Joseph Panicello

The Fighting Amphibians: Screenplay Joseph Panicello

THE FIGHTING AMPHIBIANS, The LST of World War II, is a feature film screenplay taken from the novel, A SLOW MOVING TARGET. The script contains many authentic stories about the turmoil and hardships that the Amphibious Fleet endured during beach invasions in World War II. To enhance the military adversities, the story revolves around the personal lives of five young fictitious sailors who, in 1942, enlist in the U. S. Navy to defend their country against the Axis. They come from different parts of America, meet in boot-camp and become life-long buddies. After boot-camp they were transferred to the dreaded and perilous Amphibious Fleet of LSTs (Landing Ship Tank), because the LST is truly a Large Slow Target having the reputation of a brief life and a sitting duck during an invasion. In this screenplay each principle character presents his/her own unique and unusual experiences. The main character is Johnny Maroni, who attempts to keep the group together and preserve their friendship throughout the war. They call themselves The Five Amphibians. The Five Amphibians are later split-up and are transferred to different LSTs which compelled them to fight in separate campaigns in both the Pacific and Atlantic theaters. They communicate through Johnny's sister, Angela, who rewrites their letters to the different Amphibians. Throughout the war only one Amphibian is killed in action.