AllMovie

This program is part of a series from the History Channel that examines some of the mistakes, miscommunications, miscalculations, and mishaps, that shaped -- and sometimes altered -- the course of World War II. Both sides had their share of wrong moves, but in the end, the Allies parlayed their right moves into a victory which defeated the Axis powers and restored peace to the world. This episode examines the critical errors that Japan made in the South Pacific, including changing their battle plan in mid air, and mistakenly believing they could draw out the rest of America's fleet and destroy it. When the United States broke the Japanese code, their doom was ensured. Archival film clips, photographs, personal accounts, and scholarly commentary tell the story.