1 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:06,080 ♪ [theme song plays] ♪ 2 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:58,960 [narrator] At 7:56 on the morning of December 7th, 1941, 3 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,440 Japanese aircraft swooped down over Hawaii. 4 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:09,960 Their target: The US Pacific Fleet at anchor 5 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:11,760 in its base at Pearl Harbour 6 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:23,480 Five U.S. ships were hit immediately. 7 00:01:25,320 --> 00:01:26,800 [explosions] 8 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:34,440 A few minutes later, more Japanese aircraft joined in. 9 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:47,680 By 8:35, two U.S. battleships were sinking, 10 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,200 two had capsized, and two were badly damaged. 11 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:58,720 A seventh battleship, the Nevada, 12 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:00,880 slipped her moorings and was heading out to sea 13 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:04,040 when she too was caught and forced to beach. 14 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:13,040 Simultaneously, Japanese Zero fighters strafed U.S. aircraft 15 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:15,080 lined up on the island's airstrips. 16 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:26,080 They also shot up nearby army barracks. 17 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:36,520 By the end of the attack 18 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:40,120 dozens of U.S. warships had been sunk or damaged. 19 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,360 One hundred and eighty eight aircraft were also destroyed. 20 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:55,600 The next day, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt 21 00:02:55,640 --> 00:02:58,000 declared war on Japan. 22 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:00,120 [Roosevelt] Since the unprovoked 23 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:04,440 and dastardly attack by Japan 24 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:10,200 on Sunday, December 7, 1941, 25 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:13,200 a state of war 26 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:18,960 has existed between the United States 27 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:20,760 and the Japanese empire. 28 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:23,080 [applause] 29 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:28,760 [narrator] The stage was set. 30 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:35,600 Could Japan knock out the United States with a swift blow 31 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:38,840 before the huge might of America ground it down? 32 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:43,920 It would become one of the great conflicts of World War II. 33 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:57,240 Japan's first steps towards war had come in August 1940. 34 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:01,040 Capitalizing on France's defeat in Europe, 35 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:03,640 it seized control of air bases in the north 36 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:06,200 of the French colony of Indo-China. 37 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:10,920 It was looking for a quick and easy expansion of its Empire. 38 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:24,880 A year later it issued an ultimatum demanding the use 39 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:28,280 of all French air bases throughout Indo-China. 40 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:33,200 When the French hesitated, the Japanese invaded 41 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:35,920 and seized control of the entire colony. 42 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:48,320 Japan felt the consequences almost immediately. 43 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:52,880 The United States froze its overseas financial assets 44 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:56,760 effectively robbing the country of its ability to buy oil. 45 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:01,000 Japan faced a choice. 46 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:03,160 Climb down and lose face, 47 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:06,360 or seize more territory and up the stakes. 48 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:13,000 For a new Japanese government, 49 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:15,800 under the aggressive General Hideki Tojo, 50 00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:18,680 there was no question about which course to take. 51 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,440 Japanese Army and Navy commanders were told to prepare 52 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:28,240 for a swift war to occupy all the Far Eastern territories 53 00:05:28,280 --> 00:05:31,360 controlled by Britain, France, the Netherlands 54 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:33,040 and the United States. 55 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:37,840 The country was expecting a swift victory. 56 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:40,680 ♪ [big band music plays] ♪ 57 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:49,560 Japan saw the Americans, in particular, 58 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:52,080 as a nation of pleasure lovers with no stomach 59 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:55,000 for a lengthy war and heavy casualties. 60 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:00,680 The Japanese military calculated that if they could destroy 61 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:02,360 the U.S. Pacific fleet, 62 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:05,160 the U.S. would quickly sue for peace. 63 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:10,120 It was now that they decided to attack Pearl Harbour 64 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:13,560 Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, 65 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:15,600 commander of the Japanese combined fleet, 66 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:16,960 was put in charge. 67 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:25,480 He had ten battleships, ten aircraft carriers, 68 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:28,440 and the world's most advanced naval aircraft. 69 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:39,280 Against him, the U.S. Pacific Fleet 70 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:43,640 had eight World War I vintage battleships and two carriers. 71 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:52,280 Yamamoto planned the attack with great care. 72 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:58,960 He would hit the U.S. fleet in Pearl Harbour on a Sunday, 73 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:01,280 since, according to intelligence reports, 74 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:03,960 it usually spent the weekends in port. 75 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:07,800 [people chattering] 76 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:16,520 In total radio silence, 77 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,720 the Japanese strike force gathered in Tankan Bay 78 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:21,880 in the northerly Kurile Islands. 79 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:32,760 The fleet set sail on November 26, 1941. 80 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:39,600 Meanwhile, as a decoy, 81 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:42,480 Japanese negotiators arrived in Washington 82 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:45,640 to discuss a possible Japanese withdrawal from China. 83 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:59,720 The Japanese fleet refuelled after several days at sea. 84 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:07,040 Three days later it was off Hawaii. 85 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:10,920 The Americans were still blissfully unaware 86 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:12,640 that anything was wrong. 87 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:14,800 [speaking in Japanese] 88 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:22,880 At 6 AM on December 7th, after a final briefing, 89 00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:26,000 the first wave of Japanese aircraft took off. 90 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,040 [cheering] 91 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:48,960 As the Japanese aircraft dived into the attack, 92 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,920 U.S. personnel were still just stirring 93 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:53,760 on a fine Sunday morning. 94 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:55,400 [chattering] 95 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:01,280 [aircraft flying overhead] 96 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:13,600 It was all over in less than two and a quarter hours. 97 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:20,680 Yamamoto's plan had worked like a dream. 98 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:23,400 Or had it? 99 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:29,360 There was only one problem. 100 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:32,320 The U.S. fleets' two aircraft carriers had not been 101 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:36,280 in Pearl Harbour at the time and had escaped the attack. 102 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:44,960 Yamamoto's main aim of crippling the U.S. Pacific fleet 103 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,040 had only partially succeeded. 104 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:56,920 U.S. naval air power in the region was still intact. 105 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:02,760 But in the United States there was shock and disbelief. 106 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:05,320 [chattering] 107 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:08,080 [man speaks over radio] 108 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:11,920 It quickly turned into a mood of fury and determination. 109 00:10:14,680 --> 00:10:17,400 Angry mobs attacked the Japanese embassy. 110 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:21,080 Japan had disturbed the sleeping giant. 111 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:26,520 The U.S. Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox, spoke for many. 112 00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:31,440 The Japs started this war. We are going to finish it. 113 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:35,520 [shouting in Japanese] 114 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:37,480 [cheering] 115 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:38,600 [narrator] Yet, before the U.S. 116 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:41,080 could mobilize its full strength, 117 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:43,320 the Japanese were to inflict more 118 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:47,000 humiliating defeats on the Western Allies. 119 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:56,400 In December of 1941, 120 00:10:56,440 --> 00:11:00,120 as America was licking its wounds after Pearl Harbour, 121 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:02,280 Japan launched a series of attacks on 122 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:04,440 western colonies in South East Asia. 123 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:05,520 [artillery fire] 124 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:11,280 It thought it had knocked out America. 125 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:14,200 Now it moved against Britain and its colonies. 126 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:21,200 The first to be hit was Malaya, 127 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:23,200 where a Japanese force came ashore 128 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:25,000 in the north-east of the country. 129 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:34,000 The plan was that it should make its way south, 130 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:35,400 down the east coast. 131 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:37,920 [gunfire] 132 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:41,160 [distant gunfire] 133 00:11:41,560 --> 00:11:43,840 The invasion force was met by a contingent 134 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:45,680 of British Indian troops. 135 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:49,880 But after a day of fighting they were brushed aside. 136 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:57,720 Meanwhile, further north in Thailand, 137 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:00,640 a second Japanese landing was unopposed. 138 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:07,400 Thirty thousand Japanese troops were soon making their way 139 00:12:07,440 --> 00:12:09,600 down the western coast of Malaya. 140 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:18,440 The target of the two groups: Singapore. 141 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:20,360 The centre of British military 142 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:22,800 and political rule in the Far East. 143 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:33,600 Britain had turned the island into what it believed 144 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:35,680 was an impregnable fortress. 145 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:41,520 But all the guns pointed south, out to sea. 146 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:46,360 The Japanese were approaching by land from the north. 147 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:56,240 Yet, British military commanders remained remarkably untroubled. 148 00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:59,400 They didn't rate the Japanese as fighting men, 149 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:01,520 and believed the Malay jungle was, 150 00:13:01,560 --> 00:13:03,760 anyway, virtually impassable. 151 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:13,680 But the Japanese had other ideas. 152 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:17,400 To soften up Singapore they attacked the city from the air. 153 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:27,240 Britain sent the new battleship, Prince of Wales, 154 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:29,720 and a battle cruiser, Repulse, 155 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:32,320 to attack Japanese troop convoys. 156 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:37,880 They were met by Japanese bombers. 157 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:52,800 Both warships were sunk in less than two hours. 158 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:56,680 Almost 1,000 of their crew were lost. 159 00:14:00,560 --> 00:14:04,680 It was the greatest British naval disaster of World War II. 160 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:09,760 In an era of aircraft and aircraft carriers 161 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:11,560 it was now clear the battleship, 162 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:14,040 for years the mainstay of the British navy, 163 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:15,520 had had its day. 164 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:28,560 Back on land the Japanese continued to head south 165 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:30,040 towards Singapore. 166 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:38,200 On January 11th, 1942, Kuala Lumpur was captured. 167 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:40,240 [men shouting] 168 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:45,080 The British forces fell back and withdrew to Singapore. 169 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:55,160 There were now about 100,000 British soldiers to defend it. 170 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:58,360 They faced a force of only 30,000 Japanese. 171 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:06,000 Even without their big guns, 172 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:08,760 the British should have been able to hold out. 173 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:17,520 The Japanese launched an assault in early February. 174 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:20,360 [machine gun fire] 175 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:24,280 It was supported by more air strikes. 176 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:31,040 [artillery fire] 177 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:34,600 The British defence was soon reduced to chaos. 178 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:40,360 Civilian casualties began to escalate. 179 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:47,360 Four days later the Japanese had pushed 180 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:50,240 through the last of the British defensive lines. 181 00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:59,360 The commander, General Arthur Percival, 182 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:02,640 surrendered with over 90,000 men. 183 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:10,880 Never in the history of the British Army 184 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:13,920 had a commander in charge of such a large force 185 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:16,720 had to surrender, and to an enemy general 186 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:19,800 whose force was outnumbered more than three to one. 187 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:25,560 Britain's 200-year-old power and prestige in the Far East 188 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:28,480 had been wiped out in just 10 weeks. 189 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:35,080 But it wasn't the only disaster. 190 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:38,120 [machine gunfire] 191 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:42,200 Elsewhere in Southeast Asia 192 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:45,240 the Japanese forces were equally triumphant. 193 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:52,200 The British garrison in Hong Kong fought for two weeks 194 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:54,680 before succumbing to a Japanese invasion. 195 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:03,480 [machine gunfire] 196 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:05,840 [artillery fire] 197 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:11,400 In the Philippines, America fared no better. 198 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:18,760 Here, a preemptive bombing raid 199 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:21,360 caught large numbers of U.S. aircraft 200 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:23,760 neatly lined up at Clark Field. 201 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:30,720 Most were destroyed. 202 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:40,400 Two days later, with U.S. air power virtually non-existent, 203 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:42,640 Japanese troops began to land. 204 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:45,840 [artillery fire] 205 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:56,000 [machine gunfire] 206 00:17:56,040 --> 00:17:59,160 The local Philippine troops melted away. 207 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:03,720 [machine gunfire] 208 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:06,920 - [explosions] - [machine gunfire] 209 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:09,240 The Japanese advanced rapidly. 210 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:10,720 [explosion] 211 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:15,280 Ten days later Manila was captured. 212 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:26,440 The U.S. soldiers were forced to withdraw 213 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:28,040 to the Bataan Peninsula. 214 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:33,000 Here they hoped to hold out 215 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:35,160 until a relief force could be sent. 216 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:40,120 It never came. 217 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:48,720 On April 3rd, 1942, 218 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:52,680 Japanese troops launched a major assault on U.S. positions. 219 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:54,680 [machine gunfire] 220 00:18:56,120 --> 00:19:00,000 After four days of heavy fighting they broke through. 221 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:07,000 The Americans surrendered two days later. 222 00:19:14,120 --> 00:19:18,480 That left just one British colony in the region: Burma. 223 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:25,440 In early 1942, Japanese forces pushed 224 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:27,160 into the south of the country. 225 00:19:30,120 --> 00:19:33,160 The British defences had been utterly neglected. 226 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:40,600 There were only some 15,000 men defending the country. 227 00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:45,400 They were no match for the Japanese. 228 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:55,320 The Allied troops mounted a brief but doomed resistance. 229 00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:57,560 [explosions] 230 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:04,920 [screaming] 231 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:11,960 Less than two months after invading Burma, 232 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:15,120 the Japanese had seized the capital, Rangoon. 233 00:20:15,160 --> 00:20:16,960 [cheering] 234 00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:21,880 Eight weeks later the British had been pushed 235 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:23,760 entirely out of the country. 236 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:30,640 In just under six months the Japanese had seized control 237 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:33,640 of the whole eastern rim of the Pacific. 238 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:37,680 Their Oriental Blitzkrieg had been swift and crushing. 239 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:42,160 Yet, already, there were warning signs 240 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:45,320 that they were not as powerful as they appeared. 241 00:20:55,160 --> 00:20:59,800 On April 18th, 1942, four months after Pearl Harbour, 242 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:02,320 America struck back at the Japanese. 243 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:11,240 U.S. bombers, flying low over Tokyo, 244 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:14,760 dropped bombs on the city close to the Emperor's Palace. 245 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:17,400 [explosions] 246 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:23,640 Others struck Yokohama, Kobe and Nagoya. 247 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:31,040 The raid, authorized by President Roosevelt himself, 248 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:33,000 was daring in the extreme. 249 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:40,880 The B-25 Mitchell bombers had not been designed 250 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:43,320 to be launched from aircraft carriers. 251 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:46,960 They barely managed to lumber off the deck 252 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:49,240 of the U.S.S. Hornet, which had brought them 253 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:52,320 to within 700 miles of the Japanese capital. 254 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:03,480 But that didn't diminish their effectiveness in the air. 255 00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:12,880 In Japan the raids caused profound shock. 256 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:19,960 After their runaway successes of the past four months, 257 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,880 they had never expected an attack on their homeland. 258 00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:37,880 Japan's military planners now decided to 259 00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:39,800 extend the country's defences 260 00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:44,200 If they could seize additional strategic outposts 261 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:47,160 in the Pacific, they could attack and destroy 262 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:51,160 Allied Forces before they even come close to the homeland. 263 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:59,160 Japan already controlled much of the Chinese coast, 264 00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:01,720 Southeast Asia and the Philippines. 265 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:07,640 They had also seized the Dutch East Indies. 266 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:12,600 Now they decided to strike south 267 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:16,000 and attack Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. 268 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:19,200 And east to take the Island of Midway 269 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:20,680 in the middle of the Pacific. 270 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:23,600 It would mean the homeland was surrounded by 271 00:23:23,640 --> 00:23:25,760 a string of fortified positions. 272 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,000 Yet, even as Japan was planning its move, 273 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:32,480 its operations were severely compromised, 274 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:35,160 though it only realized this after the war. 275 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:40,880 The United States had broken its military 276 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:42,720 and diplomatic codes. 277 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:44,440 [typewriters clattering] 278 00:23:48,360 --> 00:23:50,440 By spring 1942, 279 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:53,560 the U.S. Navy's code-breaking team in Hawaii 280 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:55,080 was reading enough messages 281 00:23:55,120 --> 00:23:57,440 to give it a remarkably accurate insight 282 00:23:57,480 --> 00:23:59,200 into Japan's intentions. 283 00:24:03,360 --> 00:24:04,560 So it was 284 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:06,520 that the U.S. commander-in-chief in the region, 285 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:09,840 Admiral Chester Nimitz, learnt the details and timing 286 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:13,040 of Japan's planned invasions of the Solomon Islands 287 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:14,840 and Papua New Guinea. 288 00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:19,920 If successful they would cut off Australia from her allies. 289 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:25,280 A Japanese bombing raid on Darwin 290 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:28,760 had already caused widespread fear of an invasion. 291 00:24:32,280 --> 00:24:33,560 [motor boat engine] 292 00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:41,840 In early May, 1942, the Japanese plan 293 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:45,080 to widen its defensive perimeter was launched. 294 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:49,240 They seized the Solomon Islands. 295 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:57,080 [shouting in Japanese] 296 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:02,960 Two days later, the Japanese carrier force 297 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,360 entered the Coral Sea in preparation 298 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:08,280 for the main assault on Papua New Guinea. 299 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:19,640 But this time the Americans had anticipated them. 300 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:25,600 Admiral Nimitz had ordered two U.S. aircraft carriers 301 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:28,600 and a number of smaller warships into the area. 302 00:25:36,120 --> 00:25:39,480 For two days the rival fleets searched for each other. 303 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:47,760 Then on May the 7th U.S. aircraft 304 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:51,640 located and sank the Japanese carrier Shoho. 305 00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:02,600 [bell ringing] 306 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:06,400 The battle of the Coral Sea was underway. 307 00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:12,600 [alarm sounds] 308 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:15,320 [alarm sounds] 309 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:23,800 Early the following day, the Japanese responded, 310 00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:27,160 unleashing a hail of torpedoes and bombs. 311 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:39,320 To begin with the U.S. aircraft carrier Yorktown 312 00:26:39,360 --> 00:26:42,040 managed to avoid the Japanese torpedoes. 313 00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:47,960 [machine gunfire] 314 00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:52,040 But then she took a bomb 315 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:55,000 which penetrated four decks before exploding. 316 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:01,320 Thirty seven men were killed. 317 00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:10,280 [machine gunfire] 318 00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:15,360 The larger and less manoeuvrable carrier, Lexington, 319 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:19,600 was also hit by several bombs as well as two torpedoes. 320 00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:29,160 She developed a heavy list to port. 321 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:31,640 [machine gunfire] 322 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:39,880 The Americans returned fire, 323 00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:42,520 attacking the Japanese carrier Shokaku. 324 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:55,280 The first U.S. raid was blunted by Japanese Zero fighters 325 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:58,040 which forced the U.S. Douglas Devastator bombers 326 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:00,520 to drop their torpedoes too far out. 327 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:06,640 All the torpedoes missed. 328 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:18,720 But a second wave of U.S. dive bombers struck home. 329 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,760 The Shokaku's deck was so badly damaged 330 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:30,200 she could no longer be used by aircraft. 331 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:37,880 After two days of fighting 332 00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:40,880 the two forces finally disengaged. 333 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:47,160 That evening, the Lexington, still afloat, 334 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:50,240 suddenly erupted in a huge explosion. 335 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:59,160 There had been an undetected leak of aviation fuel 336 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:00,800 that had caught fire. 337 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:07,080 [panicked conversation] 338 00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:11,600 Amazingly all but 215 of the nearly 3,000 men 339 00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:13,800 on board were rescued. 340 00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:21,120 Later that evening an American torpedo 341 00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:23,000 scuttled the burning hulk. 342 00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:35,280 The Battle of the Coral Sea was, on paper, a draw. 343 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:39,600 Each side had lost one carrier 344 00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:41,720 and had another severely damaged. 345 00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:49,360 Strategically, however, it was a major U.S. success. 346 00:29:56,560 --> 00:30:00,560 It had prevented the Japanese from seizing more territory, 347 00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:04,000 and it had stopped them from isolating Australia. 348 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:12,000 The Battle of the Coral Sea 349 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:15,000 marked a new era in naval tactics. 350 00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:18,160 It was the first major sea battle in which 351 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:19,480 the opposing ships 352 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:21,720 were completely out of visual contact. 353 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:27,480 It was fought, instead, by aircraft flying from carriers. 354 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:32,200 [machine gunfire] 355 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:36,480 It would soon become clear which side had adapted 356 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:40,520 to the new form of naval conflict more successfully. 357 00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:55,520 By the late spring of 1942 358 00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:58,600 Japan and America were deadlocked. 359 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:05,360 Japan needed a quick victory if it was not to be ground down 360 00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:08,040 by the huge resources of the United States. 361 00:31:10,680 --> 00:31:13,280 In mid-May it began its next move. 362 00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:18,960 U.S. code breakers reported Japanese plans for a new attack. 363 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:25,960 It would be on "Target AF", somewhere in the mid-Pacific. 364 00:31:27,480 --> 00:31:28,880 The problem, for the Americans, 365 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:32,680 was that they had no idea where "Target AF" was. 366 00:31:35,440 --> 00:31:38,840 Could it be a reference to Midway Island near Hawaii? 367 00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:41,880 An ideal jumping off point for another attack 368 00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:44,280 on the American fleet in Pearl Harbour 369 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:50,080 The code breaking team suggested a way to find out. 370 00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:51,760 The U.S. air base on Midway 371 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:54,640 was instructed to send an un-coded message 372 00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:57,440 reporting problems with the island's water system. 373 00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:05,520 Almost immediately the code breakers intercepted 374 00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:08,560 a Japanese signal that "Target AF" 375 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:10,720 was having water supply problems. 376 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:16,280 Admiral Chester Nimitz now knew 377 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:18,880 exactly where the enemy would strike. 378 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:25,080 [ship's horn blares] 379 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:28,080 The Japanese plan was typically complex. 380 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:32,640 A diversionary attack on the Aleutian islands 381 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:37,000 in the North Pacific would draw away part of the U.S. fleet, 382 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:40,400 while Midway was seized by an occupation force. 383 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:46,520 The Americans would be obliged to hurriedly 384 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:50,000 commit their carrier force to retaking the island. 385 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:54,280 There they would be annihilated 386 00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:56,720 by a huge Japanese naval presence 387 00:32:56,760 --> 00:32:59,640 including four large aircraft carriers. 388 00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:05,080 It was the second Japanese attempt 389 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:08,440 to wipe out the U.S. Navy in the Pacific within a year. 390 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:14,440 [ship's horn blares] 391 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:17,880 Forewarned, the American carriers left port 392 00:33:17,920 --> 00:33:19,160 and moved to a position 393 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:21,080 where they could ambush the Japanese. 394 00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:31,680 On June 3, 1942, 395 00:33:31,720 --> 00:33:34,640 Japanese forces launched the expected attack 396 00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:36,360 on the Aleutian Islands. 397 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:43,160 Nimitz didn't respond. 398 00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:52,720 Then, early the next morning, 399 00:33:52,760 --> 00:33:54,960 the main Japanese carrier force 400 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:57,840 launched a first air strike on Midway Island 401 00:33:57,880 --> 00:33:59,640 to soften up its defences 402 00:34:04,680 --> 00:34:07,440 U.S. war planes from the island intercepted them. 403 00:34:11,160 --> 00:34:14,000 Most were outdated Brewster Buffaloes 404 00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:16,520 and were easily shot down by the more agile 405 00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:18,480 Japanese Zero fighters. 406 00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:25,320 [machine gunfire] 407 00:34:27,200 --> 00:34:30,160 But the Japanese attack had been blunted. 408 00:34:30,200 --> 00:34:32,920 Midway's defences had not been broken. 409 00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:41,920 The Japanese commander, Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, 410 00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:43,720 faced a difficult decision. 411 00:34:47,520 --> 00:34:49,840 He'd kept some of his aircraft in reserve, 412 00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:52,400 loaded with munitions designed specifically 413 00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:54,120 for attacking ships, 414 00:34:54,160 --> 00:34:56,680 just in case the U.S. fleet was spotted. 415 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:01,360 Should he now order this reserve to be stripped 416 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:04,480 of its torpedoes and armour-piercing bombs, 417 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:08,480 and reloaded with high explosive and fragmentation bombs 418 00:35:08,520 --> 00:35:10,720 for a second strike on Midway? 419 00:35:14,360 --> 00:35:18,160 It would leave him ill-equipped to take on the U.S. Navy, 420 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:21,120 but he calculated it was a risk worth taking. 421 00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:27,040 Then, just as the reloading was under way, 422 00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:29,400 he received unwelcome news. 423 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:34,280 A U.S. Naval force had been spotted. 424 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:36,680 Was this the U.S. carrier force, 425 00:35:36,720 --> 00:35:40,120 or a smaller, less significant, fleet of ships? 426 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:46,960 Nagumo was in a dilemma. 427 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:49,800 Should he continue with the second strike on Midway, 428 00:35:49,840 --> 00:35:52,360 or should he, once again, re-equip his bombers 429 00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:54,560 to take on the U.S. vessels? 430 00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:03,480 Nagumo decided to gamble. 431 00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:06,760 He would push ahead with the second strike on Midway. 432 00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:13,000 His hope was that when the bombers returned 433 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:14,840 there would still be time to rearm them 434 00:36:14,880 --> 00:36:16,800 to take on the U.S. ships. 435 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:20,960 Even as he weighed the odds, 436 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:24,240 the Japanese carriers were attacked by U.S. bombers. 437 00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:30,840 [warning siren blares] 438 00:36:31,120 --> 00:36:34,600 Every available Japanese Zero fighter was scrambled 439 00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:36,640 before the U.S. bombers were repelled. 440 00:36:41,720 --> 00:36:44,920 [machine gunfire] 441 00:36:47,640 --> 00:36:50,800 Then came another report from reconnaissance planes. 442 00:36:50,840 --> 00:36:54,840 The U.S. force did indeed contain aircraft carriers. 443 00:36:56,320 --> 00:36:59,480 Nagumo was, once again, on the spot. 444 00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:03,920 His aircraft were half way through reloading, 445 00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:07,480 but the U.S. carriers were a much more important target. 446 00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:12,160 He took a second gamble. 447 00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:14,960 He decided to change their weapons yet again 448 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:16,960 to attack the U.S. force. 449 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:20,880 But while he did so, his ships would be sitting ducks. 450 00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:27,720 Almost immediately they came under attack 451 00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:31,000 from low-flying U.S. torpedo bombers. 452 00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:33,000 But they were old and slow 453 00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:35,360 and attacked without fighter support. 454 00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:44,320 As they approached the Japanese fleet 455 00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:46,200 they were rapidly shot down. 456 00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:55,760 For a brief period it looked as though 457 00:37:55,800 --> 00:37:58,080 Nagumo's gamble had paid off. 458 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:06,120 Then, just as his bombers had been reloaded 459 00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:09,080 and were ready to take on the U.S. carriers, 460 00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:10,560 disaster struck. 461 00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:17,400 U.S. dive bombers, approaching unseen at high altitude, 462 00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:19,520 hurtled down on his ships. 463 00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:25,400 The Japanese were caught completely by surprise. 464 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:32,560 Nagumo had gambled once too often 465 00:38:32,600 --> 00:38:35,360 and was now at the mercy of American air power. 466 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:39,480 Within five minutes 467 00:38:39,520 --> 00:38:41,920 the U.S. dive bombers had reduced three 468 00:38:41,960 --> 00:38:46,200 of Japan's largest aircraft carriers to flaming wrecks. 469 00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:49,880 All would later sink. 470 00:38:55,320 --> 00:38:57,640 A fourth carrier, the Hiryu, 471 00:38:57,680 --> 00:39:00,080 had been masked by a rain storm, 472 00:39:00,120 --> 00:39:02,880 and that afternoon mounted a desperate counterattack. 473 00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:11,440 [explosions] 474 00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:16,760 The U.S. carrier Yorktown was severely damaged. 475 00:39:16,800 --> 00:39:18,720 [alarm sounds] 476 00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:23,160 [shouting] 477 00:39:24,760 --> 00:39:28,120 It was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine several days later. 478 00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:35,640 But the Japanese fight back was short-lived. 479 00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:41,720 Late in the afternoon that day 480 00:39:41,760 --> 00:39:46,240 the Hiryu was also hit and turned into a blazing pyre. 481 00:39:49,720 --> 00:39:51,560 In a matter of hours 482 00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:55,320 Japan's mastery of the sea had been destroyed. 483 00:39:57,200 --> 00:40:01,080 The attack on Midway Island had achieved nothing. 484 00:40:05,040 --> 00:40:10,800 But it had cost Japan its finest carriers and 332 aircraft. 485 00:40:12,960 --> 00:40:16,000 Well over 2,000 sailors had also died. 486 00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:27,080 America now ruled the waves in the Pacific. 487 00:40:28,920 --> 00:40:32,680 Yet, Japan was still undefeated on land 488 00:40:32,720 --> 00:40:35,520 and a powerful, threatening force in the air. 489 00:40:39,440 --> 00:40:41,400 In the coming months it would try to 490 00:40:41,440 --> 00:40:43,280 maximize these advantages. 491 00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:57,680 By summer 1942, 492 00:40:57,720 --> 00:40:59,960 Japanese plans to build a defensive ring 493 00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:02,800 of occupied territories around their homeland 494 00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:05,040 had still not been completed. 495 00:41:09,240 --> 00:41:12,720 Heavy losses at sea had frustrated their attempts 496 00:41:12,760 --> 00:41:16,560 to grab Papua New Guinea and islands in the central Pacific. 497 00:41:18,640 --> 00:41:22,000 Japanese planners now came up with a new plan. 498 00:41:22,040 --> 00:41:25,520 If they couldn't do it by sea, they'd do it by land. 499 00:41:28,120 --> 00:41:31,640 On July 21st, a division-sized force 500 00:41:31,680 --> 00:41:33,960 of experienced jungle troops 501 00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:37,240 landed on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. 502 00:41:40,520 --> 00:41:42,320 They immediately struck west 503 00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:44,760 to capture Port Moresby, the capital. 504 00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:48,320 [artillery fire] 505 00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:52,440 Progress was swift at first. 506 00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:56,640 The small Australian defence force 507 00:41:56,680 --> 00:41:58,560 was completely outnumbered. 508 00:42:07,480 --> 00:42:10,240 Within weeks the Japanese had captured the main pass 509 00:42:10,280 --> 00:42:12,360 over the Owen Stanley Mountains. 510 00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:16,280 [explosion] 511 00:42:18,040 --> 00:42:19,400 [gunfire] 512 00:42:20,360 --> 00:42:23,240 They then halted to await reinforcements 513 00:42:23,280 --> 00:42:26,120 before the final push on Port Moresby. 514 00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:31,040 [bell ringing] 515 00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:34,800 The Australians also mustered new forces. 516 00:42:36,520 --> 00:42:39,320 [artillery fire] 517 00:42:41,200 --> 00:42:43,280 When the Japanese moved off again 518 00:42:43,320 --> 00:42:45,560 they now met much stiffer resistance. 519 00:42:47,320 --> 00:42:48,760 [machine gunfire] 520 00:42:53,320 --> 00:42:56,440 For the first time, Japanese troops were up against men 521 00:42:56,480 --> 00:43:00,400 who matched them for training, experience and morale. 522 00:43:01,480 --> 00:43:03,600 The Australians stood their ground, 523 00:43:03,640 --> 00:43:05,480 and the Japanese were temporarily 524 00:43:05,520 --> 00:43:06,960 brought to a standstill. 525 00:43:07,880 --> 00:43:13,080 [machine gunfire] 526 00:43:18,720 --> 00:43:21,520 But conditions in the jungle were appalling. 527 00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:26,280 There was constant tropical rain. 528 00:43:31,000 --> 00:43:32,520 Malaria was rife. 529 00:43:36,120 --> 00:43:39,840 The Australians were eventually, again, forced to retreat. 530 00:43:42,840 --> 00:43:43,880 [machine gunfire] 531 00:43:51,800 --> 00:43:54,160 After two months of grim fighting, 532 00:43:54,200 --> 00:43:58,040 the Japanese were within 30 miles of Port Moresby. 533 00:43:58,080 --> 00:43:59,120 [machine gunfire] 534 00:44:01,920 --> 00:44:05,400 Then, finally, U.S. reinforcements arrived. 535 00:44:06,480 --> 00:44:07,880 [machine gunfire] 536 00:44:18,840 --> 00:44:22,000 Through September and October, the Japanese were, 537 00:44:22,040 --> 00:44:24,120 in their turn, forced back. 538 00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:30,600 [machine gunfire] 539 00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:39,520 The Japanese made an heroic but suicidal stand. 540 00:44:39,960 --> 00:44:41,640 [machine gunfire] 541 00:44:45,280 --> 00:44:48,280 Many chose to die fighting rather than surrender. 542 00:44:50,880 --> 00:44:52,800 [gunfire] 543 00:45:00,080 --> 00:45:01,600 [gunfire continues] 544 00:45:02,720 --> 00:45:04,880 It took the Allies another two months 545 00:45:04,920 --> 00:45:07,320 before the Japanese were finally overwhelmed. 546 00:45:11,960 --> 00:45:13,960 It had been a bloodbath. 547 00:45:22,200 --> 00:45:26,520 Fifteen thousand Japanese troops had embarked on the operation. 548 00:45:26,560 --> 00:45:28,880 Only 3,000 got away. 549 00:45:35,000 --> 00:45:37,400 The Japanese were in trouble. 550 00:45:37,440 --> 00:45:39,000 They'd lost at sea. 551 00:45:39,040 --> 00:45:42,120 They were now rapidly losing the initiative on land. 552 00:45:42,160 --> 00:45:45,360 American military might was asserting itself. 553 00:45:50,240 --> 00:45:53,880 There was only one alternative left: air power. 554 00:46:03,480 --> 00:46:06,000 Through the summer of 1942, 555 00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:08,560 Japanese engineers began building a string 556 00:46:08,600 --> 00:46:10,560 of airstrips across the Pacific. 557 00:46:13,920 --> 00:46:16,560 One was on the island of Guadalcanal 558 00:46:16,600 --> 00:46:18,280 in the southern Solomon Islands. 559 00:46:19,720 --> 00:46:21,720 It was particularly well situated 560 00:46:21,760 --> 00:46:24,680 to threaten U.S. convoys heading for Australia. 561 00:46:28,320 --> 00:46:31,160 It would become the focus of an epic battle. 562 00:46:37,560 --> 00:46:39,760 In July, 1942, 563 00:46:39,800 --> 00:46:43,400 an amphibious force of U.S. marines invaded the island. 564 00:46:46,080 --> 00:46:48,040 They landed without resistance. 565 00:46:54,640 --> 00:46:57,800 The plan was to capture the half-built airstrip, 566 00:46:57,840 --> 00:47:01,280 complete it and then turn it into a U.S. base. 567 00:47:04,520 --> 00:47:07,400 But the Japanese were not ready to give up. 568 00:47:10,320 --> 00:47:14,040 That night they sent in a naval force to land reinforcements 569 00:47:14,080 --> 00:47:16,280 and to attack the fleet of U.S. ships 570 00:47:16,320 --> 00:47:17,880 supporting the marines. 571 00:47:29,160 --> 00:47:32,000 In a dazzling display of night fighting 572 00:47:32,040 --> 00:47:35,480 the Japanese cruisers sank four Allied warships 573 00:47:35,520 --> 00:47:37,680 and drove the rest out to sea. 574 00:47:38,800 --> 00:47:41,160 [shouting] 575 00:47:44,160 --> 00:47:47,480 The marines were now marooned without supplies 576 00:47:47,520 --> 00:47:49,720 and without much of their equipment. 577 00:47:51,560 --> 00:47:53,840 They dug in around the airstrip. 578 00:47:57,800 --> 00:48:00,320 Despite constant bombardment, 579 00:48:00,360 --> 00:48:04,080 using construction machinery left behind by the Japanese, 580 00:48:04,120 --> 00:48:07,000 they pushed ahead with the completion of the airfield. 581 00:48:18,160 --> 00:48:21,800 Two weeks later a group of U.S. Wildcat fighters 582 00:48:21,840 --> 00:48:24,720 and Dauntless dive bombers flew in. 583 00:48:29,000 --> 00:48:31,160 They were not a moment too soon. 584 00:48:40,720 --> 00:48:44,040 The next day, newly arrived Japanese troops 585 00:48:44,080 --> 00:48:47,480 launched a series of suicidal attacks on the airstrip. 586 00:48:48,120 --> 00:48:50,360 [machine gunfire] 587 00:48:54,920 --> 00:48:57,840 Over the following months, wave after wave 588 00:48:57,880 --> 00:49:01,000 of fanatical troops were thrown into the battle. 589 00:49:01,360 --> 00:49:04,280 [machine gunfire] 590 00:49:11,000 --> 00:49:13,320 By the winter of 1942, 591 00:49:13,360 --> 00:49:16,560 the two sides had fought themselves to a standstill. 592 00:49:16,600 --> 00:49:19,960 Both now dug in to defensive positions. 593 00:49:23,640 --> 00:49:26,040 [chattering] 594 00:49:28,920 --> 00:49:32,840 Then, in December, the exhausted U.S. marines 595 00:49:32,880 --> 00:49:35,160 were replaced by fresh troops. 596 00:49:41,880 --> 00:49:44,200 U.S. soldiers now began a new push 597 00:49:44,240 --> 00:49:48,360 on the increasingly isolated pockets of Japanese resistance. 598 00:49:48,600 --> 00:49:50,760 [machine gunfire] 599 00:49:58,600 --> 00:50:00,080 [gunfire] 600 00:50:00,120 --> 00:50:03,280 By early February, 1943, 601 00:50:03,320 --> 00:50:07,200 the Americans had finally won control of Guadalcanal. 602 00:50:12,200 --> 00:50:16,120 They had now beaten the Japanese at sea and on land. 603 00:50:18,280 --> 00:50:21,040 They had even denied them access to the air. 604 00:50:23,320 --> 00:50:26,160 The Oriental Blitzkrieg had failed. 605 00:50:28,440 --> 00:50:31,040 The Japanese Empire now faced a foe 606 00:50:31,080 --> 00:50:33,640 that was still growing in strength, 607 00:50:33,680 --> 00:50:36,120 at a rate it could never hope to match. 608 00:50:39,640 --> 00:50:42,480 It was the beginning of a fundamental shift 609 00:50:42,520 --> 00:50:44,240 in the course of the war. 9999 00:00:0,500 --> 00:00:2,00 www.tvsubtitles.net