Japan's Last Stand Part 1 | Battle 360 | History

January 5th 1945 five days before combat begins Enterprise meets up with its task force there are six full-size carriers six light carriers battleships destroyers and support craft 116 ships in all the most powerful naval strike force the world has ever seen the task force makes its way to the South China Sea it is the first time that Allied forces have entered the Japanese controlled sea since the war began the knight attack on the Japanese convoy is only the first strike over the next three days bill Martin's night group bombs japanese-held Saigon Hong Kong and Canton the first strikes on these vital mainland ports in less than two weeks the pilots of the biggie fly 4,000 miles sink two hundred thousand tons of shipping and strike at the mainland outposts of Japan's Empire the night fighters are already proving their worth two weeks later Enterprise gets its biggest challenge target Kirin Harbor Formosa objective destroy enemy shipping and supply bases strategy night attack with bombers January 22nd to am7 TBM Avengers launch into the night each carries two 500-pound bombs six 5-inch Rockets one pilot one electronics officer and one radar operator Bill Martin personally leads three planes and the phimosis strike the other section is led once again by lieutenant Russ Kippen they fly due west for 212 miles then Northwest for another 100 miles until they reach the island of Formosa the radar man picks up the pattern of Kirin Harbor on the radar scopes at 4:30 a.m. the attack begins the TBMs targets are the outer and inner harbours fat with supply ships land-based targets are vital oil tanks and a small arms factory but those who fly by radar can die by radar Japanese radar picks up the incoming attackers and anti-aircraft fills the sky bill Martin has a simple plan based on his intimate knowledge of radar operations he climbs to 8,000 feet and flies toward the Inner Harbor guided by radar Japanese anti-aircraft point toward him [Music] what the enemy doesn't know is that Russ Kippen is flying 8,000 feet directly below him so that both planes show up as a single blip on the Japanese radar as the anti-aircraft targets the high plains kittens Avengers soar in undetected the flight group makes three runs using the same technique dropping their bombs on tankers and warehouses one Avenger unleashes its rockets on a small arms factory it makes a satisfying fireworks display the night bombers of enterprise keep up the pressure on the enemy with midnight attacks on the Japanese home islands and even on Tokyo itself and now that the Japanese know they can be hit they become more ferocious in their defenses and more desperate in their attacks so for the Japanese they're turning up the intensity they're fighting more savagely they're resisting with more and more stubbornness no where is Japan's desperate newfound ferocity more evident than at the tiny strip of Pacific land called Iwo Jima it's a small island but America needs it as an air base to launch b-29 bombers to strike the Japanese mainland and the Japanese have no intention of giving it up [Music] you

Channel: HISTORY

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Keywords: history, history channel, history shows, history channel shows, full episodes, episodes, clips, original series, sneak peeks, battle 360, military history, wwii, ww2, world war 2, uss enterprise, battle plans, battle strategy, military strategy, tactics, pacific, pacific front, tarawa, battle 360 midway, Battle 360 history, Battle 360 clips, BIGGEST NAVAL, BATTLE OF WWII, watch battle 360, watch battle 360 history, battle 360 Japan's Last Stand, Part 1, The Empire's Last Stand

Id: jyRi_DGeboI

Length: 5min 44sec (344 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 06 2020