GBH Openvault

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

Part of Stories of East and South East Asia.

Part 2 of 2

Series

American Experience

Program

Victory in the Pacific

Program Number

1710

Title

American Experience; Victory in the Pacific, Part 2 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 2 of 2,” GBH Archives, accessed July 26, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_A942591412774D39B70B1F5CE78D1A9A.

MLA: “American Experience; Victory in the Pacific; American Experience; Victory in the Pacific, Part 2 of 2.” GBH Archives. Web. July 26, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_A942591412774D39B70B1F5CE78D1A9A>.

APA: American Experience; Victory in the Pacific; American Experience; Victory in the Pacific, Part 2 of 2. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_A942591412774D39B70B1F5CE78D1A9A