PBS Secrets of the Dead - Dogfight Over Guadalcanal (2006) x264 AC3 MVGroup

Deep in the jungle of Guadalcanal in the South Pacific, scattered among tall trees and thick, razor-sharp grasses, are the rusting remains of a World War II-era fighter plane. A fragment of the tail still bears traces of the light blue paint of U.S. Navy aircraft of the period, and the number 5192. Research confirms that the plane is the doomed Wildcat flown by James "Pug" Southerland in one of the most heroic and legendary dogfights in aviation history. This documentary investigates the legendary showdown between 30-year-old Southerland in his Wildcat, and Saburo Sakai, 25, in his Mitsubishi Zero that took place on the opening day of the battle for Guadalcanal in August, 1942. Dogfight Over Guadalcanal resurrects this visceral, gut-wrenching series of events, step by step, via narrative readings of accounts from each of the men's diaries and a thrilling journey to the recently discovered and excavated American plane - which, astonishingly, still rests at its crash site many decades later.