Produced and directed by John Ford, who risked his life to make it, this famous U.S. Navy documentary film is titled “The Battle Of Midway” chronicles one of the major naval battles in the Pacific Theater of World War II. The Battle of Midway took place on 4-7 June 1942, six months after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. Released by the United States Navy in Technicolor, this film highlights the military prowess of the United States and the brave sacrifice made by its military men to achieve victory. The film shows elements of the U.S. Navy under the command of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Frank J. Fletcher, and Raymond A. Spruance in their battle against the Imperial Japanese Navy under the command of Admirals Isoroku Yamamoto, Chuichi Nagumo, and Nobutake Kondo. The Battle of Midway Atoll Island sought to intercept an attack by the Japanese heading to Hawaii or the West Coast of America. In total, the battle was a decisive USA victory and claimed the lives of 3,057 Japanese and 307 Americans. Four Japanese and three American aircraft carriers participated in the battle. The four Japanese fleet carriers—Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū, and Hiryū, part of the six-carrier force that had attacked Pearl Harbor six months earlier—were sunk, as was the heavy cruiser Mikuma. The U.S. lost the carrier Yorktown and the destroyer Hammann, while the carriers USS Enterprise and USS Hornet survived the battle fully intact. The film makes it a point to not just highlight the victories of the American combatants, but to applaud American citizens working in war-time factories to provide the servicemen with their battle arsenal of aircrafts and machinery.
Opening credits featuring the official seal of the Navy Department of The United States of America (0:08). Map of the Pacific Ocean highlighting key American positions (0:34). Navy PBY Catalina Flying Boat (0:46). Aerial view of Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean (0:58). Navy ships and crewmen prepare for battle (1:11). Camera pans details of Army Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress (1:29). Navy engineers work on the plane (1:38). Battle artillery: Marine pursuit ships, U.S. Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers, Marine Corps torpedo planes (TBF Avengers and four USAAF B-26 Marauders) (2:04). Explosions dot the sky (2:39). 3’’ Anti-aircraft gun at Midway Atoll Island (2:44). Battle scenes (2:54). Servicemen raise the American Flag on the flag pole while The National Anthem plays in the background (3:37). Battle scenes resume (3:40). Aerial view of the Japanese Fleet (4:58). Shots of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, commanded by Admiral Chester Nimitz, including 3 heavy aircraft carriers, the USS Hornet, the USS Enterprise, and the USS Yorktown (5:03). Details of the battle from June 4th- June 6th (5:50). Summary of victory and battle accomplishments (6:07). Surveying damage done to Midway Atoll Island (6:27). PBY Catalina Flying Boats survey the Pacific Ocean looking for survivors (6:49). Sun burnt survivors being returned to the island (7:08). Footage of the destroyed hospital on the island (7:36). Mourning the victims of the battle (8:07). Final scenes from the island (9:06).
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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
