This WWII film, one of a series of newsreels produced by Castle Films, shows 1944’s Operation Hailstone — the U.S. Navy’s assault on “Japan’s Pearl Harbor” — the naval base at Truk. Footage shows Task Force 58, which included the fleet carriers USS Yorktown, USS Essex, USS Intrepid, USS Bunker Hill, USS Enterprise, and the light carriers USS Belleau Wood, USS Cabot, USS Monterey, and USS Cowpens as they strike the Japanese base beginning in February of 1944. Extensive gun camera footage is seen in the film, as well as an astounding shot of a carrier plane making a perfect landing on one wheel. Japanese ships sunk during the Truk raid included the light cruisers Agano, Naka, Katori, and the destroyers Akikaze, Mutsukaze, Harusame, Maikaze, Nowaki, Oite, Sutsuki, Shigure, Tachize and Fumizuki. The film ends with footage of American planes returning to their carriers, including a plane landing on one wheel (8:30) and wounded aircrew receiving medical attention.
The U.S. attack involved a combination of airstrikes, surface ship actions, and submarine attacks over two days and appeared to take the Japanese completely by surprise. Several daylight, along with nighttime, airstrikes employed fighters, dive bombers, and torpedo aircraft in attacks on Japanese airfields, aircraft, shore installations, and ships in and around the Truk anchorage. A force of U.S. surface ships and submarines guarded possible exit routes from the island’s anchorage to attack any Japanese ships that tried to escape from the airstrikes.
In total the attack sank three Japanese light cruisers (Agano, Katori, and Naka), four destroyers (Oite, Fumizuki, Maikaze, and Tachikaze), three auxiliary cruisers (Akagi Maru, Aikoku Maru, Kiyosumi Maru), two submarine tenders (Heian Maru, Rio de Janeiro Maru), three other smaller warships (including submarine chasers CH-24 and Shonan Maru 15), aircraft transport Fujikawa Maru, and 32 merchant ships. Some of the ships were destroyed in the anchorage and some in the area surrounding Truk lagoon. Many of the merchant ships were loaded with reinforcements and supplies for Japanese garrisons in the central Pacific area. Very few of the troops aboard the sunken ships survived and little of their cargoes were recovered.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
