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WAR IN THE PACIFIC

Wake Island, US Navy presence in the Pacific Theater, The invasion of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Iwo Jima

WAKE ISLAND

#Much has been written about the Marine Corps in various Central Pacific actions. There were some desperate actions in which both officers and enlisted Marines performed what appears to have been superhuman feats. The first of these confrontations with the Japanese occurred at Wake Island.

The initial Japanese invasion force consisted of three cruisers, six destroyers, and four transports with 450 special navy troops, commanded by Radm Sadamichi Kajioka.

Four hundred and forty nine Marines, under Major James Devereux held the formidable task of protecting the island. The most important weapons Devereux had was three 5-inch gun batteries.

At daybreak on 11 Dec 1941 Kajioka's force was about four miles off Wake Island following a northerly course when it turned for a run parallel to the south shore of the island and shelled the installation for 45 minutes. Major Devereux's plan was to draw the Japanese fleet in closer to be in range for his 5-inch gun batteries. "Don't fire until you can see the whites of their eyes" Major Devereux was quoted as saying moments before the cruiser Yubari was hit by two direct hits near the waterline by battery A at Peacock Point at a range of 5500 yds. The damage forced the cruiser to retire. At about the same time the destroyer Hayate closed to within 4000 yards. It was caught broadside by a salvo from the two guns of battery L and blew up.

Major Paul Pitman, commander of air detachment VMF-211, sent his four remaining F4F wildcat fighters after the retreating task force. They scored hits on the two light cruisers, Tenyru and Tatsuta. The most devastating blow was delivered by Captain Elrod, whose 100-pound bomb landed on extra depth charges being carried by the destroyer Kisaragi. The entire crew was lost when the destroyer blew up. Kajioka lost two destroyers and 700 Japanese were killed by gunfire or drowned.

The second landing attempt on 23 Dec brought heavy cruisers, more destroyers, and most importantly, two carriers. Also the task force carried 2000 special landing force troops-the Japanese Marines.

Although Japanese forces were eventually able to secure the island it wasn't without heavy losses. Japanese lost more than 1500 dead in the two landings on Wake. American losses mounted to 49 Marines, 3 sailors, and 70 civilians killed in action. Four hundred and seventy officers and enlisted men surrendered on 23 Dec 1941.