| 1941 |
| 9 January |
United States Navy pioneer party arrives and commences construction of naval base facilities on Wake. |
| 19 August |
Advance party, First Defense Battalion, FMF, arrives and makes camp. |
| 15 October |
Maj. James P.S. Devereux assumes duty as island commander and Marine detachment commander. |
| 2 November |
Two hundred Marine reinforcements arrive in USS Castor. |
| 29 November |
Marine Fighting Squadron 211's advance party arrives and commences preparations
to receive aircraft. Commander Winfield S. Cunningham, USN, arrives and relieves
Major Devereux as island commander. |
| 4 December |
Marine Fighting Squadron 211 flies in to Wake from USS Enterprise. |
| 8 December |
First Japanese air raid on Wake. Seven fighter planes of VMF-211 destroyed and
numerous casualties. |
| 9 December |
Second Japanese air raid on Wake. |
| 10 December |
Third Japanese air raid on Wake. Dynamite cache, including 125 tons of explosives,
blown up on Wilkes with major damage to batteries on that island. |
| 11 December |
Japanese attempt to land on Wake decisively defeated with loss of two enemy
destroyers and major damage to three cruisers, three destroyers, one
destroyer-transport and one transport. Fourth Japanese air raid on Wake. |
| 12 December |
Fifth Japanese air raid on Wake. Enemy submarine bombed and possibly sunk by
VMF-211 25 miles southwest of Wake. Mass burial services held after nightfall. |
|
| 13 December |
No enemy action |
| 14 December |
Sixth and seventh japanese air raids on Wake. |
| 15 December |
Eight Japanese air raid on Wake. |
| 16 December |
Ninth and tenth Japanese air raids on Wake. Task Force 14 sails from Pearl Harbor
to relieve Wake. |
| 17 December |
Eleventh and twelvth Japanese air raids on Wake. |
| 18 December |
Japanese photo-reconnaissance conducted over Wake. |
| 19 December |
Thirteenth Japanese air raid on Wake. |
| 20 December |
PBY arrives from Midway with information as to relief expedition. |
| 21 December |
PBY departs from Wake with last United States personnel to leave the atoll.
Fourteenth Japanese air raid on Wake (first large carrier-strike), followed by
fifteenth Japanese air raid on Wake. |
| 22 December |
Sixteenth Japanese air raid on Wake. Last two aircraft of VMF-211 rendered
inoperational, and squadron reports to defense detachment commander as
infantry. |
| 23 December |
Maizuru Second Special Naval Landing Force executes predawn landing on south
shore of Wake Island and Wilkes, and, after almost 12 hours' fighting, surrender
of the garrison is completed. Relief expedition recalled. |
| 1942 |
| 12 January |
United States prisoners of war evacuated from Wake for confinement in the
Empire |
| 24 February |
First United States carrier strikes on Wake. |
| 1943 |
| 8 July |
Eight Army B-24s make first land-based strike against Wake from base on Midway.
Succeeding shore-based air raids continued at intervals. |
| 6-7 October |
Major United States carrier strikes on Wake. |
| 7 October |
Approximately 100 United States prisoners remaining on Wake executed on order
of Rear Admiral Sakaibara, IJN, Island Commander. |
| 1944 |
| January-May |
Nine hundred ninety-six (996) United States sorties delivered against Wake,
dropping 1,079 tons of bombs; and surface bombardments totaling 7,092
5-inch and 6-inch projectiles. |
| September-October |
Repeated strikes by Army B-24s. |
| 1945 |
| January-June |
Repeated sorties by United States navy shore-based VP squadrons. |
| 13 August |
Last United States air raid on Wake (executed by marine Corps aircraft against
Peacock Point battery). |
| 7 September |
Rear Admiral Sakaibara surrenders Wake to Brig. Gen. Lawson H.M. Sanderson,
USMC. |
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HyperWar: U.S. Marine Corps in World War II