Steel, Fire, and Fate – The Unmaking of Japan’s Carrier Fleet

Steel, Fire, and Fate – The Unmaking of Japan’s Carrier Fleet

Four “untouchable” Japanese carriers slicing through the Pacific. A torpedo squadron flying obsolete planes with no fighter cover. A dive-bomber riding his brakes straight down into a wall of flak. This is the story of how Japan’s carrier fleet didn’t just get sunk by American bombs and torpedoes, but by time, training, and the quiet math of maintenance and manpower.

In this video, we follow the arc from Midway (1942) to the Philippine Sea and Leyte (1944), and finally to Kure’s scrapyards (1947), told through the men inside the steel. You’ll see Ensign George Gay and Torpedo Squadron Eight flying into near-certain death at Midway, Jack “Dusty” Kleiss diving on carriers with decks stacked with fuel, bombs and bad timing, and Japanese ace Kaname Harada watching empty seats spread through the ready room as veterans disappear. We look at the slow hollowing-out of Japan’s air groups and damage-control crews, the last stand of Zuikaku off Cape Engaño, and the rushed, unfinished giant Shinano, where torpedoes from USS Archerfish expose every shortcut.

The same shipyards that once built carriers are shown cutting them apart for scrap, turning war steel into civilian ships. This isn’t just a story about famous battles; it’s about training pipelines cut short, spare parts that never arrive, rookie pilots thrown into fights they’re not ready for, and hose teams missing the veterans who used to show them what to do when everything is on fire.