Crusade in the Pacific

Japan's armies surge into Manchuria. There, the Chinese must labor to exploit their own nation's resources and infrastructure to the invaders' benefit. Meanwhile, the Japanese militarists eagerly plan their next conquests. America goes to war after a surprise bombing raid spectacularly pulverizes the U.S fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Allied and Japanese films bring home the ferocity of Japan's lightning-fast attacks all across the vast Pacific. Meanwhile, American troops are put their paces training for the innumerable landing soon to come. Rarely seen footage shows combat exercises simulating movement under fire with live ammunition.

The war begins badly for America a the Philippines fall prey to Japanese invasion. A thorough study of the archipelago's politics and armed forces sets the stage for gripping scenes of heavy combat. Japan attacks first with air raids, then troop landings. After heroic defense at Corregidor, General Wainwright is forced to surrender.

Stirring film footage, animation, and maps are combined to vividly illustrate a carrier- based bombing raid on Tokyo and battles of the Coral Sea and Midway. Dizzying aerial dogfights, air attacks on ships, and spectacular naval gunfire feature prominently in this coverage of America's early successes in the Pacific. Admiral Nimitz explains difficulties of fighting a war across the Pacific's vast area

At the south end of the Solomon Islands, Japan's presence on Gaudalcanal threatens the America-Australia supply lines. Extensive footage of naval, air, and land fighting documents the fierce combat as U.S. forces sieze control Gaudalcanal and other key islands in the Solomon chain. American troops learn the hard way how to beat a determined enemy at jungle warfare.

To avoid a Japanese march along the Aleutian chain to Alaska, American forces mount blistering air and artillery attacks on two islands lost to the enemy. A wealth of U.S. film footage tells the story of the strategically significant North Pacific campaign. Troops and pilots must contend not only with a human foe, but also with awful terrain and even worse weather.

American and Australian forces see repeated combat as the Japanese strive to take New Guinea. The campaign is presented in a way that places the audience right alongside the soldier in the field - inching through jungles, trudging up impressive mountain peaks and engaging a determined enemy. Air power, infantry fighting and paratroop operations feature in an arduous campaign.

A compelling blow-by-blow account of the taking of a fortress island! Reconnaissance planes identify targets for American bombers. U.S. warships unleash their ordnance upon the island's defenses. Heavily armed marines storm ashore, working in concert with tanks to root out a stubbornly entrenched adversary. A U.S. victory is won, but at a high price in casualties.

Facing a fantastically committed and well prepared enemy, the Allies intensify their offensive. Amphibious assaults on the central Pacific atolls of Makin and Tarawa are shown in detail, from the front lines. At Tarawa, over 99% of the Japanese defenders fight to their death, giving U.S. Marines their most arduous combat experience to date.

Aircraft carriers and submarines played a particularly significant role in the Pacific war. Dramatic re-creations and other footage offer a fascinating glimpse of life on board these impressive vessels. From torpedo and depth charge attacks to fighter plane crashes and deck launch/recovery procedures, this exciting episode features an array of high adrenaline events.

On diminutive coral islands of the Marshalls group, fortified Japanese positions offer stiff resistance. American combat cameramen bring back astounding images of the battles at Kwajalein and Eniwerok, as well as images of the smoking rubble left behind. Naval Construction Battalions routinely work miracles as they speedily transform battlefields into viable new bases.

A series of occupied islands stood in line between the recently liberated Soloman Islands and the Philippines. Spectacular footage details Allied and Japanese forces' slugging matches over New Britain, New Guinea, and Admiralty Islands. Reconnaissance missions and naval/air bombardments are particularly well covered.

North of New Guinea, the small Mariana Islands lie in a string leading toward Tokyo. A marine Private offers his recollections of amphibious landings, while wartime footage shows troops and ordnance poring ashore under heavy opposition. Intensive naval, air, tank battles, and urban combat ensue as Japan's armies are repulsed from the Marianas.

A crucial Allied supply line from India into China is lost when Burma falls to the enemy. Ingenious deploying all the scarce available resources, the Allies construct a new overland route and fight to retake Burma. This is the stirring tale of the bold military and engineering feats undertaken to assist beleaguered China, and expand allied control on the Asian mainland.

Footage of underwater demolition teams at work provides a unique prelude to the memorable story of Palau's invasion. During the campaign, U.S. troops face a hideous fight over Bloody Nose Ridge, a rocky mountain honeycombed with well defended caves. Astonishing film offers a soldier's eye view of some of the most horrendously tough ground warfare ever encountered in the Pacific

General MacArthur's solemn promise to return to the Philippines is fulfilled in ground style. At Leye Gulf, American warships and planes deal a spectacular defeat to a counterattacking Japanese navy. Animated maps and front line footage shot by both sides illustrate the full story of the Philippines liberation. Includes coverage of devastating urban combat in in Manila.

Potentially invaluable as forward U.S. airbase, Iwo Jima becomes the scene of earthshaking bombardments and an epic, bloody battle. A mountain redoubt, kamikaze attacks and loose sand that bogs down troops and vehicles complicate the assault. A steady stream of casualties leaves the fortress island as American firepower pounds the fanatical Japanese defenders for five weeks.

American and Japanse footage provides a close-up view of another intense island battle. A U.S. amphibious landing of unprecedented size seeks to claim a new base from which to disrupt the enemy's supply lines. Ferocious combat sequences tell the whole story of the Okinawa offensive step by step including Kamikaze raids and infantry action in atrociously difficult weather.

From the Asian mainland and newly liberated islands, American airborne firepower hammers at Japan. Dizzying film sequences capture the awesome sights of bombing missions and aerial dogfights. America fields a new and incredibly destructive weapon - the atom bomb. Footage demonstrates the raw power of the weapon in testing and at Hiroshima. Japan surrenders.

Extensive footage documents military and social events in Japan following the war's conclusion. Sequences include: Japan's historic formal surrender abroad the battleship Missouri; a war crimes tribunal sentencing Premier Tojo to death for his pivotal role in Japan's aggressive war; the extensive changes in Japanese politics and women's rights; warm new acceptance of the American people and culture.