GBH Openvault

American Experience; Victory in the Pacific; American Experience; Victory in the Pacific, Part 1 of 2

Part of Stories of East and South East Asia.

Part 1 of 2


License Clip

More material may be available from this program at the GBH Archives. If you would like research access to the collection at GBH, please email archive_requests@wgbh.org.

Series
American Experience
Program
Victory in the Pacific
Program Number

1710

Title

American Experience; Victory in the Pacific, Part 1 of 2

Series Description

Premiered October 1988 As television's longest-running, most-watched history series, American Experience brings to life the incredible characters and epic stories that helped form this nation. Now in its eighteenth season, the series has produced over 180 programs and garnered every major broadcast award.

Program Description

"Take no prisoners. Fight to the bitter end." Those were everyday words to combat troops on both sides at the end of World War II in the Pacific. And they led to an unprecedented orgy of slaughter. In this provocative, thorough examination of the final months of the war, this film looks at the escalation of bloodletting from the vantage point of both the Japanese and the Americans. As the film will show, most of the Emperor's inner circle was determined to continue the war even after losses in the Philippines in February 1945 cut off Japan's supply lines. And though he was warned that the country, brought to its knees by the conflict, might erupt in a Communist revolution, Emperor Hirohito believed that one last decisive battle could reverse Japan's fortunes. The Americans, for their part, were startled by the intensity and determination of the Japanese defenders in the South Pacific. From the U.S. capture of the Mariana Islands, through the firebombing of Tokyo and the dropping of the atomic bomb, this program chronicles the dreadful and unprecedented loss of life and the decisions made by leaders on both sides that finally ended the war.

Asset Type

Broadcast program

Media Type

Video

Subjects
Politics and Government
War and Global Conflict
Military Forces and Armaments
Social Issues - Violence
Global Affairs
Genres
Documentary
Topics
History
Creators
Hoyt, Austin (Executive Producer)
Publication Information
WGBH Educational Foundation
Citation
Chicago: “American Experience; Victory in the Pacific; American Experience; Victory in the Pacific, Part 1 of 2,” GBH Archives, accessed October 11, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_9326C0EEB0FE47AFBF84BA27ED329EA6.
MLA: “American Experience; Victory in the Pacific; American Experience; Victory in the Pacific, Part 1 of 2.” GBH Archives. Web. October 11, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_9326C0EEB0FE47AFBF84BA27ED329EA6>.
APA: American Experience; Victory in the Pacific; American Experience; Victory in the Pacific, Part 1 of 2. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_9326C0EEB0FE47AFBF84BA27ED329EA6
If you have more information about this item, we want to know! Please contact us, including the URL.