>> 70 years at the bombings of hiroshima and i guess rocky ending the war in the pacific. coverage includes with clifton truman daniel, the first travel to japan and meet with survivors. it was part -- president truman who gave the order to drop the bombs in early august of 1945. we will see original footage of the bomb test in the new mexico desert and here key scientists as well as survivors. hiroshima and log a soggy, next saturday and sunday here on c-span three's american history tv. each week american history tv's "real america" brings you

archival films. "the fighting ladies is a 1944 documentary that traces security of ross the pacific ocean from july of 1943 to june of 1944 when the aircraft carrier participated in the battle of the philippines. it concludes cap -- it includes content on gun cameras mounted on aircraft. they are now on permanent display at the museum at patriots point in charleston s.c.. this academy award-winning documentary is about one hour. ♪

>> far aloft over the atlantic seaboard in 1943, an imposing force of american naval airpower proceed to an important rendezvous. this is the aircraft complement of a new carrier. fighters dive homers, torpedo bombers. with the air group commander leading everyone, they are flying out to their floating home and fighting base. just one of many carriers that the american people have built since pearl harbor to destroy the enemy in his own part of the world, far away. there, now, is our base. powerful serene. in the honor of all american aircraft arrears, let us call

her the fighting lady. against a good solid wind with the tail down, it comes in with a blue -- broad flight deck. there is a series here of stout wire barriers. number one man on the flight deck the landing signal officer. he would much rather be flying. he's out of the groove and he waves it off. another pilot will take the on board.

when planes land they taxi quickly forward out of the way. they later have to be shifted to the stern and rearranged for takeoff. allthe annapolis 1917 flyer, he is not impressed their efforts nor are the flight deck control officers. typical of all hands together, he gives a piece of his mind. >> you will never be ready for combat unless you cruise learn to work as a team. can you mend not realize that before long we will be in dangerous waters? that's too slow.

watch out. keep the wing clear. get it over to starboard. way over to starboard. come on, get the lead out of your pants. this is the way that the deck should look when you are ready for action. >> our ship is enormous, wonderful, and strange. a honeycomb that is watertight. enough explosives to blow us all to kingdom come. a gigantic tunnel, two city blocks long. a enough to house for freight trains.

it will take is a week, maybe a month to learn the way around. these new surroundings are as mysterious to us as they are cold and on personal. the fighting lady is like a huge, floating cave. elevators as big as a tennis court on the top side of the flight deck. the great superstructure is called the island. it is the ships nerve center. the fighting brain. 85% of us who make up the fighting ladies family arbeit -- volunteers and is war and never been to before. we learned our jobs theoretically in intensive training. short while ago we were high school boys and college kids.

bank clerks or factory workers. now we have jackets. we are all members of the naval combat team that is 3000 strong. curiosity, camaraderie, still facing us. some of us have to master the delicate and complicated instruments that control our five inch batteries. the guns of the fighting lady when enemy dive bombers and torpedo planes attack.

we trained in trained to learn our stuff. no one can hide the fact that we are entering tropical waters. our ship seems more frenzy and comfortable now. the way that the greenhorns feel that sun tans will make us look like fighting sailors. even our scrappy mascot has been to see longer than most of us. some of the mystery hanging over us lifted when we enter the panama canal. there is a lot of unprofessional nervousness about whether we are too big to get through. but the naval instructors knew all along the would. >> climb aboard. we are going laces.

>> now we stand out in the civic life aboard settles down into monotony. here are aircraft islet officers all. the ships pilots called them the glamour boys. all the efforts of the rest of us concentrated on putting these people into the air and getting them back again. most of us are hiding a certain amount of nervousness and anxiety. many of us are johnny-come-lately's. reserve officers who only recently learned to fly. specialist. reserves are called 90 day wonders, in a friendly way. they are all bound together in a fraternity of close fellowship and navy men.

among the noncommissioned personnel, almost 3000 jacket and marines, the hottest shots are the air crewman. these boys are the partners of the glamour boys in the air. they are called soon pigeons or airedale's. because they receive extra pay for flying they are sometimes referred to as the bank boys. everybody aboard ship packs up the flying crew. this recovers that requires the efforts of old -- of some of the older people.

she is a sizable community the messy system that supplied with some of the comforts of home. just like a village druggist. next-door is a hospital, called sick bay. there are only a few patients now. men like these who perform the humble job that make life aboard a fighting carrier more bearable -- barbers cobblers, they are solely that rarely mentioned in the communiques. weeks pass. we are far out into the pacific a considerable body of water. this is still our chief pastime.

are we going to iron bottom they? all the gossips and rumors and drinking fountain conversation. throughout the shipment get together in little groups to take refuge from the burden of waiting for something to happen. and then one day out of nowhere comes a big tanker of fuel. this tells us something. that we are not going to any other land for a long time. besides the skipper, we have an

admiral board, as dog who has been in the navy for 20 years. only the officers have known where we are going until now. now the captain confers with the air group commander to reveal the plan. fighting lady has been ordered to make a strike. she will pass through where no carrier task force has gone since the bloody battle of midway. though this is a daily routine, somehow the whole ship senses that something is about to happen. even before the news is broadcast to us, there is a tension in the atmosphere of expectation. then we are told that we have traveled 7000 miles from panama so that tomorrow, august 30 1943 we can strike deep within the enemies ring of defenses.

even before the first strike the first commander has maps and the model of the target. we are next to 1000 miles of tokyo to diverge attention from other american activities far south and east of marcus. those of us who have never before been in battle, most of us, ask a lot of questions of those who have seen action. >> don't break off until you're on the same group. then push over fast. >> awkwardly we try to seem composed and cheerful, but a lot is going on inside our minds. we question our inner selves. how will we take it? will we do all right? this is a night when a lot of boys write one more letter home.

among those playing in the board room is a truck -- chevy 23-year-old from eureka springs, arkansas. nicknamed smoky. that's him on the far right. having flown 50 missions, smokey has been ordered to take a rest. he would much rather be flying. before dark on the evening of battle, the planes are loaded gas and bombs. each will be in its precise position. now, all is perfect. we will strike at dawn. >> general quarters.

every man on the ship goes to his battle stations to take his place on the fighting team. leo, the baker, will be a sky lookout. taylor is assigned to a first aid station. highlights are in the ready rooms. squadron assembles separately. the flyers get into their flight here and receive last-minute instructions. on the flight deck of the first battle bonn awaits us. the whole ship is on a hair trigger. the fighting lady is 100 miles from the first target of her career. these last few minutes before the order are the toughest time

of all. a wise man once said that war is mostly waiting period -- waiting. now we learn what that can mean. now the time comes. >> violets, man your planes. -- pilots, man your planes.

>> the fighters take off first to provide cover. then the bombers, they lay north distraction. the sun has risen and escorts are alert for enemy submarines. but the fighting lady moves boldly towards its target. the plotting room is the electric eye in the year. -- i and the year -- eye and ear

. smokey, with his assistance he's like a super quarterback on a super football team. in constant touch with the entire air group. as the first fighters race in they stay low hoping to escape detection. then they climb, suddenly, and i've on the enemy airspace. these red balls floating up at us are antiaircraft fire. there is as much of it coming up as we can see. the aircraft is much heavier than it affected.

we are looking straight down our own gun barrels. these pictures are taken automatically by the same mechanisms that operate the guns . they can even see it through the recall. i is the eye of the fighting airplane. offshore they are thoroughly straight. they taken it tomorrow. our bombers flying higher see the island beginning to burn. one moment ago it looked like a jade trinket in the cobalt sea.

columns of smoke throw the thorough job -- show the thorough job that our boys have done. act on board ship, smokey is tracking with care. as the planes come aboard there begins in operation almost as exciting as the attack itself. the ballet after battle. the propellers fill a scene with danger but now the crews are trained.

the landing signal officer is elegant on the stern. a warning to the rest of the cast to stay off stage. the pilots go below to report to their combat intelligence officers. they have hot news. good news. they tell what they saw, what they did. how many bombs and ammunition they drop.

what they notice of the target that was new, different, or may need hitting again. as the reports get added up and combat photographers develop pictures, the story becomes better and better. every single chapte -- jap bomber has been blasted or set of hire. ammunition belt, gas belts. marcus is now a lovely mess. the radio caught words of smokey. it is what he is wondering about. hours ago delayed by battle damage. landing the plane on the carrier is a crucial test.

the fighting lady has met her enemy. the pilots this morning felt new and nervous, now talking like veterans, baptized by fire, they have survived nicely. the admiral of the task force knows the strategy of the campaign. moving straight through the outer network of the islands landing without denial of surprise to leave the far-flung island garrison marooned. reaching out to really help our allies. this campaign is where -- well started. the task force has been in many battles.

the flying lady is being pierced by our planes and planes from eight other carriers. they are bombing in a part. the pilots have approved -- improved with the practice that comes from experience. they estimate the range by following tracers and hold fire until the wing gun bullets him through to 300 yards. shooting first instead of steady streams.

soon it was earning satisfactorily. after the bombing attacks in heavy shelling, assault craft filled with marines and army hit the beaches. very soon after, the battle is ours.

right after, word comes to the admiral that the view on the secret naval fortress to the west, apparently there are heavy units from a japanese battle fleet. perhaps we can surprise them. again, the fighting lady's squadrons take off the calm. the rear seat gunners look back wondering where and if they will ever return to it. all that we know we know from a few photographs taken by some nerdy marines on reconnaissance just 18 days ago. surrounded by airstrips.

for the next two days more than 1000 of our carrier laced planes are going to sweep in on drunken relays. they appear to gently off the bow. actually, the airspeed is a good 70 knots. the offenders are aloft and we smack them hard.

before this strike began, their hearts are going back into place and singing once more. there is something grand and historic about coming in here to this place. diving in low, they took a good look at the fighter strips, the bomber bases and ramps. in an almost critical dive, the pilot may blackout or go blind for a moment. the camera blackout. it records the hits of other planes ahead of it.

we had hoped to find thejap fleet here, but most of it is gone. most can be found hiding in sheltered coves. the vessels that we are now strafing are other fleet on the yuri's. with the first 50 caliber incendiaries set on fire, they

are often wide enough to sink. think. -- wide enough to sink. [gunfire] strafing ships filled with d&d is not very healthy for pilots who -- filled with tnt is not very healthy for pilots to fly to low. but it is hard to tell who has what until the big bang comes.

returning to the deck at 130 miles an hour, all a pilot can hope to save is his own skin. it comes our new air group commander. he has had it up a bit of trouble. he took a 40 millimeter anti-aircraft burst right in the face. he will live to fly again. some planes will not return, but others come back and land, somehow, anyhow. our losses are astonishingly light. no time is lost getting casualties below.

it is a long way to our secret rendezvous in the marshall islands. someday it can be told just where this is. actually, it is a magnificent new fleet anchorage, a naval base we have taken from the japs. now for the first time we, who have been working as separate forces, can amass naval power. tons of american fighting steel. new carriers new that'll ships new cruisers. in her motto japan can never sees, let alone -- seize let alone produce. it is one of the miracles of this war. in the comforting presence of so much we can relax and refresh our nerves.

>> [indiscernible] when are you going to dive? go for a swim. hey! narrator: our ship's post office does big business. letters from home, letters from us to friends and family. our censors know our collective mood, our central hopes and thoughts. >> the stuff is really getting out here now. >> i can't tell you much about it, but oh, boy. >> and the more we get, well, the sooner i will be seeing you. [whistles] narrator: all hands are gathered together. our old skipper has been promoted to admiral. >> men, as soon as i finished

talking, we will get underway. our the fighting lady -- as you know, our final destination is tokyo. we will have to fight hard to get there but once we drop our loaded yokohama, i am going to throw a party. all hands are cordially invited. [cheers and applause] narrator: our task forces are built now, with speedy battle wagons. the carrier skipper never leaves the bridge. the carriers and their planes are the first to strike the enemy or to be struck by him.

our aircraft pilots are constantly on call where despite the massive of towers spread out around us, these are still dangerous waters. the pilots know it all too well, but it does not worry them because now they are seasoned. most of these men have been in action places like -- palau, wake, others. our rear seat dongunners and radio men are old hands now. a lot has been made commissioned officers. there is a saying in the navy that you never learned to love a carrier until she gets hurt. well, perhaps we do not really love our fighting lady, but we have become fond of her, almost

comfortable, almost at home. occasionally, our shipboard movies bring us that one thing we what the most, something utterly american, one deep breath of home. ♪ our new skipper is an old diving navy pilot. he and the admiral look like a big-league baseball managers. northwest we steam, and never before in history has an oceanborne such weight of -- has an ocean borne such a weight of naval power. we now assert this is our ocean. this is our air.

and we are seeking the japanese battle fleet to prove it. with our cruisers and our biggest new battle wagon, we were strong enough to hope, really hope, we would provoke the japanese fleet into accepting a fight. we are joined by the coast guard and navy transports. marines again? no, an amphibious assault is cooking. uh-oh. our patrols have spotted an enemy search plane. a seaplane, the kind we call emily.

miss emily is a tough old girl. she is screaming for help and telling tokyo by a radio where we are. the hellcats are closing in on her. so long, emily. now that the enemy knows where we are and we know he knows, we have to get together on final arrangements for what may turn into another midway. our objective -- the first of many will be the marianas.

and battles just ahead of us, we are to make good use of the multitude of weapons, special devices, and techniques developed since the u.s. navy first took to the air. not only did our naval flyers create the aircraft carrier, it was they who protected divebombing. disposed about the flight deck so they can be quickly armed all manner of deathdealing objects. we have torpedoes and incendiaries, and what we call

daisy cutters. some of our bombs are armor piercing. some have affects that prolong the effect of the bombardment hours after we delivered it. here are the new rackets that packed the same wallet as a three inch sail. because there is not much recoil, they can be fired from planes. we are told to scrub up to lessen the danger of infection in case we are wounded. as well as our bodies, most of us prepare our souls. always on the eve of battle,

services are held in relays so every one of our crewmen has a chance. >> ♪ amen ♪ narrator: as the eve before battling fins, there is the usual waiting. again, we are reminded war is a mostly waiting. because all cooks and bakers must be at their battle stations, they work all night long cooking eggs and bacon for the 3:00 a.m. battle breakfast.

[bell ringging] narrator: we are being attacked. we are being attacked by japanese for peto planes. -- torpedo planes. all they want is one hits on our flight deck. we have 90 planes ready to take off. each patch of flame is a burning jap.

in this surprise attack, 19 japs are published off by our ship's battery. not a single carrier has been hit. we have been fortunate. now commences another moment in the fighting lady's career. in in this modern warfare, the young plane captains are to their pilots what squires were of old. in this operation, typical of many more to come, a lot more fighting ladies will be involved. carrier-based planes attacking in error groups like our own. -- attacking in air groups like our own.

♪ for now on, we tighten our belts and steady our hands as the navy makes bigger and bigger attacks near and newer the heart of japan. -- knew her -- nearer and nearer the heart of japan. cursing the lock that keeps them out of the air it is smoky being grounded on a day like this -- especially when the targets are juicy ones. all the jap airbases and these special prize package guam, the island we did not fortify, but the japs did. the japs have withdrawn their forces to an eye lens that

flanks qualm. our synchronized cameras record as no human eye could record just what our guns and bombs due to the enemy --do to the e nemy. they enable the air combat intelligence officers to assess the damage as we swoop down. [explosions] [gunfire]

while our planes return for more fuel and ammunition, surface planes take over. they prepare the beaches our assault forces are going to hit. our oldest and proudest battleships are here -- the tennessee, and the uss

pennsylvania, flagship of world war i. several planes crippled, make a game attempt to land. the landing signal officer must judge speed, but the throttle damage of planes like these. and flight deck emergency crews, firefighters, rescue details medical foremanen exhibit almost incredible nerve.

the pilot of a torpedo plane has been unable to unload his incendiaries. burning thermite is spilling out. and the plain's tanks, 75 gallons of high-octane gas. the men who braved this to save the pilot and crew deserve every citation they get. in the ready rooms intelligence officers question the pilots. what did you see? where their pilots and site? are you sure there are carrier planes? then uncomfortable news --

torpedo planes and dive bombers from enemy aircraft carriers are approaching. >> all hands, manual battle stations. narrator: our engine room's orders are flanks beat, -- flank speed, a few knots slower than full speed. everyone is at full attention. the fighting lady leads to the sea on her charge. skipper dixie gears himself for action and so does scrappy. and now, here they come.

[explosions] a jap torpedo bomber miraculously comes through our wall of flak. our gunners throw everything

they've got but still she comes. if he ever releases that torpedo -- he missed us. either the pilot was already dead, or his relief gear jammed. when smoky hears about that one, he almost takes off. now our reconnaissance has spotted the japanese task forces. this is the moment we have been fighting and praying for. every plane is ordered into the air. at last, smoky gets his chance to fly again. >> pilots, man your planes. pilots, man your planes.

narrator: they are careening down the flight deck. our entire air group thunders out behind the men. our fighters run into jap fighters, mostly zeros. an area will scramble begins which the boys still today called the marianas turkey shoot. japanese plane makers have sacrificed a than firepower for agility. there planes the center great

quickly -- disintegrate quickly when you hit them. they have no armor plating. nor gas plating. they are fancy flyers. they think aerobatics can win dogfights, whereas we believe in smooth lying and careful shooting. -- smooth flying and careful shooting.

and now at last, through the late afternoon haze from high altitude, our air combat troops confront the imperial japanese aerial fleet. these are the first photos taken of an aerial formation like this. there it is, that imperial fleet. all below us taking violent

evasive action. but looking down on them and the see that they think they know. some of these japanese ships are scampering away a better than 40 knots. when you pour straight down on them, they twist squirm. they are hoping to shoot out his bridge. let's go down to that cruiser. he answers it emphatically from the forward to read -- from the

forward turret. now i 25,000 ton jap carrier. watch at 5:00, the lower right-hand corner of the screen. he got the acts. x. [bombs whistling] [explosions] you touch off some of these babies just like this. and now, we come home from the

battle of the philippine sea. 17 jap warships have been sunk or severely damaged. a dive bomber comes in out of gas. he knows is over because his wheels are down. -- he noses over because his wheels are down. this pilot has 73 holes in his plane and his leg is almost shot away. he is jettisoned, given the deep

six. watch carefully. this man's controls are all but shot away. [explosions] he steps out of it and smiles. and now, it is time to clean up these scores. on this fine morning, a year after being commissioned, the fighting lady is beginning to look -- she has done her share, amassing a total of 757 jap aircraft destroyed in a 2-week turkey shoot.

but there is another score it add up -- another score to add up. our own casualties. quite a few faces are no longer with us on the fighting lady. among them, the skipper lieutenant pappy, lieutenant john and that fightingest gentleman lieutenant smoak eastover. yes, smoky is missing, too. -- lieutenant smoky stover. so them under their flag, for they were brave, they were gallant. others will come forward to take their place, but the battles we have fought on the sea and in the sky are only the beginning.

serene, powerful unafraid. she and her planes will come again someday but not until the end. not until the bitter, glorious end. for she is, and we salute her the fighting lady. >> now american history tv looks back 50 years at the voting rights act of 1965. we will listen in on white house telephone calls between president johnson and his aides, civil rights leader martin luther king jr., and members of congress, who strategized how to enact and enforce the voting law.