Battle of Wake Island

 

Painting by artist Albin Henning shows Marines firing a .30-caliber Browning machine gun as Japanese landing force sailors splash ashore. While inaccurate in details (barbed wire, for example, is an artist's invention because no such obstruction existed at Wake Island, since the coral reef surrounding the atoll was bare of any holding ground for the stakes or anchors necessary to keep them in place), it does capture the desperate nature of the Marines' final day's fighting.

The Battle of Wake Island was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on Wake Island. The assault began simultaneously with the attack on Pearl Harbor naval and air bases in Hawaii on the morning of 8 December 1941 (7 December in Hawaii), and ended on 23 December, with the surrender of American forces to the Empire of Japan. It was fought on and around the atoll formed by Wake Island and its minor islets of Peale and Wilkes Islands by the air, land, and naval forces of the Japanese Empire against those of the United States, with marines playing a prominent role on both sides.

The battle started with a surprise bombing raid on 8 December 1941, within hours of Pearl Harbor, and the air raids continued almost every day for the duration of the battle. There were two amphibious assaults, one on 11 December 1941 (which was rebuffed) and another on 23 December, that led to the Japanese capture of the atoll. In addition, there were several air battles above and around Wake and an encounter between two naval vessels. The U.S. lost control of the island and 12 fighter aircraft; in addition to the garrison being taken as prisoners of war, nearly 1,200 civilian contractors were also captured by the Japanese. The Japanese lost about two dozen aircraft of different types, four surface vessels, and two submarines as part of the operation, in addition to at least 600 armed forces. It is typically noted that 98 civilian POWs captured in this battle were used for slave labor and then executed on Wake Island in October 1943. The other POWs were deported and sent to prisoner of war camps in Asia, with five executed on the sea voyage.

The island was held by the Japanese for the duration of the Pacific War; the remaining Japanese garrison on the island surrendered to a detachment of United States Marines on 4 September 1945, after the earlier surrender on 2 September 1945 on the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay to General Douglas MacArthur.

Prelude

In January 1941, the United States Navy began construction of a military base on the atoll. On 19 August, the first permanent military garrison, elements of the 1st Marine Defense Battalion deployed to Wake Island under the command of Major J.P.S. Devereux, USMC with a force of 450 officers and men.  Despite the relatively small size of the atoll, the Marines could not man all their defensive positions nor did they arrive with all their equipment, notably their air search radar units. The Marine Detachment was supplemented by Marine Corps Fighter Squadron VMF-211, consisting of 12 F4F-3 Wildcat fighters, commanded by Marine aviator Major Paul A. Putnam, USMC.  Also present on the island were 68 U.S. Navy personnel.

About 1,221 civilian workers for the Morrison-Knudsen Civil Engineering Company were present on the island for the construction of the military facilities. Most of these men were veterans of previous construction programs for the Boulder Dam, Bonneville Dam, or Grand Coulee Dam projects. Others were men who were in desperate situations and great need for money. The construction plans included an airfield, a seaplane base, a submarine base, and a channel cut through Wilkes Island for submarines to be able to reach the lagoon. The 326-foot dredge Columbia arrived in April 1941 and immediately set about with her task.

Pan American Airways also had facilities on the island, which served as one of the stops on the Pan Am Clipper trans-Pacific amphibious air service initiated in 1935. The civilian facility was part of a string of seaplane bases that opened the first commercial air route across the Pacific, and other stops were at islands across the Pacific. The flying boats were some of the largest fixed-wing aircraft of the day, and the tickets were very expensive but did allow a much faster trip to Asia and Australia. A couple dozen or so Pan-American employees, plus 45 Chamorro men (native Micronesians from the Mariana Islands and Guam) were employed at the company's facilities on Wake Island, which included a seaplane base and a hotel. Pan Am remained in operation up to the day of the first Japanese air raid in December 1941. The Marines were armed with six 5-inch (127 mm)/51 cal pieces, originating from the old battleship Texas; twelve 3 in (76 mm)/50 cal anti-aircraft guns (with only a single working anti-aircraft director among them); eighteen .50 in (12.7 mm) Browning heavy machine guns; and thirty .30 in (7.62 mm) heavy, medium, and light water- and air-cooled machine guns.

The Marines were still equipped with the bolt-action M1903 Springfield rifle (firing 30-06), as they had yet to switch over to the semi-automatic M1 Garand rifle. Other small arms included Thompson submachine guns and pistols in .45 caliber, as well as hand grenades.

One of the tasks of the newly built air base was resupplying B-17 bombers transiting the Pacific Ocean.

On 28 November, naval aviator Commander Winfield S. Cunningham, USN reported to Wake to assume overall command of U.S. forces on the island. He had ten days to examine the defenses and assess his men before war broke out. The United States had two Tambor-class U.S. submarines operating around Wake Island.

On 6 December, Japanese Submarine Division 27 (Ro-65, Ro-66, Ro-67) was dispatched from Kwajalein Atoll to patrol and blockade the pending operation. The attack would start with air raids, these were from Japanese island bases in Kwajalein to south, and the invasion fleet for the amphibious assault was also being assembled. The date of the coming attack on Wake would be 8 December 1941, but it was the same time as the 7 December 1941 Pearl Harbor attack because it was on the other side of the date line.

Initial Airstrike and Bombings

Sunday 7 December 1941 was a clear and bright day on Wake Island. Just the previous day, Devereux ordered a practice drill for his Marines, which happened to be the first one done because of the great need to focus on the island's defenses. The drill went well enough that Devereux commanded the men to rest and take their time relaxing, doing laundry, writing letters, thinking, cleaning, or doing whatever they wished.

On Monday, 8 December 1941, the day started normally enough, a China Clipper Martin M-130 had left and was on its way to Guam with passengers, when it received a radio message about the attack on Pearl Harbor, and was told to return to Wake. Wake was on the other side of the date line, so though just hours away in time from Pearl Harbor, the massive attacks by Japan came on Monday, not Sunday.

Just hours after receiving word of the attack on Pearl Harbor, 36 Japanese Mitsubishi G3M3 medium bombers flown from bases on the Marshall Islands attacked Wake Island, destroying eight of the 12 F4F-3 Wildcats on the ground and sinking the Nisqually, a former Design 1023 cargo ship converted into a scow. The remaining four F4F Wildcats were in the air patrolling, but because of poor visibility, failed to see the attacking Japanese bombers. These Wildcats shot down two bombers on the following day. All of the Marine garrison's defensive emplacements were left intact by the first raid, which primarily targeted the aircraft. Of the 55 Marine aviation personnel, 23 were killed and 11 were wounded. The Japanese bombing raid killed nine Pan Am employees and destroyed many of the buildings.

Following this attack, the Pan Am employees were evacuated, along with the passengers of the Philippine Clipper, as the Martin 130 had survived the attack unscathed, save a few bullet holes. The surviving Chamorro workers did not board the plane and were left behind. The aircraft was stripped down to hold as many as possible, and about 40 passengers could fit but they had to sit on the bare floor. The Philippine Clipper took three take-off attempts to get airborne and then flew to Midway, then Honolulu, and finally San Francisco over three days, and the passengers provided first-hand accounts of the attack. The passengers not only experienced the Wake air raid, but also had seen damage at Midway and Pearl Harbor on the way back to San Francisco. Midway was also attacked that day along with Wake and Pearl; it was shelled by two Japanese destroyers that withdrew after being hit by Midway's shore batteries. The attack destroyed a PBY Catalina and there was several casualties, along with damage to the facilities there. (First Bombardment of Midway)

Of the 45 Chamorros, five were killed and five wounded in the initial airstrikes on 8 December, and the five in the hospital died the next day when the hospital was bombed. The military commander of Wake asked the surviving Chamorros if they would help defend the island; they agreed and helped fortify the island. They were taken POW, with 33 surviving the war, and in 1982 they were granted veteran status for their contributions during the battle.

Two more air raids followed in the following days. The main camp was targeted on 9 December, destroying the civilian hospital and the Pan Am air facility. The next day, enemy bombers focused on outlying Wilkes Island. Following the raid on 9 December, the four anti-aircraft guns had been relocated in case the Japanese had photographed the positions. Wooden replicas were erected in their place, and the Japanese bombers attacked the decoy positions. A lucky strike on a civilian dynamite supply set off a chain reaction and destroyed the munitions for the guns on Wilkes.

Late on the night of 10 December 1941 the submarine USS Triton, operating south of Wake, fired four torpedoes at what it thought to be a Japanese destroyer in the landing invasion fleet destroyer picket line, that was going to arrive at Wake that morning of the 11th.

After an unsuccessful Japanese landing attempt on 11 December, there would be air raids most days by G3M "Nells" and/or flying boats, with the F4F Wildcats and anti-aircraft batteries trying to defend. Meanwhile, back at Pearl Harbor a plan was developed to resupply Wake and evacuate the civilian contractors.

First Landing Attempt (11 December)

Early on the morning of 11 December, the garrison, with the support of the four remaining Wildcats, repelled the first Japanese landing attempt by the South Seas Force.

The Japanese invasion fleet for the 11 December assault included the light cruisers Yūbari, Tenryū, and Tatsuta; the older Mutsuki and Kamikaze-class destroyers Yayoi, Mutsuki, Kisaragi, Hayate, Mochizuki and Oite, submarine tender Jingei, two armed merchantmen (Kinryu Maru and Kongō Maru), and two Momi-class destroyers converted to patrol boats that were reconfigured in 1941 to launch a landing craft over a stern ramp (Patrol Boat No. 32 and Patrol Boat No. 33) containing 450 Special Naval Landing Force troops. Submarines Ro-65, Ro-66, and Ro-67 patrolled nearby to secure the perimeter.

In the early morning hours of 11 December the Japanese fleet moved within range and began shelling the island around 06:00. The island was already on alert by morning because Cunningham had been informed the Japanese were trying to jam radio communication during the night. Prior to the landing assault, Cunningham had been working to get the civilians away, but Pearl Harbor had lost so many ships in the December 7 attack that there were fewer resources available for a relief mission. Because of the concern over radio jamming, Wake was able to send up four serviceable F4F Wildcats on patrol before the invasion fleet arrived.

After Japanese ships were spotted Cunningham ordered that the guns hold fire until they got into closer range. The US Marines began firing at the invasion fleet with their six 5-inch (127 mm) coast defense guns as they approached the island.

"Battery L", on Peale islet, sank Hayate at a distance of 4,000 yd (3,700 m) with at least two direct hits to her magazines, causing her to explode and sink within two minutes, in full view of the defenders on shore. Battery A claimed to have hit Yubari several times, but her action report makes no mention of any damage. The four Wildcats also succeeded in sinking the destroyer Kisaragi by dropping a bomb on her stern, where the depth charges were stored, although some also suggest the bomb hitting elsewhere and an explosion amidships. Two destroyers were thus lost with nearly all hands (there was only one survivor, from Hayate), with Hayate becoming the first Japanese surface warship to be sunk in the war. The Japanese recorded 407 casualties during the first attempt. The Japanese force withdrew without landing, suffering their first setback of the war against the Americans.

Later in the day, the Japanese conducted an air raid of 17 G3M2 "Nell" bombers, of which, between the defending F4F Wildcats and anti-aircraft, they claimed two shot down and 11 damaged. The invasion fleet returned to the Japanese-controlled Marshall Islands, and preparations for the Wake relief mission continued in Hawaii. During the battle, one Wildcat had been hit by fire, which, although landing safely, rendered it unserviceable. This left three Wildcats available for air patrols.

After the initial raid was fought off, American news media reported that, when queried about reinforcement and resupply, Cunningham was reported to have quipped, "Send us more Japs!" In fact, Cunningham sent a long list of critical equipment—including gunsights, spare parts, and fire-control radar—to his immediate superior: Commandant, 14th Naval District. The siege and frequent Japanese air attacks on the Wake garrison continued, without resupply for the Americans, even though progress was being made on how to accomplish this.

The next day, 12 December, began with a bombing raid by a Kawanishi H6K Type 97 "Mavis" which was shot down by a Wildcat; later in the day, 26 G3M2 "Nell" attacked. Wake defenders shot down one Nell and damaged four, although there was some damage to a building and an AA gun. News of the battle reached the US mainland, which unfortunately broadcast in new reports that the garrison on Wake island was "very small"; on Wake they could hear this broadcast, which was a bit disconcerting that their size was revealed, and there was no resupply yet.

A Wake resupply mission was under planning but was held back by the availability of ships. Finally, a Navy War planning officer made a breakthrough; they realized that if they converted a seaplane tender (which was available) and the people on Wake took no possessions, they could squeeze everyone into it, even 1,500 people. So work to prepare the seaplane tender USS Tangier, which had survived the Pearl Harbor attack, got underway in Hawaii. A way to provide air and sea protection for the transport would have to be worked out, though.

PBY Visit and Carrier Strike (December 20–21)

A PBY arrived on December 20, 1941, with a delivery of mail. When it departed it took one passenger, Lt. Colonel Walter Bayler who became known as the last Marine to leave Wake Island before its capture. Bayler was withdrawn because he was one of the few Marine Corps officers that had experience establishing air-ground communications networks and had knowledge of the still top-secret US radar program. The PBY was very exciting for the military and civilians on the island, especially those hoping for an evacuation; indeed, the PBY carried secret orders to begin the evacuation of civilians. The orders for the Wake commander were to prepare most of the contractors for evacuation and also to let him know what equipment was going to be supplied by the relief mission, such as a radar, ammunition, and additional personnel. This also allowed the Wake Island staff to provide a detailed account and paperwork for the battle that had been occurring. The PBY was refueled and took off the next morning of 21 December 1941, with one additional passenger.

The Japanese intercepted radio transmissions from the PBY, which caused them to move the second landing attempt forward one day. On the morning of 21 December, the second and larger invasion fleet departed their base in the Marshalls, and the carrier group accelerated. The carrier group came within range of Wake on 21 December.

On 21 December 49 aircraft attacked Wake, striking from a Japanese carrier group consisting of the Hiryu and Soryu. After the raid, an F4F Wildcat was launched to try to follow the carrier planes back to their base, and the Wake commander also notified Pearl of the attack. There was an additional air raid later that day, with 33 G3M2 Nells striking Wake, and this killed a platoon sergeant and wounded several others; these came from the Japanese base on Roi.

On 22 December, a carrier air raid from the Hiyru and Soryu consisting of 39 planes arrived. The Wildcats defended, and in the ensuing air battle, both were shot down, with one just making it back to base and the other was not heard from. The Japanese admiral Abe of the carrier group was impressed by the courage of two Marine pilots and made a note of this.

Meanwhile, back at Pearl, Commander Pye was also impressed by the brave defense, who had gotten the reports from the PBY visit. This increased the Americans' resolve to rescue Wake even if it meant risking the Tangier. The idea would be to send the Tangier in with two destroyers to do the relief mission. Further out to sea the two carrier groups would support the operation. However, it was a race against time, as the Japanese fleet would arrive the morning of the 23 December 1941.

During this time, there was a US Naval force on the way that was going to resupply Wake on 24 December, but it did not work as planned as the Japanese second wave took the island on 23 December before this could take place.  American and Japanese dead from the fighting between December 8 and 23 were buried on the island even before the last stand on 23 December.

Second Assault (December 23)

The initial resistance offered by the garrison prompted the Japanese Navy to detach the Second Carrier Division (Sōryū and Hiryū) along with its escorts 8th Cruiser Division (Chikuma and Tone), and the 17th Destroyer Division (Tanikaze and Urakaze), all fresh from the assault on Pearl Harbor; as well as 6th Cruiser Division (Kinugasa, Aoba, Kako, and Furutaka), destroyer Oboro, seaplane tender Kiyokawa Maru, and transport/minelayer Tenyo Maru from the invasion of Guam; and 29th Destroyer Division (Asanagi and Yūnagi) from the invasion of the Gilbert Islands, to support the assault. The second Japanese invasion force came on 23 December, composed mostly of the ships from the first attempt plus 1,500 Japanese marines. The landings began at 02:35; after a preliminary bombardment, the Japanese landed at different points on the atoll. They were immediately faced with resistance by a "3" inch gun manned by Lieutenant Robert Hanna. His gun destroyed the ex-destroyers Patrol Boat No. 32 and Patrol Boat No. 33. The Japanese marines bypassed the gun position and attacked the airfield. Meanwhile, a company of Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces Marines landed on Wake. They had advanced quite inland, until they were met with a strong US counterattack led by Captain Platt, which inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese and forced them to retreat back to their landing area. After heavy fighting, the U.S. Marines guarding the airfield retreated to a final line northeast of the airfield. Unfortunately, Cunningham had received notification of the recall of an American relief expedition that had been dispatched by the Pacific Fleet. With communications disrupted by SNLF men cutting American field phone lines, Devereux assumed that most of his strongpoints on Wake’s south shore had been overrun. Cunningham reluctantly issued orders to surrender, and Devereux headed toward the sounds of the fighting to make sure they were obeyed.

The US Marines lost 49 killed, two missing, and 49 wounded during the 15-day siege, while three US Navy personnel and at least 70 US civilians were killed, including 10 Chamorros, and 12 civilians wounded. 433 US personnel were captured. The Japanese captured all men remaining on the island, the majority of whom were civilian contractors employed by the Morrison-Knudsen Company.

In the aftermath of the battle, once the surrender was completed, most of the captured civilians and military personnel were sent to POW camps in Asia. However, some were enslaved by the Japanese and tasked with improving the island's defenses.

Japanese losses were 144 casualties, 140 SNLF and Army casualties with another four aboard ships. At least 28 land-based and carrier aircraft were also either shot down or damaged.

Captain Henry T. Elrod, one of the pilots from VMF-211, was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions on the island: he shot down two Japanese G3M Nells, sank the Japanese destroyer Kisaragi, and led ground troops after no flyable U.S. aircraft remained. A special military decoration, the Wake Island Device, affixed to either the Navy Expeditionary Medal or the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, was created to honor those who had fought in the defense of the island.

Surrender and Aftermath

After the US surrender on 23 December, the military and civilian POWs were processed by the Japanese. All but about 350-360 were sent away on the Nita Maru on 12 January 1942. In late February, there was the first raid on Wake by the US which consisted of a shore bombardment, some air raids on 23 and 24 of February, and a fight with Japanese patrol boats.

Ro-60, a Japanese submarine that had participated in the battle, but was damaged by an air attack and could no longer submerge, crashed on a reef going back to base on 29 December. All 66 crew members were rescued, but the submarine had to be abandoned there.

Nita Maru Voyage

At the end of the battle on 23 December, 1,603 people, of whom 1,150 were civilians, were taken prisoner. Three weeks later, all but roughly 350-360 were taken to Japanese prisoner of war camps in Asia aboard the Nita Maru (later renamed Chūyō). Many of those that stayed were those that were too badly wounded, and some were civilian contractors that knew how to operate the machinery on the island. One source for the prisoner of war experience on Wake was the accounts in the commanding officer logs for Wilcox and Russel. The Nita Maru brought supplies and 500 additional Japanese troops to Wake on 12 January 1942. The POWs were separated; about 20 stayed at the hospital due to injuries; about 367 stayed on Wake due to their construction experience; and over 1,235 were put on the ship. The prisoners on the ship were under the authority of Toshio Saito, and the ship was noted as a "hell ship" for the POWs. Saito encouraged cruel treatment, and the POWs were given too little food and water in unsanitary conditions in the ship's holds, and were systematically beaten and tormented. On 17 January, the ship arrived in Japan, where the POWs were displayed to the Japanese press. On 20 January, it went on a voyage to the prisoner of war camp in Japanese occupied China. Admiral Kajioka had refused a request by an officer to execute some of the POWs, but this officer persisted and went to Saito directly to execute some of them on the voyage. On 22 January, Saito carried out the execution of the Wake POWs. Saito, picked five men at random and ordered them topside. There they were ordered to kneel, and he told them in Japanese: "You have killed many Japanese soldiers in battle. For what you have done you are now going to be killed ... as representatives of American soldiers." The Japanese then beheaded them. The bodies were used for bayonet practice and then thrown overboard.

Those POWs arrived in Shanghai and were transported by train to Woosung, where they spent several years. In 1945, they were taken by train to Manchuria, then Japan, to work in a coal mine. Finally, the war ended, and they were taken to a camp near Tokyo as ordered by the US. One of the last of the Wake POWs to die before repatriation was hit by a container of supplies dropped on the camp by aircraft trying to get food and aid to them. From Japan, they were taken to Guam for processing and medical recovery, then returned home.

Additional Events

Between January and November, 45 POWs died from various causes. On 10 May 1942, one POW was executed. On 11 May 1942, 20 more POWs, including the last military POW, were shipped to China on the Asama Maru.

In September 1942, another 265 were taken off Wake aboard the Tachibana Maru, including Wilcox and Russel; not including those that had died or been executed, that left 98 on the island.

Shigematsu Sakaibara arrived by aircraft to command Wake starting in December 1942.

In July 1943, a prisoner of war was executed for stealing food, as ordered by Sakaibara; however, the identity of this POW is unknown. On 7 October 1943, the prisoners of war were executed on order of Sakaibara. They were marched into an anti-tank ditch and executed by machine gun fire.

At the end of the war, the Japanese garrison surrendered and said the POWs had been killed in a bombing attack; however, that story broke down when some of the officers wrote notes explaining the true story, and Sakaibara confessed to the mass execution. (For further information, see the Japanese occupation section below.)

USN Relief Plans and Operations

Admiral Fletcher's Task Force 14 (TF–14) was tasked with the relief of Wake Island while Admiral Brown's Task Force 11 (TF–11) was to undertake a raid on the island of Jaluit in the Marshall Islands as a diversion. A third task force, under Vice Admiral Halsey, centered around the Enterprise was tasked with supporting the other two task forces as the Japanese Second Carrier Division remained in the area of operations, presenting a significant risk.

TF–14 consisted of the fleet carrier Saratoga, the fleet oiler Neches, the seaplane tender Tangier (in this case it was outfitted for transport of cargo and people not seaplanes), three heavy cruisers (Astoria, Minneapolis, and San Francisco), and 8 destroyers (Selfridge, Mugford, Jarvis, Patterson, Ralph Talbot, Henley, Blue, and Helm). The convoy carried the 4th Marine Defense Battalion (Battery F, with four 3-inch AA guns, and Battery B, with two 5-inch/51 guns) and fighter squadron VMF-221, equipped with Brewster F2A-3 Buffalo fighters, along with three complete sets of Fire Control equipment for the 3-inch AA batteries already on the island, plus tools and spares; spare parts for the 5-inch coast defense guns and replacement fire control gear; 9,000 5-inch rounds, 12,000 3-inch (76 mm) rounds, and 3 million .50-inch (12.7 mm) rounds; machine gun teams and service and support elements of the 4th Defense Battalion; VMF-221 Detachment (the planes were embarked on Saratoga); as well as an SCR-270 air search radar and an SCR-268 fire control radar for the 3-inch guns, and a large amount of ammunition for mortars and other battalion small arms.

TF–11 consisted of the fleet carrier Lexington, the fleet oiler Neosho, three heavy cruisers (Indianapolis, Chicago and Portland), and the nine destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 1 (squadron flagship Phelps along with Dewey, Hull, MacDonough, Worden, Aylwin, Farragut, Dale, and Monaghan).

At 21:00 on 22 December, after receiving information indicating the presence of two IJN carriers and two fast battleships (which were actually heavy cruisers) near Wake Island, Vice Admiral William S. Pye—the Acting Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet—ordered TF 14 to return to Pearl Harbor.

Saratoga arrived at Pearl on 15 December 1941, refueled, and departed for Wake Island the following day. The ship was assigned to Task Force (TF) 14 under the command of Fletcher; VF-3 had been reinforced by two additional Wildcats picked up in Hawaii, but one SBD had been forced to ditch on 11 December. USS Saratoga rendezvoused with the seaplane tender Tangier, carrying reinforcements and supplies, and the slow replenishment oiler Neches. Saratoga's task force was delayed by the necessity to refuel its escorting destroyers on 21 December, before reaching the island. This process was prolonged by heavy weather, although the task force could still reach Wake by 24 December as scheduled. After receiving reports of heavy Japanese carrier airstrikes, and then troop landings, TF 14 was recalled on 23 December, the day Wake was captured by the Japanese. On the return voyage, Saratoga delivered VMF-221 to Midway on 25 December 1941. The ship arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 29 December 1941 and Fletcher was replaced as commander of Task Force 14 by Rear Admiral Herbert F. Leary the following day. Leary made Saratoga his flagship and Rear Admiral Aubrey Fitch was transferred to a shore command that same day. The task force put to sea on 31 December and patrolled in the vicinity of Midway.

Submarines Actions

There were two Tambor-class U.S. submarines on patrol near Wake at the start of the battle, and at least six Japanese submarines participated. The Japanese ultimately lost two submarines in the operation, but not as a direct result of enemy action. Two Japanese submarines collided with each other, sinking one, and another crashed into a reef trying to get back to base after the battle. One US submarine engaged one Japanese vessel to no effect the night of 10 December.

The US submarines were its new fleet submarines, and the Japanese had three on patrol Ro-65, 66, and 67. They then swapped out those three part way through the battle for Ro-60, 61, and 62. They were supported from Japanese base in the Marshall Islands and the submarine tender Jingei. Ro-66 was sunk in collision and Ro-60 damaged during the battle, collided with a reef but Jingei was able to rescue all hands before it sunk.

U.S. Submarine Actions

Prior to and at the start of hostilities, the waters around Wake were patrolled by two USN submarines, the USS Triton and the USS Tambor. Prior to the battle, a USS Triton crew member became sick and was dropped off at Wake Island on December 1, 1941. He became a prisoner of war at the conclusion of the battle and survived World War II. 

Assigned to Submarine Division 62, Triton made a training cruise to Midway from 30 August to 15 September, then participated in local and fleet operations in the Hawaiian area. On 19 November, the submarine headed west to conduct a practice war patrol and arrived off Wake on 26 November 1941. On 8 December, she saw columns of smoke rising over the island, but assumed it was caused by construction work being done ashore. That night, when she surfaced to charge her batteries, she was informed by radio from Wake that Pearl Harbor had been bombed and was ordered to stay out of range of Wake's guns. The next morning, Triton observed the Japanese bombing the island. On the night of 10 December, she surfaced and was charging her batteries when flashes of light from Wake revealed a destroyer or light cruiser on a parallel course. The submarine was silhouetted against the moon, and the enemy ship turned towards her. Triton went deep and began evasive action. When the Japanese ship slowed astern, the submarine came to 120 feet (37 m) and fired four stern torpedoes—the first American torpedoes shot during World War II—on sonar bearings. She heard a dull explosion 58 seconds later and believed one had hit the target, then went to 175 feet (53 m) and cleared the area. (No sinking was recorded, and she was not credited with one.) After their initial repulse on 11 December, the Japanese returned with two aircraft carriers, Hiryū and Sōryū; Triton was not informed, and made no attacks on them. Neither did she make any effort to evacuate people from Wake. On 21 December, the submarine was ordered to return to Hawaii, and she arrived back at Pearl Harbor on 31 December 1941.

Tambor was one of the USN's new fleet submarines when it was commissioned in June 1940, and was on a peacetime patrol near Wake Island when war broke out. It was on patrol near Wake until it had an engine failure and had to go back to port. It had to be repaired and did not return service until early 1942. It was able to observe the Japanese invasion fleet on 10 December 1941, bombarding Wake and its subsequent withdrawal south; however, the Tambor did not pursue them as this was in Triton's patrol area so it headed north. Tambor had to return to its home port in Hawaii in mid-December due to mechanical difficulties and did not have any combat engagements.

Japanese Submarine Actions

On 6 December 1941, Ro-66 got underway from Kwajalein with the commander of Submarine Squadron 27 embarked to conduct a reconnaissance of Wake Island.

While the Japanese gathered reinforcements for a second and larger invasion of Wake, Submarine Squadron 7 sent orders to all three submarines of Submarine Division 27 on 12 December 1941 directing them to return to Kwajalein. Accordingly, Ro-65 and Ro-67 headed back to Kwajalein, but a radio failure prevented Ro-66 from receiving the orders despite three attempts by Submarine Squadron 7 to contact her. Consequently, she continued to patrol off Wake Island as the submarines of Submarine Division 26 — Ro-60, Ro-61, and Ro-62 — arrived in the area to relieve the departing submarines.

Ro-66 was on the surface 25 nautical miles (46 km; 29 mi) southwest of Wake Island — bearing 252 degrees from the atoll — to recharge her batteries in a heavy squall in the predawn darkness of 17 December 1941 when her lookouts suddenly sighted Ro-62, also on the surface and recharging batteries. Both submarines attempted to back off, but it was too late to avoid a collision, and Ro-62 rammed Ro-66 at 20:20 Japan Standard Time. Ro-66 sank at 19°10′N 166°28′E with the loss of 63 lives, including that of the commander of Submarine Division 27. Ro-62 rescued her three survivors, who had been thrown overboard from her bridge by the collision.

Ro-60 was with the other submarines of Submarine Division 26 — Ro-61 and Ro-62 — at Kwajalein when Japan attacked on 8 December 1941, Kwajalein time. The three submarines were placed on "standby alert" that day as United States Marine Corps forces on Wake Island threw back the first Japanese attempt to invade the atoll. On 12 December 1941, Ro-60 and Ro-61 got underway from Kwajalein to support a second, heavily reinforced Japanese attempt to invade Wake Island; Ro-62 followed on 14 December 1941.

Ro-60 was on the surface 25 nautical miles (46 km; 29 mi) southwest of Wake at around 16:00 local time on 21 December 1941 when a U.S. Marine Corps F4F Wildcat fighter of VMF-211 attacked her, strafing her and dropping two 100-pound (45.4 kg) bombs. Ro-60 crash-dived, but the attack damaged her periscopes and several of her diving tanks. After she resurfaced that night and her crew inspected her damage, her commanding officer decided that she no longer could dive safely. The Battle of Wake Island ended as Wake fell to the Japanese on 23 December 1941, and that day Ro-60 and Ro-62 received orders to return to Kwajalein. As Ro-60 was approaching Kwajalein Atoll in bad weather in the predawn darkness of  29 December 1941, Ro-60 went off course and ran hard aground on a reef north of the atoll at 02:00 at 09°00′N 167°30′E, damaging her pressure hull and  splitting her starboard diving tanks open. At about 13:00, the commander of Submarine Squadron 7 arrived on the scene from Kwajalein aboard his flagship, the submarine tender Jingei, to supervise rescue and salvage operations personally. Pounded by high surf, Ro-60 incurred additional damage and took on such a heavy list that her crew destroyed her secret documents and abandoned ship. Jingei rescued all 66 members of the crew of Ro-60.

Japanese Occupation

Fearing an imminent invasion, the Japanese reinforced Wake Island with more formidable defenses. The American captives were ordered to build a series of bunkers and fortifications on Wake. The Japanese brought in four 8-inch (200 mm) naval guns, which are often incorrectly reported as having been captured in Singapore. The U.S. Navy established a submarine blockade instead of an amphibious invasion of Wake Island. As a result, the Japanese garrison starved, which is thought to have led to their hunting the Wake Island Rail, an endemic bird, to extinction. On 24 February 1942, aircraft from the carrier USS Enterprise attacked the Japanese garrison on Wake Island. U.S. forces bombed the island periodically from 1942 until Japan's surrender in 1945. On 24 July 1943, Consolidated B-24 Liberators led by Lieutenant Jesse Stay of the 42nd Squadron (11th Bombardment Group) of the U.S. Army Air Forces, in transit from Midway Island, struck the Japanese garrison on Wake Island. At least two men from that raid were awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses for their efforts. Future U.S. President George H. W. Bush also flew his first combat mission as a naval aviator over Wake Island. After this, Wake was occasionally raided but never attacked en masse.

From June 1942 to July 1943, there were many B-24 raids and photographic recon missions were launched from Midway to Wake, often resulting in air battles between Zero's and bombers. For example, on 15 May 1943, a raid of seven B-24s was intercepted by 22 Zero's, with the US losing one B-24 and claiming four kills. In July 1943, a B-24 strike targeted the fuel depot losing another B-24 when intercepted by 20-30 Zero's. The last raid from Midway was in July 1943. The next large strike was combination of naval bombardment and carrier strike aircraft in the October 1943 raids. In 1944, Wake was bombed by PB2Y Coronado flying boats operating from Midway to stop Wake from supporting the battle for the Marshall Islands. Once Kwajalein was taken, Wake was attacked from the newly-won base with B-24 raids. This continued until October 1944, thereafter Wake was only bombed a few more times by carrier strike groups usually heading west. In context, there were much larger Japanese military bases in the Pacific, including over 100 thousand troops stationed in Rabaul by 1943. It was captured by Japanese forces in January 1942 and turned into a large sea and air base. In addition, they had bases to the south in the Marshall Islands and also west of Wake in Micronesia. The allies had a surprising victory in the Battle of Midway in June 1942; however, the war dragged on for several more years as the Japanese had heavily defended islands throughout the Pacific and a large number of vessels. A decision to take an island had to be taken carefully, as the battles could be extraordinarily costly, with many thousands perishing in battles for remote islands such as the Battle of Tarawa or the Battle of Iwo Jima. So many small islands or atolls were bypassed, like Wake, including Minami Tori Shima ("Southern Bird Island" aka Marcus Island). It was a remote island to the northwest of Wake, with a small Japanese military base that was bombed but not landed upon. However, unlike Wake, Marcus (Minami Tori Shima) island had a working submarine port, which enabled it to be supplied by submarines even late in the war.

In early 1944, Wake was largely cut off from resupply because the Allies Pacific campaign had moved past Wake, in particular, the Japanese base to the south in the Marshall Islands that had been resupplying Wake was captured in January 1944. By May 1944 the Japanese forces on Wake began rationing food, and the rationing became progressively more strict. Fishing, growing vegetables, bird eggs, and rats were important food supplies at this time, and sometimes tens of thousands of rats were eaten to stave off starvation. Their main resupply base was taken in the Allied Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, which created a supply issue for the garrison. The Japanese attempted resupply by submarine, but it was difficult to get supplies ashore. In June 1945 the Japanese hospital ship Takasago Maru was allowed to visit Wake Island, and it departed with 974 patients. It was boarded and checked both before and after the visit to confirm it was not carrying contraband, and the number of patients was confirmed; 974 Japanese were taken off Wake. On the way to Wake, it was stopped by the USS Murray and on the way back from Wake it was stopped by USS McDermut II to confirm it was carrying the patients. The condition was recorded first hand by the McDermut II, which reported that about 15% of the troops that were evacuated by the Japanese were extremely sick. The occupation is believed to have resulted in the extinction of a small flightless bird unique to the atoll, the Wake Island Rail.

War Crimes

On 5 October 1943, American naval aircraft from Lexington raided Wake. Two days later, Sakaibara ordered the beheading of an American civilian worker who was caught stealing. He and 97 others had initially been kept to perform forced labor. Fearing an invasion, Sakaibara ordered all of them killed. They were taken to the northern end of the island, blindfolded and executed with a machine gun. One of the prisoners (whose name has never been discovered) escaped, apparently returning to the site to carve the message "98 US PW 5-10-43" on a large coral rock near where the victims had been hastily buried in a mass grave. The unknown American was recaptured, and Sakaibara personally beheaded him with a katana. The inscription on the rock can still be seen and is a Wake Island landmark. The Pacific war finally drew to a close starting in August 1945, and the Emperor of Japan announced the surrender to the Japanese people and the agreement was formally signed by 2 September 1945. On 4 September 1945, the remaining Japanese garrison surrendered to a detachment of United States Marines under the command of Brigadier General Lawson H. M. Sanderson, with the handover being officially conducted in a brief ceremony aboard the destroyer escort Levy. Earlier, the garrison received news that Imperial Japan's defeat was imminent, so the mass grave was quickly exhumed and the bones were moved to the U.S. cemetery that had been established on Peacock Point after the invasion, with wooden crosses erected in preparation for the expected arrival of U.S. forces. During the initial interrogations, the Japanese claimed that the remaining 98 Americans on the island were mostly killed by an American bombing raid, though some escaped and fought to the death after being cornered on the beach at the north end of Wake Island. Several Japanese officers in American custody committed suicide over the incident, leaving written statements that incriminated Sakaibara. Sakaibara and his subordinate, Lt. Cmdr. Tachibana, were later sentenced to death after conviction for this and other war crimes. Sakaibara was executed by hanging in Guam on 19 June 1947, while Tachibana's sentence was commuted to life in prison. The remains of the murdered civilians were exhumed and reburied at Section G of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, commonly known as Punchbowl Crater, on Honolulu.

References

Dull, Paul (2007). A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941–1945. Naval Institute Press.

Further Reading

Burton (2006). Fortnight of Infamy: The Collapse of Allied Airpower West of Pearl Harbor. US Naval Institute Press.

Cressman, Robert J. (2005). A Magnificent Fight: The Battle for Wake Island. Naval Institute Press. Cunningham, Chet (2002). Hell Wouldn't Stop: An Oral History of the Battle of Wake Island. Carroll & Graf.

Cunningham, Winfield S. (1948). Narrative of Captain W.S. Cunningham, U.S. Navy Relative to Events on Wake Island in December 1941 And Subsequent Related Events (PDF) (Report). United States Navy.

Dennis, Jim Moran (2011). Wake Island 1941: a battle to make the gods weep. Osprey Campaign Series. Vol. 144. Illustrated by Peter Dennis. Oxford: Osprey Pub.

Devereux, Colonel James P.S. (1997) [1947]. The story of Wake Island. Nashville: Battery Press.

Sloan, Bill (2003). Given up for dead: America's heroic stand at Wake Island. New York: Bantam Books.

Toll, Ian W. (2011). Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941–1942. New York: W. W. Norton.

Uwrin, Gregory J.W. (1997). Facing Fearful Odds: The Siege of Wake Island. University of Nebraska Press.

Wukovits, John (2003). Pacific Alamo: The Battle for Wake Island. NAL Trade.

Urwin, Gregory (2010) Victory in Defeat: The Wake Island Defenders in Captivity, 1941-1945 . Naval Institute Press.

Wake as a National Defense Area. On 4 February 1941, President Roosevelt signed an Executive Order making Wake Island a national defense area. The development of the air facilities, as well as of coastal defense structures was given high priority. A total of about 1100 civilian contractors worked on Wake.

Illustration by Harold Von Schmidt for a wartime issue of LOOK Magazine that accompanied a story about Wake Island.

A dramatic depiction by Artist Correspondent Arthur Beaumont  of an attack by Japanese fighters on the airfield on Wake Island.

A dramatic depiction by Arthur Beaumont of a lone Marine F4F Wildcat fighter taking on three Japanese biplanes over Wake Island, done for the War Department’s 1942 film, Wake Island. Japan used biplanes, specifically Aichi D1A Type 11s (Susie), during the attack on Wake Island in December 1941, alongside other aircraft like the Mitsubishi F1M Type 0 floatplanes (Pete). While often depicted with monoplanes like the Aichi D3A Val dive bomber and Nakajima B5N Kate bomber, the Japanese also deployed these older biplane models which were effective in supporting the invasion, especially the dive bombers for attacking American installations.

Arthur Beaumont’s spectacular impression of a Grumman F4F Wildcat sinking a Japanese cruiser, painted within months of the battle. However, no cruisers were lost—only two destroyers and two patrol boats.

Arthur Beaumont’s depiction of Japanese soldiers being hit by volleys of defensive fire as they came ashore on 22 December 1941. 

“The Magnificent Fight: The Battle of Wake Island” painting by John D. Shaw. The painting The Magnificent Fight: The Battle for Wake Island was created in 1999. It was the first of several of John Shaw’s aviation scenes to be commissioned by Eugene Eisenberg, a well-known collector of military, aviation and maritime oil paintings. Owner of the largest number of original oils by the famous British aviation artist Robert Taylor, Mr. Eisenberg’s collection is one of the finest of its type in the world. With a special interest in the opening days of WWII, Eisenberg had special individuals, aircraft and elements in mind when he commissioned the large 4’ x 8’ oil, and many of the individuals whose faces are depicted are based on wartime photos. A special thanks for help on specific details goes to the remarkable Wake Island pilot, Gen. John F. Kinney (shown over cockpit in t-shirt). Not only was he possibly responsible for Wake’s tiny ‘air force’ lasting as long as it did, due to his engineering ingenuity, but also was able to supply the artist with drawings from memory and based on his diary entries of those weeks at Wake, supplying details such as locations of water towers, positions of wrecked aircraft, tractors, revetments (and even the fuselage numbers to put on the aircraft in them!) It’s no wonder he was one of the few to escape the Japanese during his imprisonment, and make his way back to freedom across war-torn China, go on to become a Marine Corps General, and then nearly 60 years later be able to recall such details with amazing clarity. Such was the stuff of which these amazing defenders of Wake Island were made.

An F4F-3 Wildcat of Marine Fighting Squadron (VMF) 211 circles around to attack a Japanese G3M2 bomber, in Marcus W. Stewart Jr.’s painting “Cat and Mouse over Wake.”

Renowned military and aviation artist James Dietz created a painting titled "The Magnificent Fight: The Battle of Wake Island" which depicts the defense of Wake Island against Japanese forces during World War II. This painting is notable for its historical accuracy, which was enhanced by the contributions of a museum volunteer and former Marine Corps General who had been present at Wake Island during the raid and imprisonment. Dietz's work is known for capturing the human element within historical military events. He strives to portray not just the machinery and locations, but also the emotions and experiences of the individuals involved, making his art resonate with those who served in those conflicts. 

Wake Island. The dotted line shows the approximate inner limit of the atoll rim. The parallel broken lines show the dredged channel across the lagoon. Based on official sources.

Command structure of U.S. forces involved in the defense of Wake.

Task organization of Japanese forces attacking Wake, 8-13 December 1941.

Task organization of Japanese forces seizure of Wake, 23 December 1941.

Defense installations on Wake. (Click image to enlarge)

Map of the surface action on 11 December 1941 at Wake Island. (Click image to enlarge)

U.S. and Japanese Naval Operations About Wake. (Click image to enlarge)

Situation on Wake Island, 0400 hrs, 23 December 1941. (Click image to enlarge)

Situation on Wake island, 0900 hrs, 23 December 1941. (Click image to enlarge)

Japanese landing on Wilkes Island, Wake atoll, 0300 hrs, 23 December 1941. (Click image to enlarge)

U.S. counterattack on Wilkes Island, Wake atoll, daybreak, 23 December 1941. (Click image to enlarge)

View of Wake Island shortly before the war.

Commander Winfield S. Cunningham, USN, Commanding officer Wake Island at the time of the 8 December 1941 attack by the Japanese. Seen here as a Captain, USN. A member of the Naval Academy Class of 1921 and an excellent pilot, he had flown fighters and flying boats, and had been schooled in strategy and tactics. Contemporaries in the Navy regarded him as an intelligent, quick-witted officer who possessed moral courage. His long and varied experience in aviation duty had fitted him well for his independent duty at Wake. He would earn the Navy Cross for his leadership of the defense of Wake.

Maj. Paul A. Putnam, USMC, commanding officer of Marine Fighting Squadron 211.

Major Paul A. Putnam, a "model of strong nerves and the will to fight," is pictured at right in the autumn of 1941. One of his men, Second Lieutenant David Kliewer, praised Putnam's "cool judgment, his courage, and his consideration for everyone [that] forged an aviation unit that fought behind him to the end." Putnam had become commanding officer of VMF-211 on 17 November 1941 at Ewa, after having served as executive officer. Designated a naval aviator in 1929, he had flown almost every type of Marine plane from a Ford Trimotor to a Grumman F4F-3. He had distinguished himself in Nicaragua in 1931. One officer who had flown with him there considered him "calm, quiet, soft-spoken . . . a determined sort of fellow." He was awarded a Navy Cross for his heroism at Wake.

A May 1941 photo taken from the northeast, from a Navy Catalina flying boat, reveals the Wake Island coral atoll in the mid-Pacific beneath broken clouds. Wishbone-shaped Wake proper lies at left, as yet unmarked by construction of the airfield there. The upper portion of the photo shows Wilkes; at right is Peale, joined to Wake by a causeway. (US National Archives photo 80-G-451195)

Aerial photograph of Wake Island taken from a Consolidated PBY patrol plane on 25 May 1941, looking west along the northern side of Wake, with Peale Island in the center and right middle distance and Wilkes Island in the left distance. The views shows civilian Camp Number Two on Wake, the bridge connecting Wake and Peale islands, the Pan American Airways facility on Peale. Boeing "Clipper" is docked at the pier and seven PBYs moored to buoys in the lagoon off Peale. (U.S. Navy photo 80-G-411160 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command)

A Martin M130 Clipper, a 4-engined flying boat Pan-American used on commercial routes across the Pacific. Wake island was one of their stopovers on the way to Guam. (SDASM Archives)

View of Peale Island, Wake, taken on Sunday, 25 May 1941. Seven Navy PBY patrol planes are anchored in the lagoon, and a Pan American Airways Boeing "Clipper" is docked at the pier. The Pan American compound is at the foot of the pier. (US National Archives  photo 80-G-451194 from Naval History & Heritage Command)

Wake Island photo map made by Patrol Wing Two Photographic and Reconnaissance Unit, 0900 3 December 1941.

View of the east side of Wake Island with Construction Camp No. 2 on the right, 25 May 1941. (Official U.S. Navy photo 80-G-451196 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command)

Wake prior to 1941.

Offshore, heavy surf roared continually against the coral reef which surrounded the entire atoll. Note the large boulders along the shoreline of Wilkes Island in right background. The sound of the heavy surf surging ashore continuously in the defenders' ears as it pounded the reef that ringed the atoll, militated against their hearing approaching enemy planes — a decided disadvantage in view of Wake's lack of radar.

Thick foliage provided admirable cover for the defenders of Wake, but eventually facilitated Japanese infiltration.

Aviation gasoline being pumped ashore from a Navy tender moored off the mouth of Wilkes Channel in the Autumn of 1941. Camp Two (contractors’ camp) lies across the lagoon in left background.

Stripped to the waist, men of the U.S. Marine Corps on Wake Island are filling gasoline drums from the island’s storage tank. This was one of the last photos sent out from Wake before war flamed in the Pacific.

Marine camp on Wake. Camp One, seen over the bow of a Navy tender moored off Wake prior to the outbreak of war in 1941. The water tank visible on center horizon served as Wake’s lone observation post during the siege.

3-inch anti-aircraft gun of the type employed by Marines on Wake. This picture was taken on  Samoa, in 1942 and actually shows Marines of the Second Defense Battalion.

At right, in the firing position, is an Army pattern M3 3-inch anti-aircraft gun of the type that the 1st Defense Battalion had at Wake. Already obsolescent at the outbreak of World War II, this weapon was the mainstay of the defense battalions in the first months of the war. Twelve of these guns were emplaced at Wake. As early as 1915, the U.S. Army, recognizing the need for a high-angle firing antiaircraft gun and resolving to build one from existing stocks, chose the M1903 seacoast defense gun and redesignated it the M1917. Soon after America's entry into World War I, however, the requirement for a mobile mount (one with less recoil) compelled the selection of the less powerful M1898 seacoast gun for conversion to the M1918. Development of both guns and mounts continued throughout the interwar years, leading ultimately to the standardization of the gun as the M3 on the M2 wheeled mount. On the eve of World War II, each of the seven Marine defense battalions then activated had 12 3-inch guns in three four-gun batteries. Each mount weighed a little over six tons. The normal crew of eight could fire 25 12.87-pound high-explosive shells per minute. The guns had an effective ceiling of nearly 30,000 feet and an effective horizontal range of 14,780 yards.

Clarence B. McKinstry, Marine Gunner, Wake Island, seen here in 1938.

Wake’s artillery batteries fought day and night to keep at bay a flotilla of enemy cruisers, destroyers, and transports. (US Marine Corps photo) 

Captain Henry T. Elrod, USMC at Quantico, Virginia, on 7 January 1938. Awarded Medal of Honor posthumously for action in defense of Wake Island, December 1941. FFG-55 is named in his honor. (US National Archives photo USMC 26044 from Naval History & Heritage Command)

Painting by Col. Charles H. Waterhouse (circa 2000-2010) depicting Captain Henry T. Elrod, USMC, during the battle of Wake Island. Clearly, Waterhouse used the next photo as an inspiration for the Wildcat in his painting. However, he misinterpreted part of the fence in the foreground as being part of the plane's cowling; the long triangular-shaped part with the ball shape on the bottom is part of the fence, not part of the plane's cowling.

Wrecked U.S. Marine Corps Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat" fighters of Marine Fighting Squadron 211 (VMF-211), photographed by the Wake Island airstrip sometime after the Japanese captured the island on 23 December 1941. There appear to be at least seven F4Fs in this group. The plane in the foreground, "211-F-11" was flown by Captain Henry T. Elrod during the 11 December attacks that sank the Japanese destroyer Kisaragi. Damaged beyond repair at that time, "211-F-11" was subsequently used as a source of parts to keep other planes operational. (Official U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-179006, now in the collections of the National Archives)

Wreckage a U.S. Marine Corps Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat from Marine fighter squadron VMF-211 on Wake Island. This was probably the plane of Capt. Freuler, on the beach where he crash-landed it on 22 December 1941, after he had destroyed a B5N Kate in aerial combat. Bullets penetrated his fuselage, vacuum tank, bulkhead, seat, and parachute. (US National Archives photo 80-G-413519, from Naval History & Heritage Command)

Unit insignia of VMA-211 (formerly VMFR-211).

1st Lt John F. Kinney (seen here circa September 1941), became engineering officer for VMF-211 upon 1st Lt Graves' death on 8 December, and, along with TSgt William H. Hamilton and AMM1c James F. Hesson, USN, kept Wake's dwindling number of battered Wildcats flying throughout the bitter 15-day siege.

Sgt William J. Hamilton (seen here on 20 January 1938) was one of two enlisted pilots serving in VMF-211 at Wake, and not only flew patrols but helped keep the squadron's planes in the air.

Capt Frank C. Tharin (see here as a first lieutenant, 8 August 1939) would earn a Silver Star Medal, a Distinguished Flying Cross, and two Air Medals for his performance of duty at Wake Island.

2nd Lt David D. Kliewer (seen here circa September 1941), a minister's son, would be awarded a Bronze Star Medal and two Air Medals for his service at Wake.

2nd Lt Carl R. Davidson (seen circa September 1941), VMF-211's assistant gunnery officer, was awarded a Navy Cross posthumously for courageously and unhesitatingly attacking an overwhelming number of Kates on 21 December.

Capt Herbert C. Freuler (seen circa September 1941), was VMF-211's gunnery and ordnance officer. Freuler was commissioned a second lieutenant in July 1931. He was awarded a Navy Cross and a Bronze Star for heroism at Wake.

The Defense Battalion's 5-Inch Guns. A 5-inch/51 seacoast gun of Battery A, 1st Defense Battalion, rests at the Marine Corps Base, San Diego, on 21 October 1940, prior to its being deployed "beyond the seas." Private Edward F. Eaton, standing beside it, serves as a yardstick to give the viewer an idea of the size of the gun that could hurl a 50-pound shell at 3,150 feet per second up to a range of 17,100 yards. These guns gave a good account of themselves at Wake Island, particularly in discouraging Admiral Kajioka's attempted landing in December 1941.

A portable coincidence range-finder is like those used at Wake Island in conjunction with the 5-inch/51 caliber guns of Batteries A, B, and L. It was believed that they had been removed from decommissioned and deactivated battleships in the 1920s. (Charles A. Homes Collection, Marine Corps Historical Collection)

1st Lt. Arthur A. Poindexter (seen here in a post-war photograph), commander of the mobile reserve on Wake, provided such evidence of "exemplary conduct and ability to lead troops ... with utter disregard for his own safety" that he was ultimately awarded the Bronze Star.

Marines from the 4th Defense Battalion embark in USS Tangier (AV-8) at Pearl Harbor, 15 December 1941, bound for Wake. Barely visible beyond the first Marine at head of the gangway is a sobering reminder of the events of eight days before: the mainmast of the sunken Arizona (BB-39). Tank farm spared by the Japanese on that day lies at right background. The 14-ship relief force, however, was ordered to return before it reached Wake.

Admiral Sadamichi Kajioka headed Japan’s Wake Island invasion force.

Japanese cruiser Yubari, flagship for of Japanese Rear Admiral Kajioka in the Battle of Wake Island in December 1941. Photo was taken in April 1937 at Shanghai, China. Armed with 5.5-inch guns, she served as Rear Admiral Sadamichi Kajioka's flagship for the operations against Wake in December 1941. (US Naval History & Heritage Command photo NH 82098)

Japanese flagship, the light cruiser Yubari, which lost a duel with Battery A, First Defense Battalion, during the unsuccessful enemy attempt to land on Wake, 11 December 1941.

Japanese light cruiser, the Tenryu, which was damaged during an attack by the planes of VMF-211 following the unsuccessful landing attempt on 11 December 1941.

Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Hayate on trials, circa 1925. (Imperial Japanese Navy photo)

Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Kisaragi, the second Japanese warship to bear that name. February 1927. Sunk at Wake. (Imperial Japanese Navy photo)

A pre-war view of the destroyer Kisaragi, sunk as the result of damage inflicted by two 100-pound bombs dropped by Capt Henry T. Elrod on the morning of 11 December 1941. Out of the crew of 167 men, not one sailor survived. (US Naval History & Heritage Command photo NH 3065)

Japanese bomber's eye view of Wake is shown in this battered aerial view of Wake captured among enemy documents in the Southwest Pacific.

A formation of Mitsubishi G3M1 and G3M2 Type 96 bombers (Nell), above, fly in formation in 1942. The first models flew in 1935, and more than 250 were still serving in the Japanese land-based naval air arm in December 1941. Nells, instrumental in the reduction of Wake's defenses, served alongside the newer, more powerful Mitsubishi G4M1 Type-97 bombers (Betty)--earmarked to replace them in front-line service--in helping to sink the British capital ships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse off Malaya on 10 December 1941. Two 1,000-horsepower Kinsei 45 engines enabled the Nell to reach a speed of 238 miles per hour at 9,840 feet. Normally crewed by seven men, the G3M2 model carried a defensive armament of one 20-mm and two 7.7-mm machine guns, and a payload of either one 1,764-pound torpedo or 2,200 pounds of bombs. Although Mitsubishi A5M4 Type 96 carrier fighters (Claude), also equipped the Chitose Air Group, none accompanied the group's Nells because of the long distances involved. Marine antiaircraft of fighter aircraft gunfire at Wake destroyed at least four Nells During December 1941. Since the numbers of G3Ms engaged varied from raid to raid--no more than 34 or fewer than 17--so, too, did damage figures. On at least two occasions, though, as many as 12 returned to their base in the Marshalls damaged. (US National Archives photograph 80-G-179013)

Japanese air attack routes to Wake Island. (Click image to enlarge)

A Japanese pilot recounts his experiences of aerial combat over Wake Island to an appreciative audience.

Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat fighter of the type employed by VMF-211 to intercept daily Japanese raids on Wake, as well as to bomb and strafe enemy naval vessels on 11 and 12 December 1941.

Relief plans centered on the USS Tangier (seen here in 1944) bringing supplies and enable civilian evacuation; it was a survivor of Pearl Harbor attack. (US Naval History and Heritage Command photo NH 50132)

The seaplane tender Tangier (AV-8) (seen here off Mare Island, California, in August 1941), a converted freighter, had elements of the 4th Defense Battalion embarked as well as vitally needed ammunition and equipment including radar. (US National Archives Photo 19-N-25360)

South shore of Wake Island where elements of the Maizuru Second Special Naval Landing Force landed on 23 December 1941. Note Patrol Craft 32 and 33, still awash on the reef to the right of the airfield, which had been completed by the Japanese when this picture was taken in 1945.

HIJMS Patrol Boat No. 32 (right) and Patrol Boat No. 33 (left). (US Navy photo)

Japanese naval patrol boats No. 32 and No. 33 (left to right) beached during the attack on the island.

Patrol Craft 33, five years later, her back broken by Marine 3-inch gunfire and subsequent magazine explosion during Japanese landings on Wake, 23 December 1941.

"The Battle of Wake Island" painting by Sentaro Iwata (1942). (The Showa Daily)

“Wake Island Assault” Japanese war painting in Nippon Magazine, circa 1943.

A Japanese artist created this image of Japanese troops moving warily forward on Wake Island.

“Wake Island 1941” by Peter Dennis.

Capt. Henry T. Elrod, USMC, posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism both as a fighter pilot and during the last stand of VMF-211, was killed by a Japanese marine of the SNLF shortly before daybreak, 23 December 1941.

Captain Henry T. Elrod (seen in the fall of 1941), VMF-211's executive officer, distinguished himself both in the air and in the ground fighting at Wake, with deeds which earned him a posthumous Medal of Honor. Born in Georgia in 1905, Elrod attended the University of Georgia and Yale University. Enlisting in the Corps in 1927, he received his commission in 1931. Elrod is the only Marine hero from Wake who has had a warship—a guided missile frigate—named in his honor.

Marine Command Post during the final battle on Wake was located in this igloo-type magazine.

Beached Japanese landing craft on Wilkes. Taken five years later, this picture shows the sole surviving enemy landing craft on the beaches of Wilkes.

Thick brush on Wilkes. A 1941 view taken from the general vicinity of Captain Platt’s command post, looking southeast along the lagoon shore toward Wake Island.

Defender's eye view looking toward Wake’s south beaches where the landings took place. Close examination will reveal the entrance to Major Devereux’s command post dugout at the base of the CP symbol lettered on the photo. 

Remains of fuel storage tanks on Wake Island, near the Marine camp. Photographed by the Japanese following the Island's capture on 23 December 1941. (US National Archives photo 80-G-413518 from Naval History & Heritage Command)

Raymond R. "Cap" Rutledge, one of the contractors on Wake (seen here as a POW at Shanghai in January 1942), had served in the U.S. Army during World War I and threw hand grenades into Japanese landing barges off Wake in the pre-dawn fighting of 23 December.

"The Wake Island Marines Surrender" painting by Yasushi Matsuzaka (1942). Wartime painting by Japanese combat artist Yasu Matsusaka of the final surrender of the American forces on Wake, including U.S. Navy Commander Cunningham.

Civilian contractors who worked for the Morrison-Knudsen Company are marched off to captivity after the Japanese captured Wake on 23 December 1941. Some, deemed important by the Japanese to finish construction projects, were retained there. Fearing a fifth column rising, the Japanese executed 98 contractors in October 1943 after U.S. air attacks, an atrocity for which atoll commander, Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara, was hanged after the Second World War.

Japanese Navy soldier on guard as USMC commanders and US Naval officers captured in the battle of Wake Island pass by, December 1941. (The Showa Daily)

Smiling for the Japanese propaganda cameras some of the Wake island defenders, now POWs aboard the transport ship Nitta Maru en route to a prison camp at Zentsuji. Commander Winfield Scott Cunningham, seated in the dark uniform would be awarded the Navy Cross for his leadership. (US National Archives)

Nitta Maru in passenger service in 1940. (Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard photograph)

In captivity at Shanghai, Marine Major James P. Devereux (center), commander of the American garrison on Wake, poses with other prisoners. The radios were presented as a propaganda ploy and rigged to receive only Japanese broadcasts.

In a 1942 Ralph Lee cartoon a battered but still defiant Marine shakes his fist angrily at Japanese planes overhead. (Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 307267)

One of the many cartoons that mirrored Wake's gallant battle, "Sun Spots," shows holes marked "Wake Island Saga" and "Philippine Fortitude" in a Japanese flag. (Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 529733)

To the Glory of a Scar Spangled Banner. Editorial cartoon about Wake Island, December 1941.

The Wake of History. Editorial cartoon about Wake Island, December 1941.

Semper Fidelis. Editorial cartoon about Wake Island, December 1941.

In a photo copied from a Japanese pictorial history, Special Naval Landing Force troops pay homage to the memory of Lt Kinichi Uchida, whose unit lost two other officers and 29 enlisted men killed and 34 wounded at Wake Island. 23 December 1941. (USMC 315175 photo from Naval History & Heritage Command)

Soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s 65th Guard Unit with a captured US Coastal artillery on Wake Island. (The Showa Daily)

Japanese Navy soldier with unused American bombs, Wake Island, December 1941. (The Showa Daily)

Organizational structure of the Japanese Forces in Marshall and Gilbert Islands before the outbreak of the Pacific War. Once Wake had fallen to the Japanese it was swiftly and fully integrated into the system of Japanese bases and defense installations. Prior to the begin of the Pacific War, the command structure of the Japanese bases in the Marshall Islands saw a headquarters in Kwajalein subordinate to the headquarters of the 4th Fleet in Truk, as well as one guard unit on Kwajalein Atoll, with a detachment on Eniwetok, and three naval garrison units, stationed on Jaluit, Maloelap and Wotje. The Japanese naval strategy had been to sever the lines of communication between the US and South East Asia and the Philippines, as well as with Australia. The existing perimeter of the Japanese bases in the Marshall Islands needed to be extended, both to the south and the north.

Organizational Structure of the Japanese Forces in Marshall and Gilbert Islands December 1941 to August 1942. Following the U.S. submarine raid on Makin under the command of Colonel Carlson on 17 August 1942, the inadequacy of the Japanese defenses in the Gilberts was laid wide open. In response, the Japanese 4th Fleet headquarters immediately set up a defense command to occupy and defend the remaining Gilbert Islands as well as Ocean Island and Nauru. The command on Tarawa, Makin and Apemana was directly subordinate to the 6th Base Force on Kwajalein, while the occupation forces on Ocean Island and Nauru were made subordinate to the Guard Units of Jaluit and Kwajalein respectively.

Organizational Structure of the Japanese Forces in Marshall and Gilbert Islands 20 August 1942 to 15 February 1943. 

Organizational Structure of the Japanese Forces in Marshall and Gilbert Islands 15 February 1943 to the fall of the Gilberts, December 1943. It appears likely that the decision to develop Mile into a full base, was reached by about the same time, probably in response to the altered situation in the Gilberts and in response to some strategic problems in the western Marshalls. At the same time, it appears, the development of the seaplane base on Djarrit Island, Majuro Atoll, was halted. reasons for this halt seem to have been the overall shortness of construction materials and crews, and the new strategic situation which did not call for operating two bases (Majuro and Mile) in close vicinity to each other. On 15 February 1943 the Gilbert Islands defense command was upgraded to an independent command, the 3rd Special Base Force, established on the same echelon level as the 6th Base Force itself. This upgrading clearly indicates the strategic importance the Japanese High Command gave the Gilbert islands in the overall defense strategy. Under the same restructuring, a separate Guard Force command, the 66th Keibitai was set up for Mile Atoll.

Organizational Structure of the Japanese Forces in Marshall and Gilbert Islands from the fall of the Gilberts, December 1943 to the fall of the Marshalls, February 1944 . 

Organizational Structure of the Japanese Forces in Marshall and Gilbert Islands from the fall of the Marshalls, February 1944, to the surrender of Japan, August 1945. The successful seizure of the Gilbert Islands by U.S. forces in December 1943, made necessary the reorganization of the remaining bases previously under the command of the 3rd Special Base Force in Tarawa. Rather than re-allocating Ocean Island and Nauru under the Guard Units of Jaluit and Kwajalein, as had been the case in late 1942, the two bases were set directly under the command of the 6th Base Force. Furthermore, the detachment of the 61st Guard Force on Eniwetok was upgraded to a full Guard Force status as the 68th Keibitai, thereby shortening the line of command and giving Eniwetok more administrative independence. With the fall of Kwajalein and Eniwetok, the headquarters of the 6th Base Force was removed to Truk and the Guard Forces on the remaining atolls bypassed by the American troops—Jaluit, Wotje, Maloelap, Wake, Mile and Nauru—were directly answerable to the headquarters of the Combined Fleet in Truk and later in Tokyo. 

Wake Island, February 1942. Diagram. (Official U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-466235, from Naval History & Heritage Command, now in the collections of the National Archives) (Click image to enlarge)

Wake Island Raid, 24 February 1942. View taken on USS Enterprise (CV-6) shows a 1.1" AA gun mount. Note aircraft I.D. recognition chart on armor at left. (US Navy photograph 80-G-66222 in the US National Archives, via Naval History & Heritage Command)

Wake Island Raid, 24 February 1942. View taken aboard USS Enterprise (CV-6) looking forward along the island, outboard, showing 20mm Oerlikon gallery manned by Marines. Note mattresses to rails as splinter protection. (US Navy photograph 80-G-66281 in the US National Archives, via Naval History & Heritage Command)

Wake Island Raid, 24 February 1942. A crewman readies rear cockpit .30 cal. machine gun mount on a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless prior to the launching of air strikes against Wake Island. View taken on USS Enterprise (CV-6). (US Navy photograph 80-G-66279 in the US National Archives, via Naval History & Heritage Command)

Wake Island Raid, 24 February 1942. View showing SBD-3 Dauntless of VB-6 preparing for takeoff on USS Enterprise (CV-6). Air group commander Lieutenant Commander Howard Young, USN, is in the following plane, as denoted by letters "GC" (Group Commander) on cowl front. Note gun gallery of .50 cal. water-cooled Brownings. (US Navy photograph 80-G-66037 in the US National Archives, via Naval History & Heritage Command)

Wake Island Raid, 24 February 1942. View showing flight deck scene prior to the launching of the air strike, and Douglas SBD Dauntless aircraft of VB-6 and VS-6 spotted for takeoff. Note variety in markings on the SBDs. View taken on USS Enterprise (CV-6). (US Navy photograph 80-G-66039 in the US National Archives, via Naval History & Heritage Command)

Wake Island Raid, 24 February 1942. A Douglas TBD-1 torpedo plane from USS Enterprise (CV-6) flies over Wake during the raid. Note fires burning in the lower center. View looks about WNW, with Wilkes Island in the center and the western end of Wake Island in bottom center. Peale Island is at right. (Photograph 80-CF-1071-1 from Department of the Navy collections in the U.S. National Archives via Naval History & Heritage Command) 

Wake Island Raid, 24 February 1942 . A Japanese patrol boat (black smudge to the right) under attack by gunfire from USS Balch (DD-363) and USS Maury (DD-401) and aircraft from USS Enterprise (CV-6), during the Wake Island raid. Photographed from USS Salt Lake City (CA-25). (U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command photograph NH 50949)

Wake Island Air Raid, February 1942. Japanese prisoners of war taken during attack on Wake Island by Task Force 16. Prisoners were rescued after patrol boat sunk from 5” inch gun fire, February 1942. (U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-2001, via Naval History & Heritage Command, now in the collections of the National Archives) 

Wake Island Air Raid, February 1942. Japanese prisoners of war taken during attack on Wake Island by Task Force 16. Prisoners were rescued after patrol boat sunk from 5” inch gun fire, February 1942. (U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-2002, via Naval History & Heritage Command, now in the collections of the National Archives) 

Wake Island airfield as viewed from a US Navy Liberator patrol plane, circa 1943.

Wake Island in 1943 as seen from a US Navy aircraft.

Wake Island, 6 October 1943. This map (Page 1) comes from a World War II-era intelligence folder entitled "Airdromes and Anchorages: Pacific Theater."  (Official USMC Photograph from the Albert J. Stiftel Collection (COLL/3506) at the Marine Corps Archives and Special Collections via Flickr) (Click image to enlarge)

Wake Island, 6 October 1943. This map (Page 2) comes from a World War II-era intelligence folder entitled "Airdromes and Anchorages: Pacific Theater."  (Official USMC Photo-graph from the Albert J. Stiftel Collection (COLL/3506) at the Marine Corps Archives and Special Collections via Flickr) (Click image to enlarge)

“Pacific Glory” painting by Anthony Saunders. Anthony Saunders’ stunning painting graphically recalls a moment during the Allied fight-back. On 5 October 1943, ten months after the island had fallen to the  Japanese, American naval aircraft raided Wake, one of many such operations carried out by the US Navy and Marines. At the forefront of the attack was Lt. Cmdr. Edward “Butch” O’Hare, the US Navy’s first Ace and first Naval recipient of the Medal of Honor. Throwing his F6F Hellcat into a furious dogfight, he engages Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zeroes based on the island and in the process adds two more victories to his tally. Under O’Hare’s experienced guidance his young wingman, Lt. Alex Vraciu, claimed his first kill, and would later become one of the foremost Aces in the US Navy with 19 victories.

“Butch” O'Hare and leading crew chief Williams "Chief Willy" beside a F6F-3 Hellcat talk things over at Wake, 5 October 1943. (US Navy photo) 

Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers flying over Wake Island on 6 October 1943. (US Navy photo)

Douglas SBD Dauntless flying over Wake Island on 6 October 1943. (US Navy photo)

American attack on Japanese-held Wake Island in October 1943. (US Navy photo)

Aerial of Wake Island at the height of the attack on 5-6 October 1943 by U.S. carrier-based planes and ship bombardment. A fire burns near the airfield while in the foreground are the remains of the Suwa Maru that was beached after being hit in December 1941 by Marines defending the base when it fell to the invading Japanese.  (US National Archives photograph 80-G-85197 via Naval History & Heritage Command)

The wreck of the Suwa Maru, a Japanese troop transport ship that grounded on Wake Island after being torpedoed by the USS Tunny on 28 March 1943. The wreckage of a Mitsubishi G3M “Nell” twin engine bomber is in the foreground, shot down during the battle for Wake Island in December 1941.

The wreck of the Suwa Maru, a Japanese troop transport ship that grounded on Wake Is-land after being torpedoed by the USS Tunny on 28 March 1943.

The wreck of the Suwa Maru, a Japanese troop transport ship that grounded on Wake Is-land after being torpedoed by the USS Tunny on 28 March 1943.

The wreck of the Suwa Maru, a Japanese troop transport ship that grounded on Wake Is-land after being torpedoed by the USS Tunny on 28 March 1943. 

The Suwa Maru as a passenger ship. The ship was requisitioned by the Japanese military during the Pacific War.

Aerial photograph of the attack on Wake Island by aircraft from Carrier Air Group Five (CVG-5) from the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) on 5 October 1943. Unbeknownst to the attackers this led to a cruel war crime. Two days later, fearing an imminent invasion, Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara ordered the murder of the 98 captured American civilian workers remaining on the island since its capture in 1941, kept to perform forced labor for the Japanese. They were taken to the northern end of the island, blindfolded and machine-gunned. After the war, Sakaibara and his subordinate, Lieutenant-Commander Tachibana, were sentenced to death for this and other war crimes. Several Japanese officers in American custody had committed suicide over the incident, leaving written statements that incriminated Sakaibara. Tachibana’s sentence was later commuted to life in prison. Legend: A: burning fuel dumps. B: Mitsubishi A6M2 and A6M3 Zero fighters. C: gun positions. D: trenches and barbed wire positions. Above the circle marked "B" is the wreck of Japanese transport ship "Suwa Maru", torpedoed March 28th by US submarine Tunny (SS-282) and beached to prevent her from sinking. The ship was torpedoed again a week later and became a total loss. (US Navy photo from US Navy Naval Aviation News 1st December 1943)

Aerial photograph of the attack on Wake Island by aircraft from Carrier Air Group Five (CVG-5) from the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) on 5 October 1943. Unbeknownst to the attackers this led to a cruel war crime. Two days later, fearing an imminent invasion, Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara ordered the murder of the 98 captured American civilian workers remaining on the island since its capture in 1941, kept to perform forced labor for the Japanese. They were taken to the northern end of the island, blindfolded and machine-gunned. After the war, Sakaibara and his subordinate, Lieutenant-Commander Tachibana, were sentenced to death for this and other war crimes. Several Japanese officers in American custody had committed suicide over the incident, leaving written statements that incriminated Sakaibara. Tachibana’s sentence was later commuted to life in prison. Original legend: A: Japanese bomber destroyed by strafing. B: aircraft revetments. C: trenches and barbed wire positions. D: trenches and machine gun positions.

Takasago Maru as a hospital ship in 1945. This was allowed to evacuate nearly a thousand people from Wake in June 1945. (Imperial Japanese Navy photo)

Col. Walter L.J. Bayler, reputedly "the last Marine off Wake" in December 1941, is the first to set foot on the island in 1945. (Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 133688)

Surrender of Wake Atoll. Raising the U.S. flag over Wake Island on 4 September 1945, as a U.S. Marine Corps bugler plays "Colors". This was the first time the Stars and Stripes had flown over Wake since its capture by the Japanese on 23 December 1941. The officer saluting in the right foreground is Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara, Japanese commander on Wake. Colors carried by the U.S. party, right background, include the U.S. Marine Corps flag. Photographed by R.O. Kepler, USMC. (U.S. Marine Corps photograph  NH 96813, in the Collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command)

Unhappy Japanese soldier on Wake Island after the surrender in 1945. Note his clenched fists.

The same Japanese officer on Wake Island after the surrender in 1945, still with his fists clenched, with American personnel and another Japanese soldier.

Japanese soldiers on Wake Island after the surrender in 1945.

Japanese officers, including Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara, with American officer on Wake Island after the surrender in 1945.

Japanese officers, including Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara, with American officer on Wake Island after the surrender in 1945.

Wreckage of Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter on Wake Island after the surrender in 1945.

American naval personnel examining wreckage of Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter on Wake Island after the surrender in 1945.

Wreckage of another Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter on Wake Island after the surrender in 1945.

Surrender of Wake Island Aboard USS Levy (DE-162). 4 September 1945. Left to right, sitting at table: Japanese Army Colonel Shigeharu Chikamori, Sakaibara, Japanese Paymaster Lieutenant P. Hisao Napasato, Marine Brigadier General Lawson H. M. Sanderson, of Santa Barbara, Cal., Commander of the Fourth Marine Air Wing who accepted the surrender in the name of Rear Admiral W. K. Harrill, Army Sergeant Larry Watanabe of Honolulu, official interpreter at the surrender, and Colonel T. J. Walker Jr., Sanderson's Chief of Staff. Standing, center back, holding pipe, is Colonel Walter L. J. Baylor.

Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara  signing the surrender document on Wake Island during the surrender in 1945.

Surrender of Wake Island, 4 September 1945. Discussing the terms of surrender on board USS Levy (DE-162). Shown left to right: Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara, Lieutenant P.H. Nakacato and Brigadier General Lawson Sanderson, USMC. (U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-490485, from Naval History & Heritage Command, now in the collections of the National Archives)

Surrender of Wake Island, September 1945. Japanese await inspection of their gear before evacuation from Wake Island. Photograph released 1 November 1945. (U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-495799, from Naval History & Heritage Command, now in the collections of the National Archives)

Surrender of Wake Island, September 1945. Japanese prisoners of war are shown while having lunch. (U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-346795, from Naval History & Heritage Command, now in the collections of the National Archives)

Surrender of Wake Island, September 1945. A study of faces. Japanese prisoners of war are shown in a line. (U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-346805, from Naval History & Heritage Command, now in the collections of the National Archives)

Surrender of Wake Island, September 1945. Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara, who commanded Wake island, and later executed for his war crimes, 20 September 1945. U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-346822, from Naval History & Heritage Command, now in the collections of the National Archives)

Surrender of Wake Island, September 1945. A climactic moment in the war crimes trial of two Japanese officers from Wake Island. Here stands Lieutenant Soichi Tachibana and Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara, both convicted and sentenced to hang for the murder of 98 American civilians on Wake Island in October 1943. Sakaibara is shown reading a final statement in his own behalf before sentence is pronounced at Kwajalein Island in the Marshall Islands. Photograph released 27 December 1945. (U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-495958, from Naval History & Heritage Command, now in the collections of the National Archives)

Surrender of Wake Island, September 1945. Japanese equipment and installations on Wake Island. Shown is a Japanese grave, 20 September 1945. (U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-346825, from Naval History & Heritage Command, now in the collections of the National Archives.)

Allied Prisoners of War, Wake Island. B.F. Comstock, Sr. and D.H. Dodoes (captured at Wake Island, 23 December 1941); J. Jacque (captured by the Japanese at Corregidor) and H.L. McDonald (captured at Wake Island, 23 December 1941). Photograph received 25 September 1945. (U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-344554, from Naval History & Heritage Command, now in the collections of the National Archives)

Allied Prisoners of War, Wake Island. Fred H. Gones and Milton A. Glazier were captured by the Japanese on Wake Island, 23 December 1941. Photograph received 25 September  1945. (U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-344555, from Naval History & Heritage Command, now in the collections of the National Archives)

Allied Prisoners of War, Wake Island. Lieutenant Colonel J.M. Devereux, USMC (left), with Commander A.L. Main, executive officer of USS Monitor (LSV-5) and (right) Lieutenant Colonel E.R. Hagenah, USMC, who is attached to General Douglas MacArthur’s staff. Photographed by CPHOM D.W. Wongfield and received 23 September 1945. (U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-347913, from Naval History & Heritage Command, now in the collections of the National Archives)

Allied Prisoners of War, Wake Island. Lieutenant Colonel J.M. Devereux, USMC, hero of Wake Island onboard USS Monitor (LSV-5) at North docks, Yokohama, Japan. Photographed by CPHOM D.W. Wongfield and received 23 September 1945. (U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-347911, from Naval History & Heritage Command, now in the collections of the National Archives)  

Commander Winfield S. Cunningham, U.S. Navy, returns to Washington, D.C., on 7 September 1945 after being freed from a Japanese prisoner of war camp. His return was the occasion of a reunion of former POWs at National Airport. Present are (left-right): Captain George J. McMillin, Commander Cunningham, Captain Robert G. Davis, and Colonel Sam. L. Howard, USMC. (US National Archives photo 80-G-700887 from Naval History & Heritage Command) 

The Wake Island Device is authorized for any sailor or marine who was awarded the Navy or Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal due to service during the defense of Wake Island during the opening days of U.S. involvement in the Second World War. To be awarded the Wake Island Device, a service member must have been awarded either the Navy Expeditionary Medal, or the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, and must have served on Wake Island between the dates of December 7 and December 22, 1941. The Wake Island Device is worn as a campaign clasp, inscribed with the words “Wake Island”, centered on the upper portion of the Navy or Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal. When wearing the Expeditionary Medal as a ribbon, the Wake Island Device is annotated by a silver “W” device, centered on the decoration.

The "98 Rock" is a memorial for the 98 U.S. civilian contract POWs who were forced by their Japanese captors to rebuild the airstrip as slave labor, then were blind-folded and killed by machine gun Oct. 5, 1943. An unidentified prisoner escaped, and chiseled "98 US PW 5-10-43" on a large coral rock near their mass grave, on Wilkes Island at the edge of the lagoon. The prisoner was recaptured and beheaded by the Japanese admiral, who was later convicted and executed for war crimes. (US Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo)

Aircraft revetments built by POWs.  (DC0021, 19 May 2014)

Detail of aircraft revetments built by POWs. (jafer24 on 1 June 2015)

Peale Island Japanese Defensive Gun from World War II with Japanese bunker in the background. (DC0021, 24 May 2014)

This command post bunker was built by US Prisoners of War in 1942. (DC0021, 19 May 2014)

A crumbling bunker serves as a testament to the Japanese's hold on Wake Island from 1942-1945. Approximately 100 U.S. and Japanese historical structures from bunkers to gun placements remain on the island. On Jan. 8, 2009, approximately 60 Marines from Marine Attack Squadron 211 returned to Wake Island en route to a deployment to Iwakuni, Japan. The visit marked the first time since 1993 the bulk of the squadron, nicknamed the "Wake Island Avengers" after the original defenders were killed or captured by Japanese forces during the island's siege, has returned to the remote Pacific atoll. VMA-211 is based in Yuma, Arizona. (USMC photo by Gunnery Sgt. Bill Lisbon)

A memorial to the defenders of Wake Island, including Marine Fighter Squadron 211, stands near the command post of Maj. James Devereux, who lead the defense of the island from Dec. 8-23, 1941. On Jan. 8, 2009, approximately 60 Marines from Marine Attack Squadron 211 returned to Wake Island en route to a deployment to Iwakuni, Japan. The visit marked the first time since 1993 the bulk of the squadron, nicknamed the "Wake Island Avengers" after the original defenders were killed or captured by Japanese forces during the island's siege, has returned to the remote Pacific atoll. VMA-211 is based in Yuma, Arizona. (USMC photo by Gunnery Sgt. Bill Lisbon, 8 January 2009)

U.S. Civilian POWs Memorial on Wake Island.

Marines at the Battle of Wake Island plaque at John A. Lejeune Hall, Building 1, Holcomb Boulevard, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

A plaque commemorating the Marines who fought at the Battle of Wake Island at the Marines' Memorial Hotel in San Francisco, California.

James Devereux, U.S. Marine Corps.

James Patrick Sinnott Devereux (February 20, 1903 – August 5, 1988) was a United States Marine Corps general, Navy Cross recipient, and Republican congressman. He was the Commanding Officer of the 1st Defense Battalion during the defense of Wake Island in December 1941. He was captured on Wake Island as a prisoner of war, along with his men, after a 15-day battle with the Japanese. After his release in September 1945, he concluded his military career in 1948 and represented the second congressional district of the state of Maryland in the United States House of Representatives for four terms from 1951–1959. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election as Governor of Maryland in 1958.

Devereux was born in Cabana, Cuba, where his father, an Army surgeon, was stationed. In 1910, the family moved to Chevy Chase, Maryland. There, Devereux, one of ten children, rode to the hounds in Rock Creek Park and played polo. At age 10 he obtained a driver's license from the District of Columbia, which had no age requirement at the time.

Devereux also attended the Army and Navy Preparatory School in Washington, D.C., the Tome School at Port Deposit, Maryland, LaVilla in Lausanne, Switzerland (when his parents lived in Vienna, Austria), and Loyola College of Baltimore, Maryland.

Devereux enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in July 1923 at age 20, was commissioned a second lieutenant in February 1925, and then was assigned to duty in Norfolk, Virginia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Marine Barracks at Quantico, Virginia, and at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In 1926, he was detailed to the mail guard detachment in New York and later was transferred to the force of Marines in Nicaragua as a company officer.

Returning to the United States early in 1927, he was assigned to the USS Utah and subsequently was transferred ashore again to Nicaragua. Shortly thereafter he was ordered to the Orient and while in China was promoted to first lieutenant. Other duty in China included command of the Mounted Detachment of the Legation Guard at Peking.

In 1933, following a year's tour of duty at Quantico, he was assigned to the Coast Artillery School at Fort Monroe, Virginia. Following his promotion to captain in December 1935, he was ordered back to Quantico, where, until 1936, he instructed in the Base Defense Weapons School and aided in the preparation of a Marine Corps manual on Base Defense Weapons.

In 1938, following a tour of duty with the Marine Detachment on board the USS Utah, Devereux was transferred to the Marine Corps Base at San Diego.

In January 1941, Devereux was ordered to Pearl Harbor and later assumed command of the First Marine Defense Battalion on Wake Island. On the morning of December 8, 1941, he received the message that Pearl Harbor had been attacked by the Japanese. In the fight that followed, then-Major Devereux and his men damaged two cruisers, sank two destroyers, one escort vessel, and destroyed or damaged a total of 72 aircraft, and probably sank one submarine. Two more destroyers were damaged the last day. After days of bitter fighting, the 449 Marines surrendered to the Japanese on December 23, 1941.

After his capture, he remained on Wake Island until January 12, 1942 when he was sent away with his men on the Nita Maru. He stopped at Yokohama, where some American officers debarked, but later arrived at Woosung, China, located downriver from Shanghai, on January 24. He remained there until December 9, 1942, when he was transferred to Kiangwan, where he spent 29 months imprisoned. For five weeks, he stayed at Fungtai, near Peiping, and then was transferred to camps in central Hokkaidō.

Devereux was released from the Hokkaidō Island prison camp on September 15, 1945.

After a brief rehabilitation leave, he was assigned as a student in the Senior Course at the Amphibious Warfare School at Quantico from September 1946 to May 1947. Upon completion of his studies, he was detached to the First Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California, and was serving with that organization when he concluded his 25-year career on August 1, 1948. In 1947, his book, Story of Wake Island, was published.

Devereux was advanced to the rank of brigadier general upon retirement in accordance with law, having been specially commended for the performance of duty in actual combat. For his leadership in defending the tiny American outpost for 15 days against overwhelming odds, Devereux was awarded the Navy Cross. His citation reads,

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Major James Patrick Sinnott Devereux, United States Marine Corps, for distinguished and heroic conduct in the line of his profession, as Commanding Officer of the First Marine Defense Battalion, Naval Air Station, Wake Island. Major Devereux was responsible for directing defenses of that post during the Japanese siege from 7 through December 22, 1941, against impossible odds. Major Devereux's inspiring leadership and the valiant devotion to duty of his command contributed in large measure to the outstanding success of these vital missions and reflect great credit upon the United States Naval Service.

BGen Devereux's awards include:

Navy Cross

Navy Presidential Unit Citation w/ 1 service star

Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal w/ 1 service star & Wake Island Device

Nicaraguan Campaign Medal (1933)

Yangtze Service Medal

American Defense Service Medal w/ Base clasp

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal

World War II Victory Medal

Devereux would have also been eligible for the Prisoner of War Service Medal which was authorized on November 8, 1985.

Devereux took up horse farming—with a farm near Glyndon, Maryland; and following his retirement from the Marine Corps, Devereux moved to a 200-acre (0.81 km²) farm at Stevenson, Maryland.

In 1950 Devereux was elected as a Republican to the U.S. Congress for Maryland's 2nd Congressional District by defeating incumbent Democratic Rep. William Bolton. Devereux would serve four terms in the U.S. House from January 3, 1951 to January 3, 1959. During his Congressional career, he supported public school desegregation and ending racial discrimination in employment. He served on the House Armed Services Committee from July 3, 1952 (replacing John Anderson (R-CA)) until he left Congress. He was not a candidate for re-nomination in 1958 but was an unsuccessful candidate for election as Governor of Maryland against Democrat J. Millard Tawes. In 1960, he was named Republican Party chairman in his district.

He later served as Director of Public Safety for Baltimore County, Maryland from December 1962 to 1966.

He was resident of Ruxton, Maryland until his death.

While stationed in the Philippines, Devereux met Mary Brush Welch, the daughter of an American missionary. They were married in 1932. They had one son and one daughter who died at birth (1934). Mrs. Devereux died of complications from diabetes in 1942, shortly after his capture by the Japanese on Wake Island. She was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. In 1946, he married Rachel Clarke Cooke and they had two sons. The second Mrs. Devereux died in 1977. He married a third time, to Edna Burnside Howard – in 1978, gaining a stepson and three stepdaughters.

Brigadier General Devereux died at age 85 in Stella Maris Hospice in Baltimore, Maryland on August 5, 1988 from pneumonia. He is interred in Arlington National Cemetery.

Major James P.S. Devereux, USMC.

Major James P. S. Devereux, Commanding Officer of the Wake Detachment of the 1st Defense Battalion (seen here as a POW at Shanghai, circa January 1942).

Major James P. S. Devereux, USMC.

Major James P. S. Devereux, USMC.

Maryland Congressman, James P. S. Devereux, on his farm shortly after his election.