1 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:05,160 2 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:06,960 - It's hard to comprehend the scale 3 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:09,720 of the Pacific-Asian theater of war. 4 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:12,000 It stretches from Hawaii to Burma, 5 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:15,240 from the Aleutian Islands to Indochina. 6 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:18,720 In 1942, the United States sends fighting men 7 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:22,080 to far-off places most Americans had never heard of. 8 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:25,080 They are soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines 9 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:27,200 from every town in America. 10 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:30,120 They will confront an enemy whose moral code 11 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:32,360 does not permit surrender. 12 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:34,400 ? 13 00:00:34,480 --> 00:00:36,600 - All wars change the world. 14 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:38,560 But none of them changed the world 15 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:40,480 like the Second World War did. 16 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,360 - Japan's on the march, Germany's on the march. 17 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:46,800 - No one can imagine the nightmare 18 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:48,680 they're about to unleash. 19 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:51,200 The most destructive war in human history. 20 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:54,240 - Suddenly, the world is turned upside down, 21 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:55,720 and all hell is let loose. 22 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:57,920 ? 23 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:00,760 - The West is stunned by the speed of the advance. 24 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:02,320 ? 25 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:05,360 - You get the Allies, led by the big three-- 26 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,120 Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin-- 27 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:09,960 men who are dealing 28 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:13,000 with immensely complicated questions. 29 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:16,520 - It's the biggest military operation of human history. 30 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:17,760 - It's the biggest military operation of human history. 31 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:19,480 - The Allies have to come together, 32 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:20,600 not just militarily, 33 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:22,080 but industrial scale 34 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:24,120 it's a global perspective. 35 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:25,800 - They have to fight in every climate, 36 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:28,960 from the Arctic to the jungles of the Pacific 37 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:33,240 to the deserts of Africa and the depths of the ocean. 38 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:35,600 ? 39 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:38,320 - But there was no certainty of victory. 40 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,840 It was going to be a horrific bloodbath. 41 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:43,840 - We see humans at their absolute worst, 42 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:46,200 how they treat other human beings. 43 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:48,440 And we see them at their absolute best, 44 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:50,920 willing to give their lives that others might live. 45 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,360 - World War II was a struggle 46 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:56,880 in which there could be one victor and one vanquished. 47 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:01,920 ? 48 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:04,800 49 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:11,480 ? 50 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:14,440 51 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:17,120 52 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,200 ? 53 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,560 - Hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, 54 00:02:23,640 --> 00:02:26,160 Japan invades the Philippines. 55 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:29,520 ? 56 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:31,400 They begin with a devastating strike 57 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:33,960 against the U.S. air base at Clark Field... 58 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:35,480 ? 59 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:38,480 Then land 35,000 troops and advance 60 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:40,760 on the capital, Manila. 61 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:44,240 ? 62 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,640 American and Filipino forces are overwhelmed. 63 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:50,480 64 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:55,000 ? 65 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:57,760 Within weeks, Manila is captured. 66 00:02:57,840 --> 00:02:59,600 ? 67 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:02,160 68 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:04,560 - There was a Philippine war plan that, 69 00:03:04,640 --> 00:03:07,040 in the event of a Japanese major invasion, 70 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:09,920 the forces would withdraw to Bataan. 71 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,680 ? 72 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:17,160 - Bataan is strategically located next to Manila Bay. 73 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:18,600 It's this rocky peninsula. 74 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:20,080 It's got two dormant volcanoes 75 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:21,560 that are sitting in the middle of it, 76 00:03:21,640 --> 00:03:23,840 and so it's really good defensive terrain. 77 00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:25,600 ? 78 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:29,920 - On December 23, 1941, U.S. and Filipino troops 79 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,520 begin their retreat to the Peninsula of Bataan. 80 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:36,760 ? 81 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:37,960 82 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:40,040 - You have this chaotic retreat. 83 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:42,000 ? 84 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,280 About 100,000 U.S. and Filipino troops, 85 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:49,160 and we should add the 25,000 civilians, 86 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:52,640 Filipino but also Americans, now desperate to escape 87 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:54,680 the attacking Japanese. 88 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:57,680 ? 89 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:00,240 - As the troops retreat, 90 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:02,080 the Japanese continue following 91 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:05,240 a well-planned, well-coordinated offensive 92 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:08,600 aimed at British and Dutch colonies. 93 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:12,520 ? 94 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:17,480 They have already invaded Burma, Borneo, and Malaya. 95 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:20,920 They take Hong Kong on Christmas Day, 96 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:24,200 then move further into Malaya. 97 00:04:24,280 --> 00:04:27,960 Malaya is considered difficult jungle terrain. 98 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:29,680 ? 99 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:31,160 But the Japanese, 100 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:34,680 using bicycle infantry and some tanks, 101 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:36,000 manage to push south... 102 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:37,880 ? 103 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:40,520 To the island of Singapore... 104 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:44,160 known as the Gibraltar of the East. 105 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:46,360 ? 106 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:49,240 - Singapore was our military base, 107 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:53,600 with its massive naval facilities... 108 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:55,560 guns facing into the sea 109 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:57,920 so that it could protect that position, 110 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:00,680 and really a military HQ 111 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:03,520 for the empire in the Far East. 112 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:06,840 - They begin their assault on February 8th. 113 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:09,640 114 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:15,880 ? 115 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:17,920 - Winston Churchill, back in London, 116 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:19,400 is looking on in horror. 117 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:20,840 He's an empire man. 118 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:23,400 He said many times, he didn't come to power 119 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:26,320 to oversee the liquidation of His Majesty's empire, 120 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:30,720 but it's crumbling before his eyes. 121 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:33,600 - Churchill cannot abandon the defense of Britain 122 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:35,360 and the Battle of the Atlantic. 123 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:37,280 ? 124 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:38,880 He cannot risk 125 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:40,840 losing the whole of the Mediterranean, 126 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:42,840 North Africa, and the Middle East 127 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:44,480 to Axis forces. 128 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:46,080 So what's got to go? 129 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:48,120 Unfortunately for Churchill, 130 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:50,320 he's got to scrimp and save when it comes 131 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:52,080 to defense in the Far East. 132 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:55,640 It's just too much for Britain to handle. 133 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:58,480 134 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:00,880 ? 135 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:04,800 - The Japanese take advantage of British military mistakes 136 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:07,720 and capture the island in only seven days. 137 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:09,560 ? 138 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:12,200 Tens of thousands of Commonwealth troops 139 00:06:12,280 --> 00:06:14,560 are trapped and imprisoned. 140 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:17,560 ? 141 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:20,800 - Singapore was the granite foundation 142 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:24,880 of the British Empire in Asia, and, boom... 143 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:27,840 in the space of days, it falls. 144 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:34,280 ? 145 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:36,120 - The idea that Japanese forces 146 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:38,400 could go into this historic place, 147 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:42,240 a real symbol of British power and prestige in Asia, 148 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:44,720 and take it within such a short time 149 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:48,400 is absolutely tremendous as far as Japanese are concerned. 150 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:51,600 - This is Britain's Fall of Rome moment 151 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:53,920 in its Asian empire. 152 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:56,960 - Japan has plunged into the war 153 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:00,760 and is ravaging the beautiful, fertile, prosperous, 154 00:07:00,840 --> 00:07:04,520 and densely populated lands of the Far East. 155 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:06,640 - The British Empire now for centuries 156 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:09,680 had been the most powerful empire the world had ever seen. 157 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:12,360 The Japanese had cracked it like an egg. 158 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:15,200 159 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:17,440 - By the time the shock of Pearl Harbor, 160 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:18,920 you know, wears off, 161 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:21,840 the Japanese have taken their empire 162 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:24,200 and expanded it seemingly overnight. 163 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:26,040 164 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:27,800 ? 165 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:32,360 - Japan's Asian offensive has two primary war aims-- 166 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:35,280 first, the seizure of raw materials 167 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:37,680 like oil and rubber... 168 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:41,280 second, to replace the Western colonial powers 169 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:44,880 who have long dominated the region 170 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:47,560 and establish an empire of their own. 171 00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:49,960 ? 172 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:52,160 - This is one of the most audacious offensives 173 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:53,480 in military history. 174 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:57,240 175 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:01,840 - In late 1941, early 1942, it's good news every week, 176 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:03,960 almost every day, coming in. 177 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:05,640 ? 178 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:07,640 They are liberating Asia. 179 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:10,560 They are pushing back white Western colonial power. 180 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:12,760 ? 181 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:14,520 182 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:17,320 - The speed and scope of the Japanese offensive 183 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:19,160 stuns the world. 184 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:20,680 ? 185 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:24,000 A year earlier, General Tomoyuki Yamashita, 186 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:26,880 the commander of the assault on the Philippines, 187 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:31,160 consults with Japan's Axis ally, Nazi Germany. 188 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:33,480 Japan is eager to adapt 189 00:08:33,560 --> 00:08:35,800 the Wehrmacht's blitzkrieg tactics 190 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:38,440 to a very different theater of war. 191 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:41,200 ? 192 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:43,840 - He was really admiring the German blitzkrieg, 193 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:45,600 the German lightning war, 194 00:08:45,680 --> 00:08:47,800 and he took the German blitzkrieg 195 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:52,760 as the role model for a future Japanese war in Southeast Asia. 196 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:56,800 So we must surprise the enemy. We must be fast. 197 00:08:56,880 --> 00:09:00,000 198 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:02,640 - It's always movement, movement, movement. 199 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:04,880 For the enemy, for their enemy, for the Allies, 200 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:06,840 it looks like the Japanese aren't even thinking 201 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:09,160 about what they're doing, because they're moving so fast 202 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:12,280 and they're moving constantly. 203 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:15,560 But this has a kind of shock effect on the troops there 204 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:17,760 that are trying to defend the peninsula. 205 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:21,640 ? 206 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:25,480 - The Japanese have learned to move quickly, 207 00:09:25,560 --> 00:09:27,160 move stealthily. 208 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:29,200 They fight well at night, 209 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:32,080 which is what most armies are not good at. 210 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:34,400 They are pretty good at operational art-- 211 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:37,000 don't attack strongpoints, envelop the enemy, 212 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:40,320 put them in untenable positions either in time or space. 213 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:42,920 And, hence, it defines a lot of their victories 214 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:44,160 early in the war. 215 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:45,680 ? 216 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:48,840 - The British underestimate the Japanese. 217 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:50,720 I think part of that was racism. 218 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:52,960 I think they were astonished 219 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:56,040 that a non-European race could defeat Europeans 220 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:57,360 in battle. 221 00:09:57,440 --> 00:09:58,920 ? 222 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:01,480 - They didn't consider Asian people capable 223 00:10:01,560 --> 00:10:03,360 of what the Japanese are doing. 224 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:06,240 After the Japanese land in Malaya, 225 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:07,760 Singapore's governor, 226 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:10,440 Sir Shenton Thomas, allegedly says, 227 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:13,560 well, I suppose you'll have to shove the little men off. 228 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:17,520 ? 229 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:19,640 - But British hubris is no match 230 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:22,360 for Japanese military prowess. 231 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:24,240 ? 232 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:26,360 - There had always been this faction 233 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:29,040 in the Imperial Japanese Army called the Kodoha, 234 00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:31,760 the Imperial Way faction, whose belief was, 235 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:34,840 because of Japan's extraordinary fighting spirit 236 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:37,120 in the blood of their soldiers, 237 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:38,920 we can overcome the odds. 238 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:41,440 And that really is drummed into the soldiers. 239 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:43,520 ? 240 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:45,400 - So there is this esprit de corps 241 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:47,200 within the Japanese army. 242 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:49,320 It's guided by this belief in Bushido, 243 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:51,520 the way of the warrior. 244 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:52,960 245 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:55,680 - Japanese military discipline is instilled 246 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:58,640 by physically harsh measures. 247 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:01,960 Officers abuse non-commissioned officers, 248 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:04,160 who in turn abuse the men. 249 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:05,680 ? 250 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:07,320 - You can see in diaries 251 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:09,760 and in letters home people saying, 252 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:11,000 I got beaten up today. 253 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:12,560 I got slapped. I got punched. 254 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:15,800 I had a rifle butt get me in the stomach. 255 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:20,200 - There is a fair amount of ritualistic abuse 256 00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:22,600 that takes place as they go through-- 257 00:11:22,680 --> 00:11:24,760 what they would refer to as lessons. 258 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:26,440 ? 259 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:28,680 - It's all about self-sacrifice. 260 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:31,720 They are all about suppressing individual needs and desires 261 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:33,840 for the sense of whatever the nation needs, 262 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:35,760 for whatever the emperor might need. 263 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:40,160 ? 264 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:42,280 - In just two months of fighting, 265 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:45,520 Japan has achieved most of its objectives 266 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:48,840 and appears to be winning the war... 267 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:51,240 except in the Philippines, 268 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:54,760 where U.S. and Filipino troops are fighting back. 269 00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:55,720 ? 270 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:00,560 271 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:02,560 272 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:04,920 - After more than a month of fighting, 273 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:06,200 U.S. and Filipino forces 274 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:09,120 continue to resist the Japanese 275 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,160 on the Bataan Peninsula. 276 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:15,360 But supplies, food, and ammunition 277 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:18,400 are running perilously short. 278 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:20,400 - Supplies, provisions, ammunition, 279 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:22,440 they're strewn about the Philippine Islands, 280 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:25,160 and they're not where the defenders need them. 281 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:26,760 ? 282 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:29,320 - The American forces are now completely isolated 283 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:31,520 and surrounded. 284 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:33,360 285 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:35,320 ? 286 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:37,880 - They don't have what they need to survive. 287 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:39,240 ? 288 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:41,240 - The men spend a lot of their time 289 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:42,960 just foraging for food. 290 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:45,160 Every snake, monkey, 291 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:47,960 anything within the Bataan Peninsula 292 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:49,400 is fair game. 293 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:50,800 ? 294 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:52,960 - The commanding officer of both American 295 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:55,080 and Filipino troops in the Philippines 296 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:57,600 is the charismatic and controversial 297 00:12:57,680 --> 00:13:00,560 General Douglas MacArthur. 298 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:02,920 - MacArthur's the son of a Civil War hero. 299 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:07,800 He's confident, courageous, a proven battlefield leader. 300 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:09,280 ? 301 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:11,480 - MacArthur's begging for more troops, 302 00:13:11,560 --> 00:13:13,480 for more supplies, for more ships, 303 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:15,080 but none of those things are coming. 304 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:16,720 The U.S. doesn't have them. 305 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:18,640 ? 306 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:20,680 - The Japanese, of course, they're coming 307 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:22,480 after MacArthur's force. 308 00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:25,000 They know they can't leave an army like this with MacArthur 309 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:27,680 and consider the Philippines have been occupied. 310 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:33,880 ? 311 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:36,360 - In Washington, President Roosevelt faces 312 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:38,360 a very difficult situation. 313 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:42,000 The American people expect the troops to be supported, 314 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:45,120 but he knows resupplying and reinforcing Bataan 315 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:47,200 is impossible. 316 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:50,400 Also, for both political and symbolic reasons, 317 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:52,600 he must retrieve General MacArthur 318 00:13:52,680 --> 00:13:54,840 from the Philippines. 319 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:58,200 - You couldn't afford to let MacArthur be captured. 320 00:13:58,280 --> 00:13:59,680 You couldn't do it 321 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:02,600 because it was bad for the American spirit. 322 00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:05,760 You can't let a man like this go down. 323 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:07,240 He's a figure of history. 324 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:11,360 325 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:13,240 MacArthur does everything that he can 326 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:15,440 to inspire his troops in Bataan, 327 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:17,800 and he's prepared to go down with the ship. 328 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:19,400 ? 329 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:21,480 - But FDR orders MacArthur 330 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:23,360 to leave the Philippines. 331 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:27,360 ? 332 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:30,960 Three weeks later, he sends a rescue operation, 333 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:33,800 and MacArthur, with his wife and young son, 334 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:37,000 leaves the Philippines on a small torpedo boat. 335 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:39,400 ? 336 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:42,600 - He promises, I will return. 337 00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:46,800 And this is his commitment to the American people, 338 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:48,520 but, more importantly, to himself. 339 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:50,760 ? 340 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:54,000 - Knowing that America must make a stand, 341 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:58,120 General MacArthur issues a final order to his men. 342 00:14:58,200 --> 00:14:59,840 ? 343 00:14:59,920 --> 00:15:03,600 - MacArthur orders the garrison to fight to the last, 344 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:06,240 which is completely unrealistic. 345 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:10,400 ? 346 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:12,560 - Soldiers are dying in medical tents 347 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:15,000 merely because there's not enough medicine to save them. 348 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:16,960 So everybody's in a weakened condition. 349 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:19,120 But the defense is quite heroic. 350 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:21,440 351 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:23,200 ? 352 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:25,600 - But the soldiers on Bataan realize 353 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:27,680 that they're being sacrificed. 354 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:30,560 ? 355 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:32,680 - So "The Battling Bastards of Bataan" is written 356 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:34,800 by a journalist named Hewlett. 357 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:36,880 "The Battling Bastards of Bataan-- 358 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:39,520 "no mamas, no papas, no Uncle Sam, 359 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:43,080 "no aunts, no uncles, no cousins, no nieces, 360 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:45,520 "no pills, no planes, no artillery pieces. 361 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:47,160 And no one gives a damn." 362 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:49,280 For all the people left in Bataan, 363 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:51,600 I'm sure that's exactly what they thought. 364 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:58,560 ? 365 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:01,040 - After four months of fatigue, 366 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:03,920 hunger, and disease... 367 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,960 the Bataan garrison surrenders. 368 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:10,400 ? 369 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:13,360 But their ordeal is just beginning. 370 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:14,840 ? 371 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:16,640 - The Japanese didn't expect 372 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:19,480 that so many Allied defenders of the Philippines 373 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:22,280 would actually surrender and become prisoners of war. 374 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:27,880 ? 375 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:31,080 - One of the things you're taught in the Japanese military 376 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:33,440 is you don't surrender. 377 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:34,920 You're disgracing your family. 378 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:36,920 You're disgracing your home, your village, 379 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,920 your country, the emperor. 380 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:41,240 - Surrender is dishonorable, 381 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:43,240 not only to yourself but to your family. 382 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:45,360 Anybody who surrenders is inherently dishonorable. 383 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:48,040 ? 384 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:51,040 - The idea that you would surrender 385 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:53,760 and that you would expect to be treated with respect 386 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:56,920 having done so really is disgusting 387 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:58,800 to a lot of the Japanese soldiers. 388 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:01,280 ? 389 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:04,240 - The Japanese march the 75,000 American 390 00:17:04,320 --> 00:17:05,960 and Filipino troops 391 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:09,760 to a POW camp 65 miles north of Bataan. 392 00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:12,360 ? 393 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:14,600 - These men are exhausted. They're malnourished. 394 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:17,120 The Japanese-- they line them up, 395 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:19,960 and they march them out. 396 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:22,120 - In 110-degree heat 397 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:24,920 with no food, no water, 398 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:27,440 and Japanese guards just beating you 399 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:30,000 and kicking you and stabbing you the whole way. 400 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:33,200 ? 401 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:35,280 - And so, if you're a recruit out there 402 00:17:35,360 --> 00:17:37,040 and you've received umpteen beatings 403 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:39,080 from your own senior officers on the way 404 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:41,720 to where you are now, then it's a very short hop 405 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:44,200 to having a Westerner in front of you, asking for food, 406 00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:46,320 asking for water, and slapping them, 407 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:49,480 punching them, perhaps even shooting them. 408 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:51,680 ? 409 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:55,000 - The Japanese will drink their canteens 410 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:58,840 and then dump the contents out on the roadside. 411 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:00,800 Wounded troops will fall to the ground. 412 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:03,600 They will be instantly bayoneted or shot. 413 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:05,360 ? 414 00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:09,280 - They have been taught to regard Western soldiers, 415 00:18:09,360 --> 00:18:12,320 and I think white Western civilians generally, 416 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:14,440 with really no respect at all. 417 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:16,640 These people are lesser, almost to the point of being 418 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:18,760 a slightly lesser species. 419 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:22,600 ? 420 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:25,360 - Thousands die on what will become known 421 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:27,920 as the Bataan Death March. 422 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:30,960 ? 423 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:33,160 The loss of the Philippines will cripple 424 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:37,840 America's military capability in the Pacific for months. 425 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:41,440 It's also a serious blow to morale at home. 426 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:43,480 - In a matter of just a few months, 427 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:45,880 the Japanese have conquered an empire 428 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:47,600 of 500 million people. 429 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:49,280 ? 430 00:18:49,360 --> 00:18:52,600 - The Japanese have the upper hand in the Pacific. 431 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:56,120 It's not clear what or who can stop them. 432 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:01,320 433 00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:03,680 ? 434 00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:05,360 - Spring in Tokyo-- 435 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:08,560 Japan controls vast areas of the Pacific 436 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:10,320 and Southeast Asia. 437 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:12,800 To protect this growing empire, 438 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:15,600 Japan will consolidate its new territory 439 00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:18,120 and push into various island chains 440 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:20,600 to create an even stronger barrier 441 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:22,680 against the United States. 442 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:25,720 ? 443 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:28,040 - The Japanese saying, we got to consolidate 444 00:19:28,120 --> 00:19:29,440 our position quickly. 445 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:31,560 We have to create a defensive bastion 446 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:34,080 between the United States and Japan. 447 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:37,640 So all these island chains threaded like pearls, 448 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:39,600 they have got to be strengthened. 449 00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:41,720 They've got to be fortified into some kind 450 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:44,360 of defensive perimeter. 451 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:46,760 - Japan deploys thousands of troops 452 00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:50,240 to outposts stretching far into the South Pacific. 453 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:51,680 ? 454 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:55,040 - The Japanese are making absolutely sure 455 00:19:55,120 --> 00:19:57,800 that what they've got, they will hold. 456 00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:04,960 ? 457 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:09,840 - In the U.S., war production accelerates. 458 00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:12,880 FDR calls for 60,000 planes 459 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:15,600 and 125,000 tanks 460 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:18,200 to be produced in 1942. 461 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:19,680 ? 462 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:22,000 And in June, the U.S. Navy 463 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:26,360 defeats the Japanese at the Battle of Midway. 464 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:30,600 It's Japan's first decisive defeat. 465 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:33,600 - The victory at Midway has taken place in June 1942, 466 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:35,240 but this is a naval victory. 467 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:38,120 It's only directed against Japanese warships. 468 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:39,640 Eventually, the Americans know 469 00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:41,760 they're going to have to retake real estate. 470 00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:45,760 They're going to actually have to capture islands. 471 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:48,480 The Japanese plan in the South Pacific 472 00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:50,800 is to build a lot of airstrips, 473 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:53,520 which are going to allow them to use air power 474 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:57,080 to defend these stronghold positions. 475 00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:01,880 - To counter, America sends in the old breed... 476 00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:05,000 the 1st Marine Division. 477 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:08,320 - Marine Corps was always "soldiers from the sea," 478 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:11,040 back in the Revolution when we invade Nassau, right? 479 00:21:11,120 --> 00:21:13,120 We are meant to come from the sea. 480 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:15,840 That's the mission, in support of the navy. 481 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:17,360 That's their purpose. 482 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:19,320 After World War I, what they really start to do 483 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:20,600 is turn their attention to, 484 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:22,320 what does the next war look like? 485 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:24,440 And what they start to realize is, 486 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:26,600 Japan is becoming a power in the Pacific. 487 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:27,840 If we're going to fight in the Pacific, 488 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:29,200 then we need to figure out 489 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:30,960 how to conduct amphibious landings. 490 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:32,560 ? 491 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:35,120 - Amphibious landings on this scale 492 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:37,080 are unprecedented. 493 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:39,240 - Well, there's no sneaking up on an island. 494 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:40,840 They can see ships coming. 495 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:43,920 So everything across a beach is a frontal assault-- 496 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:45,760 machine guns, rapid-fire artillery. 497 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:48,240 It's suicide, terrible idea. 498 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:51,800 And the Marine Corps goes, got it, we'll take that one. 499 00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:54,280 And that's how they get into amphibious operations, 500 00:21:54,360 --> 00:21:56,680 because that would be what was necessary 501 00:21:56,760 --> 00:21:58,960 to operate in the Pacific. 502 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:01,240 - The training for the U.S. Marine Corps 503 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:02,600 is probably the toughest 504 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:04,440 in the U.S. armed forces at this point. 505 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:07,760 They are designed for amphibious warfare 506 00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:09,840 but to travel relatively lightly, 507 00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:12,760 because, of course, if you attack a coast from the sea, 508 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:14,920 you can't take much heavy equipment with you. 509 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:18,120 Their job is as an elite assault force. 510 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:20,280 But don't leave them in a campaign for too long, 511 00:22:20,360 --> 00:22:23,320 because they don't have all the heavy weapons 512 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:27,200 to be able to do the job over a considerable period of time. 513 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:29,160 ? 514 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:32,320 - The navy has ships, and the army has tanks and artillery. 515 00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:34,120 What does the Marine Corps have? 516 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:35,600 It has culture. 517 00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:37,360 So if you join the Marine Corps, 518 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,040 it's because maybe you can be one of those elite. 519 00:22:40,120 --> 00:22:42,440 You know you get to go fight the Japanese. 520 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:46,280 ? 521 00:22:46,360 --> 00:22:49,640 - The majority are new recruits. 522 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:51,160 They are relatively inexperienced. 523 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:53,680 They've had some pretty hurried training. 524 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:55,560 And now all of a sudden, in 1942, 525 00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:57,400 they're going to go into action 526 00:22:57,480 --> 00:22:59,880 against what they know and fear 527 00:22:59,960 --> 00:23:02,320 is a very formidable opponent. 528 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:04,160 They've read a lot of the stories 529 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:07,880 about how the Japanese are almost supermen. 530 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:11,200 Until we actually face them in close combat, 531 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:14,080 we'll never know if we're good enough to take on these guys. 532 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:16,280 ? 533 00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:20,800 - In the summer of 1942, an American B-17 534 00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:24,400 on routine patrol reports that the Japanese are building 535 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:28,280 an airstrip on the largest of the Solomon Islands-- 536 00:23:28,360 --> 00:23:30,200 Guadalcanal. 537 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:34,120 ? 538 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:36,120 - If the Japanese are successful, 539 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:38,080 they will build an airbase on Guadalcanal 540 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:39,440 and potentially sever 541 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:41,400 the lines of communication with Australia, 542 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:43,360 which is meant to be a jumping-off point 543 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:45,520 for any campaign that's going to come 544 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:47,080 from the Southern Pacific. 545 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:48,520 We cannot let that happen. 546 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:50,840 ? 547 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:53,320 - The Americans know that Australia is crucial 548 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:56,400 to their hold over the Pacific. 549 00:23:56,480 --> 00:23:58,040 ? 550 00:23:58,120 --> 00:23:59,560 - What's at stake, 551 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:01,320 certainly for the United States Marine Corps, 552 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:02,680 is, they've hitched their horse 553 00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:04,440 to this idea of amphibious operations. 554 00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:06,400 Now they actually have to go execute it. 555 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:09,720 ? 556 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:11,760 - If the Americans are going to roll back 557 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:14,600 Japanese power in the Pacific... 558 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:16,240 it's going to have to be boots on the ground, 559 00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:18,800 and boots on the ground it will be in Guadalcanal. 560 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:22,120 ? 561 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:27,920 562 00:24:27,920 --> 00:24:31,680 ? 563 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:36,160 - Early on August 7, 1942... 564 00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:39,760 the 1st Marine Division approaches Guadalcanal. 565 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:43,080 ? 566 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:44,680 They are the first U.S. troops 567 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:47,440 to take the offensive in World War II. 568 00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:49,120 ? 569 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:52,040 - What's interesting about all amphibious landings 570 00:24:52,120 --> 00:24:54,560 is that if they're opposed and you don't really understand 571 00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:56,600 the terrain you're getting into, 572 00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:58,600 there's always the possibility of disaster, 573 00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:01,520 and that was absolutely the case at Guadalcanal. 574 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:05,440 575 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:12,040 ? 576 00:25:12,120 --> 00:25:15,680 - After the naval bombardment, the marines will land 577 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:17,560 and attempt to capture the airfield 578 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:19,960 and secure the island. 579 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:21,320 - The intelligence 580 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:23,600 for the landings at Guadalcanal is so thin 581 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:25,760 that they don't know what the interior looks like, 582 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:27,080 and they certainly don't know 583 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:29,560 how many defending troops are there. 584 00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:36,640 ? 585 00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:52,480 586 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:55,640 - 10,000 marines reach the shore. 587 00:25:55,720 --> 00:26:00,160 ? 588 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:03,360 To their relief, the landing is unopposed. 589 00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:05,440 ? 590 00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:08,160 There are no Japanese defending the beachhead. 591 00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:10,000 ? 592 00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:13,800 The Japanese have only 2,500 men on the island, 593 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:16,920 most of them conscripted labor to build the airfield. 594 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:18,720 ? 595 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:21,960 - The marines are astonished at how easy it is. 596 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:25,880 They move inland and then very quickly capture the airfield. 597 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:28,200 ? 598 00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:30,840 - The marines build a defensive perimeter 599 00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:33,200 around the airstrip, 600 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:36,280 which they name Henderson Field, 601 00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:38,360 after a Marine dive bomber 602 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:40,640 killed at the Battle of Midway. 603 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:43,040 ? 604 00:26:43,120 --> 00:26:45,560 Supplies for the marines on Guadalcanal 605 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:50,040 are being held just offshore by a U.S. Navy task force 606 00:26:50,120 --> 00:26:52,680 anchored in Savo Sound. 607 00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:56,920 ? 608 00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:59,320 But two days after the landing, 609 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:03,120 the calm of Savo Sound is shattered. 610 00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:05,800 611 00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:12,320 ? 612 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:14,440 - It's the middle of the night. 613 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:17,120 These American cruisers are asleep. 614 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:19,760 They don't come to battle stations quickly. 615 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:22,440 616 00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:26,680 ? 617 00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:30,200 In the space of 25 to 30 minutes... 618 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:33,480 the Japanese have sunk four Allied cruisers, 619 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:36,160 killed more than 1,000 Allied sailors. 620 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:40,440 ? 621 00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:42,640 - So it's a disastrous defeat for the Americans, 622 00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:45,680 the worst naval defeat since Pearl Harbor. 623 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:48,440 - You've got bodies washing up on the shore. 624 00:27:48,520 --> 00:27:50,160 It's grisly. 625 00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:53,240 ? 626 00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:55,680 - So many American ships are sunk 627 00:27:55,760 --> 00:28:00,160 that Savo Sound is christened Ironbottom Sound. 628 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:04,120 ? 629 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:08,080 Vulnerable to air attack, the task force pulls out 630 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:09,960 before they've unloaded 631 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:12,160 all the marines' food and ammunition. 632 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:14,720 ? 633 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:16,760 - General Vandegrift is the commander 634 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:18,520 of the 1st Marine Division. 635 00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:22,480 He's understandably upset that the navy have skedaddled. 636 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:24,840 But it's absolutely vital also 637 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,800 that he gives a sense of confidence to his men. 638 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:29,480 We're going to get through this. 639 00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:30,720 We are U.S. Marines, after all. 640 00:28:30,800 --> 00:28:32,640 ? 641 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:35,640 - The first wave of Japanese troops land east 642 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:40,120 of the marines' defensive perimeter on August 18th. 643 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:43,160 Their objective-- Henderson Airfield. 644 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:46,280 ? 645 00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:48,880 The airfield is in a key position 646 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:53,720 to maintain the shipping lanes from America to Australia. 647 00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:57,280 - That supply line is like the Allied sciatic nerve. 648 00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:00,360 So this is a very serious development. 649 00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:02,640 ? 650 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:05,040 - It must have been very spooky for the marines. 651 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:06,800 They are abandoned on the island. 652 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:09,320 They can hear the Japanese ships coming in. 653 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:12,840 They know there must be trouble ahead. 654 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:16,080 - What options do ground forces have? 655 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:19,240 You can attack, you can defend, and you can retreat. 656 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:20,600 Well, guess what. 657 00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:22,560 The marines can no longer retreat. 658 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:25,280 So, no matter what, we're going to have to fight it out. 659 00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:28,800 ? 660 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:31,200 - The untested marines are about to face 661 00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:34,760 Japanese soldiers for the first time. 662 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:40,840 ? 663 00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:48,720 664 00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:53,560 ? 665 00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:58,040 - On Guadalcanal, the 1st Marine Division 666 00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:00,720 is dug in around Henderson Airfield, 667 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:03,640 bracing for a Japanese assault. 668 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:07,960 ? 669 00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:09,720 Commanding the Japanese troops 670 00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:13,200 is the veteran colonel Kiyonao Ichiki. 671 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:15,560 ? 672 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:18,000 - The marines know that all the Japanese have done 673 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:19,280 up to this point is win. 674 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:20,800 ? 675 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:24,280 They start to almost have these superpowers. 676 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:27,040 They're quiet at night. They're all snipers. 677 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:30,680 They don't require any rest. They're fanatical. 678 00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:32,560 All of these things start to build 679 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:34,720 almost a super-samurai adversary. 680 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:36,840 ? 681 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:38,720 - On August 21st, 682 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:41,800 Ichiki's troops attack the marine lines. 683 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:46,560 ? 684 00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:49,280 The marines respond with rifle, mortar, 685 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:51,320 and machine gun fire. 686 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:54,160 687 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:59,720 ? 688 00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:02,120 - The Japanese have got about 200 guys 689 00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:04,560 trying to get across this sandspit, 690 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:05,840 and they're mown down. 691 00:31:05,920 --> 00:31:07,640 692 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:09,560 - Ichiki just sloughs that off. 693 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:11,200 He'll launch two more attacks. 694 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:14,440 ? 695 00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:17,160 The marines will beat them back. 696 00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:19,240 - The fighting is brutal... 697 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:22,960 ? 698 00:31:23,040 --> 00:31:24,760 Often hand-to-hand. 699 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:26,080 700 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:27,920 ? 701 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:32,280 Some Japanese soldiers even use ancestral samurai swords. 702 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:39,280 ? 703 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:43,480 The battle doesn't end until 5:00 that evening. 704 00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:45,880 44 marines are dead... 705 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:47,480 ? 706 00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:51,680 But nearly 900 Japanese soldiers are killed. 707 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:54,240 ? 708 00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:57,120 - The marines are stunned. 709 00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:01,040 How could a battalion commander throw 900 men away? 710 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:02,880 Who would do that? 711 00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:05,960 ? 712 00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:07,680 - After the battle, 713 00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:10,880 Colonel Ichiki commits suicide. 714 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:12,640 ? 715 00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:15,680 Just a single Japanese soldier surrenders. 716 00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:17,440 ? 717 00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:20,240 - They may look dead, but if they've got a weapon, 718 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:22,560 they're going to shoot you when you go past. 719 00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:24,800 If they've got a grenade, they may blow themselves up 720 00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:26,120 with a grenade to kill you. 721 00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:27,880 This is a different kind of enemy. 722 00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:30,240 ? 723 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:33,080 - The U.S. Marines on Guadalcanal realize 724 00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:36,320 that to combat that and to protect themselves, 725 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:38,920 they're going to have to be equally ruthless. 726 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:40,240 And this produced 727 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:42,320 an incredibly brutal form of warfare 728 00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:45,440 that I think was unequaled in the Second World War. 729 00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:48,880 - The marines now understand what will be required 730 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:51,240 to defend Guadalcanal. 731 00:32:51,320 --> 00:32:54,320 ? 732 00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:56,280 The island has become a proving ground 733 00:32:56,360 --> 00:32:59,000 for a generation of young Americans. 734 00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:00,880 735 00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:03,080 ? 736 00:33:03,160 --> 00:33:05,480 The Japanese conduct regular airstrikes 737 00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:07,160 on Henderson Field... 738 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:08,680 ? 739 00:33:08,760 --> 00:33:11,480 740 00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:13,880 And continue to move men and supplies 741 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:15,680 into attacking positions. 742 00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:17,640 ? 743 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:20,440 - Every night the Japanese are using fast transports 744 00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:23,200 and depositing troops and supplies on Guadalcanal, 745 00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:27,520 via what's going to be known as the Tokyo Express. 746 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:29,480 ? 747 00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:31,240 - They are absolutely determined 748 00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:32,520 to retake this island. 749 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:33,880 Their whole strategy 750 00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:36,760 for moving forward in the Southern Pacific 751 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:39,560 is based on recapturing Guadalcanal, 752 00:33:39,640 --> 00:33:41,400 and they're going to pretty much send 753 00:33:41,480 --> 00:33:42,800 as many troops as they can 754 00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:45,080 to make sure that they do the job. 755 00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:47,120 ? 756 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:51,480 Vandegrift and his staff start taking preventative action 757 00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:53,200 in case they're overwhelmed, 758 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:56,400 so they start burning vital intelligence papers. 759 00:33:56,480 --> 00:33:58,440 - By October, the Japanese force 760 00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:00,680 has more than doubled its size. 761 00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:02,320 ? 762 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:05,560 But the U.S. Navy is able to resupply the marines 763 00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:09,280 from newly constructed supply bases. 764 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:13,080 Guadalcanal is now a battle of attrition-- 765 00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:15,280 who will give in first? 766 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:16,960 ? 767 00:34:17,040 --> 00:34:19,280 - The Japanese are very good at night attacks, 768 00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:21,040 and so nights are horrific. 769 00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:24,440 ? 770 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:27,240 - Imagine being a 19- or 20-year-old American kid, 771 00:34:27,320 --> 00:34:29,840 and you're in a foxhole, maybe with one other person, right? 772 00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:31,720 One guy sleeps. The other is on watch. 773 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:34,640 and you can hear the other foxholes with your compatriots, 774 00:34:34,720 --> 00:34:36,400 but they're not visible in the dark. 775 00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:38,400 Remember, these islands are really black as night. 776 00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:41,240 And you hear screaming from another foxhole. 777 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:43,240 778 00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:45,600 779 00:34:45,680 --> 00:34:47,880 - This is life or death. 780 00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:49,280 ? 781 00:34:49,360 --> 00:34:52,840 You go to sleep, you may not wake up. 782 00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:56,640 This man was with you 24 hours ago. 783 00:34:56,720 --> 00:35:00,000 Now his throat's cut in the foxhole next to you. 784 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:03,440 ? 785 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:07,560 This is a war of man against man. 786 00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:09,280 This is personal. 787 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:10,720 ? 788 00:35:10,800 --> 00:35:13,640 And as darkness comes down every night, 789 00:35:13,720 --> 00:35:16,800 the fear grows deeper and deeper. 790 00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:18,680 791 00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:20,280 ? 792 00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:23,600 - Even though they're deprived of sleep, 793 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:25,960 lack sufficient food, 794 00:35:26,040 --> 00:35:28,440 and battle tropical diseases, 795 00:35:28,520 --> 00:35:32,440 the marines maintain their morale. 796 00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:35,880 But their casualty rate is climbing, 797 00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:40,280 and they begin to suspect they're being abandoned. 798 00:35:40,360 --> 00:35:42,680 ? 799 00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:46,040 - A lot of people are catching malaria, dysentery. 800 00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:47,960 They don't have enough food. 801 00:35:48,040 --> 00:35:51,600 They're just becoming increasingly incapable 802 00:35:51,680 --> 00:35:52,880 of functioning. 803 00:35:52,960 --> 00:35:54,840 ? 804 00:35:54,920 --> 00:35:57,960 - General Vandegrift estimates that less than half 805 00:35:58,040 --> 00:36:01,040 his force is fit enough to fight. 806 00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:03,400 - The Japanese are still coming. 807 00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:05,560 Guadalcanal is going to be where the Japanese teach 808 00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:08,240 the Americans the cost of punching a hole 809 00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:09,840 in that defense perimeter. 810 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:12,440 They'll say, look at the effort it took. 811 00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:15,240 Look at the number of men you lost on Guadalcanal. 812 00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:17,160 How long do you think it'll take you 813 00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:19,080 to batter your way across the Pacific? 814 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:23,840 ? 815 00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:27,560 - One night, two months into the battle... 816 00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:30,480 the Japanese deliver a bombardment designed 817 00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:33,880 to crush the marines' spirits. 818 00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:37,480 But the marines just dig their foxholes deeper. 819 00:36:37,560 --> 00:36:40,080 ? 820 00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:43,200 - 1,000 shells are sent over in 80 minutes. 821 00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:45,040 We're talking about 14-inch shells, 822 00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:48,640 described by some of the guys like the weight of small cars. 823 00:36:48,720 --> 00:36:51,200 ? 824 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:54,400 - Most of the marines' planes at Henderson Field 825 00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:56,680 are destroyed in the bombardment. 826 00:36:56,760 --> 00:37:02,640 ? 827 00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:05,480 The U.S. reinforces the marines... 828 00:37:05,560 --> 00:37:07,160 ? 829 00:37:07,240 --> 00:37:10,200 But the Japanese reinforce their troops as well. 830 00:37:10,280 --> 00:37:11,760 ? 831 00:37:11,840 --> 00:37:13,240 Control of the island 832 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:16,360 and the entire U.S. campaign in the Pacific 833 00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:18,760 is at stake. 834 00:37:18,840 --> 00:37:22,280 All eyes are on Guadalcanal. 835 00:37:22,360 --> 00:37:27,000 ? 836 00:37:31,360 --> 00:37:33,320 837 00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:35,880 ? 838 00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:40,400 - In America, Guadalcanal is front-page news. 839 00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:43,280 It's on everyone's minds. 840 00:37:43,360 --> 00:37:44,920 It was observed, 841 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:49,800 Guadalcanal is not a name but an emotion. 842 00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:54,400 - You young Americans today are conducting yourselves 843 00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:57,600 in a manner that is worthy of the highest, 844 00:37:57,680 --> 00:38:00,680 proudest traditions of our nation. 845 00:38:00,760 --> 00:38:03,200 - All the attention of the American public 846 00:38:03,280 --> 00:38:05,240 is focused on this island. 847 00:38:05,320 --> 00:38:06,880 Roosevelt knows 848 00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:09,480 this is the first big American ground offensive of the war. 849 00:38:09,560 --> 00:38:11,720 It's going horribly wrong. 850 00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:15,880 They have to hold on to Guadalcanal. 851 00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:19,000 - Roosevelt sends a note to the Joint Chiefs and says, 852 00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:20,880 I want to be sure of something-- 853 00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:24,200 that every available man, ship, and plane 854 00:38:24,280 --> 00:38:28,000 is being devoted to the struggle on Guadalcanal. 855 00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:32,840 - We here at home are supremely conscious 856 00:38:32,920 --> 00:38:35,640 of our obligations to you. 857 00:38:35,720 --> 00:38:38,840 We will not let you down. 858 00:38:38,920 --> 00:38:40,600 ? 859 00:38:40,680 --> 00:38:43,600 - The campaign gets a new commander, 860 00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:46,320 Admiral William "Bull" Halsey. 861 00:38:46,400 --> 00:38:47,680 ? 862 00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:49,560 - Halsey's coming into this campaign 863 00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:51,680 is like a defibrillator on the heart. 864 00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:53,320 - Halsey looks the part. 865 00:38:53,400 --> 00:38:55,800 Halsey is this leathery, old commander 866 00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:57,360 who's been successful. 867 00:38:57,440 --> 00:38:58,880 He's a can-do, combative guy. 868 00:38:58,960 --> 00:39:00,680 He can't wait to get to the Japanese. 869 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:03,560 - His line was, you hit 'em hard, you hit 'em fast, 870 00:39:03,640 --> 00:39:05,400 and you hit 'em often. 871 00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:07,640 - This is entirely in keeping with the mentality 872 00:39:07,720 --> 00:39:09,120 of your average marine. 873 00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:11,640 ? 874 00:39:11,720 --> 00:39:13,920 - Admiral Halsey promises the marines 875 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:17,280 all the support they need on Guadalcanal. 876 00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:21,040 In just a few weeks, he gets the chance to demonstrate it. 877 00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:23,040 ? 878 00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:25,000 A large Japanese fleet 879 00:39:25,080 --> 00:39:27,480 carrying 14,000 troops 880 00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:29,920 is approaching Guadalcanal. 881 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:31,600 ? 882 00:39:31,680 --> 00:39:34,480 - This body of water is the size of a bathtub. 883 00:39:34,560 --> 00:39:36,160 So risking your battleships 884 00:39:36,240 --> 00:39:38,160 to send them up to Ironbottom Sound, 885 00:39:38,240 --> 00:39:40,400 I mean, it honestly makes the hair stand up 886 00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:42,440 on the back of my neck even now. 887 00:39:42,520 --> 00:39:45,560 But Halsey is determined that he is going to fight 888 00:39:45,640 --> 00:39:47,360 with everything that he's got, 889 00:39:47,440 --> 00:39:50,520 and so he pushes all his chips into the middle of the table. 890 00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:56,120 ? 891 00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:59,560 - Halsey instructs the U.S. Navy task force 892 00:39:59,640 --> 00:40:02,120 to attack the Japanese fleet in the sound. 893 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:05,280 ? 894 00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:07,200 895 00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:10,960 ? 896 00:40:11,040 --> 00:40:14,200 For two days, American and Japanese warships 897 00:40:14,280 --> 00:40:15,920 battle in Savo Sound. 898 00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:23,040 ? 899 00:40:23,120 --> 00:40:25,120 The fighting is fierce. 900 00:40:25,200 --> 00:40:28,800 ? 901 00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:32,400 It's ship-to-ship combat at its most intense. 902 00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:39,720 ? 903 00:40:41,400 --> 00:40:45,000 Nearly 2,000 Americans are killed... 904 00:40:45,080 --> 00:40:47,040 but the Japanese are only able to land 905 00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:49,120 a quarter of their force. 906 00:40:49,200 --> 00:40:53,520 ? 907 00:40:53,600 --> 00:40:56,440 Bull Halsey and the U.S. Navy 908 00:40:56,520 --> 00:40:58,680 have turned the tide... 909 00:40:58,760 --> 00:41:02,520 and the Japanese begin to withdraw from Guadalcanal. 910 00:41:02,600 --> 00:41:06,680 ? 911 00:41:06,760 --> 00:41:09,000 Most of the marines on Guadalcanal 912 00:41:09,080 --> 00:41:11,120 are relieved by the U.S. Army. 913 00:41:11,200 --> 00:41:12,920 ? 914 00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:15,520 A generation of Americans have proven to the world 915 00:41:15,600 --> 00:41:18,120 that they're capable of fighting this war. 916 00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:20,000 ? 917 00:41:20,080 --> 00:41:22,840 But Guadalcanal has also revealed 918 00:41:22,920 --> 00:41:26,720 how long and difficult this conflict is going to be 919 00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:30,160 and how steep the price of victory. 920 00:41:30,240 --> 00:41:36,000 ? 921 00:41:36,080 --> 00:41:38,840 - It was the first clash of arms 922 00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:41,080 between the Japanese army 923 00:41:41,160 --> 00:41:43,720 and American marines and soldiers. 924 00:41:43,800 --> 00:41:47,120 And in that victory, the Americans came out ahead. 925 00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:51,400 ? 926 00:41:51,480 --> 00:41:55,280 - Halsey put it best when he said, prior to the battle, 927 00:41:55,360 --> 00:41:58,320 the Japanese advanced at their will. 928 00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:01,720 After the battle, they retreated at ours. 929 00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:03,320 ? 930 00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:05,000 - It's a long road to Tokyo, 931 00:42:05,080 --> 00:42:06,960 but Guadalcanal is the first step. 932 00:42:07,040 --> 00:42:13,000 ? 933 00:42:13,080 --> 00:42:16,360 - The marines who hold the line for months on Guadalcanal 934 00:42:16,440 --> 00:42:19,320 are sure their country has forgotten them. 935 00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:21,080 But when the 1st Marine Division 936 00:42:21,160 --> 00:42:22,560 is relieved by army units 937 00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:25,160 and sent to Australia to recuperate, 938 00:42:25,240 --> 00:42:29,080 they learn that they're actually heroes. 939 00:42:29,160 --> 00:42:32,640 That year, in 1942, 940 00:42:32,720 --> 00:42:35,440 Hitler escalates his campaign 941 00:42:35,520 --> 00:42:38,080 against the Jews of Europe 942 00:42:38,160 --> 00:42:41,280 to an unimaginable level.