of
in the summer of 1942
these two tiny islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean
Western know why
work the harsh Aven epic battle the fought between the navies of Japan
and the United States it was a battle that decisively
altered the course on the second world
Japan was intense only using its navy to expand its power in the pacific
and it has an ambitious plan to destroy
a main obstacle standing in its way but maybe
on the United States of America
the battle report mark becoming a major
a new type of warfare at sea it was a jeweled from death no in which
aircraft carriers and that will play think the pivotal role
I'll be revealing how victory or defeat I'm almost snap decisions American and
Japanese commanders
and I'll be exploring the tactics they use as they unleashed these new
weapons of war
decisions
by the Pirates side go
I'll be working terrifying christ sake I think both
Act II mild-mannered applause ranges in the pacific
ok
and I'll be experiencing some of the horrific conditions in jordan he took
back
fish titanic struggle was decided in five minutes upon
imaginable destruction five minutes to turn the balance of power in the pacific
upside down and transform the rules of war
sheep it was the battle midway
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the events that led to the Battle of Midway started here in 1941
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got into the water parts of Hawaii today america's fiftieth state among the
world's most
exotic holiday destinations back in the nineteen forties
US servicemen counted themselves lucky if they are posted here
sir
I
sons
the December 1941
but only 15 shopping days left til Christmas the people have a lot to do
with taking it easy
after all United States was at peace
not yet actively involved in the second world war
but the wealthiest Americans knew it was about to change beyond all recognition
I'll
just three hundred miles to the northwest
on wall who a freezer warships was bearing silently down on this island
America
was about to be propelled in the world more true on
heading on the scene from a hawaiian island Oahu
was the combined meet of the Imperial Japanese Navy
this Armada had departed from Japan
absolute secrecy across the full 1000 miles in the Pacific Ocean
under total radio silence they did not plan on being detected
this battle breed was the most powerful naval force
ever to put to shame it's been sent to attack the United States
by the hardline military government of Japan the Japanese was shot on building
an empire
in Asia and the Pacific and willing to use force to do it
by late 1941 Japan here
was already in control of Korea and was engaged
a long war for control of China is also set its sights on the European colors
a French Indochina British Malaya and the Dutch
EastEnders roughly present-day vietnam Malaysia
and Indonesia the europeans were absorbed in a war against Germany
should be only thing standing between the Japanese
and their vision a vampire was the United States Navy
and in particular america's main naval base
in the Central Pacific on the Hawaiian island of Oahu
them
name a base pearl harbor
this is pearl harbor one of the finest
natural harbors in the world here it is on the map
on the south side of the island of Oahu another channel from the Pacific Ocean
opening up into a huge sheltered anchorage
on the harbor was the perfect haven for america's pacific fleet by December 1941
it was busier than ever with nearly a hundred ships at anchor
8.1 battleships board up on battleship row
all of them engage in be relaxed routines in a peacetime maybe but that
peace
was beginning to show signs of strain the Americans but wary of Japanese
expansion
and tensions were beginning to my own
new show abstract they transferred more about warships
from the West Coast to america I'm here to Pearl Harbor
to be true thousand miles closer to Japan
and it was the massing US Pacific Navy
that the advancing Japanese Strikeforce was intent on destroying
on
be approaching Japanese fried including battleships
cruisers and destroyers but at the heart of urs Armada
West six enormous aircraft carriers
floating and strips packed with over 400
fighter told be no one mama rock
the world was about to witness the most spectacular example yet
up a new form of warfare at seems
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Japan may have been a country steeped in tradition
but when he came to naval warfare it was almost advanced nations in the world
amount before front of all this was the commander in chief
on the Imperial Japanese Navy admiral
is a room grew Yamamoto home
you have a merger was a great visionary and modernize a
he was a pioneer naval aviation and that bird Creek to cross the potential
of aircraft carriers the latest weapon
in the naval last Yamamoto good now use warplanes on these carriers
to strike at targets hundreds of miles away from his preaching
my by 1941
Japan at around three times more carriers in the Central Pacific
and the Americans Yamamoto had reserved for mobile carrier force
capable to pursuing japan's imperial ambitions
and by Sunday the 7th of December 1941
6 always aircraft carriers were in position
ready to mount a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor
game
the Japanese were battle-hardened veterans they've been fighting to extend
the Asian Empire for years
the man on the aircraft carriers with the peak skills
the Chinese Japanese aircraft carriers recruited by up to two thousand
highly-trained servicemen than job was to support squadrons of
elite pilots who spent years in combat missions
flying bomber and fighter aircraft com
these naval aviators were among the best in the world they've never been defeated
and in the early hours on the seventh and december there only two hours flying
time away from Pearl Harbor
every significant American information on the island of Oahu
would come under attack the Japanese Strikeforce would make a landfall
on the island's northern Czech got Google point
here it is on the back gate yellow birch oh plan to send in
over 350 warplanes from his carriers
in true waves first would reveal
of West hugging the ground to achieve maximum surprise