View source for Battle of Wake Island

{{Short description|World War II battle in the Pacific Ocean (1941)}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Battle of Wake Island
| partof            = the [[Pacific War]] of [[World War II]]
| image             = USMC-M-Wake-17.PNG
| caption           = A destroyed Japanese patrol boat (#33) on Wake.
| date              = 8–23 December 1941
| place             = [[Wake Island]], U.S. territory
| result            = ''First attempt:'' American victory<br />''Second attempt:'' Japanese victory
| map_type          = Pacific Ocean
| map_size          = 300
| combatant1        = {{flagcountry|Empire of Japan}}
| combatant2        = {{flag|United States|1912}}
| commander1        = {{flagdeco|Empire of Japan|naval}} [[Shigeyoshi Inoue]]<br />{{flagdeco|Empire of Japan|naval}} [[Sadamichi Kajioka]]<br />{{flagdeco|Empire of Japan|naval}} [[Shigematsu Sakaibara]]<br />{{flagdeco|Empire of Japan|naval}} [[Eiji Gotō]]<br />{{flagdeco|Empire of Japan|naval}} [[Tamon Yamaguchi]]
| commander2        = {{flagdeco|United States|1912}} [[Winfield S. Cunningham]]{{POW}}<br />{{flagdeco|United States|1912}} [[James Devereux]]{{POW}}<br />{{flagdeco|United States|1912}} [[Paul A. Putnam]]{{POW}}<br />{{flagdeco|United States|1912}} [[Henry T. Elrod]]{{KIA}}
| strength1         = '''First Attempt (11&nbsp;December):'''<br />3 light cruisers <br />6 destroyers<br />2 patrol boats<br />2 troop transports<br />1 submarine tender<br />3 submarines<br />'''Reinforcements arriving for Second Attempt (23&nbsp;December):'''<br /> 2 aircraft carriers<br />2 heavy cruisers <br /> 2 destroyers <br /> 2,500 infantry<ref>Naval and air personnel not included.</ref>
| strength2         = 449 USMC personnel consisting of:
* 399 infantry of the [[1st Defense Battalion]]
* 50 [[VMF-211|det. VMF-211]]
6 coastal artillery pieces<br />12 aircraft<br />12 anti-aircraft guns<br />68 U.S. Navy personnel<br />5 U.S. Army personnel<br />1,221 civilian workers
| casualties1       = '''First attempt:'''<br />2 destroyers sunk<br />340 killed<br /> 65 wounded <br /> 2 missing{{sfn|Dull|2007|p=24}} <br />1 submarine sunk<br />'''Second attempt:'''<br />2 patrol boats wrecked<br />10 aircraft lost<br />21 aircraft destroyed <br />600 casualties{{sfn|Dull|2007|p=26}}
| casualties2       = 52 killed<br />49 wounded<br />2 missing<br />12 aircraft lost<ref>Martin Gilbert, the Second World War (1989) p. 282</ref><br />1 scow sunk<ref name="USMM.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.usmm.org/pacific.html#anchor446443 |title=US ships lost in the Pacific during World War II |publisher=USMM.org |access-date=3 January 2014}}</ref><br />433 captured<ref>20 later died in captivity</ref>
| casualties3       = 70 civilians killed<br />1,104 civilians interned, of whom 180 died in captivity<ref name="The Defense of Wake">{{cite web|title=The Defense of Wake|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/Wake/USMC-M-Wake-III.html|website=Ibiblio.org/}}</ref>
}}
{{Campaignbox Pacific 1941}}

The '''Battle of Wake Island''' was a battle of the [[Pacific Ocean theater of World War II|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 [[United States Armed Forces|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 [[Marine (military)|Marine]]s playing a prominent role on both sides.

The battle started with a surprise bombing raid on December 8, 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 December 11, 1941 (which was rebuffed) and another on December 23, 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 1200 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]] theater of [[World War II]]; the remaining Japanese garrison on the island surrendered to a detachment of [[United States Marine Corps|United States Marines]] on 4 September 1945, after the earlier surrender on 2 September 1945 on the battleship {{USS|Missouri|BB-63|6}} in [[Tokyo Bay]] to General [[Douglas MacArthur]].<ref name="nps">{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/npswapa/extContent/Lib/liberation10.htm |title=War in the Pacific NHP: Liberation - Guam Remembers |publisher=nps.gov |access-date=2014-09-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121217094309/http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/npswapa/extContent/Lib/liberation10.htm |archive-date=2012-12-17 }}</ref>

==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 [[Marine defense battalions|1st Marine Defense Battalion]]<ref>[http://www.nps.gov/wapa/indepth/extContent/usmc/pcn-190-003133-00/sec15.htm 1st Marine Defense Battalion] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050825185331/http://www.nps.gov/wapa/indepth/extContent/usmc/pcn-190-003133-00/sec15.htm |date=August 25, 2005 }}</ref> deployed to Wake Island under the command of Major [[James Devereux|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.<ref>with only 449 Marines on hand for the battles at Wake Island because one officer [Major Walter Baylor], USMC had been ordered to leave on 20 December with official reports.</ref> The Marine Detachment was supplemented by Marine Corps Fighter Squadron [[VMFA-211|VMF-211]], consisting of 12 [[Grumman F4F Wildcat|F4F-3 Wildcat]] [[Fighter aircraft|fighter]]s, commanded by Marine aviator Major [[Paul A. Putnam]], USMC.  Also present on the island were 68 [[United States Navy|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.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Urwin|first=Gregory J. W.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZFEM9NYIb7sC&q=battle+of+wake+island|title=Victory in Defeat: The Wake Island Defenders in Captivity|year=2011|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=978-1-61251-004-0|language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name="usni.org">{{Cite web |title=Massacre on Wake Island &#124; Naval History Magazine - February 2001 Vol. 15 Number 1 |date=February 2001 |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2001/february/massacre-wake-island}}</ref>

[[Pan American World Airways|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 forty-five [[Chamorro people|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.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=War Boat: A Heroic Tale |url=https://www.panam.org/war-years/654-war-boat |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=www.panam.org}}</ref>
The Marines were armed with six [[5"/51 caliber gun|5-inch (127 mm)/51 cal]] pieces, originating from the old battleship {{USS|Texas|BB-35|2}}; twelve [[3"/50 caliber gun|{{convert|3|in|mm|abbr=on}}/50 cal]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft gun]]s (with only a single working anti-aircraft [[Director (military)|director]] among them); eighteen [[M2 Browning machine gun|{{convert|.50|in|mm|1|abbr=on}} Browning]] [[heavy machine gun]]s; and thirty [[M1917 Browning machine gun|{{convert|.30|in|mm|2|abbr=on}}]] heavy, medium, and light water- and air-cooled machine guns.

The Marines were still equipped with the bolt-action [[M1903 Springfield|M1903 Springfield rifle]] (firing [[.30-06 Springfield|30-06]]), as they had yet to switch over to the semi-automatic [[M1 Garand]] rifle.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-10-22 |title=Pre War/WWII USMC M1903s |url=https://usmcweaponry.com/pre-war-wwii-usmc-m1903s/ |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=USMCWeaponry.com |language=en}}</ref> Other small arms included [[Thompson submachine gun]]s and pistols in .45 caliber, as well as [[Grenade|hand grenades]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island (This Is As Far As We Go) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec5a.htm |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>

One of the tasks of the newly built air base was resupplying B-17 bombers transiting the Pacific Ocean.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island (Introduction) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec1.htm |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>

On 28 November, naval aviator [[Commander (United States)#Commander as a rank|Commander]] [[Winfield S. Cunningham]], USN reported to Wake to assume overall command of U.S. forces on the island. He had 10 days to examine the defenses and assess his men before war broke out.
[[File:Wake Island map Dec 1941.PNG|thumb|Wake island in December 1941]]

On 6 December, Japanese Submarine Division 27 (''[[Japanese submarine Ro-65|Ro-65]]'', ''[[Japanese submarine Ro-66|Ro-66]]'', ''[[Japanese submarine Ro-67|Ro-67]]'') was dispatched from [[Kwajalein Atoll]] to patrol and blockade the pending operation.

==Initial airstrike and bombings==
[[File:Mitsubishi G3M bombers in flight 1942.jpg|thumb|left|A group of Japanese G3M bombers in 1942, this is the type that bombed Wake (Allied codename "Nell")]]
December 7, 1941 was a clear and bright day on Wake Island. Just the previous day, Major 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 Major Devereux commanded the men to rest on the Sabbath and take their time relaxing, doing laundry, writing letters, thinking, cleaning, or doing whatever they wished.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Moran |first=Jim |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ad3vCwAAQBAJ |title=Wake Island 1941: A battle to make the gods weep |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-84908-943-2 |language=en}}</ref>

On Monday, December 8, 1941, the day started normally enough, with a China Clipper continuing its way to Guam. But then, radio word of an attack on Pearl Harbor arrived. Wake was on the other side of the [[International Date Line|date line]], so though just hours away in time from Pearl Harbor, the massive attacks by Japan came on Monday, not Sunday.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island (Introduction) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec1.htm |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>

On 8 December 1941, just hours after receiving word of the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]], 36 Japanese [[Mitsubishi G3M]]3 [[medium bomber]]s flown from bases on the [[Marshall Islands]] attacked Wake Island, destroying eight of the 12 F4F-3 Wildcats on the ground<ref>{{cite web|last1=Urwin|first1=Gregory|title=Battle of Wake Island|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/634272/Battle-of-Wake-Island|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=23 October 2023 }}</ref> and sinking the [[SS Suremico|''Nisqually'']], a former [[Design 1023 ship|Design 1023]] [[cargo ship]] converted into a [[scow]].<ref name="USMM.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.usmm.org/pacific.html#anchor446443 |title=US ships lost in the Pacific during World War II |publisher=USMM.org |access-date=3 January 2014}}</ref> 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.<ref name="historyofwar">{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_wake_island.html|title=Battle of Wake Island, 8–23 December 1941|publisher=historyofwar.org|access-date=2014-09-13}}</ref> 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.

Early in the morning of 8 December, a Pan-American [[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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Clippers At War @ flyingclippers.com |url=http://www.flyingclippers.com/clippersatwar.html |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=www.flyingclippers.com}}</ref>  It returned only to be caught in the Japanese surprise bombing raid which killed 9 employees and destroyed many of the buildings.<ref name=":0" />
[[File:Martin 130 Clipper (4589907311).jpg|thumb|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.]]
Following this attack, the Pan Am employees were evacuated, along with the passengers of the ''[[Philippine Clipper]]'', as the [[Martin 130]] amphibious flying boat had survived the attack unscathed, save a few bullet holes. The surviving Chamorro workers did not board the plane and were left behind.<ref name="cunningham">{{cite book|last=Cunningham|first=W. Scott|title=Wake Island Command|year=1961|publisher=Little, Brown and Company|location=Boston, MA|oclc=464544704}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":3" /> 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.<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref name=":3" /> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1941: December 7: Japanese Attack on Midway Island |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/explore/photography/wwii/wwii-pacific/us-entry-into-wwii-japanese-offensive/1941-december-7-japanese-attack-midway-island.html |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=NHHC |language=en-US}}</ref> However, the attack destroyed a PBY Catalina and there was several casualties, along with damage to the facilities there.

Of the 45 Chamorros, five were killed and five wounded in the initial airstrikes on December 8, 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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-07-15 |title=WWII: 45 CHamorus Caught in Wake Invasion - Guampedia |url=https://www.guampedia.com/wwii-45-chamorros-caught-in-wake-invasion/ |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=www.guampedia.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

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 antiaircraft 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.<ref name=cunningham />

Late on the night of 10 December 1941 the submarine USS ''Triton'', operating south of Wake, fired 4 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.<ref name="nps.gov">{{Cite web |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island (Humbled by Sizeable Casualties) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec2.htm |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island (Still No Help) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec3.htm |access-date=2023-11-10 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>

==First landing attempt (December 11)==
[[File:Wake Island surface action 11 December 1941.PNG|thumb|Diagram of the December 11 battle at Wake]]
[[File:Kisaragi II.jpg|thumb|left|The Kisaragi (''show here in 1927'') was lost in the December 11 assault.]]
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 {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Yubari||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Tenryū||2}}, and {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Tatsuta|1918|2}}; the older {{sclass|Mutsuki|destroyer|5}} and {{sclass|Kamikaze|destroyer|2}}s {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Yayoi|1925|2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Mutsuki||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Kisaragi|1925|2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Hayate|1925|2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Mochizuki|1927|2}} and {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Oite|1924|2}}, submarine tender ''[[Japanese submarine tender Jingei|Jingei]]'', two [[armed merchantmen]] (''[[MV Kinryu Maru|Kinryu Maru]]'' and ''[[Kongō Maru (1935)|Kongō Maru]]''), and two [[Momi class destroyer|''Momi''-class destroyer]]s converted to patrol boats that were reconfigured in 1941 to launch a landing craft over a stern ramp (''[[Japanese destroyer Aoi (1920)|Patrol Boat No. 32]]'' and ''[[Momi class destroyer|Patrol Boat No. 33]]'') containing 450 [[Special Naval Landing Force]] troops. Submarines ''[[Japanese submarine Ro-65|Ro-65]]'', ''[[Japanese submarine Ro-66|Ro-66]]'', and ''[[Japanese submarine Ro-67|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 6 a.m. 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 with Pearl to try to get the civilians away, but of course Pearl Harbor had lost so many ships in the Pearl Harbor 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.<ref name="nps.gov"/>

After Japanese ships were spotted Commander Cunningham ordered that the guns hold fire until they got into closer range.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cressman |first=Robert J. |author-link= |year=1992 |title=A MAGNIFICENT FIGHT: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island |url=https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/A%20Magnificent%20Fight_Marines%20in%20the%20battle%20for%20Wake%20Island%20%20PCN%2019000311900_1.pdf |chapter='Humbled by Sizeable Casualties' |chapter-url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec2.htm |location= |publisher=Marine Corps Historical Center |page= |via=National Park Service}}</ref> The US Marines began firing at the invasion fleet with their six {{convert|5|in|mm|adj=on|0}} [[Coastal artillery|coast-defense guns]] as they approached the island.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/1205608/wake-island-a-lesson-in-american-wwii-bravery/ |title=Wake Island a Lesson in American WWII Bravery |last=Garamone |first=Jim |date=7 June 2017 |website= |publisher=United States Department of Defense |access-date=18 February 2024 |quote=}}<br/>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-002/h-002-2a.html |title=H-002-2A: Wake Island  |last=Cox |first=Samuel J. |date=29 December 2016 |website=Naval History and heritage Command |publisher=United States Navy |access-date=18 February 2024 |quote=}}</ref>

"Battery L", on Peale islet, sank ''Hayate'' at a distance of {{convert|4000|yd|m|abbr=on}} 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.{{sfn|Dull|2007|p=24}} The four Wildcats also succeeded in sinking the destroyer ''Kisaragi'' by dropping a bomb on her stern, where the [[depth charge]]s were stored, although some also suggest the bomb hitting elsewhere and an explosion amidships.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/kisara_t.htm|title=IJN ''Kisaragi'': Tabular Record of Movement|last1=Nevitt|first1=Allyn D.|last2=Tully|first2=Anthony D.|date=July 2014|access-date=10 November 2015|work=Long Lancers|publisher=Combinedfleet.com}}</ref>{{sfn|Wukovits|2003|p=109}} 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.{{sfn|Dull|2007|p=24}} 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 2 shot down and 11 damaged. The invasion fleet returned to the Japense-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.<ref name="nps.gov"/>

After the initial raid was fought off, American news media reported that, when queried about reinforcement and resupply, Commander 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 system|fire-control]] [[radar]]—to his immediate superior: Commandant, 14th Naval District.<ref>{{cite book|first=Robert J.|last=Cressman|title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Defense of Wake Island|series=World War II Commemorative Series|editor-first=Benis M.|editor-last=Frank|publisher=Marine Corps Historical Center|location=Washington, D.C.|date=1998|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-C-Wake.html|access-date=June 10, 2006}}</ref> 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 1941, began with a bombing raid by [[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 USA 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.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island (Still No Help) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec3.htm |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>
[[File:Pearl_Harbor_Attack_japanese_recon_photo_North_side_Ford_Island_80G30553.jpg|right|thumb|250x250px|7 December 1941: Photograph taken from a Japanese Navy plane during the Pearl Harbor attack, the ''Tangier'' (AV-8) is the ship on the far right in this row.]]
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 1500 people. So work to prepare the seaplane tender [[USS Tangier (AV-8)]], 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.<ref name=":4" />

== PBY visit and carrier strike (December 20–21) ==
A [[Consolidated PBY Catalina|PBY Catalina]] flying boat arrived on December 20, 1941, with a delivery of mail. When it departed it took one passenger, [[Walter L. J. Bayler|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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Conville |first1=Martin |date=May 23, 1943 |title=Full Story of Desperate Wake Island Battle Told |page=C5 |work=Los Angeles Times |id={{ProQuest|165422622}}}}</ref> The PBY Catalina 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 December 21, 1941, with one additional passenger.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island (All Hands Have Behaved Splendidly) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec4.htm |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>

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 December 21, 1941.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island (All Hands Have Behaved Splendidly) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec4.htm |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>

On December 21, 49 aircraft attacked Wake, striking from a Japanese carrier group consisting of the ''[[Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryū|Hiryu]]'' and ''[[Japanese aircraft carrier Sōryū|Soryu]]'' .<ref name="Lundstrom-20052">{{Cite book |last=Lundstrom |first=John B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oYE4AAAAQBAJ&pg=PT59 |title=The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway |date=July 1, 2005 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=9781612511665 |via=Google Books}}</ref> After the raid, a 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-Namur|Roi]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island (All Hands Have Behaved Splendidly) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec4.htm |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>

On December 22, 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.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island (All Hands Have Behaved Splendidly) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec4.htm |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island (All Hands Have Behaved Splendidly) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec4.htm |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>

During this time, there was a US Naval force on the way that was going to resupply Wake on December 24, but it did not work as planned as the Japanese 2nd wave took the island on December 23 before this could take place.<ref name="Lundstrom-20052">{{Cite book |last=Lundstrom |first=John B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oYE4AAAAQBAJ&pg=PT59 |title=The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway |date=July 1, 2005 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=9781612511665 |via=Google Books}}</ref>  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.<ref name="Stars and Stripes2">{{Cite web |title=Search for closure, accurate account of Wake Island massacre continues |url=https://www.stripes.com/news/search-for-closure-accurate-account-of-wake-island-massacre-continues-1.166538 |access-date=2023-11-02 |website=Stars and Stripes |language=en}}</ref>

==Second assault (December 23)==
[[File:Wake Island situation 0900 23 Dec 1941.PNG|thumb|Diagram of battle lines at the conclusion of battle on Wake at the airfield]]
[[File:Wreckage Wildcat Wake Island.jpg|thumb|left|Wreckage of Wildcat 211-F-11, flown by [[Captain (United States)|Captain]] [[Henry T. Elrod]] on December 11 in the attack that sank the {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Kisaragi|1925|2}}.]]
[[File:Japanese patrol boats 32 and 33.jpg|thumb|left|Japanese ''Patrol Boat No.32'' (left) and ''Patrol Boat No.33'']]

The initial resistance offered by the garrison prompted the [[Imperial Japanese Navy|Japanese Navy]] to detach the [[Second Carrier Division]] ({{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Sōryū||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hiryū||2}}) along with its escorts 8th Cruiser Division ({{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Chikuma|1938|2}} and {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Tone|1937|2}}), and the 17th Destroyer Division ({{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Tanikaze|1940|2}} and {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Urakaze|1940|2}}), all fresh from the assault on Pearl Harbor; as well as 6th Cruiser Division ({{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Kinugasa||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Aoba||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Kako||2}}, and {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Furutaka||2}}), destroyer {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Oboro|1930|2}}, [[seaplane tender]] {{Ship|Japanese seaplane tender |Kiyokawa Maru||2}}, and transport/[[minelayer]] ''[[MV Tenyo Maru (1935)|Tenyo Maru]]'' from the [[Battle of Guam (1941)|invasion of Guam]]; and 29th Destroyer Division ({{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Asanagi||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Yūnagi|1924|2}}) from the [[Japanese occupation of the Gilbert Islands|invasion of the Gilbert Islands]], to support the assault.<ref name=Heinl>{{cite book|url=https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/Heinl_The%20Defense%20of%20Wake.pdf?ver=2019-02-12-085233-467|first=R. D.|last=Heinly Jr.|title=The Defense of Wake|publisher=Division of Public Information – United States Marine Corps}}</ref> 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 Island. 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, Commander 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, Major Devereux assumed that most of his strongpoints on Wake’s south shore had been overrun. Cunningham reluctantly issued orders to surrender, and Devereux bravely headed toward the sounds of the fighting to make sure they were obeyed."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/battle-of-wake-island-1941 | title=The Battle of Wake Island: Nation's Morale Lifted in 1941 | date=23 December 2020 }}</ref>
 
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 [[Chamorro people|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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/npswapa/extContent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec6.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512232731/http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/npswapa/extContent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec6.htm |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island|archive-date=May 12, 2014}}</ref>

In the aftermath of the battle, once the surrender was completed, most of the captured civilians and military personnel were sent to [[List of Japanese-run internment camps during World War II|POW camps]] in Asia. However, some were [[slave labor|enslaved]] by the Japanese and tasked with improving the island's defenses.<ref>{{cite web |title=Japanese execute nearly 100 American POWs on Wake Island |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japanese-execute-nearly-100-american-prisoners-on-wake-island#:~:text=On%20October%207%2C%201943%2C%20Rear,radio%20contact%20with%20U.S.%20forces. |website=History.com}}</ref>

Japanese losses were 144 casualties, 140 SNLF and Army casualties with another 4 aboard ships.{{sfn|Dull|2007|p=26}} At least 28 land-based and carrier aircraft were also either shot down or damaged.

[[Captain (United States)|Captain]] [[Henry T. Elrod]], one of the pilots from VMF-211, was awarded the [[Medal of Honor]] [[Posthumous recognition|posthumously]] for his actions on the island: he shot down two Japanese [[Mitsubishi G3M|G3M Nell]]s, sank the Japanese destroyer {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Kisaragi|1925|2}}, 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.

The only Marine to escape capture or death on Wake Island was [[Walter L. J. Bayler|Lieutenant Colonel Walter Bayler]] who departed on a [[United States Navy]] [[Consolidated PBY Catalina|PBY Catalina]] on 20 December. He was therefore able to provide an accurate recounting of the actual happenings on Wake Island to the press and people of America, while also providing photos and maps of the island. He was also published in a nationwide magazine about the attack. The only reason Bayler was able to leave Wake Island was because he was a radio technician, and thus his services and abilities were greatly needed elsewhere. Therefore, he left in the only plane that was available.<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|165422622}} |last1=Conville |first1=Martin |title=Full Story of Desperate Wake Island Battle Told |work=Los Angeles Times |date=23 May 1943 |page=C5 }}</ref>

==Surrender and aftermath==
[[File:Wake civilian contractors marching in captivity 1941.jpg|thumb|Wake POWs in 1941]]
After the American surrender of Wake 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 January 12, 1942, with 5 of those being executed en route. In late February, there was the first raid on Wake by the US which consisted of a shore bombardment, some air raids on the 23 and 24 of February, and a fight with Japanese patrol boats.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1942-44: U.S. Air Raids on Wake Island |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/explore/photography/wwii/wwii-pacific/us-entry-into-wwii-japanese-offensive/1941-december-11-attack-wake-island/1942-44-us-air-raids-wake-island.html |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=NHHC |language=en-US}}</ref> Between January and November, 45 POWs died from various causes. On May 10, 1942, one POW was executed. On May 11, 1942, 20 more POWs, including the last military POW, were shipped to China on the ''[[MV Asama Maru (1928)|Asama Maru]].'' In September 1942, 265 were shipped away, leaving 98 POWs on the island, who were executed in October 1943. Sakaibara arrived by aircraft to command Wake starting in December 1942.<ref name="usni.org2">{{Cite web |title=Massacre on Wake Island &#124; Naval History Magazine - February 2001 Vol. 15 Number 1 |date=February 2001 |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2001/february/massacre-wake-island}}</ref>

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 December 29, 1941. All 66 crew members were rescued, but the submarine had to be abandoned there.<ref name="combinedfleetRo602">{{cite web |last1=Hackett |first1=Bob |last2=Kingsepp |first2=Sander |year=2017 |title=Sensuikan: IJN Submarine RO-60: Tabular Record of Movement |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/RO-60.htm |access-date=16 October 2020 |work=combinedfleet.com}}</ref>

=== ''Nita Maru'' voyage ===
At the end of the battle on December 23, 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 ''[[Japanese aircraft carrier Chūyō|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.<ref name="usni.org2">{{Cite web |title=Massacre on Wake Island &#124; Naval History Magazine - February 2001 Vol. 15 Number 1 |date=February 2001 |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2001/february/massacre-wake-island}}</ref> 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 1230 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 1942, 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 1942, Saito carried out the execution of the Wake POWs.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sendzikas |first=Aldona |date=2012-02-01 |title=Review: ''Victory in Defeat: The Wake Island Defenders in Captivity'', by Gregory J. W. Urwin |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/phr.2012.81.1.138 |journal=Pacific Historical Review |volume=81 |issue=1 |pages=75–94 |doi=10.1525/phr.2012.81.1.138 |issn=0030-8684}}</ref>

The ''Nita Maru'' had been a Japanese military transport since February 1941. She made a few voyages, including one transferring roughly 1,200 American [[prisoners of war]] from [[Wake Island]] to Japan in January 1942. The ship departed on 12 January, arriving in [[Yokohama]] six days later. After unloading 20 men there, she departed for China. En route, the Japanese commander of the guard contingent, Lieutenant Toshio Sato, 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.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wensyel |first1=James W. |date=November 2001 |title=Wake Island Prisoners of World War II |url=http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-wake-island |journal=World War II Magazine |access-date=5 November 2015}}</ref>

Those POWs arrived in [[Shanghai]] and were transported by train to [[Wusong|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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Mary Jo |title=They defended Wake Island |url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/1982/12/19/they-defended-wake-island/62862789007/ |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=The Oklahoman |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== Additional events ====
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.<ref name="usni.org2">{{Cite web |title=Massacre on Wake Island &#124; Naval History Magazine - February 2001 Vol. 15 Number 1 |date=February 2001 |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2001/february/massacre-wake-island}}</ref> In addition, between January and November 1942, there were 45 deaths. This included some that were quite old, including a WW1 veteran.<ref name="usni.org2">{{Cite web |title=Massacre on Wake Island &#124; Naval History Magazine - February 2001 Vol. 15 Number 1 |date=February 2001 |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2001/february/massacre-wake-island}}</ref>

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 October 7, 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.<ref name="usni.org2">{{Cite web |title=Massacre on Wake Island &#124; Naval History Magazine - February 2001 Vol. 15 Number 1 |date=February 2001 |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2001/february/massacre-wake-island}}</ref> 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.<ref name="usni.org2">{{Cite web |title=Massacre on Wake Island &#124; Naval History Magazine - February 2001 Vol. 15 Number 1 |date=February 2001 |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2001/february/massacre-wake-island}}</ref> (For further information, see the [[#Japanese occupation|Japanese occupation]] section below.)

==USN relief plans and operations==
[[File:USS Tangier (AV-8) at anchor at Seeadler Harbor, in July 1944 (NH 50132).jpg|thumb|left|Relief plans centered on the USS Tangier bringing supplies and enable civilian evacuation;it was a survivor of Pearl Hearbor attack.]]
[[File:USS Saratoga CV-3 air group launch 1941.jpg|thumb|U.S. carrier ''Saratoga'' flight deck with Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless and F4F-3 Wildcats in the fall of 1941. Saratoga was en route to Wake when the island was captured]]
[[File:SCR-270-set-up.jpg|thumb|The relief mission was bringing a SCR-270 radar, that would have made it easier to detect air raids]]
Admiral [[Frank Jack Fletcher|Fletcher]]'s Task Force 14 (TF–14) was tasked with the relief of Wake Island while Admiral [[Wilson Brown (admiral)|Brown]]'s [[Task Force 11|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 [[William Halsey Jr.|Halsey]], centered around the {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|2}} was tasked with supporting the other two task forces as the Japanese [[Second Carrier Division|Second Carrier Division (第二航空戦隊)]] remained in the area of operations, presenting a significant risk.<ref name=Nasuti>{{Cite web|first=Guy |last= Nasuti|title=The Forsaken Defenders of Wake Island |website=[[Naval History and Heritage Command]]|date=December 2016 |url= https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/world-war-ii/1941/philippines/defenders-of-wake.html }}</ref>

TF–14 consisted of the fleet carrier {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3|2}}, the fleet [[Oiler (ship)|oiler]] {{USS|Neches|AO-5|2}}, the [[seaplane tender]] {{USS|Tangier|AV-8|2}} (in this case it was outfitted for transport of cargo and people not Seaplanes), three heavy cruisers ({{USS|Astoria|CA-34|2}}, {{USS|Minneapolis|CA-36|2}}, and {{USS|San Francisco|CA-38|2}}), and 8 destroyers ({{USS|Selfridge|DD-357|2}}, {{USS|Mugford|DD-389|2}}, {{USS|Jarvis|DD-393|2}}, {{USS|Patterson|DD-392|2}}, {{USS|Ralph Talbot|DD-390|2}}, {{USS|Henley|DD-391|2}}, {{USS|Blue|DD-387|2}}, and {{USS|Helm|DD-388|2}}).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R4wTAAAAYAAJ&q=selfridge&pg=PA143|first=Gerald E. |last=Wheeler|title=Kinkaid of the Seventh Fleet: A Biography of Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid, U.S. Navy|pages=143 |publisher=[[Naval Historical Center]]|year=1996|isbn=978-0945274261}}</ref> 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 (aviation)|squadron]] [[VMF-221]], equipped with [[Brewster F2A Buffalo|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 [[ammunition|rounds]], 12,000 {{convert|3|in|mm|adj=on}} rounds, and 3 million {{convert|.50|in|mm|1||adj=mid}} 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 [[Mortar (weapon)|mortars]] and other battalion small arms.

[[Task Force 11|TF–11]] consisted of the fleet carrier {{USS|Lexington|CV-2|2}}, the [[fleet oiler]] {{USS|Neosho|AO-23|2}}, three heavy cruisers ({{USS|Indianapolis|CA-35|2}}, {{USS|Chicago|CA-29|2}} and {{USS|Portland|CA-33|2}}), and the nine destroyers of [[Destroyer Squadron 1]] (squadron flagship {{USS|Phelps|DD-360|2}} along with {{USS|Dewey|DD-349|2}}, {{USS|Hull|DD-350|2}}, {{USS|MacDonough|DD-351|2}}, {{USS|Worden|DD-352|2}}, {{USS|Aylwin|DD-355|2}}, {{USS|Farragut|DD-348|2}}, {{USS|Dale|DD-353|2}}, and {{USS|Monaghan|DD-354|2}}).<ref name=Nasuti />

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 Satterlee Pye|William S. Pye]]—the Acting [[CINCPAC|Commander in Chief]] of the [[United States Pacific Fleet|U.S. Pacific Fleet]]—ordered TF&nbsp;14 to return to Pearl Harbor.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lundstrom|first1=John B.|title=The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway|date=1990|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=1-59114-471-X|edition=1st Naval Institute Press pbk.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oYE4AAAAQBAJ&pg=PT59|access-date=2 May 2018}}</ref>

''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 Rear Admiral [[Frank Jack Fletcher]]; VF-3 had been reinforced by two additional Wildcats picked up in Hawaii, but one SBD had been forced to [[Water landing|ditch]] on 11 December.<ref>Lundstrom 2005, pp. 26–27, 29–30, 35</ref> USS ''Saratoga'' rendezvoused with the [[seaplane tender]] {{USS|Tangier|AV-8|2}}, carrying reinforcements and supplies, and the slow [[replenishment oiler]] {{USS|Neches|AO-5|2}}. ''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 [[airstrike]]s, 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 Atoll|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.<ref>Lundstrom 2005, pp. 40–43, 47–48</ref>

Because it was early in WW2, many of the ships involved in the Battle for Wake did not survive through the war; on the Japanese side, only the Japanese seaplane tender ''Kiyokawa Maru'' and Ro-62 made it to the end of the war. Many of the US vessels played important roles in future battles such as the [[Battle of Coral Sea]], [[Battle of Midway]], and [[Guadalcanal campaign]].  The carrier ''Saratoga'', which would have supported the Wake relief mission, survived the whole war, as would the ''Tangier''. However, many ships were sunk, including the heavy cruiser ''Indianapolis'', which was torpedoed with most of the crew lost in 1945,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kratz |first=Jessie |date=2020-07-30 |title=The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis |url=https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2020/07/30/the-sinking-of-the-uss-indianapolis/ |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=Pieces of History |language=en-US}}</ref> the submarine ''Triton'' was sunk in 1943.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Triton (SS 201) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/u/united-states-submarine-losses/triton-ss-201.html |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=NHHC |language=en-US}}</ref> The F2A-3 Buffalos of VMF-221 would see action in the critical Battle of Midway in June 1942.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brewster's Buffalo (Naval History Magazine) |date=29 September 2007 |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2007/april/brewsters-buffalo}}</ref>

==Submarines actions==
There were two [[Tambor-class submarine|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. (See also [[Mark 14 torpedo]] )

The US Submarines were its new [[fleet submarine]]s, 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===
[[File:USS Triton (SS-201) H99279.jpg|thumb|USS Triton around 1940]]
Prior to and at the start of hostilities, the waters around Wake were patrolled by two USN submarines, the [[USS Triton (SS-201)|USS Triton]] and the [[USS Tambor]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island (Humbled by Sizeable Casualties) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec2.htm |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref> 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 WWII.<ref>{{Cite web |title=On Eternal Patrol - USS Triton (SS-201) |url=https://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-triton-201.htm |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=www.oneternalpatrol.com}}</ref>&nbsp;

Assigned to Submarine Division 62,<ref>Commanded by [[Forrest M. O'Leary]]. Blair, p.83.</ref> ''Triton'' made a training cruise to [[Midway Atoll|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 Island]] 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 [[Japan]]ese 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 {{convert|120|ft}} and fired four stern torpedoes—the first American torpedoes shot during [[World War II]]—on [[sonar]] bearings.<ref>For which squadron commander [[Captain (U.S. Navy)|Captain]] [[Allan Rockwell McCann|Al McCann]] was critical. Blair, pp.120-1.</ref> She heard a dull explosion 58 seconds later and believed one had hit the target, then went to {{convert|175|ft}} and cleared the area. (No sinking was recorded, and she was not credited with one.)<ref>Blair, pp.120 and 901.</ref> After their initial repulse on 11 December, the Japanese returned with two [[aircraft carrier]]s, [[Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryū|''Hiryū'']] and [[Japanese aircraft carrier Sōryū|''Sōryū'']]; ''Triton'' was not informed,<ref name="Blair, p.1232">Blair, p.123.</ref> and made no attacks on them. Neither did she make any effort to evacuate people from Wake.<ref name="Blair, p.1232">Blair, p.123.</ref> On 21 December, the submarine was ordered to return to [[Hawaii]], and she arrived back at Pearl Harbor on 31 December 1941.

The USS ''Tambor'' was on 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tambor (SS-198) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/tambor.html |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=NHHC |language=en-US}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island (Humbled by Sizeable Casualties) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec2.htm |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref> The submarine USS ''Tambor'' had to return to its home port in Hawaii in mid-December due to mechanical difficulties and did not have any combat engagements.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island (Still No Help) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec3.htm |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>

===Japanese submarine actions===
[[File:Japanese submarine tender Jingei.jpg|thumb|Japanese submarine tender ''Jingei'' with Ro-60 class subs. Jingei would rescue the crew of Ro-60 when the battle-damaged submarine ran aground heading back to base.]]
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]],<ref name=combinedfleetRo66/> which the Japanese planned to invade on 8 December 1941, the first day of the war on Wake Island's side of the International Date Line. The Battle of Wake Island began on 8 December 1941, with ''Ro-65'', ''Ro-66'', and ''Ro-67'' patrolling in the area supporting Japanese forces attempting to seize the [[atoll]].<ref name=combinedfleetRo66/> [[United States Marine Corps]] forces defending Wake drove back the initial Japanese assault December 11.<ref name=combinedfleetRo66/>

While the Japanese gathered reinforcements for a second and larger invasion of the island, Submarine Squadron 7 sent orders to all three submarines of Submarine Division 27 on 12 December 1941 directing them to return to Kwajalein.<ref name=combinedfleetRo66/> 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.<ref name=combinedfleetRo66/> Consequently, she continued to patrol off Wake Island<ref name=combinedfleetRo66/> as the submarines of Submarine Division 26 — {{ship|Japanese submarine|Ro-60||2}}, {{ship|Japanese submarine|Ro-61||2}},and {{ship|Japanese submarine|Ro-62||2}} — arrived in the area to relieve the departing submarines.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/RO-60.htm|title=Sensuikan: IJN Submarine RO-60: Tabular Record of Movement|first1=Bob |last1=Hackett |first2=Sander |last2=Kingsepp |work=combinedfleet.com |year=2017 |access-date=17 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/RO-61.htm|title=Sensuikan: IJN Submarine RO-61: Tabular Record of Movement|first1=Bob |last1=Hackett |first2=Sander |last2=Kingsepp |work=combinedfleet.com |year=2017 |access-date=17 October 2020}}</ref><ref name=combinedfleetRo62>{{cite web |url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/RO-62.htm|title=Sensuikan: IJN Submarine RO-62: Tabular Record of Movement|first1=Bob |last1=Hackett |first2=Sander |last2=Kingsepp |work=combinedfleet.com |year=2017 |access-date=17 October 2020}}</ref>

''Ro-66'' was on the surface {{convert|25|nmi}} southwest of Wake Island — bearing 252 degrees from the atoll — to recharge her [[Electric battery|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.<ref name=ijnsubsiteRo66>{{cite web |url= http://www.ijnsubsite.info/RO-Sub%20Details/RO-66.htm |title=RO-66 |work=iijnsubsite.info |year=2016|access-date=21 October 2020}}</ref><ref name=combinedfleetRo66>{{cite web |url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/RO-66.htm|title=Sensuikan: IJN Submarine RO-66: Tabular Record of Movement|first1=Bob |last1=Hackett |first2=Sander |last2=Kingsepp |work=combinedfleet.com |year=2017 |access-date=21 October 2020}}</ref><ref name=combinedfleetRo62/> 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]].<ref name=combinedfleetRo66/><ref name=combinedfleetRo62/> ''Ro-66'' sank at {{coord|19|10|N|166|28|E|name=''Ro-66''}}<ref name=ijnsubsiteRo66/> with the loss of 63 lives, including that of the commander of Submarine Division 27.<ref name=ijnsubsiteRo66/><ref name=combinedfleetRo66/><ref name=combinedfleetRo62/> ''Ro-62'' rescued her three survivors, who had been thrown overboard from her [[Bridge (nautical)|bridge]] by the collision.<ref name=ijnsubsiteRo66/><ref name=combinedfleetRo66/><ref name=combinedfleetRo62/>

''Ro-60'' was with the other submarines of Submarine Division 26 — {{ship|Japanese submarine|Ro-61||2}} and {{ship|Japanese submarine|Ro-62||2}} — at Kwajalein when Japan entered [[World War II]] on 8 December 1941, [[UTC+12:00|Kwajalein time]].<ref name=combinedfleetRo60/> 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]].<ref name=combinedfleetRo60/> 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;<ref name=combinedfleetRo60/><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/RO-61.htm|title=Sensuikan: IJN Submarine RO-61: Tabular Record of Movement|first1=Bob |last1=Hackett |first2=Sander |last2=Kingsepp |work=combinedfleet.com |year=2017 |access-date=16 October 2020}}</ref> ''Ro-62'' followed on 14 December 1941.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/RO-62.htm|title=Sensuikan: IJN Submarine RO-62: Tabular Record of Movement|first1=Bob |last1=Hackett |first2=Sander |last2=Kingsepp |work=combinedfleet.com |year=2017 |access-date=16 October 2020}}</ref>

''Ro-60'' was on the surface {{convert|25|nmi}} southwest of Wake at around 16:00 local time on 21 December 1941 when a U.S. Marine Corps [[Grumman F4F Wildcat|F4F Wildcat]] [[Fighter aircraft|fighter]] of [[VMF-211|Marine Fighter Squadron 211 (VMF-211)]] attacked her, [[strafing]] her and dropping two {{convert|100|lb|kg|adj=on|1}} bombs.<ref name=combinedfleetRo60/> ''Ro-60'' crash-dived, but the attack damaged her [[periscope]]s and several of her diving tanks.<ref name=combinedfleetRo60/> After she resurfaced that night and her crew inspected her damage, her [[commanding officer]] decided that she no longer could dive safely.<ref name=combinedfleetRo60/> The Battle of Wake Island ended as Wake Island fell to the Japanese on 23 December 1941, and that day ''Ro-60'' and ''Ro-62'' received orders to return to Kwajalein.<ref name=combinedfleetRo60/> As ''Ro-60'' was approaching [[Kwajalein Atoll]] in bad weather in the predawn darkness of &nbsp;29 December 1941, ''Ro-60'' went off course and ran hard aground on a [[reef]] north of the atoll at 02:00 at {{coord|09|00|N|167|30|E|name=''Ro-60''}}, damaging her [[pressure hull]] and &nbsp;splitting her [[Port and starboard|starboard]] diving tanks open.<ref name=combinedfleetRo60/> At about 13:00, the commander of Submarine Squadron 7 arrived on the scene from Kwajalein aboard his [[flagship]], the [[submarine tender]] {{ship|Japanese submarine tender|Jingei||2}}, to supervise rescue and [[Marine salvage|salvage]] operations personally.<ref name=combinedfleetRo60/> 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.<ref name=combinedfleetRo60/> ''Jingei'' rescued all 66 members of the crew of Ro-60.<ref name=ijnsubsiteRo60>{{cite web |url= http://www.ijnsubsite.info/RO-Sub%20Details/RO-60.htm |title=RO-60 ex No-59 |work=iijnsubsite.info |year=2016|access-date=16 October 2020}}</ref><ref name=combinedfleetRo60>{{cite web |url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/RO-60.htm|title=Sensuikan: IJN Submarine RO-60: Tabular Record of Movement|first1=Bob |last1=Hackett |first2=Sander |last2=Kingsepp |work=combinedfleet.com |year=2017 |access-date=16 October 2020}}</ref>

==Japanese occupation==
[[File:Wake Island attacked NAN12-1-43.jpg|thumb|Attack by ''Yorktown'' planes in October 1943|left]]
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 {{convert|8|in|mm|adj=on}} naval guns, which are often incorrectly<ref name="csu">{{cite web|url=http://marshall.csu.edu.au/Marshalls/html/Sapuk/Sapuk.html|title=Dirk H.R. Spennemann, 8-inch Coastal Defense Guns|date=9 October 2005 |publisher=marshall.csu.edu.au|access-date=2014-09-13}}</ref> 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|CV-6|2}} 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 Liberator]]s led by Lieutenant Jesse Stay of the 42nd Squadron (11th Bombardment Group) of the [[U.S. Army Air Forces]], in transit from [[Midway Atoll|Midway Island]], struck the Japanese garrison on Wake Island. At least two men from that raid were awarded [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]es for their efforts.<ref>Scearce, Phil; "Finish Forty and Home", pp. 113–114.</ref> 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''.
[[File:Wake Jun 15 031 (19096643511).jpg|thumb|Detail of aircraft revetments built by POWs]]
The Japanese used the POWs to build over 200 coral and concrete bunkers, pillboxes, revetments, and other fortifications such as coral revetments for aircraft.<ref name="usni.org" />

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 7 B-24s made it Wake to be intercepted by 22 Zero's, with allies losing 1 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 fateful October 1943 raids. In 1944, Wake was bombed by [[Consolidated PB2Y Coronado|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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=PacificWrecks.com |title=Pacific Wrecks |url=http://pacificwrecks.com/ |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=pacificwrecks.com |language=en}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=War in the Pacific NHP: War in Paradise |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/wapa/paradise/paradise4.htm |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref> In addition, they had bases to the south in the Marshall Islands and also west of Wake in Micronesia.<ref name=":2" /> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Honolulu |first1=Mailing Address: National Park Service Pearl Harbor National Memorial 1 Arizona Memorial Place |last2=Us |first2=HI 96818 Phone: 808 422-3399 Contact |title=Pacific Battles - Pearl Harbor National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/valr/learn/historyculture/pacific-battles.htm |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}}</ref> 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 [[Minamitorishima|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Escort Carrier Photo Index: USS MARCUS ISLAND (CVE-77) |url=https://www.navsource.org/archives/03/077.htm |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=www.navsource.org}}</ref> 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.<ref name="combinedfleetHa1042">{{cite web |last1=Hackett |first1=Bob |last2=Kingsepp |first2=Sander |year=2015 |title=IJN Submarine HA-104: Tabular Record of Movement |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/HA-104.htm |access-date=8 October 2020 |work=combinedfleet.com}}</ref> (see also [[Japanese submarine Ha-104|Japanese submarine ''Ha-104'']]'')''  [[File:TakasagoMaru-1945.jpg|thumb|''Takasago Maru'' as a [[hospital ship]] in 1945. This was allowed to evacuate nearly a thousand people from Wake in June. ]]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.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Olson |first1=Storrs L. |last2=Rauzon |first2=Mark J. |date=December 2011 |title=The Extinct Wake Island Rail Gallirallus wakensis: A Comprehensive Species Account Based on Museum Specimens and Archival Records |url=https://bioone.org/journals/the-wilson-journal-of-ornithology/volume-123/issue-4/11-029.1/The-Extinct-Wake-Island-Rail-Gallirallus-wakensis--A-Comprehensive/10.1676/11-029.1.full |journal=The Wilson Journal of Ornithology |volume=123 |issue=4 |pages=663–689 |doi=10.1676/11-029.1 |issn=1559-4491 |s2cid=83517404}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":2" />
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 (DD-576)|USS ''Murray'' (DD-576)]] and on the way back from Wake it was stopped by USS ''McDermut II'' (DD-677) to confirm it was carrying the patients.<ref name="www.combinedfleet.com">{{Cite web |title=Japanese Hospital Ships |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/Takasago_t.htm |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=www.combinedfleet.com}}</ref> The condition was recorded first hand by the ''McDermut II'', which reported that about 15% troops that were evacuated by the Japanese were extremely sick.<ref name="Psywarrior.com">{{cite web |title=Return to Wake Island |url=http://www.psywarrior.com/WakeIsland.html#:~:text=The%20Japanese%20garrison%20withered%20on,killed%20in%20American%20air%20attacks. |website=Psywarrior.com}}</ref>
The occupation is believed to have resulted in the extinction of a small flightless bird unique to the atoll, the [[Wake Island Rail]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Platt |first=John R. |title=Memorializing the Wake Island Rail: An Extinction Caused by War |url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/memorial-day-extinction/ |access-date=2023-11-04 |website=Scientific American Blog Network |language=en}}</ref>

===War crimes===
{{see also | Japanese war crimes}}[[File:98 rock, Wake Island.jpg|thumb|right|The 98 rock]]On 5 October 1943, American naval aircraft from {{USS|Lexington|CV-16|2}} raided Wake. Two days later, Japanese Naval Captain [[Shigematsu 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Padden |first=Kathy Copeland |date=2021-05-29 |title=Wake Island War Crimes |url=https://historyofyesterday.com/wake-island-war-crimes-9ebb8428b51b |access-date=2022-07-12 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-98-rock|title=The 98 Rock|website=Atlas Obscura|language=en|access-date=2019-01-16}}</ref>
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 September 2, 1945.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manhattan Project: Japan Surrenders, August 10-15, 1945 |url=https://www.osti.gov/opennet/manhattan-project-history/Events/1945/surrender.htm |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=www.osti.gov}}</ref>
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 {{USS|Levy|DE-162|2}}.<ref name="Moran2011">{{cite book|author=Jim Moran|title=Wake Island 1941: A battle to make the gods weep|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AaO6CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA92|year=2011|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-84908-604-2|pages=84, 92}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yorktownsailor.com/yorktown/massacre.html |title=Massacre on Wake Island |author=Maj. Mark E. Hubbs, U.S. Army Reserve (Retired) |access-date=February 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214141205/http://www.yorktownsailor.com/yorktown/massacre.html |archive-date=February 14, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Several Japanese officers in American custody committed suicide over the incident, leaving written statements that incriminated Sakaibara.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sakaibara-Shigematsu|title=Sakaibara Shigematsu {{!}} Japanese military officer|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2019-01-16}}</ref> 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 June 19, 1947, while Tachibana's sentence was commuted to life in prison.<ref>{{cite web|author=Headsman |url=http://www.executedtoday.com/2009/06/18/1947-shigematsu-sakaibara-wake-island-massacre/ |title=1947: Shigematsu Sakaibara, "I obey with pleasure" |publisher=ExecutedToday.com |date=2009-06-18 }}</ref> The remains of the murdered civilians were [[Exhumation|exhumed]] and reburied at Section G of the [[National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific]], commonly known as [[Punchbowl Crater]], on Honolulu.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/nmcp.asp|title=National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific |last=Administration|first=National Cemetery|website=www.cem.va.gov|language=en|access-date=2019-01-16}}</ref>

==Order of battle==
[[File:USMC-17673.jpg|thumb|A memorial to the Wake Island defenders stands near the command post of Major Devereux]]

===American forces===
* [[CinCPac]]
** Commandant, 14th Naval District
*** Island Commander, Wake. Cmdr. [[Winfield S. Cunningham]], USN
<br />
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="font-size: 85%; border: gray solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse; text-align: center;"
|- style="background: #ececec;"
! colspan="14" style="background: #f9f9f9; text-align: center;" | &nbsp;&nbsp; [[1st Marine Defense Battalion]] Detachment, Wake – Major [[James P.S. Devreaux]]
|-
! Unit
! Commander
! Remarks
|-
|5-inch Artillery Group
|Maj. George H. Potter
| Batteries A, B and L
|-
|3-inch Artillery Group
|Capt. Bryght D. Godbold
| Batteries D, E and F
|-

|
|
|-
|[[VMF-211]] (Marine Corps Fighter Squadron)
|Maj. [[Paul A. Putnam]]
|Equipped with 12 [[Grumman F4F Wildcat|Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat]] fighters
|-

|}
[[File:Vma211 insig.jpg|125px|right|thumb|VMA-211 Insignia after the war includes map of Wake island.]]

==Historic landmarks==
The battle left the island filled with WW2 bunkers and landmarks.
<gallery>
File:Wake Atoll National Historic Landmark.jpg|A rusted shore battery
File:Wake Atoll National Historic Landmark Aircraft Revetments built by American POWs in 1943.jpg|Revetments for aircraft built by POWs
File:Wake Atoll National Historic Landmark Japanese Naval Command Post.jpg|WW2 Bunker
USMC-17678.jpg|WW2 bunker on Wake overlooking a beach
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Wake Island (film)]], a 1942 film about this battle, that was started before the battle was over. It was filmed in the USA and not Wake.
*[[Shelling of Johnston and Palmyra]] (another December 1941 attack on nearby US Pacific islands)
*[[First Bombardment of Midway]] (December 7, 1941 attacks on nearby US Midway island base)
*[[Battle of Guam (1941)]] (Japanese invasion of US held Guam 8–10 December 1941)

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
* {{cite book|last=Dull|first=Paul|title = A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941–1945|date = 2007| publisher =Naval Institute Press| isbn = 978-1591142195}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | last = Burton | title = Fortnight of Infamy: The Collapse of Allied Airpower West of Pearl Harbor | year = 2006| publisher = US Naval Institute Press | isbn = 1-59114-096-X}}
* {{cite book |last=Cressman |first=Robert J. |title=A Magnificent Fight: The Battle for Wake Island |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=2005 |isbn=1-55750-140-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/magnificentfight00cres }}
* {{cite book |last=Cunningham |first=Chet |title=Hell Wouldn't Stop: An Oral History of the Battle of Wake Island |publisher=Carroll & Graf |year=2002 |isbn=0-7867-1096-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/hellwouldntstopo0000cunn }}
* {{cite report |last=Cunningham |first=Winfield S. |author-link= |date=1948 |title=Narrative of Captain W.S. Cunningham, U.S. Navy Relative to Events on Wake Island in December 1941 And Subsequent Related Events |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/library/online-reading-room/war-and-conflict/wwii/WakeIsland/w-s-cunningham-%20wake-island.pdf |publisher=United States Navy |docket=C973}}
* {{cite book|last1=Dennis|first1=Jim Moran|title=Wake Island 1941: a battle to make the gods weep|date=2011|publisher=Osprey Pub.|location=Oxford|isbn=978-1-84908-603-5|series=Osprey Campaign Series|volume=144|others=Illustrated by Peter Dennis}}
* {{cite book|last1=Devereux|first1=Colonel James P.S.|author-link1=James Devereux|title=The story of Wake Island|date=1997|publisher=Battery Press|location=Nashville|isbn=0-89839-264-0|orig-date=1947}}
* {{cite book|last1=Sloan|first1=Bill|title=Given up for dead: America's heroic stand at Wake Island|date=2003|publisher=Bantam Books|location=New York|isbn=0-553-80302-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/givenupfordeadam0000sloa}}
* {{cite book |last=Toll |first=Ian W. |author-link=Ian W. Toll |title=[[Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941–1942]] |location=New York |publisher=W. W. Norton |date=2011}}
* {{cite book|title= Facing Fearful Odds: The Siege of Wake Island |author=Uwrin, Gregory J.W. | publisher=University of Nebraska Press |year=1997 |isbn= 0-8032-9562-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Wukovits |first=John |title=Pacific Alamo: The Battle for Wake Island |publisher=NAL Trade |year=2003 |isbn=0-451-20873-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/pacificalamo00john }}
* Urwin, Gregory (2010) ''Victory in Defeat: The Wake Island Defenders in Captivity, 1941-1945'' . Naval Institute Press. <nowiki>ISBN 1612510043</nowiki>, 9781612510040

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|En-Battle Of Wake Island-article.ogg|date=2016-06-19}}
{{Commons category|Battle of Wake Island}}
* [https://www.worldwar2facts.org/battle-of-wake-island.html WW2 Facts - Battle of Wake Island Facts]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-Wake.html The Defense of Wake]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-C-Wake.html A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island]
* [http://www.historynet.com/wake-island-prisoners-of-world-war-ii.htm Historynet.com Wake Island POW Account] (Article limited)
* [http://rims.k12.ca.us/pow/index.html Wake Island Civilian POW Account]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080512004419/http://www.aiipowmia.com/inter22/in040202ww2bk.html Wake Island Civilian POW Account] (Web archive link)
* [http://www.executedtoday.com/2008/10/07/1943-98-american-civilian-contractors-wake-island-sakaibara/ Executed Today on the executed Civilians] (Web archive link)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080214141205/http://www.yorktownsailor.com/yorktown/massacre.html Massacre on wake Island] (Web archive link)
*[https://bonitagilbert.com/wake-rosters/ Wake island Roster Bonita Gilbert website]
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q1581633|id=tt0035530|title=Wake Island (1942)}}
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q123785381|id=tt0372021|title=Wake Island: Alamo of the Pacific (2003)}}
* {{cite web| last = Spennemann| first = Dirk H.R.| author-link = Dirk HR Spennemann| year = 2000–2005| url = http://marshall.csu.edu.au/Marshalls/html/Wake_WWII/Wake_WWII-Text.html| title = To Hell and Back: Wake During and After World War II| work = Digital Micronesia| publisher = Charles Sturt University| access-date = 2007-01-23}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryxXN-0SHmw Youtube Summary of the Battle for Wake Island]
{{Dec41attacks}}
{{Wake}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wake Island}}
[[Category:Battle of Wake Island| ]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1941]]
[[Category:History of Wake Island|Battle of Wake Island]]
[[Category:South Seas Mandate in World War II|Battle of Wake Island]]
[[Category:World War II operations and battles of the Pacific theatre]]
[[Category:Amphibious operations of World War II]]
[[Category:Battles of World War II involving Japan]]
[[Category:Battles of World War II involving the United States]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps in World War II]]
[[Category:December 1941 events in Oceania]]
[[Category:Last stands|Wake Island]]
[[Category:Attacks on hospitals during World War II]]