- 5/19/2025
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:30While the Luftwaffe was gathering strength for its great leap into Russia, for the East,
00:36the Japanese military air forces were preparing their own grand design.
00:42The growth of Japanese military aviation followed the general industrial growth pattern of the
00:51nation.
00:53Modern technology was carefully copied while an indigenous industry was established.
01:04The Japanese learned quickly.
01:06Starting in 1932, a series of aircraft design teams was established.
01:12These teams would create the aircraft that Japan would use to devastating effect in World
01:16War II.
01:23The Mitsubishi Type 96 bomber is an example of the success of the Japanese in producing
01:28original aircraft.
01:31In August 1937, the Japanese Navy used this modern twin-engined bomber to fly a 1,250
01:38mile over water flight to attack targets in China.
01:43This mission was beyond the capabilities of any other operational bomber in the world
01:47at the time.
01:50Like its Axis partner, Germany, Japan managed to catch the tide of aircraft modernization
01:56at exactly the right time.
02:01In a brilliant three-year period, from 1935 to 1938, Japan created the specifications
02:07for most of the aircraft it would use to take on the Western powers.
02:14The Japanese military had quite specific design goals for their aircraft.
02:19The Navy stressed maneuverability and long range in its fighters.
02:23Long range and bomb load were the important factors for the Navy's bombers.
02:28Speed was an important consideration, but was secondary to the other requirements.
02:33The Aichi D3A dive bomber first flew in January 1938.
02:39Its Allied code name was Val.
02:41It was an all-metal, low-wing monoplane with an 840 horsepower radial engine.
02:48Its top speed was 240 miles an hour.
02:51It had a range of 915 miles.
02:59The Val compared very favorably with America's equivalent aircraft, the Douglas SBD Dauntless
03:05dive bomber.
03:07The Dauntless first flew on May 1, 1940, more than two years later than the Val.
03:13Both were pleasant to fly and easy to maintain.
03:26The Mitsubishi G4M1 Betty first flew on October 23, 1939.
03:33It was the medium bomber with which Japan went to war and in which the surrender parties
03:38would go to Iwo Jima.
03:41It was a handsome aircraft powered by two 1,500 horsepower radial engines.
03:47It had a top speed of 266 miles an hour and a phenomenal range of 3,256 miles.
03:58The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American counterpart to the G4M.
04:05It was heavier, faster, and carried more bombs, but for shorter distances.
04:10With a 3,000 pound bomb load, it could reach only 1,500 miles.
04:15The Mitchell was much more heavily armed and armored than the Betty, and its range,
04:19although shorter, was adequate for the island hopping style campaign it would take part
04:24in.
04:30The Mitsubishi A6M0 was by far the most famous Japanese fighter.
04:35It was built in greater quantities and served longer and more widely than any other Japanese
04:40war plane.
04:43The A6M2 that would attack Pearl Harbor had a top speed of 331 miles an hour.
04:50It weighed only 5,313 pounds fully loaded.
05:04Allied pilots were shocked by its agility.
05:08Early in the war, it was not uncommon for Japanese pilots to flaunt their skill by performing
05:13aerobatics during a dogfight.
05:22One of the Zero's most famous opponents early in the war was the P-40 Warhawk.
05:28The P-40 was heavier than the Zero, but slightly faster and much more stoutly built.
05:45Another was the Grumman F4F Wildcat.
05:48It was a little heavier than the Zero, just as fast, but not so maneuverable.
05:52It was tremendously strong.
05:55American pilots learned that it was suicidal to dogfight with the Zero.
06:01P-40 and Wildcat pilots developed tactics by which their heavy .50 caliber machine guns
06:06could chop the lighter A6M2 pieces.
06:14Japan preferred the concept of relatively small, affordable air forces manned by the
06:19most expert crews available.
06:25The excellence of these crews was obtained at bitter human cost in training and in combat.
06:31All Japanese Army training was based on a brutal, dehumanizing process.
06:36It turned recruits first into automatons and then into killers.
06:41They came to regard their enemies as racially inferior and therefore subject to any maltreatment,
06:46including mass murder.
06:59The training for Air Force programs was no less severe, resulted in a very small, elite
07:05force of aggressive, superbly conditioned pilots, but there was a huge cost in wasted
07:10personnel and equipment.
07:15In pre-war years, the failure rate among trainee pilots was so high that it kept graduation
07:20numbers down to a few hundred annually.
07:27The system also inhibited individual initiative.
07:30This became a key factor later when the loss of a leader in a dogfight would throw a Japanese
07:35unit into confusion.
07:44Japan assumed that it could economize on air power because it would always control the
07:47scale of the fighting.
07:49Like Germany, it would learn to its sorrow that there is nothing more expensive than
07:54a second best air force.
08:08Japan only had two years of oil in reserve.
08:12It could not let its supplies fall below this level without seriously weakening its
08:16naval power.
08:22Japan decided to act.
08:23The German Vichy government in France had already allowed Japan to take over the French
08:27empire in Indochina.
08:30Japan now wanted Siam, the Dutch East Indies, Burma, the Philippines, and a string of islands
08:36extending from the Aleutians to the Solomons.
08:40This new empire would secure Japanese oil supplies.
08:48With its oil supplies safe, the Japanese fleet could defend the new empire until Great Britain
08:53and the United States were willing to negotiate a peace.
09:04The Japanese navy was originally quite conservative.
09:08Its war games were based on luring the U.S. fleet to Japanese home waters and whittling
09:13down its strength by submarine action.
09:16The climax of these war games was a great fleet showdown in which the Japanese battleships
09:21would sink the enemy.
09:26In contrast, the Japanese army was radical.
09:35It demanded expansion in China.
09:37From 1937 on, it became increasingly involved with war against the Chinese.
09:56The power of the army was underlined when General Tojo Hideki became prime minister
10:01in October 1941.
10:05Gradually, the conservatism of the navy was diluted by inter-service rivalry.
10:12The navy came to want its own war in which it would sail south to oust the European colonial
10:17powers from their holdings.
10:26But Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, one of the greatest minds in the Japanese navy, remained conservative.
10:33He was convinced that Japan could not win against the Anglo-Saxon powers.
10:38Yamamoto also believed that the time had come for Japanese leadership in Asia.
10:45After World War I, Yamamoto led a crusade to build carriers and procure the best in
10:50naval aircraft.
10:53He succeeded in getting approval for a separate fleet of aircraft carriers in addition to
10:57the traditional battle fleet.
11:02Yamamoto also believed that if there must be a war, it should start with a surprise
11:06attack on the American fleet at Pearl Harbor.
11:11He saw to it that he was placed in command of this operation and began to gather the
11:15ships, the planes, and the leaders with which to undertake it.
11:30He was not interested in invasion.
11:32He saw the U.S. aircraft carriers, battleships, and cruisers as the principal targets.
11:39With the American fleet destroyed, the flank of Japanese expansion in the southeast would
11:44be protected for a while.
11:47On November 26, 1941, the carrier task force sailed from Hitakap Bay in the Kurils.
12:03The task force commander, Admiral Nagumo Chuichi, was totally inexperienced in air operations.
12:10He was opposed to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
12:13He was concerned that the navy was throwing away 20 years of planning to risk everything
12:17on a single attack.
12:20But his pilots were eager.
12:23They were experienced with an extraordinary average of 800 hours flying time.
12:32There were 31 ships.
12:34Six were aircraft carriers.
12:36There were two battleships and three cruisers.
12:39The rest of the fleet was made up of destroyers and tankers.
12:49This nation will remain a neutral nation, but I cannot ask that every American remain
12:57neutral in thought as well.
13:00In Washington, President Roosevelt and his advisors knew that war was probable.
13:05They expected the blow to fall on the Philippines and Malaya.
13:09Not be asked to close his mind or to close his conscience.
13:16The Japanese diplomatic code had been broken in the summer of 1940, but there was a time
13:20lag in deciphering the code and translating into English.
13:27There was an air of business as usual in the military establishment.
13:30In Hawaii, life was easy, especially on weekends.
13:34There was an overwhelming disbelief at all levels that Japan would attack Pearl Harbor.
13:39On the eve of the attack, Japan's primary target, the aircraft carriers Enterprise and
13:44Lexington, sailed, taking with them the muscle of the navy's fighting force.
13:53The order to attack was given to the Japanese task force on December 7th.
13:59Admiral Nagumo maneuvered to the launch position 200 miles north of Oahu.
14:09At 0600 on December 7th, the Japanese first attack force of 183 aircraft began taking
14:16off.
14:30Thirty-nine fighters would stay with the carriers as defense.
14:39Forty-two fighters were assigned to secure air superiority and strafe targets of opportunity.
14:46There were 52 Aichi Val dive bombers.
14:50There were 89 Nakajima B5N Kates.
14:54The Kate was by far the most advanced torpedo plane in the world at the time.
14:59It was a low-wing, all-metal monoplane, sleek and powerful looking, an aerial samurai sword.
15:08By 0645, the U.S. radar stations had all picked up targets just 135 miles from Oahu, heading
15:15south.
15:16The warnings were dismissed as U.S. aircraft returning or a flight of B-17s due in that
15:22morning.
15:23At Wheeler Field, the U.S. Army had drawn its aircraft into tidy rows to guard against
15:28sabotage.
15:29It was a fine target for the Val dive bombers.
15:33Kate torpedo planes boarded in on Battleship Row from the east.
15:37Another wave of Kates came in from the west in a coordinated attack on battleships and
15:42cruisers.
15:51The zero strafe targets of opportunity.
15:59Pandemonium on the ground turned into a wave of terror.
16:02The radio message went out.
16:05Air raid, Pearl Harbor.
16:08This is not a drill.
16:17The expected flight of B-17s also arrived.
16:20The zeroes moved in.
16:22They shot down one and badly damaged three.
16:28Forty-nine level bombers came in, each with a single 1,700-pound bomb.
16:33They scored precise hits on the Arizona, West Virginia, Tennessee, California, and
16:39the Maryland.
16:51Dive bombers continued to attack hangars and other permanent facilities.
16:55Zeroes concentrated on strafing parked aircraft.
16:58Only one zero was shot down by anti-aircraft fire.
17:03The American 47th Pursuit Squadron had not yet been hit.
17:07At 0815, five young lieutenants began a series of sorties that would last until 1000.
17:14They landed and refueled, taking whatever aircraft was ready to go, either Curtiss P-40s
17:19or P-36s.
17:21The pilots had no problem finding the enemy.
17:30At 0850, the second attack force struck, flying down the east side of Oahu to curve in on
17:37the same targets.
17:39Seventy-eight VALs repeated the attacks on Ford Island ships and Pearl Harbor.
17:49The damage was catastrophic.
17:52Five battleships were sunk.
17:53Two of them were beyond hope of salvage, even in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor.
18:01Three other battleships, three cruisers, and three destroyers were badly damaged.
18:07Casualties were very high.
18:092,403 were killed and 1,178 wounded.
18:18Japanese intelligence officers assessed their own damage.
18:22They lost 29 planes, five midget submarines, and one fleet submarine.
18:37Admiral Nagumo elected to withdraw, content with the damage he had done, unwilling to
18:42risk his fleet to a counter-attack.
18:44Tactically, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a brilliant military maneuver.
18:54It was carefully planned and perfectly executed.
18:58It achieved all it could have been achieved, given that the American aircraft carriers
19:02were not in port.
19:04It also shielded the massive thrust being undertaken to the south.
19:09But in strategic terms, it was fatal to the Japanese Empire.
19:12It embarked Japan upon a war it could never hope to win.
19:17In America, the attack transformed the country.
19:20It removed any indecision about entering the war.
19:23It silenced the isolationists and members of America First who wanted to keep the United
19:28States out of the war at any price.
19:39Far away on the western edge of the Pacific, the Japanese prepared to launch another attack
19:44to coincide with the attack on Pearl Harbor.
20:07The attack assembling on the island of Formosa included a wide variety of aircraft types.
20:13Among them were G3M Nells, G4M Bettys, Ki-21 Sallies, and Zero Fighters.
20:34On the morning of December 8th, the Japanese took off to begin a series of attacks on the
20:39Philippines.
20:49Any one of these attacks should have jarred General Douglas MacArthur into an offensive
20:53response, but they did not.
21:04Formations of Japanese bombers and fighters arrived at Clark Field in the Philippines
21:07just as a huge assembly of American fighters and bombers was being refueled.
21:20The Japanese, who expected tough opposition, couldn't believe their luck.
21:25The attack went off as smoothly as Pearl Harbor.
21:36There was a day of hard and sudden execution of air-to-air and air-to-ground fighting by
21:41the Japanese.
21:57At the end of it, the American Far Eastern Air Force had been gutted, 60 fighters had
22:02been destroyed, 12 B-17s had been destroyed and two damaged, another 30 aircraft had been
22:09wiped out.
22:14American confidence was eroded as the Japanese delivered attacks on radar stations and communication
22:19centers.
22:26There were some individual American victories in the days that followed, but not enough
22:31to stem the Japanese.
22:36By December 16th, a decision was made to send the remaining B-17s to Australia for later
22:42use.
22:43On December 31st, most of the last of the American fighter pilots were evacuated.
22:49They had no planes to fly.
22:53The Japanese had achieved total air superiority and their ground and naval forces moved accordingly.
23:01In the months leading up to the war, General MacArthur had announced that he would defend
23:04all of the Philippines, crushing any invasion on the beaches.
23:09MacArthur commanded a nominal force of 120,000 troops.
23:13Most of them were untrained, ill-armed militia, but the Japanese landed 107,000 troops of
23:20their 14th Army at three different invasion points.
23:24The harsh reality of combat against unequal odds forced MacArthur to change his original
23:29defense plans.
23:31The American and Filipino forces dropped back to defend Bataan.
23:55Bataan is a 25-mile long, 20-mile wide peninsula.
24:00The island fortress of Corregidor was used as a base command post.
24:05MacArthur had pinned his hopes on an immediate American relief expedition.
24:10He had stockpiled the peninsula with food, ammunition, and hospitals sufficient for a
24:14six-month defense.
24:21There were more than 100,000 people crowded into the area.
24:25The peninsula was also a playground for malarial mosquitoes.
24:29Both armies were soon infected.
24:31The Japanese fared worse than the Americans.
24:35Their medical system was, and would remain, primitive.
24:43But the Japanese forces scored victory after victory.
24:53The defenders of Bataan held on until April 9, 1942.
24:57They were unaware that the Japanese forces facing them were almost exhausted and would
25:02not have been able to resist a counterattack.
25:09Sometimes Corregidor was hit by 16,000 shells a day.
25:14The fortress surrendered to an invasion force on May 6, 1942.
25:19General MacArthur had already been ordered to evacuate to Australia.
25:23His successor on Corregidor, General Jonathan Wainwright, was forced to order a general
25:27surrender throughout the Philippines.
25:2930,000 American and 100,000 Filipino troops laid down their arms in the most bitter defeat
25:36in American history.
25:44British air opposition in Malaya was weak and quickly brushed aside.
25:48Japanese high-level bombers systematically attacked the fortress of Singapore.
25:54Dive bombers were brought in to quell any British counterattacks.
26:07There were ample British airfields on the Malay Peninsula, but few planes.
26:12Those that were there, except for a handful of hurricanes, were totally inadequate.
26:22The Japanese flowed down the Malay Peninsula, bypassing British roadblocks and using air
26:27power to overcome any genuine strong points.
26:39As they came, they gathered an aura of invincibility.
26:45On February 15, 1942, the 70,000-man garrison of Singapore surrendered.
26:52It was the greatest, most humiliating defeat in British history.
27:02It was a triumph of the greatest magnitude for the Japanese.
27:06They had put only 35,000 men into combat in the theater and had already lost almost a
27:11third of their force, killed or wounded.
27:21The rest of the Japanese thrust in Southeast Asia went the same way.
27:25Quick eradication of opposing air power, followed by a relentless push of ground forces.
27:37By May 20, 1942, Japan had conquered the Philippines, Malaya, the Dutch East Indies, and Burma.
27:54They had seized Wake Island, Guam, and a host of smaller islands.
28:01Twenty million square miles of territory had been added to the Japanese empire.
28:07Yamamoto had indeed run wild, far faster than his most optimistic schedule.
28:14His country settled into a euphoria called by more sober Japanese, the victory disease.
28:23The effect was similar to the euphoric malaise that gripped the German conquerors after their
28:27victory in the West.
28:29Time was wasted, and leaders at every level began to focus on honors and celebrations
28:34rather than the next victory.
28:37During the first six months of 1942, the Allied air effort in the Pacific would be borne by
28:42two widely disparate elements.
28:47The first was carried out in China by Claire Chennault's famous Flying Tigers.
29:01The Flying Tigers was the popular title of the American volunteer group.
29:05It first entered combat on December 20, 1941.
29:09It inflicted heavy losses on Japanese bombers attempting to bomb Kunming.
29:20The Tigers were equipped with obsolete Curtiss P-40s.
29:24They were manned by volunteers released from active duty with regular U.S. forces.
29:37The group relied on Claire Chennault's tactics and a primitive but effective early warning
29:42system to defeat the Japanese.
29:55Chennault was the renegade champion of fighter aviation in the Army Air Corps.
29:59He had been thrust out of the service because he was too insistent on ideas running counter
30:03to the popular wisdom.
30:05He was wise in the ways of the Japanese.
30:08He trained his pilots always to use two plain elements in hit-and-run tactics.
30:14These tactics capitalized on the P-40's advantage in level flight speed and its vastly superior
30:19diving capability.
30:21The P-40s were strongly built.
30:24Their heavy firepower blew the fragile Japanese bombers into pieces.
30:28Chennault and his men gave a boost to Allied morale at a time when there was nothing but
30:32bad news to be found on every front.
30:37On July 4, 1942, the American Volunteer Group was disbanded.
30:43Many of its members were absorbed into the United States Army Air Forces.
30:46They had established a firm tradition of flying, fighting, and winning.
30:54On April 18, 1942, a second element, very different from the Flying Tigers, made its
31:00mark on the war.
31:02It was led by Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle.
31:10In a daring move that risked the invaluable aircraft carrier Hornet, Doolittle planned
31:15to use 16 modified North American B-25 Mitchells to strike against Japan.
31:21They had to cover 600 miles to strike targets in Kobe, Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo, and Yokohama.
31:32Doolittle knew full well that it was only a token raid.
31:59Each B-25 carried only three 500-pound demolition bombs and one 500-pound incendiary cluster.
32:06The object was to shake Japan's morale and, at the same time, raise America's.
32:12The raid achieved total surprise.
32:14No B-25s were shot down, but all were lost.
32:22Fifteen crews had to bail out or crash land.
32:26One aircraft made it to Vladivostok, where the Russians interned it and the crew.
32:30Three crew members were killed in crash landings.
32:34Another eight were captured by the Japanese and tortured and interrogated.
32:38Three of them were executed as examples.
32:52Doolittle knew he'd inflicted only minor damage.
32:54He was convinced that he would be brought home and court-martialed for his failure.
32:59Instead, his achievement was recognized for the moral tonic that it was.
33:04He was given the Medal of Honor and promoted to Brigadier General.
33:17Jimmy Doolittle's attack had another unforeseen and forereaching effect.
33:21It was obvious to the Japanese that the U.S. fleet was still a threat and must be destroyed.
33:27Yamamoto knew that aggressive action was necessary to keep the British and American fleets off
33:32balance.
33:35As a part of the overall thrust to the east, Yamamoto had decided to take Port Moresby
33:40in New Guinea as a base for an attack on Australia.
33:44He would take Tulagi in the Solomon Islands as a staging base for further operations.
33:53The British and the Americans were determined to contest the Japanese advance on Port Moresby.
33:59Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz was a quiet gentleman who drove himself hard.
34:04He sent his three admirals, Halsey, Spruance, and Fletcher, charging against Japanese island
34:10bases with the only weapon he had.
34:12The three carriers, Enterprise, Lexington, and Yorktown.
34:16Both fleets played blind man's bluff, missing opportunities to strike.
34:30On May 5th, scout planes from both fleets located each other.
34:34The sightings were the opening jabs in what would become a slugfest between airplanes.
34:41It was a historic event, the world's first aircraft carrier battle in which no surface
34:46ship would see an enemy vessel.
34:56On May 7th, American aircraft, by chance, found the Japanese carrier, Shoho.
35:01Douglas Dauntlesses and devastators from the Lexington and Yorktown attacked and sank it
35:06with bombs and torpedoes.
35:08An immortal radio call went out, one that was picked up immediately by the media and
35:13made a symbol of a new stage in the war.
35:20Lieutenant Commander Dixon exuberantly radioed, scratch one flattop, Dixon to carrier, scratch
35:26one flattop.
35:30The Japanese counterattacked, launching 27 torpedo planes and level bombers.
35:37They ran into Admiral Fletcher's combat air patrol and in a dogfight lost seven planes
35:42compared with three for the Americans.
35:52The Japanese bombers jettisoned their loads into the sea, but they sackled the carrier
35:57Yorktown amid a storm of anti-aircraft fire and radioed back her position.
36:0714 of the surviving Japanese planes were lost at sea on their way back to their ship.
36:15The next day, both fleets were brought under observation by 0815.
36:20The Americans got off the first strike.
36:22By 0915, they had 75 aircraft in the air.
36:40SBDs and devastators located two Japanese carriers.
36:44Nine of the devastators dropped torpedoes, all nine malfunctioned, but the dauntless
36:49dive bombers made it through the defenses to score three hits on the Shokaku, leaving
36:54it burning.
37:01By 1100, the Japanese had begun a devastating attack on the Yorktown.
37:10The Yorktown was blasted by an 800-pound bomb that penetrated four decks and killed or wounded
37:1666 crew members.
37:23Two torpedoes penetrated Lexington's side.
37:26She started to list and couldn't maneuver.
37:29More torpedoes and bombs were delivered.
37:32In a brilliant show of damage control, the listing Lexington was righted by shifting
37:37oil ballast.
37:38Air operations were resumed, but as she crept back toward Pearl Harbor for repairs, a massive
37:44aviation fuel explosion gutted the ship.
37:47The Lexington's captain, Frederick C. Sherman, reluctantly gave the order to abandon ship.
37:57But the Lexington would not sink.
37:59The destroyer USS Phelps had to deliver the coup de grace with five torpedoes.
38:06The losses in the Battle of the Coral Sea on both sides were almost even, with a slight
38:10advantage going to the Japanese.
38:12Yet strategically, the Japanese thrust towards Port Moresby was stopped in its tracks.
38:22Yamamoto intended to force Nimitz to fight.
38:25He would bring the U.S. Pacific Fleet to battle and destroy it.
38:29Midway, 1,300 miles northwest of Pearl Harbor, was bait for an elaborate trap.
38:37In all, there were 165 ships involved in Japan's complex plan and demanding timetable.
38:45The carrier striking force was to smash Midway Island's defenses and then defeat the American
38:50Pacific Fleet.
38:55In the meantime, the military occupation force was to seize Midway Island and convert it
39:01into a Japanese air base.
39:07Yamamoto commanded the largest fleet ever assembled in the Pacific, but he dispersed
39:11it so widely that its parts were vulnerable.
39:15The Japanese still believed that their codes were secure.
39:19They also believed that Nimitz had to be lured to fight.
39:22In fact, he was ready to let fly.
39:25Nimitz and his staff did not have complete information on the Japanese intentions, but
39:30they had enough to take immediate countermeasures.
39:33These included the reinforcement of Midway Island and the incredibly swift return of
39:37the repaired carrier Yorktown to combat.
39:44The Yorktown, the Enterprise, and the Hornet would make up the carrier striking force.
39:49On board the carriers were 77 Grumman F4Fs, 112 Douglas SBDs, and 42 Douglas Devastators.
39:58In addition to the carriers, the Pacific Fleet included six cruisers, nine destroyers,
40:03and 19 submarines.
40:06The strength of the Japanese fleet was estimated at four battleships, five carriers, nine heavy
40:11cruisers, five light cruisers, 24 destroyers, and 25 submarines.
40:19In spite of Japan's advantage in numbers, Nimitz counted on both tactical and strategic
40:24advantages.
40:26He controlled Midway.
40:28Midway was not only unsinkable, it was also a magnet for Japanese bombs, diverting them
40:33from the Pacific Fleet.
40:37Midway had a powerful air force.
40:39There were 32 PBY patrol flying boats.
40:47By June 4th, Nimitz had 105 aircraft on Midway with 141 officers and 2,886 men.
41:01He now positioned his carriers just out of range of expected Japanese reconnaissance
41:06and waited.
41:13At the same time, American Task Force 17 was steaming southwest.
41:17It arrived at a point 202 miles north of Midway, within striking distance of the Japanese fleet.
41:24It was ready to launch at 0430.
41:30The Japanese Admiral Nagumo was unaware of the presence of the American ships.
41:37He struck first at Midway with a force of 108 airplanes, 72 kates, and 36 valves.
41:47Unknown to the Japanese, a consolidated PBY had spotted two of the carriers and radioed
41:52their position to Midway.
41:58Aircraft erupted from the Midway runway, some to save themselves from attack, others to
42:03defend the island.
42:07At Midway, the Japanese bombers destroyed some buildings and oil tanks, but it was not
42:12decisive.
42:13A second attack would be necessary.
42:24The B-17s from Midway joined the battle.
42:27They dropped bombs from 20,000 feet.
42:30The hits they claimed were later discounted.
42:34A Japanese reconnaissance aircraft located the fleet at 0728, but didn't indicate in
42:40its message that a carrier was present.
42:45At 0925, Lieutenant Wade McCluskey was leading a patrol of Douglas Dauntless' on a disappointing
42:51search.
42:57He had reached the spot where the Japanese fleet was supposed to be, only to find empty
43:02sea.
43:03His fuel was low, but he decided to continue on the same heading for 10 minutes.
43:08Then, without authorization, he turned right to the northwest.
43:15Twenty minutes later, he saw the Japanese destroyer Arashi steaming toward the Japanese
43:20fleet.
43:22The patrol was almost out of fuel.
43:24McCluskey knew that any of his aircraft that survived an attack on the Japanese fleet would
43:29have to ditch in the sea.
43:31He did not hesitate.
43:32He turned to follow the destroyer.
43:40There were ineffective attacks on the fleet by SBD Dauntless' and Vought Vindicators from
43:45Midway.
43:46Eight SBDs were lost to the deadly Zeros.
43:49Neither the Dauntless' or the Vindicators did much damage, but they kept the Japanese
43:54carriers twisting and turning.
43:59Another U.S. attack was on the way, 117 aircraft, Dauntless' Devastators and Wildcats, from
44:06the carriers Enterprise and Hornet.
44:11It was a desperate mission, almost at the limit of the aircraft's combat radius.
44:16At 0917, Admiral Nagumo turned to launch a strike against the American fleet.
44:23His decks were littered with aircraft, changing armament and refueling.
44:30At 0925, eight Douglas Devastators, without fighter escort, attacked the Soyuz.
44:36They flew into a whirlwind of anti-aircraft fire and zero bullets.
44:40Only one plane got close enough to launch its torpedo, with no effect.
44:51Five minutes later, another 14 Devastators attacked.
44:55Ten were shot down.
45:00Still, there was no damage to the Japanese.
45:09But the American aircraft forced the Japanese ships to maneuver to avoid them.
45:14No fighters could be launched.
45:18Meanwhile, at 1001, Wade McCluskey sighted the Japanese carriers.
45:23He reported the position of the enemy fleet to the Enterprise, and then he and the other
45:28Dauntless' dove to attack.
45:32On the bridge of the Akagi, Admiral Nagumo looked up to see his worst nightmare, a waterfall
45:37of American planes diving in from 15,000 feet, spaced five seconds apart.
45:55Explosions sent a raging fire storming through the Kaga.
45:58It sank, with 800 men trapped below decks.
46:04More Dauntless' arrived from the carrier Yorktown.
46:07Their target was the carrier Soyu.
46:09They placed three 1,000-pound bombs evenly along the deck.
46:18Admiral Yamaguchi Tamon launched a counterattack against the American carrier Yorktown.
46:24Seven bells from Yamaguchi's carrier, Hiryu, got through the Yorktown's defenses.
46:32Eight hits from three left the Yorktown dead in the water, burning fiercely.
46:38A second attack followed up.
46:40Two torpedoes hit the Yorktown.
46:43Her rudder was jammed, and she was listing badly.
46:48But just as that attack was occurring, a patrol from the Enterprise sighted the Hiryu.
46:54Twenty-five dive bombers were dispatched to attack.
46:57Within 30 minutes, another 16 were on their way.
47:01The first bombs missed, but three from the last few dive bombers penetrated her deck.
47:16At 0255, on June 5th, Admiral Yamamoto gave the order for his fleet to withdraw.
47:24To his officers, he said, I'll apologize to the Emperor myself.
47:33Yamamoto knew that the first naval defeat in 350 years had turned the tide against his
47:39home one.
47:41In a period of just a few minutes, a handful of obsolete Douglas dive bombers had sunk
47:46four aircraft carriers.
47:47They had won the Battle of Midway.
47:50They reversed the course of the Pacific War.
47:53They destroyed the best of Japan's naval aviators.
47:57They brought an almost hysterical wave of enthusiasm to the United States, which gave
48:02new impetus and energy to the American war effort.
Recommended
58:38
|
Up next
44:00
28:28
46:50
1:10:41
45:42
54:12
1:13:33
41:55
54:11
45:49
29:18
1:44:53
1:41:35
28:43
29:19
28:34
38:59
1:43:42
28:34
58:24
1:47:53