https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/8565f306-1f73-43ad-abf8-08cdd4d02b60 Love our channel? Help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Subscribe and consider becoming a channel member https://youtu.be/ODBW3pVahUE This WWII film, one of a series of newsreels produced by Castle Films, shows 1944's Operation Hailstone -- the U.S. Navy's assault on "Japan's Pearl Harbor" -- the naval base at Truk. Footage shows Task Force 58, which included the fleet carriers USS Yorktown, USS Essex, USS Intrepid, USS Bunker Hill, USS Enterprise, and the light carriers USS Belleau Wood, USS Cabot, USS Monterey, and USS Cowpens as they strike the Japanese base beginning in February of 1944. Extensive gun camera footage is seen in the film, as well as an astounding shot of a carrier plane making a perfect landing on one wheel. Japanese ships sunk during the Truk raid included the light cruisers Agano, Naka, Katori, and the destroyers Akikaze, Mutsukaze, Harusame, Maikaze, Nowaki, Oite, Sutsuki, Shigure, Tachize and Fumizuki. The film ends with footage of American planes returning to their carriers, including a plane landing on one wheel (8:30) and wounded aircrew receiving medical attention. The film describes a powerful air raid on the Japanese naval base at Truk, a crucial enemy stronghold in the Pacific. American bombers, torpedo planes, and Hellcat fighters launch a surprise attack, catching the Japanese off guard. The American fleet destroys key infrastructure, including runways, aircraft, and military installations, causing significant damage. Despite attempts by the Japanese to retaliate, their planes are mostly shot down, and several ships are sunk. The assault continues relentlessly, with American forces sinking 19 ships and destroying over 200 enemy planes. The attack is a major victory, avenging the Pearl Harbor attack, and leading to the downfall of several high-ranking Japanese officers. The raid effectively cripples the Japanese navy's presence at Truk, ensuring it can no longer be used as a secure base. 00:00: Introduction by commentator Ly Vanan, describing the powerful Japanese naval base. 0:13: The fleet is close to the enemy's stronghold and undetected; bombers, torpedo planes, and Hellcat fighters prepare for takeoff. 0:32: The first flight takes off and strikes, catching the Japanese by surprise. 0:58: The attacking planes destroy Japanese aircraft on the ground and damage their runways. 1:24: Major bombing of the main islands of the Truk Atoll begins, targeting vital military infrastructure. 2:00: Bombing continues, with Navy bombers focusing on enemy installations. 2:28: Some Japanese planes attempt to escape and make attacks but are shot down by American forces. 3:02: Anti-aircraft guns take down attacking planes; American task force suffers minimal damage. 3:52: The task force continues its mission, destroying remaining Japanese planes and ships. 4:27: Intense air combat as Hellcat fighters engage Japanese planes, sinking 19 ships. 5:19: The Japanese try to defend but lose 200 planes to only 17 American losses. 6:26: The Japanese fleet continues to be bombarded, with ships sinking and planes engaging in kamikaze attacks. 7:19: The two-day assault on Truk nears its end, with the Japanese base destroyed. 8:01: High-ranking Japanese officers are ousted as a result of the crushing defeat. 8:20: American planes return to their carriers, many showing signs of battle damage. 9:00: News of the successful raid brings national pride as the attack on Pearl Harbor is avenged. The U.S. attack appeared to take the Japanese completely by surprise. Several daylight, along with nighttime, airstrikes employed fighters, dive bombers, and torpedo aircraft in attacks on Japanese airfields, aircraft, shore installations, and ships in and around the Truk anchorage. In total the attack sank three Japanese light cruisers (Agano, Katori, and Naka), four destroyers (Oite, Fumizuki, Maikaze, and Tachikaze), three auxiliary cruisers (Akagi Maru, Aikoku Maru, Kiyosumi Maru), two submarine tenders (Heian Maru, Rio de Janeiro Maru), three other smaller warships (including submarine chasers CH-24 and Shonan Maru 15), aircraft transport Fujikawa Maru, and 32 merchant ships. Motion picture films don't last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. We collect, scan and preserve 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies -- including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. If you have films you'd like to have scanned or donate to Periscope Film, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us via the link below. 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 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q1SWenWN04 Mirrored from Periscope Film (https://www.youtube.com/@PeriscopeFilm) Fri, 12 Jun 2026 03:25:31 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://peertube.dngr.us https://peertube.dngr.us/lazy-static/avatars/41a6fee9-7f57-42d0-a5fc-5db4f1af2e31.png https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/8565f306-1f73-43ad-abf8-08cdd4d02b60 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://peertube.dngr.us/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.