December 7, 1941
(USN)
USS Enterprise is returning from Wake after delivering
a Marine Fighter Squadron there
December 8, 1941
(Japan) First Japanese attack on Wake
December 11, 1941
(Japanese) Japanese force attempt landing on Wake
December 12, 1941
(USMC) F4F Wildcats sink four large Japanese vessels. This is the
first significant American victory of the Pacific war.
December 23, 1941
(Japanese) Capture Wake Island
February 14, 1942
(7th AF) A B-17 flies a photo reconnaissance
mission over Wake .
February 24, 1942
(USN) First Wake Island Raid--A striking force, (Vice Admiral W. F. Halsey)
composed of the carrier USS Enterprise with cruiser and destroyer screen,
attacked Wake.
June 7, 1942
(7th AF) B-24 Flown by Major General Clarence L Tinker, Commanding
General 7th Air Force, is lost leading a flight
from Midway for a predawn attack on Wake.
June 26, 1942
(7th AF) 3 LB-30s bomb installations on Wake during the night of 26/27 Jun and is staged through
Midway.
July 31, 1942
(7th AF) 1 B-17 from Midway , flies
photo reconnaissance of Wake. The B-17 is Intercepted by 6 fighters;
in the ensuing fight US gunners claim 4 fighters destroyed.
January 25, 1943
(7th AF) Six B-24s carry out a photographic reconnaissance
missions over Wake and drop 60 bombs. They claim one fighter shot down.
May 15, 1943
7 B-24's from Midway bomb Wake; 4 others abort and 7 others fail to find the target.
22 fighters intercept the formation; the B-24's claim 4 shot down; 1 B-24 is
lost.
July 24, 1943
(7th AF) 8 B-24's from Midway Island attack Wake Island, bombing oil storage, barracks, and a gun emplacement. 20-30 Zekes attack the formation; 9 fighters are claimed destroyed; 1 B-24 is lost in a collision with a falling Japanese fighter.
July 26, 1943
(7th AF) The last mission against Wake Island from Midway Island is flown. 8 B-24's bomb targets including oil storage area. 20+ fighters (including an aircraft identified as a possible Fw 190) intercept the formation. The B-24's claim 11 of the fighters shot down.
October 5-6, 1943
(USN) Second Wake Raid--Task Force 14 (Rear Admiral A. E. Montgomery), composed
of six new carriers, seven cruisers, and 24 destroyers, making it the largest
carrier task force yet assembled, bombed and bombarded Japanese installations
on Wake. In the course of the 2-day strikes, ship handling techniques
for a multicarrier force, devised by Rear Admiral F. C. Sherman's staff on the
basis of experience in the South Pacific, were tested under combat conditions.
Lessons learned from operating the carriers as a single group of six, as two
groups of three, and as three groups of two, provided the basis for many tactics
which later characterized carrier task force operations.
January 30, 1944
(USN) To effect the neutralization of Wake during the Marshalls operation,
two squadrons of Coronados from Midway made the first of four night bombing
attacks on Wake, a 2,000-mile round trip.
February 4, 1944
(USN) To effect the neutralization of Wake during the Marshalls operation,
two squadrons of Coronados from Midway made the second of four night bombing
attacks on Wake, a 2,000-mile round trip.
February 8, 1944
(USN) To effect the neutralization of Wake during the Marshalls operation,
two squadrons of Coronados from Midway made the third of four night bombing
attacks on Wake, a 2,000-mile round trip.
February 9, 1944
(USN) To effect the neutralization of Wake during the Marshalls operation,
two squadrons of Coronados from Midway made the fourth of four night bombing
attacks on Wake, a 2,000-mile round trip.
March 3, 1944
(7th AF) Seventh Air Force aircraft maintain
neutralization strikes against airfields in the Caroline and continue hitting Wake
March 11, 1944
(7th AF) B-24s, operating out of Kwajalein,
for first time, carry out the Seventh's first raid from the Marshall against
Wake
March 19, 1944
(7th AF) B-24s pound Wake from Kwajalein
March 23, 1944
(7th AF) B-24s pound Wake from Kwajalein
April 6, 1944
(7th AF) B-24s pound Wake from Kwajalein
April 18, 1944
(7th AF) B-24s pound Wake from Kwajalein
April 20, 1944
(7th AF) B-24s from Kwajalein search
the area near Wake for shipping; finding none, the bombers hit Wake
April 30, 1944
(7th AF) 41
B-24s pound Wake from Kwajalein
May 10, 1944
(7th AF) 41
B-24s pound Wake from Kwajalein on the night of 9-10th.
May 16 , 1944
(7th AF) 41
B-24s pound Wake from Kwajalein
May 17 , 1944
(7th AF) 41
B-24s pound Wake from Kwajalein
May 23, 1944
(USN) Third Wake Raid--Carrier Task Group 58.6 (Rear Admiral A. E. Montgomery)
shifted from Marcus to hit Wake with five composite bombing, strafing and rocket
strikes.
May 30, 1944
(7th AF) B-24s pound Wake from Kwajalein
September 3, 1944
(USN) Fourth Wake Raid--A strike group of one carrier, with cruisers and destroyers,
hit enemy positions on Wake.
September 23, 1944
(7th AF) B-24s pound Wake from Kwajalein during the night of 23-24th
September 25, 1944
(7th AF) B-24s pound Wake from Kwajalein during the night of 25-26th
September 26, 1944
(7th AF)
B-24s hit Wake during
the night of 26/27 Sep
October 1, 1944
(7th AF) A Kwajalein based B-24 bombs Wake on the night of September 30-October 1.
October 4, 1944
(7th AF) B-24 bomb Wake.
October 6, 1944
(7th AF) 3 B-24s bomb Wake during the night of Oct 6-7th.
October 8, 1944
(7th AF) During the day and night of 8/9 Oct B-24s from the Marshalls bomb
Wake
October 11, 1944
(7th AF) A Kwajalein Atoll-based
B-24 bombs Wake during the night
October 12, 1944
(7th AF) B-24s from Kwajalein bomb Wake during
the night of 12/13
October 14, 1944
(7th AF) 1 B-24 from the Marshall bombs Wake during the night of 14/15
October 15, 1944
(7th AF)
2 B-24s from the Marshalls bomb Wake
during the night of 15/16
June 20, 1945
(USN) Fifth Wake Raid - Three carriers of Task Group 12.4 (Rear Admiral
R. E. Jennings) launched five strikes against enemy positions on Wake.
July 18, 1945
(USN) Sixth Wake Raid - The carrier Wasp, returning to action after
battle repairs and overhaul at Puget Sound, launched air strikes against targets
on Wake.
August 1, 1945
(USN) Seventh Wake Raid--Task Group 12.3, composed of one carrier,
one battleship and destroyer screen, bombed and bombarded Wake.
August 6, 1945
(USN) Eighth Wake Raid--The carrier Intrepid, while en route from
Pearl Harbor to join forces off Japan, bombed buildings and gun positions on
Wake.
