History of Marine Corps Aviation

Wake Island

Wake is a tiny atoll some 2,000 miles west of Honolulu. It was first claimed for the United States in 1898, but was largely neglected until jurisdiction over the island was passed to the Navy Department in 1934. In 1935, Pan American Airways chose Wake as a stop on its clipper route to the Orient. Prewar Pacific Fleet planning included Wake Island, but work was not begun on a projected seaplane base at the island - to support long-range reconnaissance of the mid-Pacific areas containing the Japanese-mandated island - until early 1941. The first military force to arrive on Wake was the advance detail of the First Marine Defense Battalion on August 19, 1941.

Major Paul Putnam and his 12 F4F-3s aboard Enterprise departed the ship on December 4, for the relatively unfinished strip. They found the strip long enough for operations, but too narrow for any but single-plane takeoffs, inadequate with respect to taxiing surfaces, and without any revetments for the parking and dispersing of aircraft. VMF-211 had recently received its new F4Fs and barely had time to become familiar with them. There was no radar on the island and the only fueling equipment for the aircraft was by hand pump from 55-gallon gasoline drums. Maintenance shelters for the mechanics on the line were practically nonexistent, as were any storage facilities for tools, maintenance gear and the few spare parts the squadron could bring with it. In addition, there were only two mechanics, and a preponderance of ordnancemen, in the advance party of the squadron which had arrived by ship November 29.

December 8 - First Attack

First word of the attack on Pearl Harbor was received early in the morning of December 8. Maj. Putnam was already airborne, on patrol with four F4Fs. When he landed and heard of the attack, a second patrol of four was launched. While they were north of the island at 12,000 feet, the first attack came undetected from the south through a rain squall at 1,500 feet - 36 twin-engine bombers. The bombing and strafing attack was devastating, leaving the squadron with only the four planes airborne and inflicting a casualty count of 20 killed and 11 wounded. The major supply of aviation gasoline was destroyed, as were the tools, the few spare parts and the maintenance manuals for the new planes. All that was left were the four F4Fs and the salvageable parts from the wrecked remains of the rest.

At 1145 on the 9th, the second raid hit but this time there was fighter opposition to flame one bomber, and antiaircraft (AA) fire to get another. However, the damage was again severe. When the enemy came again on the 10th, Captain Elrod got two bombers, but the flight of 26 Japanese planes hit a supply of dynamite and set off all the three-inch and five- inch ready ammunition at one AA battery and one seacoast battery nearby.

Early on December 11, a Japanese task force arrived off the southern tip of the island and prepared to land. Shore batteries, in a 45-minute action, scored many hits and sank one destroyer (the first Japanese surface warship to be sunk by U.S. naval forces in WW II). The Japanese force abandoned the landing attempt and withdrew. Airborne during the action were Maj. Putnam and Capts. Elrod, Freuler and Tharin. As the force retreated, they went to work with 100- pound bombs and repeated strafing runs, scoring bomb hits on two light cruisers and a medium transport. The strafing caused one destroyer to blow up about 20 miles offshore. The ship's AA fire cut Elrod's main fuel line and his plane was wrecked as he made a beach landing just short of the air strip. Freuler's engine was badly shot up as well.

Less than four hours after the landing attempt was thwarted, 30 bombers were again over the island. Lieutenants Kinney and Davidson hit them, with Davidson getting two, Kinney damaging another, and AA knocking down one and damaging three more. On the 12th, an early raid by flying boats was met by Capt. Tharin, who shot down one of the two four-engined aircraft. There was no further raid until the 14th, when the early seaplane raid was repeated, followed by the return of the 30 bombers from Roi at 1100. The raid killed two Marines and wounded a third, and also made a direct bomb hit on one of the two remaining fighters.

The make-shift engineering section continued its heroic efforts, trading from plane to plane and salvaging from wrecks so that, by December 17, there were still two serviceable F4Fs available. On the 20th, a Navy PBY landed in the lagoon and brought word from Pearl Harbor of a relief force on the way. It took off on the return flight at 0700 with unit reports, mail and urgent administrative matters. It was the last contact with W ake from the outside.

Just one hour and 50 minutes after the PBY took off, 29 bombers and 18 fighters arrived over the island, and this time there was a more ominous aspect about them. They were carrier types, indicating that new weight had been introduced to soften up the island defenses. Three hours later, 33 bombers from Roi arrived and reduced the AA defenses of the island to a total of only four three-inch guns left of the original 12. The two F4Fs were still serviceable.

Wrecked Wildcats of VMF-211 on Wake Island, Dec. 1941

On December 22nd, Freuler and Davidson had the morning patrol, when 33 bombers and six fighters arrived from the carriers. Capt. Freuler managed to get one of the fighters but, in so doing, debris and flames from his target disabled his plane. As he headed back, wounded in the shoulder, to attempt a forced landing on the strip, he caught a last glimpse of Davidson with enemy fighters on his tail. Freuler crash-landed his burning aircraft on the field, but Davidson was not seen again. Now the island was without aircraft and the remaining personnel of VMF-211 joined the defense battalion as infantrymen.

December 23 - The End

On the 21st and 22nd. the relief task force was about 600 miles from Wake. Because the ship losses and damage sustained at Pearl Harbor put a very high premium on what was left, the decision was made, reluctantly, on the 23rd, to turn back to Pearl Harbor. In the early morning of December 23, the first Japanese troops landed on Wilkes Island, part of the Wake Island complex. At 0700, Commander Cunningham, the island's commander, ordered its surrender.

Marine Aviation did not participate again in early defensive operations until the Battle of Midway. Along the route to Australia, there were other islands to be defended. Airfields were built on most of these and, as soon as they were ready, Army, Navy or Marine aircraft units were assigned. Although the Japanese took Guam and the Philippines in the early days following Pearl Harbor, none of these island bases on the route to the southwest Pacific suffered the fate of Wake Island.

Marines at Wake Island - an excellent web page. All the information, including many dramatic photos, is loaded onto one page, so it takes a long time to load. But it's also worth the wait.

History of Marine Corps Aviation

Wake Island

December 8 - First Attack

December 23 - The End

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