They were expendable: Two PT-boat skippers defend the Philippines and give the U.S. war effort time to regroup after the crippling losses at Pearl Harbor.

Operation Pacific: World War II rages across the Pacific and Lt. Cmdr. Duke E. Gifford (John Wayne) is in the thick of it. He evacuates children from enemy-held islands ; oversees the research and development of torpedoes at Pearl Harbor ; and prowls the depths in the submarine Thunderfish, hoping for a chance to aim his improved "tin fish"--Torpedoes - at the hulls of the enemy fleet.

Flying leathernecks: An embattled Marine fighter squadron VMF 247 at Guadalcanal is led by John Wayne and campaigning to coordinate ground combat with low-flying aerial sorties.

Back to Bataan: After the fall of the Phillipines in WWII, Colonel Joseph Madden of the U.S. Army stays on to organize guerrilla fighters against the conquerors.