Naval Warfare in World War II
Comprehensive view of naval warfare at the dawn of World War II to its aftermath, from Pearl Harbor and Guadalcanal to the surrender of Japan.
Subtitles: English, English
Directed by:Bob Carruthers
Season 1
S01:E01 - The Battle of the Atlantic 1939-1941
World War II begins and the Germans succeed in invading Poland and France. But German forces are restrained by the British thanks to the vital convoys, the German submarine war increases its crescendo thanks to new French bases.
S01:E02 - Pearl Harbour
Using Japanese footage, viewers see the planning, execution and, ultimately, the celebration of the country's attack on Pearl Harbor. There also is an explanation provided for the attack and some peaceful moments depicted among the U.S. sailors before the fateful events unfold.
S01:E03 - Anti-Submarine Warfare 1941-1943
With war now declared by the U.S., naval forces throughout the states have joined to bring convoys of supplies across the Atlantic Ocean to the Allies in England. German U-Boats come through and manage to destroy some of ships along the way.
S01:E04 - Japanese Victories and the Battle of Midway
The Japanese are ascendant as they successfully invade the East Indies, Singapore and the Philippines. But the Americans are victorious, first on the Coral Sea and ultimately on Midway as they manage to bomb and sink four of Japan's aircraft carriers; the same ones that were used for the attack on Pearl Harbor-making the imperial fleet retreat and giving the U.S. an early victory in the Pacific.
S01:E05 - War in the Mediterranean
World War II comes to the Mediterranean Sea as Italian, French and British naval forces struggle. British forces have the unenviable position of guarding the sea as they escort convoys from Gibraltar to Malta.
S01:E06 - Guadalcanal
After training in Australia and New Zealand, the U.S. Marines land on Guadalcanal. The U.S. Navy suffers defeats by the Japanese Navy around the island—in an area called Ironbottom Sound.
S01:E07 - The Struggle for the Solomon Islands
The Japanese Navy is ascendant in its conquests, of which its main base is on Rabaul in the New Britain Islands. This episode refers to the U.S. strategy of surrounding and strangling the Japanese base in the autumn of 1943 through invasions of its surrounding islands (Bougainville, Rendova).
S01:E08 - Mediterranean Command 1940-1942
Mussolini calls the Mediterranean 'mare nostrum', or 'our sea', and seeks to exploit it. British and Greek military forces, however, defeat the Italians, forcing the Germans to send the Afrika Korps. But it is the sea battles to control the Mediterranean that is the crux.
S01:E09 - The Invasion of North Africa
The USSR government demands a 'second front' as their country struggles against the Germans. The wish is granted as Roosevelt and Churchill in Washington agree on the first invasion of North Africa against General Rommel's forces via Operation Torch, while the Allies also neutralize many of the Axis' Mediterranean supply bases.
S01:E10 - War in the South Atlantic
The South Atlantic becomes a front in the overall Battle of the Atlantic, from the pursuit of the German ship Graf Speeto the battle between HMS Devonshire and the German raider Atlantis.
S01:E11 - War From Murmansk to Alaska
This episode explores the battles between the Allies and Germans near the Arctic Circle, and the convoys battling past German-occupied Norway to Russia.
S01:E12 - Carrier Warfare
The aircraft carriers of the U.S. Navy attack in the Central Pacific Ocean at the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, destroying Japanese installations.
S01:E13 - The New Guinea Campaign
The Allies are victorious in New Guinea as they repel the Japanese. They thus bring the fight through a series of 'island-hopping' offensives using a new ship—the slow but vital LST.
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