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Flight Lieutenant HSPB KuragamuwaNo 40 JC & SC
BATTLE
OF
WAKE ISLAND
CONTENTS
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• Aim
• Location
• Background of wake island
• Military Importance
• Military Garrison
• Key Characters
• First attack
CONTENTS
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• First invasion attempt
• Second invasion attempt
• Battle damage
• Aftermath
• War crimes
• Retrospect
• Conclusion
AIM
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Educate the audience about the Battle of Wake
Island and analyze the consequence.
• Northern Pacific Ocean
• 2004 Nm from Hawaii.
• 1029 Nm from Midway.
• 1723 Nm from Tokyo.
LOCATION
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Wake Island
New Guinea
Japan
Hawaii
CHARACTERISTICS
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V-Shaped atoll
2.85 sq. miles
Composed of three islands: Wake
Peale
Wilkes
12 miles of defendable
coastline 21 miles of total coastline
Wilkes
Peale
Wake
• “Alvaro de Medina” - first to discover in 1586.
• Rediscovered by the English sailor “Samuel Wake” in
1796.
• America took official possession in 1899.
BACKGROUND
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Alvaro de Medina
• In 1935 Pan American airways started a refueling point
for Trans-Pacific air service.
• They built a hotel and pier for sea planes.
BACKGROUND
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• A strategic advantage for both the United States andthe Japanese.
• If war broke out between Japan and the United States,Wake could;
• Provide for a defensive outpost.
• Enable long range reconnaissance deep into enemy
territory.
• Enable the disruption of shipping.
• Serve as staging ground for offensive operations.
• Be utilized as an emergency air station.
MILITARY IMPORTANCE
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• August 1941, Marine and civilian workers began to
construct barracks, defensive fortifications, and an
airfield.
• All construction was conducted under the highest priority.
MILITARY GARRISON
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• Wake Island was soon transformed from a desolate
expanse to a formidable military garrison.
• 15 officers and 444 enlisted men.
• Four 3-inch antiaircraft batteries.
• Three 5-inch seacoast batteries.
• Appropriate automatic weapons.
• One SCR-268 fire-control radar, and one SCR-270B search
radar.
• 12 new F4F-3 (Grumman Wildcat) fighters.
• The 1st Marine Defense Battalion and VMF-211 were
assigned to the defense of Wake.
MILITARY GARRISON
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MILITARY GARRISON
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Fortifications
Commander Winfield S. Cunningham
• Officer in Charge, Naval Activities
Wake Island.
• Assumed command of Wake Island
on November 28, 1941
• Received the Navy Cross for his
leadership during the defense of
Wake.
KEY CHARACTERS
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The Defenders
Major James Devereux
• Commanding Officer of the 1st
Defense Battalion.
• Received the Navy Cross for
his leadership during the
defense of Wake Island.
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KEY CHARACTERSThe Defenders
Major Paul A. Putnam
• Commanding Officer of Marine
Fighting Squadron 211
• A "model of strong nerves and the
will to fight"
• Received the Navy Cross for his
heroism during the defense of
Wake Island.
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KEY CHARACTERSThe Defenders
Rear Admiral Sadamichi Kajioka
Commander, Wake Island Invasion
Force.
2,500 soldiers of the Imperial Special
Landing Force (both landing attempts).
3 light cruisers.
6 destroyers.
2 patrol boats.
2 transports.
2 carriers (second landing attempt).6/3/2014 16
KEY CHARACTERSThe Attacker
At 0650hrs on 08 December 1941 - a “call to arms”
alerting that Pearl Harbor was under attack.
Approximately 1200hrs, the first Japanese air attack
began.
36 Japanese long-range bombers.
Eight out of the twelve Marine fighters were destroyed.
One out of Four damaged on landing.
the airstrip was severely damaged.
Pan Air facility was destroyed.
VMF-211 had sustained nearly sixty percent causalities.
Weather made early detection impossible for marines.
FIRST AIR ATTACK
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Air attacks continued for three days.
The defenders tackled Japanese tactics and employed
their defense accordingly.
Resulted in limited Japanese successes and shot downs.
Civilians willingly supported to defend.
FIRST AIR ATTACK
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0300hrs on 11 December 1941.
Wake Island Invasion Force.
Flagship - Yubari.
Three light cruisers - Yubari, Tatsuta, Tenryu
Six destroyers - Oite, Hayate, Mutsuki, Kisaragi, Mochizuki, Yayoi
Two patrol boats - No. 32 , 33
Two transports - Kongo Maru ,Konryu Maru
450 men of the Special Naval Landing Force 5
FIRST INVASION ATTEMPT
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FIRST INVASION ATTEMPT
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• Commander Cunningham ordered to hold fire until ships come
well within the range.
• 0500 hrs - Japanese started firing.
• 0515 hrs - 4 aircrafts took off to RV ( 12000 ft over Toki point).
• 0615 hrs - firing orders for defenders.
• Flagship “Yubari” got two hits .
• 0652 hrs - destroyer “Hayate” got hit
and sunk within 2 minutes with 185
crew.
FIRST INVASION ATTEMPT
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• 0700 hrs - Admiral Kajioka ordered a withdrawal.
• Wildcats came in to play.
• Heavy attack on retreating task force.
• 10 shuttles carried out.
• Destroyer “Kisaragi” was sunk and other ships were
damaged by air attacks.
• Marines remained only with 2 aircraft.
THE FIRST JAPANENESE DEFEAT IN
WORLD WAR II!
SECOND INVASION ATTEMPT
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• Japanese continued to bomb after defeat.
• Requested reinforcement from Pearl Harbor.
• 16 December Task Force 14 commenced sailing to Wake under
the orders of Admiral Kimmel.
• Carrier “Saratoga” commanded by Admiral Fletcher.
• Three heavy cruisers.
• Nine destroyers.
• Seaplane tender.
• Fleet oiler.
• Members of the marine corps fighter squadron 221 with 18 “Brewster
Buffalo” planes.
D day at Wake1030 hrs on
23 December
SECOND INVASION ATTEMPT
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• Rear Admiral Kajioka re-organized for second assault.
• 2 aircraft carriers along with their escorts.
• 6 heavy cruisers.
• 6 destroyers.
• 3 light cruisers.
• 2 patrol boats.
• 2 transporters.
• 1,500 soldiers of the Imperial Special Landing Force.
SECOND INVASION ATTEMPT
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• 21 December carrier based aircraft started assaulting.
• Marines Lost 2 remained aircrafts.
• 22 December mid night – Japanese arrived off Wake.
• Task Force 14 was 425 miles away from Wake.
• Around 0200 hrs Japanese started landing.
• 0700 hrs on 23 December Commander Cunningham took
decision to surrender.
• 1500 Japanese marines battled some 300-400 Americans for 12
hours until their inevitable surrender.
US MARINES
• 58 Marines.
• 11 Sailors.
• An undetermined number of
civilians.
• Twelve aircraft.
• Three 5-inch coastal guns.
• Six 3-inch anti-aircraft guns.
JAPANESE IMPERIAL NAVY
• Over 1,000 soldiers.
• Four warships sunk.
• Eight more ships damaged.
• Twenty-one aircraft.
BATTLE DAMAGE
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AFTERMATH
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• Total of 1,537 Marines, Navy, Army, and civilian personnel were
taken as POW.
• 98 civilians were kept at Wake for construction.
• Rest were sent to POW camps in China.
• US never attempted to recapture Wake but bombed on and off.
• US re-took a possession as Japanese surrendered in 1945.
• Aircraft from the USS Yorktown raided Wake on October 5, 1943.
• Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara ordered the execution of the
98 remaining laborers.
• One prisoner escaped the massacre and carved the message
“98 US PW 5-10-43” on a rock before being killed.
• After the war, Sakaibara and his subordinates were sentenced to
hang for this massacre.
WAR CRIMES
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RETROSPECT
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Japanese side
• Underestimated the enemy – got first defeat in WW II.
• They had to capture it however,
• Strategic importance.
• To save face.
• Finally made the strategic interest of the country
• With heavy losses.
• Learned that US is not easy to defeat.
RETROSPECT
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US side
• Showed the courage, determination and heroism.
• Moral booster for Americans after Pearl Harbor attack.
• Poor intelligence.
• Showed the cost of timely decision and leadership.
• Tactical victory Vs. strategic loss –Wake or Carriers.
• Dip in moral of both US Citizens and military.
CONCLUSION
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• Japanese took the possession of strategic interest.
• Heavy losses.
• First defeat.
• Americans declared tactical defeat over strategic victory.
• Had enough time to prepare long and costly war.
• It would be both tactical and strategic victory.
• Betrayed own troops for strategic interest ?
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BATTLE OF
WAKE ISLAND
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Flight Lieutenant HSPB KuragamuwaNo 40 JC & SC
