Japan Didn’t Expect Bombs to Bounce Across the Water Toward Its Ships

Japan thought its ships were too hard to hit from above. Then American airmen learned to skip bombs across the water like stones. In March 1943, a massive Japanese convoy sailed toward Lae, confident that high-altitude bombers couldn't hit moving targets. They were right about the old tactics—but completely unprepared for what happened next. Using a wrecked ship near Port Moresby as a practice target, Allied pilots developed skip bombing and mast-height attacks that turned the Bismarck Sea into a graveyard for Japanese transports. 0:00 Battle of the Bismarck Sea: The Skip Bombing Slaughter 1:27 The Bismarck Sea Route 7:39 The High Altitude Failure 14:50 The Wreck of the Pruth 20:59 Pappy Gunn's Gunships 26:38 The Convoy Sets Sail 33:04 The Coordinated Trap 40:10 First Strikes: March Second 44:49 The Mast-Height Slaughter 51:17 The Unforgiving Aftermath 58:15 A Sea Exposed If you enjoy deep dives into World War II history and forgotten military tactics, subscribe so you don't miss our next video. #WWII #PacificWar #SkipBombing #BattleOfTheBismarckSea #FifthAirForce #B25Mitchell #B17 #RAAF #MilitaryHistory #WorldWarTwo #Documentary #NewGuinea