Im oliver north. Welcome to war stories. Were at the National Museum of naval aviation. And this is the flighter flown by vmf214, the squadron known as the black sheep. For 84 days between september of 1943 and january of 44, the men of the black sheep squadron used this aircraft. In 1976, their exploits become a tv series called ba ba black sheep. As youre about to discover, the only real things in it were the name of the squadron and the corsair that they flew. The bloody battle for guadalcanal marked the beginning of a new strategy for allied forces in the pacific. The campaign was originally a defensive move to secure australia. But with a stunning defeat of Japanese Forces there, a bold new war plan began to develop. And the key to its success ran through the japanese strong hold of the island of new britain. This is where the first offensive is getting going for the war. Historian bruce gamble is the author of the biography of pappy. The pacific was closed until this island would