Russian armies were in desperate retreat. The German Air Force was raining death and destruction on england. Combined italian and German Forces were menacing egypt. [explosions] their objective to defeat an opposing british army and dominate all of north africa. In asia, japanese air and Ground Forces were driving forward in their bloody conquest of china. [explosions] only one of the worlds major powers was still not at war the United States. It was a sunday afternoon in december 1941, and the statue of liberty towered serenely over new york harbor. As if she was the last symbol of freedom left to the crumbling free world. Afternoon in new york, Early Morning in hawaii, and another great harbor where american ships rested dockside. Planes with cold engines stood idle at nearby hickam field when suddenly, without warning [explosions] [airplanes roaring] [explosions] [somber music] [rousing music] the immediate Japanese Military objective was to knock out United States naval and air power in the pacific at a single stroke. They resent that we were committed to an eventual entrance in the war in europe, convinced we were incapable of fighting a twofront war. The japanese were right in their calculations to the extent that roosevelt and churchill were to agree that the defeat of hitler, the most powerful of our enemies, must have priority over an offensive against japan. They followed sound principles of warfare. To concentrate the greatest mass of power against the major objective. But it would be nearly a year before we could muster, train, and move an army overseas to attack the strongest of the aggressors. The First American troops to go into action and engage the enemy were those already in the philippines under general douglas macarthur, whose forces would fight not only that first battle, but after more than three long years of combat, the final land battle against the last of the aggressors. Three days after pearl harbor, japanese troops landed s north coast. [incessant gunfire and explosions] the following day, still another Japanese Landing was made on luzons east coast. On the 21st of december, the main Japanese Invasion hit the Eastern Shore of the lingayen gulf. Troops came pouring ashore from 80 transports. The japanese onslaught gave General Macarthur only one choice, site a delaying action, trying to regroup his forces. It was a monumental task. The japanese had struck swiftly, suddenly, devastatingly. They pressed forward unchecked. To save manila from wars destruction, General Macarthur they cleared it an open city. Ignoring such humanitarian considerations, the japanese bombed manila. [sorrowful music] on the last day of 1941, macarthur withdrew from the mountainous terrain of the Bataan Peninsula commanded manila bay. [dramatic music] the objective was to delay the enemys entrance to the bay. [explosions] macarthur and his battling bastards of bataan, as the troops in grim humor called themselves, knew they were fighting a losing battle. [explosions] [incessant gunfire and explosions] but they fought on, gaining precious time for us to recover from the disaster at pearl harbor and build up our forces. There were other prime targets marked by the japanese. In december 1941, they took hong kong and invaded malaya. They bombed british singapore and its great naval base. The british fought back, but it was the same losing fight our troops were waging in bataan. On new years day, 1942, the siege of bataan began. Superior Japanese Forces pounded our beleaguered troops for three com long and agonizing months. [dramatic music] on february 22, 1942, president roosevelt ordered General Macarthur to leave the philippines and proceed to australia as supreme allied commander in the southwest pacific. Macarthur turned over his command to general jonathan wainwright. Macarthur made the first leg of his journey to australia by sea, boat through enemy infested waters. And then by plane from mindanao. Bataan fell on the ninth of april, 1942. [cheering] thousands of captured american and filipino prisoners of war began their infamous death march. Hundreds were to die, felled by exhaustion, and by the bayonets of their captors. Thebest roads of bataan bataan, the nation owes a debt it cannot repay. Theirs was a heroism seldom matched. Corregidor remained our last foothold. What once had seemed an impregnable rock fortress now awaited its inevitable doom. [explosions] [explosions] the fortunes of the United States and its allies were at their lowest ebb. But the japanese were soon to learn that their homeland was vulnerable to surprise attacks. April 18, 1942, 16 b25 bombers led by Lieutenant ColonelJames Doolittle prepared to take off , from the Aircraft Carrier hornet. Their target tokyo, and four other major japanese cities, with carefully selected military targets. It was only nine days after the fall of bataan. [roaring plane engines] never before had such a carrierbased operation been attempted. [roaring plane engines] the psychological effects of the raid on tokyo were even greater than the material damage inflicted. It raised the morale of all americans. It shocked the enemy into realization that we had the will and wherewithal to carry the war to the heart of his own homeland. Three weeks later, United States navy planes from the Carrier Task Force struck the japanese fleet a damaging blow in the coral sea, the first naval battle in history to be fought entirely with carrierbased aircraft. [airplanes roaring] [explosions] while the navy was starting to make a comeback, general wainwright surrendered corregidor. A proud old soldier who had fought in world war i, and who, now at the age of 59, was surrendering his sword without cause for shame for he and his men had fought in the finest tradition of the American Fighting man. Our stubborn defense of corregidor had put the japanese conquest four months behind schedule, and send the japanese relievedack to japan, of his command. In january of 1942, president roosevelt had addressed congress and the nation to set new and immediate production goals. First, to increase our production rate of airplanes so rapidly, but in this year, 1942, we shall produce 60,000 planes, 10,000 [applause] 10,000, by the way, more than the goal we set a year and a half ago. This includes 45,000 combat planes bombers, dive bombers, pursuit planes. The rate of increase will be maintained. Continued so that next year, 1943, we shall produce 125,000 airplanes, including 100,000 combat planes. [applause] second, to increase our production rate of tanks so rapidly that in this year, 1942, we shall produce 45,000 tanks, and to continue that increase so that next year, 1943, we shall produce 75,000 tanks. [applause] third, to increase our production rate of adding aircraft guns so rapidly that in this year, 1942, we shall produce 20,000 of them, and to continue that increase over next so that next year 1943, we , shall produce 35,000 antiaircraft guns. Fourth, to increase our production rate of merchant ships so rapidly, but in this year, 1942, we shall build 8 million deadweight tons as compared with a 1941 completed production of 1,100,000. [applause] immense forces were mobilizing. [rousing music] millions of americans were in training. The infantry, airborne infantry, field artillery, antiaircraft artillery, armored cavalry, Army Air Corps pilots by the thousands. Womanpower as well as manpower. The vitality of all america was surging up to full tide. American labor and management performed miracles. Planes. Thanks. Guns. Ammunition. Tens of thousands of items rolled off the lines to supply not only ourselves but our fighting allies. On the homefront, 1942 was a momentous year. Great plans and stratagems were being laid and coordinated. Supplies by the millions of tons poured overseas. Nazi submarines took a heavy toll. But enough ships got through to help sustain our beleaguered allies. In the air, the tables were starting to turn. 1000 Royal Air Force planes in a single, massive saturation raid smashed cologne, germany. [airplanes roaring] [explosions] in the pacific, our naval aircraft inflicted the first decisive defeat on a large japanese fleet, winning the battle of midway. [airplanes roaring] [explosions] it was an hour of triumph. There would be others, but they would be slow in coming. Our top military leaders were now taking the high places reserved for them by destiny. General douglas macarthur, commander in the southwest pacific. And admiral chester nimitz. General dwight d. Eisenhower was coordinating momentous plans with the combined allied staff in the european theater of operations. General leslie mcnair, commanding general of all american Ground Forces. General omar bradley, commandant of the infantry school, soon to be given a top field command. General henry hap arnold, Commanding Army air forces. General sommerville, moved up to the chief of services of supply, with the stupendous task of Logistical Support for what would finally be an army of many millions deployed throughout the world. The first of our troops began arriving at overseas staging areas. In north ireland. England. Australia. On bloody guadalcanal, army troops relieved battle scarred and weary marines to continue the fight for the solomon islands. The United States was demonstrating not only a will to fight, but the capability of fighting a twofront war against great odds on farflung battle fronts. Half a world apart. [explosions] on the eighth of november, 1942, American Amphibious forces struck the shores of north africa. [explosions] [bullets whizzing by] we were, to use an appropriate american phrase, in business the business of an allout fight against powerful aggressors who had reached out to conquer the world. We had come thousands of miles, but not for conquest. [dramatic music] [airplanes roaring] [explosions] in 1942, the general of our Ground Forces, general leslie mcnair, said it best. The United States is stretching out his arms to encircle the globe, not in conquest, but in protection. Even with our powerful allies, the past is vast and calls for upclose allout efforts. [explosions] [incessant gunfire and explosions] our armed forces were encircling the earth in a mighty crusade for freedom. Nothing like it has happened in all the history of man. It was the dynamic outpouring of a great nations energy, blood, and resources to protect not only itself, but to liberate freedomloving people everywhere. We had come a long way, but the end of the road was far from within sight. We had only just begun to fight. Music]