
The Fighting Lady
Photographed in Zones of Combat by Men of U.S. Navy
Oscar winner William Wyler directed this 1944 "newsdrama," narrated by Lieut. Robert Taylor, USNR (Bataan), and photographed in zones of combat by the U.S. Navy. The film follows one of the many new aircraft carriers built since Pearl Harbor, known as THE FIGHTING LADY in honor of all American carriers, as it goes into action against the Japanese in the Pacific Ocean in 1943. See the ship and its pilots undergo their baptism of fire, attacking the Japanese base on Marcus Island. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation.
- 6.2
- 1944
- Released
- 1h 1m
Reviews

This is quite a fascinating look at life aboard a US Navy aircraft carrier fighting the Japanese during WWII. Narrated by Robert Taylor, it takes us to the hidden innards of this wooden-decked floating fortress complete with thousands of men, thousands of tonnes of materiel, food, weapons and equipment and it explains how meticulously the ship is run and her operations carried out. Plenty of real














