If there is a movie that deserves to be made about WWII, this is the subject. Maybe the proudest and in some ways the saddest moment in the history of the US Navy (October 1944). You could focus on the USS Johnston and Ernest Evans, but there is so much more. The courage displayed was born out of total desperation and is beyond any screenwriter's imagination. But the absolute horror of the post battle screw-up on the search and rescue is equally incredulous, especially this late in the war.
Wiiki link posted below, but this is the opening:
The Battle off Samar was the centermost action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the largest naval battles in history, which took place in the Philippine Sea off Samar Island, in the Philippines on 25 October 1944. As the only major action in the larger battle where the Americans were largely unprepared against the opposing forces, it has been cited by historians as one of the greatest military mismatches in naval history.[1]
“ In no engagement of its entire history has the United States Navy shown more gallantry, guts and gumption than in those two morning hours between 0730 and 0930 off Samar ”
— Samuel Eliot Morison, History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Volume XII, Leyte
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar
With bad screenwriting, this could easily become a "trashing" of Halsey and Nimitz. But with discipline, the focus could be on where it belongs, the ordinary sailors.
Wiiki link posted below, but this is the opening:
The Battle off Samar was the centermost action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the largest naval battles in history, which took place in the Philippine Sea off Samar Island, in the Philippines on 25 October 1944. As the only major action in the larger battle where the Americans were largely unprepared against the opposing forces, it has been cited by historians as one of the greatest military mismatches in naval history.[1]
“ In no engagement of its entire history has the United States Navy shown more gallantry, guts and gumption than in those two morning hours between 0730 and 0930 off Samar ”
— Samuel Eliot Morison, History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Volume XII, Leyte
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar
With bad screenwriting, this could easily become a "trashing" of Halsey and Nimitz. But with discipline, the focus could be on where it belongs, the ordinary sailors.