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Prime Minister Winston Churchill
and President Franklin Roosevelt

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are navy men.

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They understand
that World War II will be won

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by the side that controls the seas.

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Early in the war,
Germany dominates the Atlantic

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and threatens Great Britain,

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while Japan is attempting
to build an empire

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across the Asia-Pacific theatre.

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The attack on Pearl Harbor

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and Germany's declaration of war

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brings America
directly into the conflict,

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a global struggle
that will range across many seas

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and many oceans.

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But the US Navy has a new weapon -

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the aircraft carrier -
which extends its reach

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and allows it to challenge an enemy
thousands of miles away.

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All wars change the world.

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But none of them changed the world
like the Second World War did.

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Japan's on the march,
Germany's on the march.

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No one can imagine
the nightmare

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they're about to unleash.

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The most destructive war
in human history.

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Suddenly, the world
is turned upside down,

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and all hell is let loose.

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The West is stunned
by the speed of the advance.

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You get the Allies
led by the big three -

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Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin.

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Men who were dealing with
immensely complicated questions.

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It's the biggest military
operation of human history.

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The Allies have to come together

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not just militarily,
but industrial scale -

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it's a global perspective.

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They have to fight
in every climate

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from the Arctic,
to the jungles of the Pacific,

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to the deserts of Africa
and the depths of the ocean.

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But there was
no certainty of victory.

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It was going to be
a horrific bloodbath.

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We see humans
at their absolute worst,

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how they treat other human beings.

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And we see them
at their absolute best,

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willing to give their lives
that others might live.

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World War II was a struggle
in which there could be

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one victor and one vanquished.

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In late 1940,

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British cities are
pounded from the air

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by the German Luftwaffe

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almost every night.

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Led by Prime Minister
Winston Churchill,

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the people of Great Britain
show no sign of surrender.

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But most of the food and material

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the island nation needs to survive

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must be brought from abroad...

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...in British ships.

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And Nazi U-boats threaten
every one of them.

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More than two-thirds
of Britain's food comes in by ship.

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Over 90% of Britain's oil
comes by ship.

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Britain also needs raw materials.

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You can't build
a Lancaster bomber

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or a Spitfire out of steel.

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You need aluminium.

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Britain has no aluminium,

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so it needs to ship it all
across the Atlantic.

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Most of what Britain
needs comes from one source -

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America.

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President Franklin D Roosevelt

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has declared the United States
an arsenal of democracy.

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A lifeline is established -

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American resources
carried by British convoys.

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But it's a perilous journey.

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In 1940 alone,

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over 500 British
merchant ships are lost.

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The Germans are able to sink three
million tons of British shipping

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between the summer of 1940
and the end of the year.

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That's unsustainable.

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If Churchill can't keep up
the flow of supplies to Britain,

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well, you're in existential trouble.

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The man directing
Germany's U-boat campaign

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is Admiral Karl Doenitz,

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a World War I
U-boat commander himself.

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Throughout the Great War,

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the Germans used
unrestricted submarine warfare

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to attempt to choke Britain
into submission.

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Doenitz's mind
is pure mathematics.

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You sink more merchant ships
than can be built...

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to starve the British,

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to deprive Britain
of the raw materials

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and the calories needed
to fight the war.

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In 1940,
Doenitz devises a new tactic.

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He groups up to 20 U-boats

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and orders them
to hunt British convoys.

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They're called "wolfpacks".

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The moment one U-boat
finds a convoy,

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it radios back to Doenitz.

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Doenitz then looks
at where all his U-boats are.

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Doenitz then vectors
all other U-boats

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in and around those waters

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onto the same target.

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The wolfpack tactic
requires good communication...

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...good coordination.

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Nobody attacks
until they're all present...

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...and then they pounce.

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Imagine what it's like
to be in a convoy under attack.

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Even if your ship
doesn't get hit,

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you cannot stop
to pick up survivors.

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You hear them screaming.

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You want to help them,
but you cannot stop.

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Because if you do,

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you know a submarine
is waiting to sink you.

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Through 1940,
the wolfpacks are so successful,

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their crews refer to it
as the "Happy Time".

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Doenitz's plan to strangle
Great Britain is working.

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Attacked by sea and by air,

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Britain's survival falls largely
on the shoulders of one man -

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Winston Churchill.

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In November 1940, Churchill
is told in no uncertain terms

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by government officials
that there are simply

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not enough supplies
getting into Britain.

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Britain is not going to be able
to continue the war.

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He said it gnawed at his bowels.

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He said it's the only thing
that kept him up at night

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in the Second World War...

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was the German threat
in the Atlantic.

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Desperate, Prime Minister Churchill

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writes to President Roosevelt.

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Franklin Roosevelt had been
Assistant Secretary of the Navy

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during the First World War.

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He understood the role of sea power.

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In early December,
Roosevelt sets aside

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the burdens of office
for a few days in the Caribbean.

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And a seaplane brings
a letter from Churchill.

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And Churchill says,
this is the most important letter

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I will ever write.

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Churchill is terrified.

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He's coming closer to losing
than he ever has.

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He says, "I need help."

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"I need planes, ships,
guns, and money."

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Roosevelt has long understood

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the threat Nazi Germany poses
to the United States.

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But he's been constrained from
offering direct aid to the British

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because of Americans' anxiety

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over getting involved
in another world war.

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Roosevelt had read
Mein Kampf in German.

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He understood, in a way
that not many Americans did,

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what Hitler was about.

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But 80% or 90% of the country
had no interest

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in being involved in any way

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in military conflict
in the Old World.

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FDR understands
that if the United States

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is to take its place
as a leader of the world,

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he's got to do it
very, very carefully.

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Roosevelt returns
to Washington with a plan.

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He calls it Lend-Lease.

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I ask this Congress
for authority and for funds

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sufficient to manufacture
additional munitions

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and war supplies of many kinds

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to be turned over to those nations

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which are now in actual war

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with aggressor nations.

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Churchill's letter
has been answered.

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As he put it, if my
neighbour's house is on fire,

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I lend him the hose.

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I don't make him pay for it.

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I just ask for it back afterward.

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Churchill had been thrown
a lifeline.

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Lend-Lease would keep Britain alive.

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President Roosevelt shepherds

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the Lend-Lease legislation,
designated HR-1776,

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through Congress.

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American weapons,
including tanks and planes,

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are headed for Great Britain.

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But these convoys will move
through hazardous waters.

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Spring, 1941.

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American ships carrying
Lend-Lease supplies to Britain

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are threatened
by Doenitz's wolfpacks.

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Roosevelt understands the risk.

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But because
he knows what's at stake,

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it's a risk
he believes worth taking.

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He writes
to Prime Minister Churchill.

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"I believe that the outcome
of this struggle

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is going to be decided
in the Atlantic.

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And unless Hitler can win there,

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he cannot win anywhere
in the world."

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FDR extends
the US maritime security zone

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to 26 degrees west.

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A significant part of the Atlantic

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is now patrolled by the US Navy.

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He takes over
more than half of the Atlantic

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and turns it into an American lake.

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Roosevelt is now saying,

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we will attack anyone
who goes to war in those areas,

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knowing the only people
who are going to make attacks

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in that area
is the Germans in submarines.

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As American
and British interests align,

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President Roosevelt
and Prime Minister Churchill

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agree to a summit
to discuss strategy...

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...not just for
the battle in the Atlantic,

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but for the whole war.

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They will meet
in a bay just off Newfoundland

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on the eastern edge of Canada.

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Roosevelt tells
the Washington press

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that he's taking a vacation
on the presidential yacht,

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the Potomac.

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But once at sea, he transfers
to the heavy cruiser Augusta

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and sets sail to meet Churchill.

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And events were conspiring
to bring them on stage

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at the same hour
at a cataclysmic moment.

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Roosevelt wanted Churchill
as close as possible.

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Churchill travels to meet Roosevelt

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on the battleship
HMS Prince of Wales,

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escorted by Royal Navy destroyers.

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But summer storms
prevent the escorts

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from staying with
the Prime Minister's ship.

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Alone, the HMS Prince of Wales

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travels through
U-boat-menaced waters...

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...the same journey
that British ships

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continue to make every day.

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On August 9th,

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the President
and the Prime Minister meet.

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It's a deeply emotional
and powerful moment

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because it's their first meeting

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as the leaders
of their respective countries.

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00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:18,240
Franklin Roosevelt
and Winston Churchill

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were very similar men in many ways.

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They both believed
that they were destined to play

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00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:27,040
a great role in the lives
of their nations and of the world.

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It was very important to FDR

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to stand when he met Churchill.

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Because of the polio,

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this was a pure effort of will.

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He did not want to be seated

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in front of men who were fighting.

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You can see the beginnings

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of what would become

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00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:56,920
arguably the most important
political friendship

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in history, in those first moments.

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Churchill's boyishly happy

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00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:08,560
and is so excited that the President

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00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:11,920
of the United States
is receiving him.

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It's also important
to remember the intimacy

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of being together at sea,
in the vast ocean,

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where they're looking
each other in the eye.

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They want to get along.

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They want to please the other.

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The two leaders also want
to map a way forward for the world.

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They produce the Atlantic Charter,

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00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:40,080
with joint war aims and a blueprint
to prevent another world war.

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They knew that history
had mysteriously

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00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:51,440
but unmistakably
cast them in this drama.

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00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:54,280
And it was a reminder,

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an emotional reminder...

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00:15:57,040 --> 00:15:58,840
...of what was at stake.

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When Churchill departs for home,

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00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,560
FDR sends two American warships

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00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:09,680
to accompany him as far as Iceland.

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00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:22,920
In fall 1941,
Roosevelt orders the US Navy

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00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:27,480
to escort British convoys
halfway across the Atlantic.

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00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:32,200
It puts US forces now
very close to Europe.

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00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:37,000
Everything about that is a way
to be more aggressive to Germany.

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00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:42,000
On September 4, 1941,

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00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:45,360
the USS Greer is attacked
by a German U-boat.

261
00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:48,600
The Greer strikes back.

262
00:16:49,640 --> 00:16:52,920
Roosevelt responds
with a shoot on sight order.

263
00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:57,520
I tell you the blunt fact

264
00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:00,160
that the German submarine
fired first

265
00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,480
upon this American destroyer Greer

266
00:17:03,640 --> 00:17:06,320
with deliberate design to sink us.

267
00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:08,960
What we are seeing are

268
00:17:09,120 --> 00:17:11,520
tensions ratcheting up
in the Atlantic,

269
00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:14,680
an undeclared war
almost certainly at some point

270
00:17:14,840 --> 00:17:18,080
going to turn into a shooting one.

271
00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:20,760
On October 17th,
the USS Kearny

272
00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:23,800
is damaged by a torpedo
from a German U-boat.

273
00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:29,840
11 sailors are killed.

274
00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:34,000
Two weeks later,

275
00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:37,920
the USS Reuben James
is torpedoed and sunk.

276
00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:42,840
115 sailors are killed.

277
00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:49,320
Roosevelt again
condemns German barbarism,

278
00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:52,160
German brutality.
"How can they do this?"

279
00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:54,760
But Roosevelt doesn't declare war.

280
00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:58,360
He realises this isn't quite enough

281
00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:01,280
to base an entry
into the Second World War.

282
00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:08,000
At the end of 1941,

283
00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:10,760
preserving Great Britain's
Atlantic lifeline

284
00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:14,040
is FDR's chief naval concern.

285
00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:18,920
But in the Pacific...

286
00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:22,040
a different threat
is about to launch.

287
00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:43,760
December 7, 1941.

288
00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:46,360
Six Japanese aircraft carriers

289
00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:50,240
with over 300 dive bombers
and torpedo planes

290
00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:54,000
approach America's largest
naval base in the Pacific.

291
00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:08,160
We interrupt this broadcast

292
00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:10,480
to bring you this important bulletin
from the United Press.

293
00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:12,000
Flash, Washington.

294
00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:15,560
The White House announces
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

295
00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:21,000
What is the country that finally
attacks America on American soil?

296
00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:22,280
It's Japan.

297
00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:24,440
Messages from Tokyo say that

298
00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:27,200
Japan has announced
a formal declaration of war

299
00:19:27,360 --> 00:19:30,120
against both the United States
and Britain.

300
00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:34,600
Churchill learns about
Pearl Harbor from the BBC.

301
00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:36,640
He hears the broadcast
announcing this.

302
00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:38,280
He calls FDR.

303
00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:40,360
FDR says, "It's true.

304
00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:42,280
We're all in the same boat now."

305
00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:47,040
Four days later,

306
00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:50,120
Germany declares war
on the United States.

307
00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:55,200
America will fight a war
across both the Atlantic

308
00:19:55,360 --> 00:19:57,400
and Pacific oceans.

309
00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:01,800
And FDR is now a wartime president.

310
00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:07,400
Roosevelt comes under
a great pressure.

311
00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:11,080
He really finds
the first few months of 1942

312
00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:12,960
probably the most difficult
in the war.

313
00:20:13,120 --> 00:20:16,200
And if you're Roosevelt,
everyone's yelling at you.

314
00:20:16,360 --> 00:20:19,680
The British are yelling at you
to convoy in the North Atlantic.

315
00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:22,800
The navy's yelling at you for more
resources to go to the Pacific.

316
00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:27,040
To fight the war in the Pacific,

317
00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:29,480
FDR appoints Admiral Chester Nimitz

318
00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:33,880
as the new Commander-in-Chief
Pacific, CINCPAC.

319
00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:37,480
Nimitz arrives to assume
command of the Pacific fleet

320
00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:39,720
while Pearl Harbor
is still a burning mess.

321
00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:43,800
It just stinks of death
and fire and destruction.

322
00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:49,920
Nimitz takes command
of a weakened Pacific Fleet.

323
00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:52,480
Most American battleships
are destroyed

324
00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:54,600
or damaged at Pearl Harbor.

325
00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:58,600
But its aircraft carriers
were at sea

326
00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:01,200
and escaped the attack.

327
00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:07,880
Nimitz is relying on admirals
like William "Bull" Halsey

328
00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:10,800
to press the fight
against the Japanese.

329
00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:14,960
He sees that
American naval strategy

330
00:21:15,120 --> 00:21:17,880
based on the battleship is all gone.

331
00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:23,000
But we still have aircraft carriers
and we still have submarines.

332
00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:25,160
Chester Nimitz understands,

333
00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:28,880
OK, out with the old,
in with the new.

334
00:21:32,360 --> 00:21:36,040
Nimitz adjusts
American naval strategy

335
00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:41,720
to rely on aircraft carriers
and a series of raids.

336
00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:46,200
Because those
aircraft carriers are available,

337
00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:48,640
he does have a tool
to punch back at Japan.

338
00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:52,280
The Imperial Japanese Navy

339
00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:54,760
is well-trained and well-equipped.

340
00:21:57,040 --> 00:22:00,520
They dominate and control
the western half of the Pacific.

341
00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:05,440
April 1942.

342
00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:07,600
Four months after Pearl Harbor,

343
00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:11,120
Admiral Nimitz is eager
to go on the offensive.

344
00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:13,280
But where?

345
00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:19,720
The navy's top cryptanalyst,
Commander Joseph Rochefort,

346
00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:21,800
and his team decode signals

347
00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:25,200
that reveal
the Japanese navy's plans.

348
00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:30,440
The intelligence that Rochefort

349
00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:34,160
is bringing to Nimitz is not
necessarily all that clear cut.

350
00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:36,320
But the picture that is developing

351
00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:40,720
is one of continued Japanese
interest in the South Pacific.

352
00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:47,440
Rochefort believes
the Japanese are going

353
00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:50,000
to invade southern New Guinea.

354
00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:52,200
From there,
they could block the sea lanes

355
00:22:52,360 --> 00:22:55,000
that connect the United States
and Australia...

356
00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:57,440
and possibly strike Australia...

357
00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:01,720
...which is the key to the American
strategy in the South Pacific.

358
00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:06,160
The Japanese would control
everything from Japan to Australia,

359
00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:08,040
that entire linkage
to the Indian Ocean,

360
00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:10,320
and, oh, by the way,
a principal ally

361
00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:12,600
in the southern part
of the hemisphere.

362
00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:16,400
Nimitz dispatches
two aircraft carriers -

363
00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:18,920
the Lexington and the Yorktown -

364
00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:21,200
to intercept the Japanese force.

365
00:23:21,360 --> 00:23:23,880
They are the only
two carriers available.

366
00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:33,480
His basic game plan
is to cruise in the Coral Sea

367
00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:36,840
and wait for the Japanese moves

368
00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:39,960
and deliver an attack
against the Japanese.

369
00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:44,240
It's hard sometimes to remember,

370
00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:47,080
because we have satellites
that illuminate the whole world

371
00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:48,560
in real time,

372
00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:50,840
that for most of military history,

373
00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:53,680
the fog of war is huge.

374
00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:55,800
And at sea,
it's an even bigger deal.

375
00:23:57,240 --> 00:23:59,840
Trying to find your enemy
is half the battle.

376
00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:04,080
A large fleet can
become almost invisible.

377
00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:06,360
And then once you find it,

378
00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:08,800
you have to hit them
before they find you.

379
00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:19,920
Rochefort's intelligence is correct.

380
00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:21,600
American reconnaissance aircraft

381
00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:24,560
spot the Japanese fleet
in the Coral Sea.

382
00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:28,800
Both American carriers
launch their plans.

383
00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:43,680
This attack is really
the first sign

384
00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:46,360
that what we have here
is what's called an "RMA" nowadays,

385
00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:48,320
a Revolution in Military Affairs.

386
00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:57,160
The two fleets
are more than 100 miles apart.

387
00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:04,000
They're attacking with aircraft
from far away.

388
00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:06,520
They're not exchanging salvos
from big guns.

389
00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:09,880
The Americans had never done
anything like that

390
00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:11,920
with aircraft carriers before.

391
00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:15,600
American dive bombers strike first,

392
00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:18,160
finding the Japanese carrier Shoho.

393
00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:24,600
She's hit and sinks
in less than an hour.

394
00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:31,760
Shoho is the first
Japanese carrier

395
00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:34,360
that's going to be sunk
during this war.

396
00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:43,280
When you throw a punch
in boxing,

397
00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:45,760
you open yourself up
to a counterpunch.

398
00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:48,200
So your choices are "don't fight"

399
00:25:48,360 --> 00:25:52,720
or "fight and open yourself up
to a devastating blow".

400
00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:55,360
The United States Navy
has struck first.

401
00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:59,400
But now Nimitz's force faces
the Japanese counterattack.

402
00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:10,320
The US Navy sinks their first

403
00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:13,160
Japanese aircraft carrier
in the Coral Sea.

404
00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:15,800
But the next day,
Japanese planes

405
00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:19,080
locate and target
the USS Lexington,

406
00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:22,880
America's oldest carrier,
nicknamed "Lady Lex".

407
00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:37,960
She takes four direct hits.

408
00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:43,120
She's still seaworthy,

409
00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:45,720
but a gas line ignites
and she catches fire.

410
00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:53,160
She burns to the waterline...

411
00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:58,520
...and is scuttled to avoid capture.

412
00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:11,320
To protect their remaining carriers,

413
00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:14,080
the Japanese call off the invasion.

414
00:27:15,840 --> 00:27:17,320
The Battle of the Coral Sea

415
00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:19,520
is the first time
that the United States

416
00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:22,200
has turned back
a Japanese offensive.

417
00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:25,480
From Nimitz's standpoint,

418
00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:28,160
he's learned to trust
his intel officers.

419
00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:32,240
He's also learned that the carriers
are going to be the way to go.

420
00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:34,000
Even though this is
kind of the Wild West

421
00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:37,280
of naval combat at this point,
carriers are effective.

422
00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:39,400
They can sink enemy warships.

423
00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:44,760
Fearing a long war
with America,

424
00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:49,480
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto,
the architect of Pearl Harbor,

425
00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:54,400
is always seeking a knockout blow
against the US Navy.

426
00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:57,120
So he says, I need
to destroy these American carriers.

427
00:27:57,280 --> 00:27:59,040
But how do I do it?

428
00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:01,360
And so they cook up this plan,
the Japanese naval staff,

429
00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:04,280
is that they'll attack
a vital American place.

430
00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:07,080
And they decide Midway Island,
so called because it's midway

431
00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:10,920
between the West Coast
of the United States and China.

432
00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:13,040
It is American territory.

433
00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:14,920
It's something the Americans value.

434
00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:16,560
That might be enough to lure

435
00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:18,440
the Americans out
to defend that territory.

436
00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:21,160
And if they do, then we can
annihilate their carriers

437
00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:23,000
and have a free hand in the Pacific.

438
00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:29,960
Yamamoto's plan is to
launch a surprise attack on Midway

439
00:28:30,120 --> 00:28:32,200
with four of his carriers.

440
00:28:32,360 --> 00:28:35,360
The Japanese will take
the strategic island

441
00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:39,040
and believe Midway will then
radio Pearl Harbor for help,

442
00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:43,320
prompting Nimitz to send his
carriers to defend the island.

443
00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:46,160
Once the American carriers
get to Midway,

444
00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:49,920
Yamamoto will appear
with the rest of his fleet.

445
00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:52,760
He will trap them in jaws of iron,

446
00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:55,920
crush them, and destroy
not only the American carriers,

447
00:28:56,080 --> 00:28:57,560
but also their battleships,

448
00:28:57,720 --> 00:28:59,960
at which point the Americans
will have no naval forces

449
00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:02,000
of any worth left in the Pacific.

450
00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:09,720
This could be a decisive strike

451
00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:12,840
against the US Naval forces
in the Pacific.

452
00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:29,760
In late May,

453
00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:32,720
the Japanese task force
head to Midway Island.

454
00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:38,240
There are 250 aircraft
on its carriers.

455
00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:45,960
But cryptanalyst
Joseph Rochefort, once again,

456
00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:49,680
has intercepted
the Japanese coded signals.

457
00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:51,680
Rochefort believes Japan

458
00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:55,040
is sending its fleet
to attack Midway.

459
00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:56,560
The problem is the Japanese

460
00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:59,000
aren't referring to Midway Island
as Midway Island.

461
00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:01,320
They're saying, "AF".

462
00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:03,840
"We're going to attack AF."

463
00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:10,280
Rochefort has a plan
to reveal the identity of "AF".

464
00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:14,000
Midway sends false radio messages

465
00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:16,360
on a channel the Japanese monitor,

466
00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:19,400
suggesting there's a problem
on the island.

467
00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:22,920
Midway is going
to radio back in the clear

468
00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:25,440
that, hey, our desalinisation plant
has just broken,

469
00:30:25,600 --> 00:30:27,840
and we're running out
of fresh water.

470
00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:33,120
And then they wait and listen.

471
00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:42,800
And shortly thereafter,
a Japanese radio station

472
00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:45,720
will send another message
back to the Japanese fleet

473
00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:48,480
that AF has just run out
of fresh water.

474
00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:51,800
And now, for the first time,
they know it's Midway.

475
00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:59,280
Nimitz dispatches his
three remaining aircraft carriers

476
00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:03,000
and a supporting fleet
towards Midway.

477
00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:24,320
The US Navy is lying in wait

478
00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:26,720
to intercept
the Japanese attack on Midway...

479
00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:31,840
...if they can locate
the Japanese carriers.

480
00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:36,280
This is the first time
many young pilots

481
00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:38,160
will go into battle.

482
00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:49,960
There are some that had never even
taken off a aircraft carrier before.

483
00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:53,480
We do have a fascinating
bit of footage that shows VT-8,

484
00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:56,320
that torpedo squadron,
on the USS Hornet.

485
00:31:56,480 --> 00:31:58,760
When we look at that picture,
what you see is a bunch of

486
00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:01,160
20-something-year-old
naval aviators.

487
00:32:01,320 --> 00:32:03,120
And what you see is the swagger.

488
00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:06,440
Now, probably in that swagger
and the smoking of the cigarettes,

489
00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:09,840
it's probably hiding a little bit
of the fear of the unknown.

490
00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:12,720
But even still,
you see that twinkle.

491
00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:16,680
"This is our time."

492
00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:33,320
At 6:30am,

493
00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:37,080
Japanese aircraft attack Midway
and inflict heavy damage.

494
00:32:44,200 --> 00:32:46,960
The battle starts off
really going perfectly,

495
00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:49,200
according to the Japanese plan.

496
00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:57,320
But the Japanese don't know

497
00:32:57,480 --> 00:32:59,920
that the American fleet
has moved into position

498
00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:02,560
to the northeast of Midway...

499
00:33:02,720 --> 00:33:06,400
and are now ready
to launch a surprise attack.

500
00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:14,760
Starting at 7:00am,
more than 100 aircraft

501
00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:17,960
launch from the Hornet
and the Enterprise.

502
00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:28,760
Squadrons search for
the Japanese fleet at 19,000 feet.

503
00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:33,640
As an aviator in World War II,

504
00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:36,440
you might have a set of binoculars
to help increase your vision.

505
00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:41,000
But otherwise, you're looking at
about 30 square miles' worth of sea

506
00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:43,440
and trying to figure out
where anything is.

507
00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:50,920
Three squadrons fly due west...

508
00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:56,000
...but can't find
the Japanese carriers.

509
00:33:59,840 --> 00:34:04,320
One squadron of
Devastator torpedo planes, VT-8,

510
00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:06,560
flies southwest.

511
00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:10,320
Just after 9:00am,

512
00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:14,880
through broken clouds,
they spot the Japanese fleet.

513
00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:22,960
The torpedo planes are terrible.

514
00:34:23,120 --> 00:34:24,840
It's only got a single machine gun.

515
00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:27,080
And so these things
are just lumbering,

516
00:34:27,240 --> 00:34:30,640
slow, vulnerable targets that are
going to be horribly exposed

517
00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:34,520
to any sort of Japanese fighter
opposition if they run into it.

518
00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:40,680
As VT-8 lines up
to attack the carriers,

519
00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:43,120
they're intercepted
by Japanese Zeros.

520
00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:47,400
The Japanese Zero
is the most advanced

521
00:34:47,560 --> 00:34:49,280
Japanese aircraft that they have.

522
00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:51,560
It is a world-class fighter.

523
00:34:54,960 --> 00:34:59,360
It can manoeuvre like crazy.
It can climb like a banshee.

524
00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:04,680
The Zeros fire on VT-8.

525
00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:07,040
They just tear into
these formations

526
00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:09,640
and began very quickly
sending them,

527
00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:13,600
ones and twos, arrowing down
into the ocean in flames.

528
00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:16,160
And the entire squadron
is wiped out.

529
00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:22,520
Squadron VT-8 is destroyed.

530
00:35:24,240 --> 00:35:27,160
It takes less than 15 minutes.

531
00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:34,160
When we think about those guys
we see in the footage,

532
00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:37,520
of the 15 aircraft that attacked,
14 of them will be shot down.

533
00:35:40,200 --> 00:35:41,800
They get absolutely sacrificed.

534
00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:46,760
Some groups sacrifice
more than others,

535
00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:49,520
and in that case,
they sacrificed all.

536
00:35:56,400 --> 00:36:00,240
While Marine fighters
from Midway attack the Japanese,

537
00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:02,440
they don't inflict real damage.

538
00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:06,240
Other US squadrons
continue to search

539
00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:08,120
for the Japanese fleet.

540
00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:14,840
At about 9:30 in the morning,
things are going terribly.

541
00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:17,200
The Americans
are losing this battle,

542
00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:20,320
and Nimitz's battle plan
is falling apart.

543
00:36:21,880 --> 00:36:25,920
If navy pilots
don't locate the Japanese carriers,

544
00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:27,800
Midway will fall,

545
00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:30,320
and America's strategy
in the Pacific

546
00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:32,160
will be dealt a crushing blow.

547
00:36:41,040 --> 00:36:44,720
Fighting Squadron Six
of Dauntless dive bombers

548
00:36:44,880 --> 00:36:48,280
are searching for the Japanese fleet
that has attacked Midway.

549
00:36:52,880 --> 00:36:55,600
This is the best aircraft
in the United States Navy

550
00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:57,600
in 1941, '42.

551
00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:00,720
It carries a 1,000-pound bomb,
and it can be extremely effective.

552
00:37:02,600 --> 00:37:05,000
The squadron is led
by Navy Lieutenant Commander

553
00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:08,160
Wade McClusky, a 15-year veteran.

554
00:37:10,400 --> 00:37:13,680
Wade McClusky goes out
to the portion of ocean

555
00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:15,880
where he expects
the Japanese to be located,

556
00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:17,800
and there's nothing but sun

557
00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:20,360
and sea and sky
and some clouds.

558
00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:27,280
The squadron is in the air
for close to two hours.

559
00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:31,320
By 9:30am,
they're running low on fuel.

560
00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:35,000
But McClusky continues the search.

561
00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:40,560
This is an incredibly gutsy move
on McClusky's part.

562
00:37:40,720 --> 00:37:44,000
The fuel gauges are really bad.

563
00:37:44,160 --> 00:37:47,440
Deciding to continue his search
and continue looking for the enemy,

564
00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:49,400
that's really ballsy.

565
00:37:49,560 --> 00:37:51,360
Oh, by the way,
everybody's barking at him,

566
00:37:51,520 --> 00:37:54,000
"We're pretty low on fuel.
We got to get back."

567
00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:58,160
But he implements a box search
and starts looking for the Japanese.

568
00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:00,720
Flies north for a bit, nothing.

569
00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:07,160
But finally,
as he's about to turn for home,

570
00:38:07,320 --> 00:38:11,080
he sees a lone Japanese warship.

571
00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:17,480
He goes, "He looks like
he's headed somewhere in a hurry."

572
00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:20,160
"If I follow that ship,
it's going to take me someplace."

573
00:38:20,320 --> 00:38:21,880
And he does.

574
00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:27,080
30 minutes later,

575
00:38:27,240 --> 00:38:29,760
McClusky spots
the Japanese aircraft carriers.

576
00:38:34,400 --> 00:38:38,040
By chance, another squadron
of American dive bombers is nearby.

577
00:38:40,440 --> 00:38:42,560
These planes
would show up out of the blue

578
00:38:42,720 --> 00:38:44,520
through a break in the clouds.

579
00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:45,920
And all of a sudden,

580
00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:48,600
they're like a swarm of bees
closing in on your fleet.

581
00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:51,600
And it happens insanely fast.

582
00:38:56,400 --> 00:38:59,200
What you'd want to do
is come out of the sun.

583
00:38:59,360 --> 00:39:01,920
And then you'd roll over
and roll back out,

584
00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:05,120
and you'd set about
a 70-degree dive angle.

585
00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:07,240
You want to get as close
as you can to that carrier,

586
00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:08,880
about 1,500 feet.

587
00:39:10,920 --> 00:39:12,640
If you've got a really good pilot,

588
00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:15,080
you really can put this bomb
in a pickle barrel.

589
00:39:24,720 --> 00:39:27,040
Three carriers take multiple hits,

590
00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:29,960
the Akagi, Soryu, and Kaga.

591
00:39:32,160 --> 00:39:34,120
In the span of four minutes,

592
00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:35,760
United States dive bombers

593
00:39:35,920 --> 00:39:38,480
knock out three
Japanese aircraft carriers.

594
00:39:42,280 --> 00:39:44,920
The Japanese
have one remaining carrier,

595
00:39:45,080 --> 00:39:46,320
the Hiryu.

596
00:39:49,720 --> 00:39:51,560
At midday, its dive bombers

597
00:39:51,720 --> 00:39:54,680
find and attack
the American carrier Yorktown.

598
00:40:18,080 --> 00:40:21,560
After attempting
to save her for hours...

599
00:40:22,680 --> 00:40:25,320
...the Yorktown's captain
finally orders the crew

600
00:40:25,480 --> 00:40:26,920
to abandon ship.

601
00:40:32,800 --> 00:40:35,240
But the Hiryu's victory
is short-lived.

602
00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:41,680
American bombers find it

603
00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:44,680
and sink the fourth
Japanese carrier of the day.

604
00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:52,600
12 hours after the first
Japanese attack...

605
00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:56,640
...Yamamoto's plans
to deliver a decisive blow

606
00:40:56,800 --> 00:40:59,360
to the US fleet has collapsed.

607
00:41:01,040 --> 00:41:04,440
Instead, America has delivered
a devastating

608
00:41:04,600 --> 00:41:06,480
and decisive blow of its own.

609
00:41:08,240 --> 00:41:11,880
Four of Yamamoto's carriers
are at the bottom of the ocean.

610
00:41:12,040 --> 00:41:14,200
3,000 of his men are killed.

611
00:41:16,520 --> 00:41:19,080
This is a turning point.

612
00:41:24,240 --> 00:41:26,800
It's easy to forget now...

613
00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:31,880
the feeling of revenge
that Americans felt

614
00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:35,960
when they were finally able
to strike back at the Japanese.

615
00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:45,280
President Roosevelt,
who has been monitoring the battle,

616
00:41:45,440 --> 00:41:49,240
finally receives word
that America has won.

617
00:41:49,400 --> 00:41:51,880
Midway is absolutely critical.

618
00:41:52,880 --> 00:41:56,040
It allows Roosevelt to get
out of this defensive crouch

619
00:41:56,200 --> 00:41:59,040
that we've been in for
the first seven months of this war

620
00:41:59,200 --> 00:42:01,680
and begin thinking about, OK,

621
00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:04,000
how would we like
to reshape this war?

622
00:42:04,160 --> 00:42:06,320
Where would we like
to go on the offensive?

623
00:42:09,080 --> 00:42:11,920
The emotional outcome of Midway
might be the biggest thing, right?

624
00:42:12,080 --> 00:42:14,000
This is the psychological blow.

625
00:42:14,160 --> 00:42:16,800
The idea that they come to Midway,
get smacked in the face,

626
00:42:16,960 --> 00:42:18,400
and turn around and go back home,

627
00:42:18,560 --> 00:42:20,720
psychologically devastating
to the Japanese.

628
00:42:20,880 --> 00:42:22,240
Oh, by the way, for the Americans,

629
00:42:22,400 --> 00:42:23,800
the idea that we can fight and win

630
00:42:23,960 --> 00:42:25,840
against the Japanese...

631
00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:27,560
that's powerful.

632
00:42:37,560 --> 00:42:39,120
After Midway,

633
00:42:39,280 --> 00:42:41,960
the United States takes
the upper hand in the Pacific.

634
00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:43,920
For the first time, the country wins

635
00:42:44,080 --> 00:42:47,400
a decisive victory
against the Japanese.

636
00:42:47,560 --> 00:42:50,400
America is now on the offensive
in the Pacific.

637
00:42:50,560 --> 00:42:52,080
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