Spanning a four-year period during which the United States was engaged in war with Japan, this documentary, comprised mostly of newsreel footage, traces the history of the Pacific War up to the defeat of Japan: Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, America declares war on Japan and begins mobilizing its forces in the Pacific. Combining the strength of the Army, Navy and Air Forces, General Douglas A. MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz push eastward from Corregidor, one of the Philippine Islands, in 1942. The film covers the surrender of General Wainwright, the Death March, the battle of the Coral Sea and the Bismark Sea, and the victory at Guadalcanal. A detailed explanation of the U.S. assault on the Japanese in the Philippines in October 1944 is given, including an analysis of Japan's strategic interest in the island of Leyte. In January 1945, the "Men of MacArthur" land at Luzon, two days after the Japanese pull out, and the American troops are given a hearty welcome by the inhabitants of the island. The next U.S. objective is to free American soldiers taken captive in Leyte and to protect Manila. In Manila, scenes of street fighting are seen as the Japanese troops are given orders to either hold Manila or burn it. Following scenes depicting the American liberation of the Philippines, paratroopers are seen landing on Corregidor, and the Marines are shown capturing Iwo Jima. Soon after American forces take Okinawa, the war nears its end when two atomic bombs are dropped on Japan--one on Hiroshima, another on Nagasaki. The film concludes with newsreel footage of the official surrender signing ceremony, which took place on 1 September 1945 on the U.S.S. Missouri . Following the acceptance of the Japanese surrender by MacArthur, scenes of joyous celebration in New York are screened.