Battle Ground - Pacific Ocean

"Japan is beaten, and carrier supremacy defeated her."
- Vice Adm. Marc A. Mitscher, USN

At the outbreak of World War II, the United States possessed seven aircraft carriers and one escort carrier. less than four years later, the number had grown to nearly 100. More than any other weapon, the aircraft carrier made the war in the Pacific not only possible, but also winnable. The Fast Carrier Task Force, which included warships of all description, became the main striking force of the United States Navy in the latter half of the Pacific War. By the time of the Battle for Leyte Gulf, it had already proved itself one of the most potent instruments in the history of naval warfare, obliterating Japanese air power, and sweeping enemy warships and merchant shipping from the seas, wherever it had ventured.

Disc 1:

Sea Power In The Pacific:
-Beginning with Japanese aggression in Manchuria in 1931, this film provides an overview of the war in the Pacific, culminating with the nuclear annihilation for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The Battle For Leyte Gulf:
-Fought in the seas surrounding the Philippine island of Leyte from October 23 to october 26, 1944, the Battle for Leyte Gulf was the largest naval battle in modern history and the last major naval engagement of WWII.

Air Power-Pacific Pattern:
-The American drive across the Central Pacific relied on carrier-based air power. As the target softened, battleships would move in and begin to bombard the objective from the sea. Assault troops would then stage amphibious landings, covered by air strikes, and capture the objective. Once secured, naval construction battalions would move in and build or improve airstrips to provide permanent air cover.

Silent Victory:
-The heroic efforts of American submarines during the war in the Pacific are frequently overlooked, however, military historians fully agree that the submarine campaign recorded positive results disproportionate to its size and numbers. U.S. submarines crippled Japan´s merchant marine, sinking 5.3 million tons, or over half of its ship, in the most successful campaign of the war. However, these accomplishments came at a price; 22 percent of submarine personnel died during the conflict, the highest of any American service.

Disc 2:

The Battle Of Midway:
-On June 4-6, 1942, a large Japanese naval force attempted to capture Midway Island, but was surprised and defeated by U.S. forces in one of the Pacific war´s most significant battles. On hand to document the action was a crew of naval photographers led by director John Ford.

The Life And Death Of the USS Hornet:
-The aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) enjoyed an eventful but relatively brief career during WWII. Notable for launching the Doolittle Raid and as a participant in the Battle Of Midway, Hornet succumbed to battle damage after the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.

The Fighting Lady:
-This Academy Award winning documentary follows the exploits of an unidentified Essex-class aircraft carrier from July 1943 to June 1944. The Fighting Lady and her crew participate in the assaults on Marcus, Kwajalein, Truk and Tinian, culminating with the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

Kamikaze:
-During the summer of 1944, a small group of Japanese pilots deliberately attempted to crash their planes into American ships participating in the invasion of Biak Island. For the Japanese, this first attack paved the way for a completely new way of fighting the Americans. However, only a small percentage of "Kamikazes" managed to reach their targets, those that did usually inflicted tremendous damage and casualties, making them one of the most feared and destructive weapons the U.S. Navy during the Second World War.

Upplagd i sortimentet: 14 Augusti, 2008