To be honest, I should have reviewed this show a very long time ago, since it is one of the earliest well made second world war series I remember watching. It is very similar to Dogfights, a show that I talked about a few months ago and used to have good memories watching. It's one of those programs that I can see again and again without getting tired of it, because it focuses on world war 2 and uses advanced computer animation to recreate important aerial battles. Battle 360 on the other hand is not really air combat focused, but does involve a great amount of it. This show follows the real life exploits and adventures of the USS Enterprise, the most successful ship the US Navy had during world war 2. As you'll find out, the Enterprise was at the top of the japanese hit list, and was hunted relentlessly by submarines, planes, and other ships wherever it went. It was also the highest performing ship of the entire war, period. The series gets us familiar with how legendary the ship was very quickly. It states how the Enterprise (or Lucky E as she was called) acquires one battle star for every major engagement she participates in. By the end of the war, Enterprise will have 20 of them, way more than any other ship. This carrier was there for everything, from the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, to the doorstep of Japan. This show means a lot to me (even if the animation looks a bit dated now) because the stories it tells are timeless. The people who signed up and served on this ship were very courageous men, and even though most were scared to death, they did what they had to do. Battle 360 also features interviews with Enterprise sailors, including Don "Flash" Gordon, who was a Hellcat pilot onboard the ship and one of the best flying aces of the Pacific theater. As for the historical accuracy itself, Battle 360 does a great job of conveying America's war against the Japanese Empire to the audience in a clearly understandable manner. The fighting in the Pacific was pure hell, and no matter how many islands Marines took, they could always be assured the next one was going to be worse. The closer to Japan America got, the more desperate their fighting became. By the final episode of the series, the Enterprise is off the coast of Okinawa in 1945, and the war is almost over. The japanese, knowing they can't hold America's industrial might back much longer, turn to suicidal means of accomplishing their goals. Suicide planes are flown right into the decks of US warships, with their pilots knowing full well that they'll die. One of these actually strikes the Enterprise, causing more damage to it than any other enemy attack so far. Unfortunately, this is the end of the line for the ship, and even though it would survive to be repaired, the war ended before it could be returned to service. Post war, Enterprise was (tragically) recycled for spare parts, as the US Navy was looking towards the future (jet aircraft) and didn't want an old 1930s ship to accommodate these. It's a very sad end to the most iconic warship in american history, but as this series demonstrates, the Enterprise may be gone, and her veterans may die, but its memories live forever. World war 2's naval history wouldn't be complete without the mention of this vessel. Overall, Battle 360 is not only a very informative series, but also manages to entertain longtime ww2 enthusiasts (like me) with its realistic animation and accurate retelling of important battles.
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