Crusade in the Pacific

Crusade in the Pacific

18 Episodes

Crusade in the Pacific looks at U.S. involvement in the the Pacific theater starting in 1933. It looks at Pearl Harbor, the Burma theater, the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, the invasion of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, the dropping of the atomic bomb and the surrender of Japan. It also looks at the start of the Korean War.

Crusade in the Pacific
  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter One: "The Pacific in Eruption"

    Episode 1

    Crusade in the Pacific looks at U.S. involvement in the the Pacific theater starting in 1933. It looks at Pearl Harbor, the Burma theater, the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, the invasion of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, the dropping of the atomic bomb and the surrender of Japan. It also l...

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Two: Awakening in the Pacific"

    Episode 2

    Crusade in the Pacific looks at U.S. and British interests in the Pacific prior to World War II including Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Australia, and New Zealand. It also looks at developments in Siam, China, and Japan focusing on the growth of modernization and militarism in Japan prior to the war.

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Three: "The Rise of the Japanese Empire"

    Episode 3

    Crusade in the Pacific examines Japanese military aggression and growth prior to World War II. It looks at the creation of the puppet state Manchukuo in Manchuria and the eventual war with China. It examines Japanese imperial interests in Philippines, Malaya, Singapore, and Indochina and discusse...

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Four: "America Goes to War in the Pacific"

    Episode 4

    Crusade in the Pacific examines the America's entry into World War II after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It looks at early Allied loses on Wake Island, Guam, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It also looks at the turning of American industry to war and the training of American ...

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Five: "The U.S. and the Phillippines"

    Episode 5

    Crusade in the Pacific looks at the relations between the United States, the Philippines, and Japan prior to World War II. It, then, examines the Japanese invasion of Luzon, the take-over of Manila, and the eventual attack and seizure of Corregidor.

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Six: "The Navy Holds, 1942"

    Episode 6

    Crusade in the Pacific examines early U.S. Navy operations in World War II. It looks at the establishment of bases in the South Pacific islands of Fiji, New Caledonia, and Espiritu Santo. It also looks at the Doolittle Raid over Tokyo, and the Battles of the Java Sea, the Coral Sea, and Midway.

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Seven: "Guadalcanal, America's First Offensive"

    Episode 7

    Crusade in the Pacific examines early American offensive operations in World War II beginning with the Battle of Guadalcanal. U.S. marines land on the island and fight a well dug-in Japanese army while also being harassed by Japanese aircraft. After several month, the U.S. established Henderson F...

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Eight: "War in the North, the Aleutians"

    Episode 8

    Crusade in the Pacific examines Japan's invasion of the Aleutian islands in Alaska. The Japanese navy bombs Dutch Harbor shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor and later occupies the islands of Kiska and Attu. Later, U.S. counter-attack by air and sea eventual force the Japanese off the islands...

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Nine: "The Road Back New Guinea"

    Episode 9

    Crusade in the Pacific looks at the difficult New Guinea campaign. The Japanese lands on the island and entrench themselves there early in 1942. They attack Milne Bay with an amphibious force, but they are beaten back by allied forces. Australian forces drive across the mountainous island and eve...

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Ten: "Up the Solomons Ladder, Bougainville"

    Episode 10

    Crusade in the Pacific looks at the campaign in the Solomon Islands directed at the Japanese stronghold on Bougainville. Allied reconnaissance aircraft target the island providing valuable intelligence for Allied bombing runs which loosen up the island for invasion. Allied troops eventual secure ...

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Eleven: "Attack in the Central Pacific, Makin and Tarawa"

    Episode 11

    Crusade in the Pacific looks at the Allied campaign in the Gilbert Islands in the central Pacific. Allied aircraft first target the Marshall and Gilbert islands in a series of raids. The United States, then, uses amphibious landings to attack the atolls of Makin and Tarawa. Casualties are heavy o...

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Twelve: "The War at Sea"

    Episode 12

    Crusade in the Pacific looks at the naval war on the high seas. It examines the supply problem facing U.S. operations in the Pacific. It examines life on a naval submarine and looks at the many dangers faced by its crew. It also looks at life aboard an aircraft carrier.

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Nineteen: "Bloody Iwo"

    Episode 13

    Crusade in the Pacific looks at the Battle of Iwo Jima. Allied forces need the island to launch support aircraft for long range bombers over Japan. The Allies land on the beach and face strong resistance from the Japanese. The U.S. eventually take Mount Suribachi and the southern half of the isla...

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Twenty: "At Japan's Doorstep, Okinawa"

    Episode 14

    Crusade in the Pacific looks at the battle of Okinawa. American Army and Marine forces land unopposed and meet little resistance as they split the island in half. Later, as armies move north and south, fighting grows more fierce. Allied forces eventually capture the north half of the island. In t...

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Twenty-One: "The Air War on Japan"

    Episode 15

    Crusade in the Pacific examines the air war over the Japanese home island. It looks at the early Doolittle Raid over Tokyo and discusses later B-29 "super fortress" attacks based out of China and the Mariana Islands. It then examines the air delivered Nuclear Attacks at Hiroshima and Nagasaki whi...

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Twenty-Two: The Surrender and Occupation of Japan

    Episode 16

    Crusade in the Pacific examines the surrender and occupation of Japan. Japan surrenders unconditionally to the Allies after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The formal instruments of surrender are signed on the deck of the U.S.S. Missouri though surrender ceremonies take place all across t...

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Twenty-Three: "Shifting Tides in the Orient"

    Episode 17

    Crusade in the Pacific examines the growth of independence movements in Asia in the wake of World War II. In the Dutch East Indies, Sukarno declares Indonesian independence and defeat Dutch efforts to retake their colony. In India, the British hands over control to Jawaharlal Nehru. They also ove...

  • Crusade in the Pacific- Chapter Twenty-Four: "War in Korea"

    Episode 18

    Crusade in the Pacific examines the Korean War. After World War II, Korea is divided along the 38th Parallel. In the North, the Soviet Union influences a Communist government under Kim Il-sung. In the South, the United States shepherds a young Republic. The Korean peninsula is plunged into war wh...