Victory at Sea: 1x6

GUADALCANAL

After training in Australia and New Zealand, the U.S. Marines land on Guadalcanal. The U.S. Navy suffers defeat after defeat at the hands of the Japanese Navy around the island–in an area called Ironbottom Sound. Essential information is conveyed about how some deaths are caused not just by battle but also by malaria that comes from the long stays in the Guadalcanal rain forests. The number of people dying on both sides is especially emphasized here, a remarkable example of endurance. Meanwhile, to the tune of Richard Rodgers’ most famous march from the series, America’s men and materiel are mobilized against the ultimate struggle that is World War II.