887
Dubbed "Operation
Cartwheel," his plan

610
00:40:46,887 --> 00:40:50,324
is to gain footing on
the New Guinea coast...

611
00:40:50,324 --> 00:40:54,762
move up the ladder of the
Solomons to Bougainville...

612
00:40:54,762 --> 00:40:56,397
and isolate Rabaul,

613
00:40:56,397 --> 00:41:04,405
the strongest
Japanese base in the area.

614
00:41:04,405 --> 00:41:08,642
Japanese footage reveals
Rabaul's awesome defenses.

615
00:41:08,642 --> 00:41:13,681
<i>♫  ♫</i>

616
00:41:13,681 --> 00:41:17,184
Known as the "Pearl
Harbor of the South Pacific,"

617
00:41:17,184 --> 00:41:22,156
it houses five airfields,
hundreds of anti-aircraft guns,

618
00:41:22,156 --> 00:41:27,328
and more than 100,000 troops.

619
00:41:27,328 --> 00:41:30,331
Here the Japanese have
built a mighty fortress,

620
00:41:30,331 --> 00:41:35,770
and they won't back down easily.

621
00:41:35,770 --> 00:41:41,776
But American planes
buzz overhead, undeterred.

622
00:41:41,776 --> 00:41:50,217
The Japanese brace themselves.

623
00:41:50,217 --> 00:41:53,788
By the winter of 1943,
MacArthur has his sights set on

624
00:41:53,788 --> 00:41:59,226
the large island of Bougainville
in the northern Solomons.

625
00:41:59,226 --> 00:42:01,595
From there he can
easily strike Rabaul

626
00:42:01,595 --> 00:42:08,636
and silence Japan's
air power in the region.

627
00:42:08,636 --> 00:42:10,271
A force of 14,000

628
00:42:10,271 --> 00:42:14,875
sets out to attack
Bougainville on November 1st.

629
00:42:14,875 --> 00:42:17,745
The Japanese call in their
heavy cruisers and destroyers

630
00:42:17,745 --> 00:42:21,549
from Rabaul.

631
00:42:21,549 --> 00:42:24,251
The US Navy is shorthanded.

632
00:42:24,251 --> 00:42:25,486
Many ships are tied up

633
00:42:25,486 --> 00:42:32,326
with island-hopping
in the Central Pacific.

634
00:42:32,326 --> 00:42:35,129
In a desperate move,
they put the new generation

635
00:42:35,129 --> 00:42:43,737
of Essex and Independence
carriers to the test.

636
00:42:43,737 --> 00:42:46,373
Bombers join the mission.

637
00:42:46,373 --> 00:42:54,782
They eliminate
their targets one by one,

638
00:42:54,782 --> 00:43:01,455
damaging ships and two-thirds
of the Japanese planes.

639
00:43:01,455 --> 00:43:03,724
America's first big
attack from a carrier

640
00:43:03,724 --> 00:43:10,197
succeeds in
crippling Japan's air power.

641
00:43:10,197 --> 00:43:15,503
Bougainville finally
falls into Allied hands.

642
00:43:15,503 --> 00:43:23,744
But Americans won't stop
until they neutralize Rabaul.

643
00:43:23,744 --> 00:43:32,286
The raids and the
strafing missions continue.

644
00:43:32,286 --> 00:43:35,489
Many of these are staged from
a handful of small airbases

645
00:43:35,489 --> 00:43:40,594
carved out of the
mountainous New Guinea jungle.

646
00:43:40,594 --> 00:43:43,831
This one belongs to the
345th Bombardment group,

647
00:43:43,831 --> 00:43:50,704
otherwise known
as the Air Apaches.

648
00:43:50,704 --> 00:43:53,541
These are Captain
John Hanna's home movies

649
00:43:53,541 --> 00:43:58,412
which have never
been broadcast before.

650
00:43:58,412 --> 00:43:59,914
He captures camp life --

651
00:43:59,914 --> 00:44:04,518
time-killing rituals
like chess and horseshoes.

652
00:44:04,518 --> 00:44:08,489
It's how many of them
relax before a mission.

653
00:44:08,489 --> 00:44:14,161
And a big one is coming.

654
00:44:14,161 --> 00:44:16,730
The 345th aims for Kavieng,

655
00:44:16,730 --> 00:44:19,266
a key link in the
Japanese supply chain

656
00:44:19,266 --> 00:44:27,341
that runs all the
way out to Rabaul.

657
00:44:27,341 --> 00:44:29,877
Americans will aim
squarely for the supply dumps

658
00:44:29,877 --> 00:44:38,852
in a risky low-level attack.

659
00:44:38,852 --> 00:44:41,422
There were once
plans to invade Kavieng,

660
00:44:41,422 --> 00:44:43,591
but MacArthur is
saving his ground forces

661
00:44:43,591 --> 00:44:53,500
for an eventual
invasion of the Philippines.

662
00:44:53,500 --> 00:44:55,302
The Allies will
try to neutralize it

663
00:44:55,302 --> 00:44:59,840
with air power alone.

664
00:44:59,840 --> 00:45:07,715
Captain Hanna films
the action himself.

665
00:45:07,715 --> 00:45:13,387
Bullets fly from nose
guns with telltale sparks.

666
00:45:13,387 --> 00:45:19,326
Bursts of anti-aircraft fire
litter the sky above the harbor.

667
00:45:19,326 --> 00:45:28,802
They aim for Japanese
planes, fuel, and cargo ships.

668
00:45:28,802 --> 00:45:35,476
Flying in formation
through the smoke is chaotic.

669
00:45:35,476 --> 00:45:44,618
One plane almost drops its
bombs on another one below it.

670
00:45:44,618 --> 00:45:47,688
On the way out, they spot
a listing Japanese freighter

671
00:45:47,688 --> 00:45:54,428
and try to finish it off.

672
00:45:54,428 --> 00:45:56,630
In this daring
raid, Americans cripple

673
00:45:56,630 --> 00:46:04,838
a linchpin of the
Japanese supply chain.

674
00:46:04,838 --> 00:46:06,373
These low-lying raids

675
00:46:06,373 --> 00:46:10,644
succeed in putting a
stranglehold on Rabaul.

676
00:46:10,644 --> 00:46:13,447
The Japanese supply
chain is eventually severed,

677
00:46:13,447 --> 00:46:17,484
and 100,000 Japanese
troops on Rabaul are stuck,

678
00:46:17,484 --> 00:46:22,756
left to wither on the vine.

679
00:46:22,756 --> 00:46:26,660
General MacArthur is finally
moving closer to his target --

680
00:46:26,660 --> 00:46:28,829
the Philippines.

681
00:46:28,829 --> 00:46:32,800
He continues his advance
along the coast of New Guinea.

682
00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:35,369
Meanwhile, the
island-hopping campaign

683
00:46:35,369 --> 00:46:39,273
continues in the
Central Pacific.

684
00:46:39,273 --> 00:46:41,742
After his victory
at Kwajalein, Nimitz

685
00:46:41,742 --> 00:46:46,547
eyes the harbor and airstrip
on the atoll of Eniwetok.

686
00:46:46,547 --> 00:46:48,749
But it's protected -- by Truk,

687
00:46:48,749 --> 00:46:56,457
one of Japan's strongest
remaining bases in the pacific.

688
00:46:56,457 --> 00:46:59,159
With four
airstrips and 400 planes,

689
00:46:59,159 --> 00:47:04,531
Truk could make the
Eniwetok invasion a nightmare.

690
00:47:04,531 --> 00:47:07,134
Two days before
landing on Eniwetok,

691
00:47:07,134 --> 00:47:12,106
300 fighter planes
launch off the Essex carriers.

692
00:47:12,106 --> 00:47:18,112
<i>♫  ♫</i>

693
00:47:18,112 --> 00:47:23,717
Tracers flying, they take
dead aim on Truk's airfields.

694
00:47:23,717 --> 00:47:34,328
Thirty separate strikes
deliver unrelenting pressure.

695
00:47:34,328 --> 00:47:36,163
Each one is more powerful

696
00:47:36,163 --> 00:47:42,703
than the Japanese
strike at Pearl Harbor.

697
00:47:42,703 --> 00:47:51,178
Americans take out 250
planes and forty naval ships.

698
00:47:51,178 --> 00:47:57,851
<i>♫  ♫</i>

699
00:47:57,851 --> 00:48:00,220
Truk is silenced.

700
00:48:00,220 --> 00:48:09,463
Never again will Japan use
it as a major operating base.

701
00:48:09,463 --> 00:48:16,403
The skies are cleared
for an assault on Eniwetok.

702
00:48:16,403 --> 00:48:23,510
<font color="

703
00:48:23,510 --> 00:48:29,516
More than 10,000 men
approach the target.

704
00:48:29,516 --> 00:48:32,553
For two days American
ships blast the island

705
00:48:32,553 --> 00:48:34,688
while the
invasion force waits --

706
00:48:34,688 --> 00:48:42,229
and hopes the enemy is buckling.

707
00:48:42,229 --> 00:48:48,468
On the beach,
resistance is light.

708
00:48:48,468 --> 00:48:51,471
There are only a few thousand
defenders on the island.

709
00:48:51,471 --> 00:48:54,341
But it won't be a picnic.

710
00:48:54,341 --> 00:49:00,314
(gunfire)

711
00:49:00,314 --> 00:49:04,551
Japan also took
lessons from Tarawa.

712
00:49:04,551 --> 00:49:07,387
Here they built
pillboxes just as strong,

713
00:49:07,387 --> 00:49:10,157
but now they're
connected underground.

714
00:49:10,157 --> 00:49:16,763
<font color="

715
00:49:16,763 --> 00:49:19,166
Troops caught in
these spiderweb networks

716
00:49:19,166 --> 00:49:21,535
are shot at from all sides

717
00:49:21,535 --> 00:49:31,211
as the Japanese rapidly shift
from one foxhole to another.

718
00:49:31,211 --> 00:49:34,781
Progress is slow.

719
00:49:34,781 --> 00:49:40,320
It takes four days for the
Americans to clean up Eniwetok.

720
00:49:40,320 --> 00:49:44,124
<i>♫  ♫</i>

721
00:49:44,124 --> 00:49:52,165
262 soldiers lie dead -- while
Japan loses more than 2,000.

722
00:49:52,165 --> 00:49:54,735
It's another victory for Nimitz.

723
00:49:54,735 --> 00:49:59,172
The Marshall Islands are
finally in Allied hands.

724
00:49:59,172 --> 00:50:06,113
The Japanese are stung, but not
stagnant. They will respond.

725
00:50:06,113 --> 00:50:07,314
With the capture
of the Marshalls

726
00:50:07,314 --> 00:50:09,249
10 weeks ahead of schedule,

727
00:50:09,249 --> 00:50:13,253
Americans ratchet up their
entire effort in the Pacific.

728
00:50:13,253 --> 00:50:17,658
They build more naval
bases, more fortifications,

729
00:50:17,658 --> 00:50:19,726
and more airfields.

730
00:50:19,726 --> 00:50:23,830
They make bold plans
to move more quickly.

731
00:50:23,830 --> 00:50:26,300
Americans proved
that a frontal invasion

732
00:50:26,300 --> 00:50:33,140
from the water onto a fortified
beachhead is possible.

733
00:50:33,140 --> 00:50:39,880
Amphibious assaults
are now coming of age.

734
00:50:39,880 --> 00:50:42,549
Island hopping will
soon become synonymous

735
00:50:42,549 --> 00:50:46,553
with the Pacific War.

736
00:50:46,553 --> 00:50:52,592
But the next step is
far bigger, a lot farther,

737
00:50:52,592 --> 00:50:56,430
and will be a
test unlike any other.