About the Episode
On December 7, 1941—the day of Pearl Harbor—Japanese forces launch multiple strikes across Southeast Asia, part of a broader strategy to seize resource-rich territories and create a new “Asia for the Asians.” Western powers in the region are toppled in quick succession: Britain loses Hong Kong, Malaya and Singapore, and America is pushed out of the Philippines. The Japanese attacks are brutal, and the 1st Marine Division of the United States is tasked with halting Japan’s seemingly unstoppable advance. Guadalcanal, a remote island in the South Pacific, becomes the site of the first major Allied land offensive against Japan during the war.
Quickly isolated and with few supplies, the young Marines learn the Japanese soldiers aren’t afraid to fight to the death. Guadalcanal is the testing ground where Japanese fanaticism meets American determination—the opening battle in a war without mercy that will define the oncoming years of fighting in the Pacific.
The National WWII Museum was proud to support HISTORY's work on this series through historical research, educational outreach, and archival footage, as well as on-site interviews with WWII veterans that will be featured as part of the network’s “Save Our History” initiative.
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