[0:00]It's the early hours of August 15th, 1945, the very last day of the Second World War. And Lieutenant Howard Howdy Harrison is leading six F6F Hellcats on a fighter sweep towards the Tokyo area. Their target is the Atsuki airfield patrolled by a group of Japanese fighters who are waiting to intercept. In the distance, Harrison spots the airfield. Target in sight. Arm H-vars, boys. The American pilots prepare to attack, and Harrison arms his Hvar rockets and dives towards the airfield. His finger hovers over the pickle button. The target gets closer. But at that very moment, they receive a transmission. Return to base immediately. The war is over. I repeat, the war is over. The radio erupts with cheers as the Hellcats turn back. Pilots let loose in celebration, hurling their aircraft into victory rolls and loops. As the Americans head home, Japanese fighters close in behind them. Japanese Navy Lieutenant Yutaka Morioka watches as the Americans celebrate, and a shiver goes down his spine. He realizes what must have happened, but he still can't believe it, that is, until a radio transmission comes through. Return to base. The Emperor commands us. Cease fighting. Japan has been humiliated. Morioka feels phantom pain in his hand, lost in a fight with American bombers. He sees some army pilots follow orders and turn back to base. This is his last chance to avenge his nation. And he makes a decision. Morioka dives at the Americans. Long live the Emperor! His Navy fighter group follows him, supported by the rest of the Army fighters. It's a textbook ambush, striking like an invisible snake. How we doing? Many rats. 12 o'clock, high, diving. Harrison checks over his shoulder. All of you dump your tanks and rockets, and break this damn ceasefire! The Japanese have a 4,000 foot height advantage, so Harrison shoves the throttle wide open. He snaps the squadron around and leads them into a climb to meet the attackers.
[2:20]The Japanese planes are armed with heavy 20mm cannons. But Harrison knows the Japanese armor is paper thin. If his Hellcats fill the sky with lead from their 650 caliber guns, they might just stand a chance. The pilots line up their targets as the two sides close the distance at enormous speed. Then they open up, hurling a wall of lead, as the formations slice through one another. For a brief moment, Harrison locks eyes with Morioka. We already got three. Break off in pairs. The Hellcats split up. Harrison and his wingman dart and weave as two zeros blast cannon fire towards them. I'm going right. Harrison dives, building speed. The Japanese pilot stays with him, and he becomes locked in a spiraling jewel. Each man trying to pull the other into his gunsights. There's only one way out. Harrison waits for his moment. Muscles tense, eyes flicking down to his air speed and altitude gauges. Then, he pulls back violently on his stick, dumping speed and climbing high. The Japanese plane pulls up after Harrison. Harrison's engine growls in protest, and the G-forces push him back into his seat. For a moment, he's brutally exposed as he flies across the Japanese pilot's nose. Rounds flash past his canopy, but Harrison holds his nerve, turning round and watching as the Japanese fighter shoots beneath him, fast and vulnerable. The Japanese plane stalls, flipping over and beginning to fall. Gotcha. Harrison's aircraft slows to almost a stall at the top of the climb. He pulls hard on the stick, and the weight of his engine pulls him down towards his target. Zero fills Harrison's gunsight, and he pulls the trigger. The Hellcat's guns hammer and streams of lead rip through the zero. Flames burst as the fuel tanks ignite. The aircraft snaps onto its back and then falls away, trailing thick black smoke. Harrison eases back on his throttle. His breathing returns to normal, and he scans the dogfights raging around him. Boss, I can't shake him. It's his wingman, 22-year-old Enson Billy Hobbs. Hobbs has a Japanese fighter glued to his tail, and he's throwing his aircraft from side to side as he desperately avoids the incoming rounds. Harrison slams his throttle forward and races back into the fight, diving down upon the Japanese fighter. The enemy never sees the Hellcat approaching from above. Harrison lines up his shot and pulls the trigger. Round after round slams into the Japanese plane, and it explodes, sending debris arcing across the sky. Thanks, boss. I thought I was a goner. Keep your eyes peeled. Plenty more out there. And he's right. Two of his pilots, Lieutenant Theodore Ted Hansen, and his flight leader, Lieutenant Maurice Maury Proctor, are facing off against three Imperial Japanese Army fighters, heading straight towards them. Hansen sends out eight blast of machine gun fire ripping towards the first enemy. The rounds tear off a chunk of wing, and the Japanese plane goes twisting towards the ground. A second Japanese pilot fires, but sends his round high over Hansen's canopy. Hansen adjusts his aim and shreds his enemy's nose and fuselage. But a third one is still coming, unloading round after round. Hansen doesn't have time to line up his target. So, he rolls over to the right. But behind him, Proctor is ready, and as the Japanese plane passes, he has a clear shot. Proctor guns down the Japanese fighter, severing its wing and sending it crashing down to earth. But there's no time to save a victory. Over the radio, an urgent message comes in from a nearby dogfight. I can't shake him. It's Saloff. A third pair of American pilots, Lieutenant Joseph Saloff and Eugene Mandeberg, are under heavy fire from a Japanese fighter. Their planes are taking hit after hit. Then Saloff spots an explosion. Mandeberg's Hellcat falls in flames. More rounds pepper Saloff's plane. Inside the Raiden locked onto Saloff's tail, the Japanese pilot is confident. He takes his time shooting the American plane, staying firmly on target. He doesn't see that another pair of American pilots are diving down to help. Proctor slides in behind the Japanese fighter. His guns opening up with a burst of machine gun fire. The Japanese pilot feels the rounds slam into his plane. And he goes spinning to the ground. Proctor pulls up next to his friend. The damage is obvious. Saloff's engine is sputtering. The wings and tail are riddled with holes. Get out of here, Joe. Head for the sea. I'll cover you. They roll away and head for the edge of the battle zone. But Saloff's propeller falters, and the nose goes down and then drops in a rapid descent. Saloff fights to control his damaged aircraft. Warning lights flash and gauges spin out of control. He wrestles with the stick, but his control surfaces just won't respond. Come on. Bail out! They see the parachute fall from the plane. The altitude is so low that they see him splash into the sea. Note the position. He's on his own now. Bandits incoming. Six Japanese Army fighters street towards them from the front. Honest fight. The two pilots climb into the clouds for cover, pursued by a storm of enemies. The clouds thicken and they lose sight of one another. There are too many of them. I'll see you back on Yorktown. Across the skies, another pair of Hellcats is already racing to the coast. Harrison and Hobbs also try to escape. But they are not alone. Lieutenant Morioka comes bursting out of the sky. Right behind him, his wingman lurks, waiting for a moment to strike. I'm on the leader.
[8:44]It's a perfect ambush, and Harrison has no time to react. He pulls on the stick, but he's too late. Heavy cannon rounds slam into Harrison's aircraft. And he feels the Hellcat shake beneath him. Damn it, I'm hit bad. Break off, Bill. Break off. But Hobbs doesn't break. He guns his throttle and turns straight towards the attackers. He fires a burst at Morioka, but he's not properly sighted, and the bullets spray uselessly by the Japanese aircraft. Morioka ignores the incoming fire. He stays locked on his target. He lets loose with another burst of cannon fire which strikes the Hellcat dead center. The Hellcat explodes, leaving nothing but a cloud of smoke and falling wreckage. Harrison!
[9:34]Hobbs narrows his eyes, and he dives after the Japanese ace, blind with rage. Hobbs pulls Morioka into his gunsight and fires. Machine gun rounds punch into the Zero's wings, but the Japanese ace gets himself clear. Hobbs is so focused on Morioka that he doesn't check his six. Take out the American demon. Hobbs doesn't see Morioka's wingman dive in behind him until the rounds slam into his aircraft. Shrapnel fly through the plane and smashes into Hob's body. Flames lick around his cockpit, and he knows he has to get out. Injured and straining hard, Hobbs manages to open the canopy. He leaps out of his stricken aircraft and falls downwards, dangling below his parachute. His Hellcat burning and tumbling below him. Morioka and his wingman roar past and head off into the distance, returning home to an uncertain future. But Billy Hobbs barely registers what's happening. He fades out of consciousness. He's dead before he even hits the ground. Back in the air, Hansen escapes from a bank of cloud. He scans the sky, but he's all alone. Proctor, Harrison? God damn it! Anyone? Hansen stares out into the sea and plots his course back to USS Yorktown. Suddenly, there's a noise in his earpiece. Ted, it's Maury. I'm okay. Damn it, Maury! Hansen races towards the carrier. There's at least one more alive.
[11:12]His Hellcat touches down on the deck. He jumps out of his cockpit, scanning the skies and deck. No other planes are in sight. His heart sinks. Did this other Hellcat go down into the sea? But then, he spots it in the distance. It's another Hellcat. It's Proctor. His plane's badly shot up, but he manages to nurse it in and land successfully on the carrier. The two men are reunited on the flight deck. They are the only American survivors. On the Japanese side, Morioka claimed the Americans had not jettisoned their rockets, but launched their rockets at the Atsugi Airfield after the Japanese had surrendered, thereby justifying his attack. On the very day peace was declared, nine Japanese pilots and four American pilots were shot down in the air battle, in the last dogfight of the Second World War. If you want to see other incredible stories from the Pacific Theater, check out our film, War in the Pacific.
