Wake in WW2 History | World War II Database

9 Jan 1941

US Pacific Islands

US Navy transport William Ward Burrows arrived at Wake Island with the first group of 80 civilian workers who would start to excavate the channel between Wilkes and Wake Islands. ww2dbase [Wake | CPC]

19 Aug 1941

US Pacific Islands

The first permanent military garrison was established at Wake Atoll, which consisted of 449 men of the US Marine Corps 1st Defense Battalion under the command of US Navy Commander Winfield Scott Cunningham. ww2dbase [Wake | CPC]

9 Dec 1941

US Pacific Islands

At Wake Atoll, Japanese Navy 24th Air Flotilla aircraft bombed Naval Air Station on Peale Island and Batteries A and E at Peacock Point. ww2dbase [Battle of Wake Island | Peale, Wake | CPC]

11 Dec 1941

US Pacific Islands

While bombarding US installations at Wake Atoll, Tenryu was strafed by a US Marine Corps F4F-3 Wildcat fighter, wounding 5 sailors and mildly damaged three torpedoes in the No. 1 mount. ww2dbase [Tenryu | Wake | CPC]
The 2,890-ton Japanese light cruiser Yubari, flagship of Rear Admiral Sadamichi Kajioka, was seriously damaged by shell fire from two 5-inch guns at Peacock Point, Wake Island, and forced to retire listing heavily to port. ww2dbase [Battle of Wake Island | Yubari | Wake | AC]

12 Dec 1941

US Pacific Islands

Japanese reconnaissance flying boats bombed Wake and Peale Islands in a pre-dawn raid, followed by daylight bombing by land-based attack aircraft from Majuro, Marshall Islands; neither bombing caused significant damage. Aircraft from US Marine Fighter Squadron 211 reported a possible sinking of a Japanese submarine 25 miles southwest of Wake Atoll. ww2dbase [Battle of Wake Island | Wake | CPC]

14 Dec 1941

US Pacific Islands

Japanese reconnaissance flying boats from Wotje and Roi, Marshall Islands bombed Wake Island in a pre-dawn raid, damaging Camp One facilities, the airstrip, and a fighter; Wake Atoll's aircraft was now operating on only one airstrip. After daybreak, more Japanese land-based attack aircraft struck the atoll. ww2dbase [Battle of Wake Island | Wake | CPC]

17 Dec 1941

US Pacific Islands

Japanese aircraft attacked Wake Atoll, igniting a diesel oil tank on Wilkes Island and damaged an evaporator unit that was vital for the island's water supply. ww2dbase [Battle of Wake Island | Wilkes, Wake | CPC]

19 Dec 1941

US Pacific Islands

Japanese Navy land-based attack aircraft from Roi, Kwajalein, Marshall Islands attacked Wake Atoll, seriously damaging defense battalion facilities at Camp One. ww2dbase [Battle of Wake Island | Wake | CPC]

20 Dec 1941

US Pacific Islands

The American garrison at Wake Atoll received its first guest since the start of the Pacific War as a US Navy PBY aircraft arrived from Midway Atoll. The PBY crew brought news that aircraft from Marine Fighter Squadron 221 and men from the 4th Defense Battalion were being prepared to reinforce Wake. ww2dbase [Battle of Wake Island | Wake | CPC]

21 Dec 1941

US Pacific Islands

The US Navy PBY aircraft which had arrived at Wake Atoll on the previous day departed with passengers; these passengers would be the last US personnel to leave the atoll. During the day, 29 Japanese carrier aircraft from Soryu and Hiryu attack the island, followed by 33 land-based aircraft four hours later, damaging Battery D on Peale Island. Meanwhile, American intelligence indicated a large Japanese air force build-up in the Marshall Islands and a possible Japanese fleet present east of Wake Atoll, the latter of which seriously threatened the attempts to reinforce Wake. ww2dbase [Battle of Wake Island | Wake | CPC]

22 Dec 1941

US Pacific Islands

33 dive bombers and 6 fighters from carriers Soryu and Hiryu attacked Wake Atoll; during the aerial battle, one of the last two operational F4F Wildcat fighters of Marine Fighter Squadron 211 was shot down, while the other one was badly damaged. ww2dbase [Battle of Wake Island | Wake | CPC]

23 Dec 1941

US Pacific Islands

Before dawn, at 0235 hours, 1,500 troops of the Japanese Maizuru Second Special Naval Landing Force landed on Wake Island and Wilkes Island in the Wake Atoll; from the air, carrier aircraft from Soryu and Hiryu provided support by attacking targets on Wilkes, Peale, and Wake Islands. Given that defeat was now imminent, acting commander of the US Navy Pacific Fleet Vice Admiral William Pye recalled Task Force 14 with USS Saratoga; the force was originally dispatched to reinforce Wake. At 0800, the Americans surrendered. On Wilkes Island, the Americans attempted one final counterattack, killing 100 Japanese troops at the cost of 11 US Marines killed and 5 wounded. ww2dbase [Battle of Wake Island | Wake | TH]

24 Feb 1942

US Pacific Islands

Jack Kleiss, flying a SBD Dauntless dive bomber, participated in the raid of Wake Island. ww2dbase [Jack Kleiss | Wake | CPC]

6 Oct 1943

Photo(s) dated 6 Oct 1943

24 May 1944

US Pacific Islands

USS Wasp's aircraft attacked Wake Island. ww2dbase [Wasp (Essex-class) | Wake | CPC]

18 Jul 1945

US Pacific Islands

USS Wasp launched Carrier Air Group Eighty Six aircraft against Wake Island. ww2dbase [Wasp (Essex-class) | Wake | CPC]

31 Oct 1945

US Pacific Islands

Allied repatriation ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Wake Island. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | Wake | CPC]

1 Nov 1945

US Pacific Islands

Allied repatriation ship Hikawa Maru departed Wake Island after embarking about 1,000 Japanese troops. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | Wake | CPC]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis

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