The Battle of Wake Island

It is early December, 1941. As a marine peers into the cloudy midday sky, he sees the profile of aircraft heading towards the tiny Pacific island he has called home since August. Before he can respond, the swarm of Japanese bombers descending upon the airfield let go their deadly cargo, destroying American aircraft and killing marines on the ground below. As men scrambled to return fire from gun emplacements, the Japanese aircraft quickly leave, having completed their grisly task. On the other side of the International Date Line, 2,300 miles away from the smoke billowing over Pearl Harbor, it was the 8th of December, and the Battle of Wake Island had just begun.

Wake Island, 1941

Wake Island had been held by the United States since 1899 when it was taken from Spain after the Spanish-American War. It was a relatively unpopulated atoll which was only used as a stopping point on the Pan American Airlines US-China line. By 1940, it became obvious that the island would be a target if Japan had ever gone to war with the US, and so in 1941 construction of a base there began.

By December, construction was still on-going and the full contingent of military personnel and equipment amounted to a small Marine Corps battalion of less than 500 men, a handful of Navy and Army personnel, 12 F4F-3 Wildcat fighters, some shore batteries and anti-aircraft guns, and no radar. It was very little with which to defend if the Japanese were to attack from the nearby Marshall Islands.

A Day of Infamy

On December 7th, the Empire of Japan launched one of the most notorious surprise attacks in history on the United States at Pearl Harbor, HI, in an effort to cripple the American fleet. A secondary objective was a part of the plan, which was to take Wake Island from the Americans. It was important to the Japanese to do this so that the Americans would be unable to use it as a staging ground to attack their assets in the Marshall Islands.

The attack began midday on December 8, local time. A group of 6 Japanese G3M "Nell" bombers commenced an attack on the airfield with the intent of destroying American fighters on the ground in preparation for further raids. The Base Commander, CMDR W.S. Cunningham, had been notified earlier that Pearl Harbor had been attacked, and had sent 4 of the total 12 F4F Wildcats fighters into the air to keep watch for enemy aircraft.

With a lack of radar, and poor visibility, neither the base nor the fighters in the air were able to see the Japanese before it was too late. The bombers dropped their payload on the American fighters sitting unprotected on the ground, destroying 7 of them. 23 Marines of the VMF-211 were killed in the attack, while 11 were wounded. The Japanese bombers were able to escape unscathed after completing their run as the American fighters never made contact with them.

This was just the first of many raids to follow. The Americans worked through the day and night in an effort to prepare for further attack. A Pan-Am Clipper flying boat was spared unintentionally by the Japanese, and as many civilians and Pan-Am employees were loaded onto it as possible. The 26-ton aircraft then took off for Midway Island, leaving the rest of Wake's survivors to defend the tiny atoll.

The Raids Continue

The attack on December 8 had left Wake more vulnerable than it had already been. From the original fighter contingent of 12 F4F-3 Wildcats, only 4 remained. Major Paul A. Putnam, the Commander of the VMF-211, realized the importance of the remaining 4 Wildcats. "We have four planes left," Putnam told 1st LT John F. Kinney, "If you can keep them flying I'll see that you get a medal as big as a pie."

Foxholes were dug as gun emplacements were repaired and readied for battle. 18 civilians on the island volunteered for combat and were assigned to the guns. Phone lines were laid down for communication between operations and the guns, so that accurate information could be relayed to the gunners. The hospital worked through the night to save as many of the wounded as possible. The Americans on Wake Island had taken a blow, but were now preparing for battle, determined to defend the small strip of dirt in the ocean.

The following day, December 9, the Japanese returned at 11:45 am, this time with 27 bombers. With a clear sky above, the gunners were able to better spot their targets, putting 100 3-inch rounds into the air and damaging 12 Japanese aircraft. 3 of the remaining 4 Wildcats had been flying patrol all morning, with the 4th making it into the air just before the Japanese arrived. With good visibility, the American fighters were able to engage the Japanese bombers, shooting one down.

Bombs fell all over the island, mainly north of the airfield. The hospital was severely damaged and caught fire, killing one wounded Marine and forcing an evacuation. Casualties were minimal, but key equipment for servicing their few remaining aircraft was damaged or destroyed, forcing another 100 civilians to help with repairs and refit. The defenders continued the rest of the day and into the night preparing their defenses.

December 10, 1947, a 3rd raid of 26 Japanese bombers arrived at 10:20, dropping their bombs again on the northern part of the island. 1 marine was killed and a civilian was wounded, while a gun emplacement was lightly damaged. 120 tons of dynamite for construction use was also exploded by a bomb. The Japanese lost only one bomber. These daily raids would continue throughout the rest of the battle.

The First Assault

After 3 days of bombing Wake, the Japanese were prepared to attempt an invasion. Under the command of Rear Admiral Sadamichi Kajioka, a naval task force had set off from the Marshall Islands on December 8, arriving at Wake on the 11th. This task force included 3 light cruisers (Yubari, Tatsuta, Tenryu), 6 destroyers (Mutsuki, Yayoi, Hayate, Oite, Kisaragi, Mochizuku), 2 armed merchant vessels (Kinryu Maru, Kongo Maru), and 2 patrol boats.

The Japanese battle plan was to shell the atoll from sea and then land 300 men on Wake and 100 on the smaller island of Wilkes, while keeping another 150 men in reserve for reinforcements. At 5:22 am, Kajioka ordered to commence shelling Wake. The task force moved in slowly towards Wake, firing continuously. The Yubari increased speed to close the distance, as the American guns were not firing back. A Japanese shell struck oil tanks on the southwestern end of the island, setting them on fire.

The ships moved in closer, believing the air raids had done their job, and began preparing land forces for invasion. By 6:00 am, the Yubari was within 4500 yards of Wake, when CMDR Cunningham gave the order to commence firing. The American batteries unleashed on the Yubari, causing heavy damage and forcing it to retreat. As gun emplacements all over the atoll opened up on the Japanese ships, it became apparent to the Japanese that the bombing raids had not been entirely successful.

The Japanese Retreat

The 4 remaining Wildcat fighters, each armed with 2 100lb bombs, joined the fight. A gun emplacement on Wilkes Island scored direct hits on the Japanese destroyer Hayate, sinking her. Admiral Kajioka ordered a retreat due to the intense firepower the Americans were throwing at his ships. The Wildcats descended on the task force landing hits on the two light cruisers Tatsuta and Tenryu, heavily damaging them, and set fire to the destroyer Kisaragi, destroying the ship.

Gun emplacements on Wake and Wilkes had also succeeded in damaging the Yayoi, Oite, Mochizuku,and the two patrol boats. Two of the Wildcats barely made it back to base and were considered losses, leaving only two fighters to confront the sudden appearance of 17 Japanese bombers. Each fighter took on half of the bombers, downing two of them, and preventing destruction of gun batteries on Wake.

After the battle was over, the Americans on wake had suffered no casualties, other than some injured, while the Japanese had lost 2 ships, 2 aircraft, and some 700 men. With both the Japanese task force and bombers heading back to Marshall, the Americans rearranged their gun emplacements, radioed their success and requests for reinforcement, and settled in for a long fight.

Alone

As news of the successful defense reached Pearl Harbor, the Wake Island defenders were able to repair one Wildcat, and drag the other downed fighter to the airfield to act as a decoy. The American media was reporting that the only thing the Marines on Wake Island were asking for was "more Japs". As the command at Pearl Harbor argued about whether or not to support Wake, and how to do so, it became increasingly obvious to Cunningham and his men that they would get no help.

A plan was eventually made to use the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga, along with a task force and a flying boat to evacuate Wake, which was determined to be indefensible with the current state of the US Navy and numerous battles raging in the Pacific. The Saratoga was eventually dispatched, but with refueling problems and heavy weather, was unable to arrive at Wake in time to help its beleaguered defenders.

While the Americans on Wake waited for reinforcement, they endured constant raids by Japanese bombers. In what would make a story of its own, they were able to keep their battered aircraft in the air and battling the Japanese. As the bombs continued to fall day after day, the Americans stayed vigilant, waiting for the inevitable return of the Japanese fleet.

The Final Assault

The Japanese had concluded that if they wanted to take Wake, they would have to commit an overwhelming amount of force to do so. With the extraordinary accuracy of the island's gunners and their scheme of changing positions and using camouflage, it had proved nearly impossible for the land-based bombers from Marshall to score hits on them. With those gunners in place, the Japanese fleet did not dare approach again.

Vice Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue and Admiral Yammamoto decided to assign the aircraft carriers Hiryu and Soryu, who had participated in the Pearl Harbor attack, along with their escorts to support Kajioka's task force in a second attempt at Wake. Under the command of Rear Admiral Hiroaki Abe, this support force also included the heavy cruisers Chikuma and Tone. The task force under Kajioka had replaced the two destroyers it had lost with the Yunagi and Asanagi, and added 4 heavy cruisers, Furugasa, Kinugasa, Aoba, and the Kako. This was a massive force for the defenders of Wake to face.

On the 21st of December, aircraft from the Soryu and Hiryu commenced a massive dive-bombing attack on Wake. Unlike the previous level-bombing raids that the Americans had endured for the last two weeks, the carrier-based dive bombers were able to accurately put bombs on target and wreaked havoc on the island's defenses. As a result, the gun batteries of Wake were severely damaged or destroyed leaving an opening for amphibious assault.

The next day, 39 Kate bombers and Zero fighters from the two Japanese carriers descended on Wake again. The last two F4F-3 Wildcats left, flown by 2nd Lt Carl R. Davidson and Capt Herbert C. Freuler, took to the skies on patrol, only to meet the far superior number of Japanese aircraft. The two pilots decided to do the unthinkable, and attacked. The resulting dogfight ended with 2 downed Kate bombers, Freuler forced to land a barely functioning aircraft, and Davidson lost. The actions of these two pilots impressed Japanese Admiral Abe, who praised their courage.

With the island's defenses all but crushed, there was little to stop the Japanese from landing on Wake and Wilkes. On December 23, the Japanese beached patrol boats to land troops on the southern beaches of the atoll, and an intense battle ensued. The marines were able to destroy the patrol boats, but the landing forces had already made it to land. 1500 Japanese marines battled some 3-400 Americans for 12 hours until their inevitable surrender.

The Aftermath

1,537 Marines, Navy, Army, and civilian personnel were taken prisoner after surrendering. Of these, 2 marines and 3 sailors were decapitated and mutilated in-transit to the POW camp in Shanghai and 98 civilians were murdered on Wake well after the battle. The US never attempted to re-take the atoll, but did target it for air raids off and on during the war. The US finally retook possession at the end of the war with the Japanese surrender.

The story of Wake is one of facing impossible odds with determination, courage, and heroism. It would be impossible to write a short article detailing all of the actions by the intrepid defenders of this tiny atoll in the Pacific Ocean. It seems easy to criticize the command at Pearl Harbor or the Navy as a whole with the benefit of hindsight, but it cannot be forgotten that our forces in the Pacific were still reeling from the blow dealt them by the Japanese. Our carriers were scattered, battleships damaged or sunk, and facilities a shambles. The Japanese were attacking many other places during this time, and the command in Hawaii was unsure of where the Japanese were, believing they may attack Oahu again.

While this battle ended in defeat, the performance of the men there inspired a nation. When it seemed that the Empire of Japan would be unbeatable, a small band of fighters on a tiny strip of land showed that with grit and unwavering perseverance, America can prevail. On the next anniversary of Pearl Harbor, remember these men also, who gave their lives defending our honor on Wake Island.

Sources
Rickard, J. (20 January 2007). Battle of Wake Island, 8-23 December 1941. historyofwar.org
Wukovits, J. (2003). Pacific Alamo: The Battle for Wake Island. New York, NY: New American Library
Heinl, R.D. (1947). The Defense of Wake. USMC Division of Public Information. Compiled by Clancey, P. ibiblio.org
Cressman, R.J. (1992). A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island. USMC Historical Center. ibiblio.org