A naval battle rages off the Solomon Islands during World War II. The Japanese fleet underway in the Pacific Ocean. A U.S. warship fires at Japanese ships. Animated map shows the main objective of the Japanese that is to capture Guadalcanal. A U.S. bomber lands and taxis. A signal officer gives a signal. A pilot in a cockpit. U.S. Navy Admiral Chester William Nimitz seated in a chair discusses the strategy of attack with an officer. U.S. Navy Vice Admiral William Halsey, Jr. looks at a map aboard a U.S. warship. U.S. ships underway in the Pacific Ocean. Animated map shows the positions of ships underway in different directions. A U.S. ship underway. Troops on its deck. U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur gets off a car in New Guinea. U.S. infantry troops in trucks and jeeps advance along a dirt road. Troops in a jeep wearing gas masks. Troops seated in a truck hold guns. U.S. soldiers stand around an aircraft. A U.S. bomber aircraft in flight. The bomber aircraft taxis and takes off. The troops get off from the aircraft. Infantry men advance through a jungle. Men lay logs to make a bridge. A convoy moves over a bridge carrying supplies. Soldiers load shells in an artillery and fire. The troops advance through a jungle. They fire artillery. Smoke rises due to the firing. Artillery pounds Japanese positions. The infantry advances across jungle swamps.
U.S. Army Air Forces Mitchell B-25 crews prepare for the raid on Tokyo, Japan, under the command of Lt. Colonel James "Jimmy" Doolittle. B-25 Mitchell on the deck of USS Hornet in the Pacific Ocean. USAAF men stand around a plane. B-25 Mitchell taxi and take off from the deck. Insignia of the United States Army Air Forces. A crewman gives a signal. A view of an empty deck. A B-25 taxis on the deck of the USS Hornet (CV-8).
Battle of Midway in the Pacific Ocean during World War 2.Opening scene shows fires burning and destruction on Midway Island while Japanese bombers are attacking. U.S. marines firing machine guns and antiaircraft guns, creating numerous black flak clouds among attacking Japanese aircraft. A burning aircraft descending to crash in the sea. Japanese bombs bursting nearby and Marines in a jeep driving past burning aircraft. More bombs exploding. A Marine medical corpsman wearing a Red Cross armband. A Japanese plane streaks low across the sky and a drops a bomb that explodes raising a huge cloud of black smoke from a petroleum fire on the ground. Camera focuses on the huge flames and smoke rising from the oil fire. Closeup of Marine firing heavy machine gun. A Japanese aircraft is struck and the sound of a failing engine is heard. Fire and smoke is everywhere. Next, the sound of a falling aircraft intensifies and a Japanese plane is seen crashing with a huge explosion. Closeup of a burning wing from the aircraft with Red ball insignia visible. Scene shifts to the sea, where American aircraft are flying cover over U.S. warships maneuvering below. View from a U.S. warplane taking off from an aircraft carrier. A loose formation of Douglas SBD Dauntless aircraft in flight above clouds. Aerial closeups of some in the formation, including one showing pilot in front cockpit and gunner in the rear. Next, Navy F4F Wildcat and Douglas Dauntless aircraft are seen being launched from a Carrier, where sailors are firing 1.1" quad AA guns, creating numerous black flak clouds in the sky. A 5-inch gun creates a huge ball of fire as it fires. More shots of quad AA guns and 5-inch guns firing, as aircraft continue to launch from carriers. Brief view of the U.S. aircraft carrier, USS Yorktown (CV-5) obscured by smoke from Japanese bombs hitting her boiler. The Japanese aircraft veering away from it after their attack. More views of anti aircraft guns firing from the camera ship (an aircraft carrier) and of Japanese aircraft attacking. Another brief glimpse of the USS Yorktown clouded by smoke. Sound of an airplane crashing into the sea and glimpse of pleased American Navy officers and sailors. More glimpses of the Yorktown billowing black smoke.
USS Lexington (CV-2) passing through the Gaillard Cut of the Panama Canal as she heads into the Pacific Ocean during World War 2, Her deck is full of aircraft. Sailors perform routine chores, mopping and cleaning. They stow propellers in the hangar deck. Sailors at mess in the dining hall and ready to sleep in their bunks. Officers in the ward room. Aviators discussing air navigation. Air crews receiving orders on flight deck. During an interlude crew members enjoy themselves swimming in tropical waters. They dive from the flight deck, from a lower section of the ship, and even from the ship's anchor. Sailors seen climbing the anchor chain. In an exercise of combat readiness, sailor sounds general quarters with bugle over ship's intercom. Aviators respond and are briefed about mission. Deck crews make aircraft ready for flight. Pilots run to F4F airplanes. Douglas Dauntless aircraft start their engines on deck.
Animated map shows Japanese massing for attacks against Australia, Midway Island, and the Aleutians in World War 2. U.S. naval forces prepare for the battles of Coral Sea and Midway. U.S. warships seen underway in the Pacific Ocean. Crewmen on the aircraft carrier, USS Yorktown (CV-5) push a Douglas SBD Dauntless aircraft with folded wings. Senior officer on the carrier looking through binoculars. Ship's flight operations personnel are alerted by bugle over intercom to report to their stations. flight deck operational crews assemble on deck. Aviators assemble in ready rooms. They are told a Japanese carrier has been sighted and they are to attack its aircraft. Ready rooms are notified of enemy contact at 125 miles. The pilots scramble up stairs to the flight deck and their airplanes. They climb into cockpits Douglas SBD Dauntless planes, start engines, taxi, and take off one at a time. They form up in flights of 3 aircraft each and fly overhead. View of the Island on the Yorktown, as they wait for aircraft to return. Antiaircraft gunners wait in readiness for possible Japanese attack. A formation of Japanese Aichi D3A (Val) aircraft is sighted. They dive at the Yorktown, as her gunners fire away at them. Black flak clouds fill the sky. An explosion as a bomb strikes the Yorktown. She lists and burns and is wracked by another explosion. An SBD dauntless rocks loose near the end of flight deck. USS Yorktown along with other ships in the task force battling Japanese aircraft. A Japanese torpedo plane is downed on the surface of the sea. Flames and smoke at forward port area of Yorktown's flight deck. Gunners hit wings of attacking airplane. Firefighters on Yorktown set up hoses on her deck. More U.S. aircraft airborne to attack Japanese force only 15 miles away. U.S. dive bomber dropping a bomb. An SBD dauntless lands on a carrier deck. Navy aviators pose on deck. Closeup of a Dauntless landing. "Scorecard" compares U.S. and Japanese losses in the two engagements.
Color footage shot during WWII under the direction of John Ford for his documentary on the Battle of Midway. United States aircraft carrier underway in the Pacific Ocean. U.S. Navy F4F-4 Wildcat aircraft taking off from the flight deck. Other F4Fs warming up in the background. Men aboard the aircraft carrier. Douglas TBDs and SBDs flying low over water, simulating attacks on Japanese ships. Flak in the sky. Smoke rising from simulated burning ships.