1942 in the Pacific. The US has only two aircraft carriers left -- the Wasp and the newly refitted Enterprise. The Japanese approach Guadalcanal through the nearby Santa Cruz Islands and an engagement ensues.
It's an accurate depiction of what happened -- a combination of newsreel footage, talking heads, and excellent computer-generated images. They're really very well done.
The narrative is something of a turn off, as if the thing being described were a high school basketball game with our side winning. "Bristling from stem to stern, the Enterprise sailed forward, bearing her patched holes like battle scars." "Back in the fight, read to wreak vengeance on the enemy." "Sons of Nippon"? The over-emphatic tone of voice is no help. Who is the designated target for such rhetoric? In my judgment anyway, war is more like a cultural disease than a basketball game. It needs to be studied from all angles in order to understand it and, with luck, reduce the likelihood of another outbreak. Yet, the feature films we see are mostly about American victories. In this series, for instance, we can watch the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands but not the Battle of the Coral Sea, let alone the Battle of the Java Sea. If a peacetime audience sees nothing but victories, it's being sent an unhealthy message.
Historically, the program looks accurate with minor misstatements. The "Smith" was a destroyer, not a destroyer escort. There's an informative description of the differences between the older 1.1 and the newer 40 mm. anti-aircraft cannon. The latter is described accurately as the most useful anti-aircraft weapons on the ships.
It's an accurate depiction of what happened -- a combination of newsreel footage, talking heads, and excellent computer-generated images. They're really very well done.
The narrative is something of a turn off, as if the thing being described were a high school basketball game with our side winning. "Bristling from stem to stern, the Enterprise sailed forward, bearing her patched holes like battle scars." "Back in the fight, read to wreak vengeance on the enemy." "Sons of Nippon"? The over-emphatic tone of voice is no help. Who is the designated target for such rhetoric? In my judgment anyway, war is more like a cultural disease than a basketball game. It needs to be studied from all angles in order to understand it and, with luck, reduce the likelihood of another outbreak. Yet, the feature films we see are mostly about American victories. In this series, for instance, we can watch the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands but not the Battle of the Coral Sea, let alone the Battle of the Java Sea. If a peacetime audience sees nothing but victories, it's being sent an unhealthy message.
Historically, the program looks accurate with minor misstatements. The "Smith" was a destroyer, not a destroyer escort. There's an informative description of the differences between the older 1.1 and the newer 40 mm. anti-aircraft cannon. The latter is described accurately as the most useful anti-aircraft weapons on the ships.