Battle 360: The Battles of Makin and Tarawa (S1, E6) | Full Episode | History

previously on battle 360 for the third  time in nearly three months enterprise   squared off against the japanese navy in  the climax of the battle of guadalcanal   now enterprise is refitted with new weapons   new planes and gets ready to fight a new kind  of warfare the big e will deliver a blitzkrieg   in the gilbert islands of the central pacific and  in the dark of night she will make naval history uss enterprise a fighting city of steel she is the most revered and  decorated ship of world war ii on this 360 degree battlefield  where threats loom on the seas   in the skies and in the ocean depths the  enterprise's enemies could be anywhere and everywhere there's nowhere to run when the battles all around  you battle 360 uss enterprise the grey ghost january 29 1943 uss enterprise cruiser  san diego and five destroyers are   headed for an expected showdown with the  imperial fleet near the coral sea by now   the mighty enterprise has many nicknames  most call her the big e or lucky e   but many sailors call her the galloping ghost  or simply the grey ghost in a year of combat   from the coast of oahu to the shores  of guadalcanal the dark grey ship has   eluded death and destruction and continues to  haunt the imperial navy but the battle-tested   crew of enterprise has no idea the tragedy is  about to strike the u.s fleet 350 miles away   a force of cruisers and destroyers heads for  guadalcanal escorting american transports loaded   with much needed reinforcements more ground troops  are needed on the island battlefield and it's the   job of these ships to get them there one of them  is heavy cruiser uss chicago chicago sister to   the old northampton which had fought beside the  enterprise throughout 1942 is led by a squadron   of six destroyers spread out in a giant half  circle steaming at a steady 24 knots chicago   and the transport force are 150 shark-infested  nautical miles directly southeast of guadalcanal   chicago has already survived one hellish attack  this night by enemy aircraft but the waters of the   solomon islands are still a nightmare sailors know  that being in the wrong place at the wrong time   can have deadly consequences and right now chicago  is heading toward disaster she can't even see beneath the waves chicago is stalked by japanese  submarines from above the clouds she is hunted by   enemy planes though the japanese have been badly  bloodied in pacific sea battles they're about to   show the us navy that they're nowhere close to  being beaten like a jungle predator the enemy   prepares to strike in the dark night because  of the costly actions at midway and guadalcanal   japan simply lacks the manpower and firepower  to launch daytime attacks against the us fleet   they've trained a number of their ground-based  medium bomber units in night torpedo attacks   and they come gunning for the  american cruiser support force 7 45 pm flashes of light illuminate the american  ships like a lightning storm japanese flares   burst in the skies over the water suddenly  sixteen twin-engine betties pour out of the sky one betty is chewed up by automatic fire and  sent crashing into the sea the rest charge   in from the starboard side and head for  chicago with a payload of aerial torpedoes   chicago cuts loose with an eruption of fire from  her five-inch guns and machine guns but our own   bright tracers and the fireballs of exploding  aircraft only expose the cruiser to the enemy   you're basically saying to the enemy hey i'm this  guy with the big guns is now the perfect target two torpedoes nail starboard side chicago  grinds to a halt she instantly takes on water   and starts to list at the stern her situation  is desperate as the wave of betty's tears off   into the silver clouds sailors aboard chicago  know that their battle is only just beginning   during the pitch blackness then the cruiser  louisville uh comes up and is able to put a towing   line across which is a tricky thing to do in the  middle of the night with no illumination and they   begin to drag chicago out of the battle area a  two and a half inch steel towing wire is wrapped   around a massive eight-inch turret on the cruiser  louisville and attached to the bow of the chicago   slowly louisville tows her sister frigate at  a steady five knots away from the battle area   350 miles away uss enterprise is ordered to  take to the seas and support the rescue effort   target enemy aircraft attacking uss chicago  objective save the wounded heavy cruiser strategy   send planes to fly protection over uss chicago  until she can be towed from the battlefield   throughout the night enterprise plows ahead  while her pilots and air crews prepare for   the dangerous operation january 30th 1943  as the sun rises over the solomon sea   warplanes roll down enterprise's wooden deck and  take off in search of the crippled uss chicago   just after 7 a.m enterprise sbds locate chicago  and her task force what she just couldn't get   underway so she was being towed by another ship  at about four knots just barely getting underway   so they can't go very fast they can't maneuver so   they're definitely sitting ducks they just got to  rely on the support around them to survive that   it's a haunting replay of attempts  to save uss hornet at santa cruz   enterprise's sister ship hornet was  crippled by torpedoes in the october battle   before she could be towed to safety she was  finished off by another round of warheads if the   japanese return chicago will provide an inviting  target for a surface ship they have basically two   non-offensive weapons at their disposal  one is speed two is maneuverability   when you go in attach a tow line to a disabled  chip and try to pull her to safety you've just   given up speed and you've given up maneuverability  so you've made yourself pretty predictable enterprises warplanes carefully patrol  the air over the damaged cruiser   on the lookout for enemy intruders at the same time the fleet tug navajo comes  alongside chicago and takes over the task of   pulling the heavy ship tugs like navajo are unsung  heroes named after the native people of the desert   southwest navajo is 1200 tons of workhorse  armed only with a single three-inch gun and   two 50-caliber machine guns the little 200-foot  ship sticks her neck out for cruiser chicago   tense hours pass as enterprise pilots  watch the rescue operation unfold   for the moment the skies are clear not  a single enemy plane or ship in sight 4 pm enterprise receives warnings from guadalcanal  11 unidentified aircraft distance 130 miles   everyone goes to general quarters  mans his gun or repair station   ammo is broken out of lockers gunners  mates put on helmets and life jackets   below decks watertight doors are shut plane  handlers take their positions in the hangar   or flight deck the ship is cleared for action  every sailor and marine awaits the enemy strike   the japanese however are aware that they have done  some damage to the american force and they come   gunning for for the chicago enterprise immediately  launches more wildcats to meet the japanese threat   60 miles out the twin engine bombers  race towards the american task force   now enterprise's crew relies on their first line  of defense the fighter squadron nicknamed the grim   reapers one of them is dawn flash gordon a gritty  veteran of santa cruz i tally hold 11 betty's twin   engine torpedo planes they were at one o'clock  again and they're they're really fast they were   going to cut behind us so we made a hard turn  to the port we ended up a little bit behind them   with gordon in the lead the grim reapers maneuver  into position ready to defend the fleet or die   trying we stayed on their right side and tried  to get ahead of them if case they wanted to   go to the enterprise instead of chicago  gordon and the reaper wildcats closed the   distance between the enemy planes as the  japanese flyers raced toward the chicago   there was a formation of six in an echelon  that lead the echelon and five in the second   as the betty storm over the task group the  wildcats bear down with withering 50 caliber   firepower i burned that lead airplane and it fell  out of formation and the second one was burning   and it was falling out gordon and the pilots of  fighting squadron 10 hammer the enemy airstrike our planes did a very very good job and and  practically wiped out that enemy fleet of planes   but somehow four betties survived the grim  reapers and released their warheads on uss chicago   at the last possible moment navajo  tries to turn chicago to face the enemy   and make her a smaller target but just as  navajo pulls the cruiser head-on with the enemy   the fearsome torpedoes pound into chicago's  hole and detonate in a horrendous blast the big east pilots are quick to defend their  comrades gordon and his fellow aces sweep in   and pour hot lead into the enemy strike force  nine enemy planes are blasted into the afterlife   only two will survive their encounter with  enterprise one went east and one went southeast   and the nearest one was going east and i came  down on the water and so i got on the water and   raised my nose to fire him up so i had  full throttle on but i wasn't catching him but the damage is done back on uss chicago  her survivors abandon ship and can only stand   by and watch the bitter end below decks  seawater pours through the torpedo holes   rushes over bulkheads and fills compartments  one after another from her lower holds in   engine rooms to the storage areas magazines and  passageways chicago is soon completely flooded   as she takes on more weight she slowly  starts to roll to her starboard side   topside chicago has one final honor as  flames from the torpedo blast rage on   the heat reaches the powder supply for the  five-inch guns on her own with her battle   color still waving in the breeze chicago  fires off one ghostly salute to her sailors then her heavy superstructure pulls her right over   on her side and chicago quickly slips beneath  the waves the whole sinking takes only 19 minutes   for 62 american sailors this  ship is their final resting place   chicago is then the last large american warship  that's lost during the guadalcanal fight the loss of the heavy cruiser she was sent  to protect is a terrible blow to the big   e enterprise simply isn't used to failure  but though the chicago was lost the troop   transported she had sailed to defend still  deliver their marines ashore at guadalcanal   in six months of combat the u.s has suffered over  7 000 casualties 29 ships lost and 600 aircraft   shot down but the japanese have lost nearly 30  000 men 38 ships and as many as 800 aircraft a u.s victory at guadalcanal is undeniable now  the u.s has a major toe hold in the south pacific   and an important airbase to launch  strategic missions against the enemy   the life and death ordeal at guadalcanal is  finally over mission accomplished by 1943   not a single surviving american warship has seen  as much combat in the pacific as uss enterprise   from pearl harbor to midway from the  marshall islands to the solomon sea   nearly a dozen battles and thousands of sea miles  a score of imperial ships sent to a watery grave   we were on the best ship in the navy it was  going to take care of whatever needed to be   taken care of there was there was no question but  we were going to pull out of there with a victory   enterprise has already seen almost every major  naval battle of the war and has beaten the odds   now she can finally rest her crew will get  much deserved r and r at a spirit to santos   as enterprise makes her way into the island base   a batch of young officers fresh from  mid-shipment school arrive for assignment   one of them is oregon native and gunnery officer  ken peck peck and a handful of other officers   have just completed a long journey across  the pacific for a rendezvous with enterprise it was the first aircraft car  i guess that i that i ever saw   and boy we were excited we could see it from a  distance and it was a beautiful big old gray ghost   for peck and hundreds of other sailors his first  glimpse of enterprise is love at first sight   it's so big it looks so strong and the goose  people just run up and down my back and   they welcomed us aboard and they and signed us in  and told us where we're going to sleep that night   and that's how i came i came to the enterprise to carriers like uss enterprise espiritu santos  offers a safe harbor where ships can be refueled   and supplied with ammo and reinforcements  these fleet operating bases gave us a base   far enough from action to where they could not  be directly threatened by japanese airplanes by   japanese ships um and they gave us a place where  we could send ships back to refit and resupply   it gave us an area where we could bring in new  troops that could then ultimately be deployed   into combat it just it gave us the lifeline that  we needed to the rear echelon areas for a veteran   campaigner espiritu offers cold beer outdoor  movies and needed relief from the rigors of war   when the ship would tie up in espero  santos we'd go ashore to work on the planes   we'd work on half a day and then  we'd knock off go swimming for myself   sometimes r and r what was a shower and a hot  meal it frees up your mind clears your head   and it kind of prepares you to go back and  continue on the fight when you go to shore   and you finally get to relax you get to data  dump things which means that you get to block it   out forget about it and carry on and that helps  you enormously for enterprise veteran roy blood   from maine and his buddy charlie mason r r in  the spirit two also offers a bit of adventure   one night blood and mason bum a ride in a jeep  with two pistol packing marines and the marines   are driving along with the headlights of course on  this dirt road speeding along and all of a sudden   they drag to a stop and ham wham they spied their  25s did something and i thought the japs are here   suddenly the enemy reveals itself these huge  giant land crabs were coming across the road   migrating and the marines were objecting  knocking them off it was left and right all too soon r r the spirit two is over the big e  gets her orders to move out the extensive battle   damage from 1942 call for major repairs she will  make her way to headquarters at pearl harbor   then the big e will steam for the states  where she's scheduled to undergo a massive   overhaul in may enterprise arrives at pearl  for the first time in more than six months   and she receives a very important  visitor admiral chester nimitz steps   aboard enterprise he stands on hollowed ground  a ship that has come to represent the war itself   a floating battlefield the wooden deck has  been the scene of countless acts of heroism   and horror nimitz is met by nearly 2 000 sailors  airmen and marines who stand at rigid attention   as the crew looks on he presents captain samuel  ginder with the presidential unit citation   the highest honor that could be given to a ship  in the american navy is the presidential unit   side patient enterprise is the first american  ship ever to receive this award not even famous   19th century sailing frigate uss constitution can  claim such an honor it's such a big deal because   of course it is it is something that is proposed  and sponsored by the president of the united   states when the president himself determines  that a particular unit or a particular ship   is worthy of commendation for a particular action  it is the head man taking time to acknowledge the   good work of a particular group of men it  is probably the greatest morale building   moment that the men on the ship see in the  early part of the war when we were awarded   the presidential unit citation admiral bull  halsey sent a message to the enterprise there   something to the effect my heart is always  with you and i think that did as much for us   as the award of that citation because uh we we all  thought so much of bull halsey and his leadership with her battle honors posted on the  hangar deck for her entire crew to see   enterprise finally heads for the good  old usa bremerton washington summer 1943.   the big e slips into puget sound it's the first  time the mighty carrier has been stateside in   years now the decorated ship is in for a massive  overhaul to make her even tougher and more deadly   in summer in 1943 the enterprise went through a  repair overhaul she had been through significant   combat and suffered a lot of damage they  looked at this and drew lessons learned from it   hundreds of yard workers swarm in  to trick out the mighty flat top   and get her ripped and ready for more combat her  additions a protective torpedo blister more guns   new radar and a new plane that will  literally change the face of war the navy realizes that the greatest threat to  carriers like enterprise are enemy air attacks   and japanese torpedoes they proceed to install  a torpedo blister along three quarters of her   length that will give her better protection  against any torpedo hits that she suffers   japanese torpedoes killed her  sisters yorktown and hornet   the navy is bound to ensure that  enterprise does not suffer the same   fate the torpedo blister is a steel belt that  wraps around the outer edge of the big ease hole   between the huge bulge and the ship itself  is a part-flooded part air-filled compartment   that will absorb the shock of explosion and  the sharp fragments of a japanese warhead 18 more feet of solid steel and timber are  added to her overall length and her damage   control equipment and radar is replaced but  the most important improvement new 5-inch guns   and 36 additional 40 millimeter and 20-millimeter  anti-aircraft guns the guns are the main thing we   had more quad 40s and i can i can't remember  now how many there were those are big cannons   and they were when they go off they make a lot  of rocket we had better arm on it brand new fire   control systems link her 5 inch and 40 millimeter  batteries defending the carrier isn't easy   enterprise's firepower must pepper the  skies with a barrage of flack to hit   imperial planes but in order to kill the enemy  accurate shooting is a must radar-controlled   directors can pinpoint the distance and elevation  of incoming aircraft and help ensure a kill mark 37 and mark 51 gun directors are  mounted on either side of the big ease island   these systems will provide vital target data and  will guide the fire of enterprises heavy weapons   the directors calculate firing  orders for the gunners mates   giving the crews the accurate elevation  range and velocity of an enemy target and the radar can detect  incoming japanese aircraft at 45   000 yards and enemy vessels at 40 000 yards   the big e will now be able to shred any incoming  enemy planes that invade her airspace day or night nothing in the japanese anti-aircraft  arsenal can compare to the firepower of   the radar-guided 40-millimeter guns and 5-inch  rifles by the end of world war ii no one else's   anti-aircraft defense has come anywhere  close to the americans american warships   are incredibly dangerous to approach um by  by the end of 1943 and that situation only   gets grimmer for any japanese  attackers 1944 and 45 goes on while the big e undergoes repairs   the us fleet is rebuilding its forces  and getting ready for round two but while enterprise has been out of the  action american forces are still on the move   on the ground the fighting continues   across the pacific and the world the  allies are closing in on the enemy   but even as the industrial might of america  catches up the axis shows no signs of surrender   and for enterprise the war is anything  but over as the ship readies for combat   many of the big e's veteran pilots and gunners  won't be making the trip back to the war zone yet the vacancies left open by casualties  and reassignment mean that some of the big   e's veteran sailors get a new opportunity  to earn their stripes and fight in the skies   serving alongside his shipmates since the dark  days after pearl harbor alvin kernan of wyoming   has finally achieved his dream of flying from  the deck of enterprise it's what i always had   wanted to do besides there was something known  as flight skins or flight pay which was 50   of your regular pay added on to your irregular  pay but it was the status that went with flying   by november enterprise is a new  and improved killing machine   ready to take the war to her imperial enemies  as she prepares for battle enterprise gets a   new skipper to lead the ship back into the fight  captain matthias gardner gardner is a no-nonsense   commander a stern by-the-book authoritarian  in the words of one sailor tough as nails   and he's hell-bent on unleashing the fury of the  big e on the islands of the pacific when we got a   new new skipper he said i have no medals and i had  no rivets but i'm taking you out there to get him so he felt it was in good  condition to go fight again   enterprise has her orders and it's  time to get back to the fighting   the great ghost is once again taking to the seas  to haunt her old nemesis the japanese empire when   enterprise steams into pearl harbor the site of  the big e is an inspiration to every man in port now she joins one of the largest  naval fleets ever assembled in history   the fall of 1943 the u.s navy is now in a position  to begin initiating this long anticipated drive   through the central pacific that everyone  is known as coming in only a year before   enterprise was the only carrier left to fight  in the pacific now she's teamed with an armada   the flagship of her task group enterprise sails  with light carriers monterey and uss bella wood   battleships massachusetts and indiana cruiser  baltimore and six destroyer escorts she's also got   her old friend battleship north carolina veteran  of the eastern solomons together this force can   deliver the fury of thousands of explosive shells  and a venomous strike of more than 200 warplanes   there was a feeling that we had a lot  of power and we're going to use it   enterprise in the pacific fleet is about to set  off on one of the longest naval campaigns in world   history it will mark the start of 560 days of  war before she can go home 560 days of pure hell   the japanese navy is not prepared for the return  of the grey ghost their fleet is still licking   its wounds attempting to rebuild compared to the  u.s navy's arsenal of new ships the imperial fleet   is now down to 12 carriers nine battleships and  a mere handful of light and heavy cruisers and   destroyers for now they're on the sidelines  but admiral chester nimitz will not let up   instead he'll pound the enemy garrisons with  enterprise bombs and american infantry target the   gilbert islands objective seize make an atoll the  first of a series of enemy strongholds that must   be annihilated strategy bombard the island from  the sea and air then invaded with us army soldiers   the gilbert islands becoming important um they're  an important stepping stone in the central pacific   campaign chester nimitz's campaign which would  ultimately end up with real estate in the marianas   but to get to the marianas you had to step over  three main island groups first the gilberts then   the marshals then the carolines before you can  get to guam cypantinian and rhoda november 19 1943   enterprise and her task group are within striking  distance of her main target in the gilbert's   macon atoll the invasion will be a two-pronged  assault while marines make an amphibious   landing at tarawa enterprise will support the  simultaneous invasion of macon by soldiers from   the army's 27th division the two forces will  attempt to capture both atolls at the same time   macon atoll's main island is bhutari tauri an  important seaplane and air base that is manned   by nearly 800 japanese sailors marines and korean  laborers bhutaritari's land defenses include two   tank barriers one on the east near a village and  one to the west near anchang's wharf each barrier   is made of logs barbed wire concrete pillboxes and  anti-tank guns connected by a series of rifle pits   to the south along the ocean shore are  three eighty millimeter coastal guns   ten machine gun nests and eighty-five  rifle pits along the lagoon to the north   but atari is defended by 80 millimeter  coastal guns flak guns and machine guns for six solid days american shell fire  has hammered away at these defenses softening them up for an invasion but now it's the  big east turn to deliver a heavy dose of shock and   awe dawn enterprise turns into the wind as  the first strike groups prepare to launch   33 bombers and fighters roll off enterprises  deck climb into the morning sky and head for   macon their mission to destroy  the enemy guns and pill boxes   75 miles from enterprise the japanese  garrison at macon is just beginning to stir   as the sun rises over the atoll they have no  idea of the new force that's about to hit them as tired troops prepare for  another day of bombardment   an awesome new weapon burst through  the sky over the japanese garrison   it's the new f6f hellcat fighter since pearl harbor american pilots have struggled  against the infamous speed of the japanese zero   the enemy fighter plane has ruled the  skies of the pacific for nearly two years   out running and outgunning the wild cap not anymore now the us introduces a weapon that  will change the face of warfare for the entire   fleet the arrival of the f6f hellcat is a real  watershed in terms of the american capabilities   to both bring offensive firepower to the  japanese and also to defend the fleet effectively during the refit enterprise  took on a squadron of the new   fighter planes 33 feet long with a  maximum speed of 376 miles per hour   to the wildcats 320 miles per hour the f6f is  faster and five feet longer than the wildcat   she's also got more firepower with a standard  armament of six 50 caliber machine guns she can   deliver 2 400 rounds of fearsome ordnance on the  enemy and can launch bombs or unguided rockets u.s navy finally has a fighter plane that  is more than a match for the legendary zero it's a deadly aircraft when you consider the  complement of 50 caliber machine guns on it   it's also rugged and reliable it's going  to change the course of the pacific war in command of the new squadron is butch o'hare  one of the best fighter jocks in the u.s navy   with three years of flying and a  score of enemy planes under his belt   missouri native edward o'hare has  already earned a medal of honor   by destroying five twin engine bombers in a single  day becoming the first naval ace in world war ii   everybody had just the deepest respect  for butch o'hare because he was fearless   he was a natural-born leader he was  a hero there's no other way around it   now at macon atoll the japanese are about to  meet butch o'hare and the brand new hellcat   fighters of the big e enterprise hellcats drop  out of the sky blasting the pill boxes and   lagoons with lethal 50-caliber machine gun fire  enemy troops are ripped into pieces shredded by   american firepower before they know what hits  them nine thousand feet above bhutaritari the   sbds begin their steep 70 degree dives and drop  their payloads and one thousand pound bombs   explosions shake the island as fuel  and ammo dumps are blown to pieces   hot shrapnel rains down on the living and  the dead a single dave float biplane takes   off out of the lagoon just as enterprise  torpedo planes arrive over bhutaritari moments later it is shattered by  the fire of enterprises fighters   the enterprise tbf avengers begin  dropping two thousand pound bomb the heavy ordnance hammers japanese  gun emplacements bunkers rifle pits   and tosses human bodies into the air the  one-two punch of hellcat fire enterprise   bombs has reaped nightmarish results day one  of the battle for macon is a gruesome success as one savage day of fighting ends the u.s fleet  prepares for the next deadly phase of battle   november 20th 1943 as assault troops from the 27th  division climb over the sides of transports into   landing craft enterprise air groups storm off on  another set of ferocious attacks on macon 5 30 am   the first strike group launches  from the deck of enterprise 70 miles away japanese forces on  macon await the coming onslaught   suddenly the dark shapes of cruisers destroyers  and transports appear through the mourning haze   there are dozens of them enterprise sbds and  torpedo planes begin their descent on the island   ready to parole the enemy defenders to hell  enterprise warplanes unleash a ferocious   series of attacks on the japanese positions while  the cruisers and destroyers move in with a kill   now with more enterprise bombers screaming  through the skies and us warships taking aim   the enemy garrison at macon is about to get  an even closer look at american firepower november 20th 1943 make an  atoll in the gilbert islands   the atoll is the first step on admiral chester  nimitz's drive through the central pacific bombers torpedo planes and brand  new hellcat fighters roar from   the deck of the great ghost to  wreak havoc on the enemy base the long flight deck is a perfect runway   but enterprise has another  method for launching aircraft two hydraulic catapults on the port  and starboard sides of the flight deck   can launch aircraft in the event of an emergency   once a plane is attached to the catapult  hydraulic fluid is released into a cylinder   causing a ram to blast through activating pulleys  that throw the warplane forward into the wind   and at macon enterprise is  launching everything she has 75 miles away as enterprise planes storm the skies  cruiser uss baltimore and the american gunships   take aim at make an eight hole baltimore and the  destroyer escorts open up and pepper the island   with explosive naval gunfire the enemy position  shake from the deadly impact of american shells   baltimore is the lead ship of her class born  in the steel works of massachusetts in 1942   she's 673 feet of yankee iron she is armed with  nine eight-inch guns five-inch thirty-eights   and an arsenal of automatic weapons now  she's breaking them in and making eight-hole   baltimore's mark 12 8-inch turrets are a complex  system of hoists that bring the heavy ordnance   from the magazine and handling rooms to the breach  of the guns the mark 12 8-inch 55-caliber gun can   launch a shell more than 30 000 yards baltimore  is within deadly killing range of macon and   butaritari is a target rich environment she will  fire more than 1300 rounds at the enemy island   on this single day by 8 30 a.m u.s soldiers  are hitting the beaches as bombs and shells   continue to nail the enemy bunkers and pill  boxes further inland high above the fury on the   beaches a single tbf avenger from enterprise  keeps a close watch on the unfolding action   the mission of the torpedo plane is  to report the bombing activity back to   rear admiral kelly turner who is running the  overall bombardment onboard uss pennsylvania   it's the eyes in the sky for the whole operation   flying as the gunner in the tbf alvin kernen can  clearly see the american troops wading ashore   so we flew very close over the beach and you  could see it was a grandstand scene really fine but the landing craft came in and we  thought there would be a big battle   and they touched the beach and they let their  ramps down on the beach no problem at all   enterprise hellcats and bombers sweep in  and strafe japanese machine gun nests with   merciless firepower as ground forces  begin the savage process of clearing   enemy positions with rifles machine  guns and artillery on the beaches   and we bombed it the fighter planes  strafed it and the battleships shot the hell out of it and the  palm trees down all over the place for the next four days enterprise pilots and  army riflemen share a working partnership   the big ease air groups never let up and each  day brings another meal of blood and body parts   as the assault on the maze of  pill boxes bunkers continues   but the enterprise airstrikes have done their job  the japanese are unable to mount a strong defense   a little japanese soldiers would get pumbled  like they were getting pummeled on that day   i'm sure that they were thinking you know what um  we kind of messed up when we did this pearl harbor   thing you know and i wish we could turn back the  clock i guarantee you that's what the hell they   were thinking success in the invasion of macon is  a certainty for the crew aboard enterprise this   battle seems easy compared to the horrors of  guadalcanal but all of that is about to change while enterprise steams just off  the war-ravaged beaches of macon   hundreds of raw recruits are still  getting used to life aboard the big e until now most of the crewmen aboard enterprise  have been volunteers from before the war   by 1943 a new wave of volunteers and  draftees fill the ranks of the navy   a new breed of citizens sailors and marines what you now have in 1943 are a large number  of citizen soldiers americans that volunteered   or were drafted and they are the ones that  are going to carry the fight to the japanese   in the central pacific campaign and then  the final assault against the home islands that summer as enterprise  prepared to re-enter the war zone   nearly 40 percent of her crew had been  replaced by recruits straight out of sea school one of them is marine jack maroney of dallas  texas i sure wanted to go on the enterprise   they had a great hour about it and of course  it had an illustrious history you want to be a   part of it but not everyone is happy with their  new assignments marine lieutenant richard hart   comes to enterprise from rural west virginia his  first impression of the big e isn't a good one   first time i saw the enterprise she was  in dry dock in bremerton and puget sound   and she was draped in every kind of a hose or a  pipe or a conduit or line you've ever seen in your   life there were welders all over and it didn't  even look like a boat it looked like some giant   crazy project that somebody started and never  finished like many marines hart would prefer to   be in the lead of riflemen rather than on the deck  of an aircraft carrier i didn't go into the marine   corps to be on a boat i trained to have a rifle  platoon in the marine corps which is what i wanted   a marine would rather definitely be fighting  with the infantry instead of being on ship   because when you're on ships kind of like  you're you're in prison you really can't go   hunt other human beings you really can't do what  you're trained to do as far as being an instrument   but with the ship at sea and back in the war  zone lieutenant hart has a new appreciation   for the vessel that has become his home  i didn't think anything could be so big   i didn't think anything could ever touch her i  just thought she must be absolutely invincible now in the gilbert islands richard hart is  about to find out that when the japanese attack   there's no such thing as an invincible ship november 25th 1943 7 p.m it's thanksgiving day  five days after launching the assault on macon   but in the waters off of macon  atoll there's no time for prayer   flares explode in the skies over  uss enterprise and her task group moments later japanese twin-engine bombers  streak overhead delivering a grim message   with imperial warheads battleship north  carolina and the destroyer escorts opened   fire and beat down the enemy but enterprise  holds her fire nearly two years of combat in   the pacific war have taught the crew that  tracers fired from her anti-aircraft guns   only marked the ship as a target in the  shadows at night instead she leaves the   job to the gun ships around her the air above the  task force explodes with shells from the escorts   for lieutenant hart and his untested marines  this is the first brush with the enemy   the leathernecks man their battle  stations and await the order to fire i've never seen a war before and i wanted to get  a good look at it so i climbed up on an ammunition   box so i could see better and there was a much  wiser sergeant sitting beside me standing beside   me and he said lieutenant i think you better  get down that's not a good place to stand and so   fortunately i jumped down and i think just  split second after my feet hit the deck   there was a wang a piece of shrapnel the size  of hart's hand slams into the splinter shield   right where he'd been standing only seconds  before it could have cut the marine in two   so that taught me that there's no sense  sticking my head up when i didn't have to gunners aboard enterprise hold their fire as the  battle rages on if they open up with their guns   they might suffer the same fate as uss chicago  we stood there by our guns helpless and not doing   anything but we were well protected by battleships  and cruisers and of course the destroyers   on the periphery of the task force then of course  the japs would have aerial flares that light up   like your stadium and a football game the fire  from 40 millimeter and 5 inch shells would make   enterprise a prime target and when you've got  many guns going it is like a christmas tree   everything is lighted up and it marks your  position if you don't have any light showing   but a gun shoots for 20 seconds or something  like a an enemy he'd have a position on you   battleship north carolina hammers out a lethal  explosion of lead and glass of betty out of   the sky within minutes the assault is over the  japanese have failed to sink a single american   ship enterprise is safe she survives to see  another sunset in the tropics the next morning   american commanders decide that something must  be done to protect enterprise when darkness falls   for years the japanese navy army have  utilized extensive night training and tactics   and they know that the us fleet has  not practiced this type of warfare almost two years into world war ii nightfall  is still one of the greatest threats if the   u.s navy is going to save its carriers at night  it's going to have to adapt to the type of night   attack strategy that the japanese use against them  we had on board at the time an air group commander   named bill martin and he'd been interested in  night flying and he couldn't get it off his mind   and he finally prevailed on the powers that be  to do a little bit of experimenting for the first   time in the pacific war a night air operation  will be launched from an american carrier and medal of honor ace butch o'hare answers  the call to lead a group of volunteers on this   experimental mission somebody like butch o'hare  that volunteers to launch off a carrier first   of all at night for the very first time what  does that say about him uh that just shows you   that he is a true professional and i guarantee  it he's the kind of guy that volunteered to do   it so his buddies wouldn't have to o'hare's  volunteers are nicknamed the black panthers   their objective defend enterprise and  her task force from the fierce nighttime   attacks that have claimed dozens of ships  strategy three hellcat fighters and one   radar-guided avenger torpedo plane will attempt  to intercept any incoming japanese night assault the radar in the avenger will make the entire  operation possible it will literally be the   eyes and the sky without it o'hare and his  fellow fighter pilots would be flying blind   designed by mit engineers the heavy radar set in  the tbf will locate the enemy planes and guide   o'hare's fighters into shooting position flying in  the radar-equipped adventure is alvin kernen and   we were supposed to go up and between the radar on  board the ship and the radar in the torpedo plane   we were supposed to find these intruders japanese  raiders and lead the fighter planes to them i wasn't afraid i remember that i always felt  that your fear came while you were on the deck   and then when you got in  the plane and pulled up the   armor plate and locked yourself in there's any  way of getting out so the fear seemed to go away   as the coming night approaches the enterprise  airmen prepare for their mission impossible i   watched butch as he went to his plane that  evening of the 26th and he looked like he   had the world on his shoulders at 6 00 p.m the  three planes take off in search of enemy aircraft 7 pm sure enough the black panthers run right  into a force of incoming twin-engine betties   headed for enterprise and the american task force   kernan and his comrades can clearly  make out nearly 20 japanese bombers   flying in different formations all of them  headed for enterprise and the task force   tbf closes within 200 yards of a betting  and opens fire it wasn't until they   started firing right back at me i began to  get a little frightened the two warplanes   hammer away at each other hot lead from  the avengers 50s burn the enemy follower three miles away o'hare and his wingman can  see the tracers of the avenger and watch   as the flaming enemy plane pitches towards the  ocean the fighters race to catch up with the tbf   just then the avenger nails  yet another japanese betty   somehow a betty maneuvers just behind  and above o'hare's fighter plane   the enemy plane tears into o'hare's  hellcat with 7.7 millimeter bullets   the famous aviator is caught  in a deadly stream of lead suddenly o'hare's plane rolls away and disappears  into the darkness he's never seen again the japanese night attack is halted but the  loss of o'hare devastates the crew of enterprise   one of enterprises and america's  finest warriors is gone   neither his aircraft nor his remains are ever  recovered it really hurt us when he went down   i think it was the sadness was felt throughout  the whole ship that we really lost the hero   when butch was lost america's first night  combat mission has cost one of its top aces   and the future of this new strategy is uncertain   but despite the tragic fate of butch o'hare  enterprise has successfully launched the first   night air interception once again the big e has  just made history guided onto the big ease flight   deck the surviving black panthers amazingly  make it aboard at 9pm it's a big moment because   previously fighter aircraft flying combat air  patrol for the aircraft carrier were operating   almost exclusively during the day but now as  of november 26 1943 they can do it at night   as november draws to a close the gilbert islands  are now firmly in the hands of u.s forces unlike   the months-long campaign for throttle canal the  u.s navy now has the power to deliver a faster   killing blow what begins at macon and tarawa will  continue until the enemy is brought to its knees   for the mighty enterprise the grey ghost  it is only the beginning of a long campaign and this time she's not  headed back to pearl harbor

Channel: HISTORY

Views: 489,112

Rating: 4.8391719 out of 5

Keywords: history, history channel, history shows, history channel shows, battle 360, history battle 360, battle 360 show, battle 360 full episodes, battle 360 clips, full episodes, battles, war, History made everyday, season 1, Battle 360 season 1 episode 6, Battle 360 s01 e6, Battle 360 s1 e6, Battle 360 se1 e6, watch Battle 360 full episodes, Battle 360 se01 e6, watch Battle 360 season 1, Battle 360 history, battle 360 shows, Episode 6, makin and Tarawa, Tarawa, USS Enterprise

Id: odwmbvIZBHY

Length: 53min 55sec (3235 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 18 2021