Wake Island Defenders or what happened after Pearl Harbor
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- Опубліковано 4 чер 2024
- The History Guy remembers the events that occurred after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the actions of the Wake Island Defenders. It is history that deserves to be remembered.
The History Guy uses images that are in the Public Domain. As photographs of actual events are often not available, I will sometimes use photographs of similar events or objects for illustration.
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They're still remembered. The nick name of the current F-35B squadron VMFA-211 is the "Wake Island Avengers". This is the same squadron that flew the F4F Wildcats during the battle.
thank you
Hell yes.
211 was my neighbor for some time. VMA-214 here, 1995-2000.
Yes the CO of VMFA- 211 was killed leading a counterattack on Camp Bastion, Afghanistan by insurgents in 2012.
@@jbw8471 I was at yuma when that happened...lotta heros that day...they were WELL missed and celebrated.
Many of the civilians that helped defend Wake worked for a construction company called Morrison-Knudsen. I worked in the early 80's with one of the defenders that had helped defend Wake Island and then escaped with survivors on a commercial tug boat. He was a mechanic by trade. I wish that I had paid more attention to his and his comrades stories. During the eight years that I worked for M-K, I was privileged to meet several of the WWII veterans. One was a marine who was at Iwo Jima and another that had parachuted into Normandy the night before D-Day. All truly honorable men that do indeed need to be remembered. Your channel is great keep it up. Thanks from another admirer of history.
My grandfather was one of the civilian contractors at Wake I that was sent to a Japanese prison camp.
my Grandfather was one of them.. Hollis Edwin Bledsoe RIP, and was buried with Honors.
1974 at 18 years old I worked on a concrete crew on the Washington DC subway near the white house..I'm sure some of the guys were WW 2 vets..They always looked wizened beyond their years..Wish I still had my MK hard hat
Your Right.... my Grandfather was there... Hollis Edwin Bledsoe R.I.P.
@@cnilecnile6748 My Grandfather was a major and part of an ANZAC force preparing Guadalcanal for US use. He talked about the constant Japanese bombing as they knew a US airforce base there would be deadly.
Wake Island and it's defenders has certainly not been forgotten by me. After the loss, the U.S. Navy saw the need for tradesmen who were more capable of defending themselves. The Navy started by recruiting skilled construction workers and on 5 March 1942, the Seabees were formed. My grandfather was in the Seabees from 1944 to 1952 and I was in from 2006 to 2013. Great video.
my Grandfather was in the Seabees doing WW 2 also and my uncle was a corpsman with the first marine on Guadalcanal. I join the Seabees also an saw two tours in the Nam
@@glennriviere3868
👍👍👍 for you and your grandfather, I used to be an Ironworker and worked with quite a few ex CB's, all good guys.
Well done to u for your service I new a couple of older guys who were living in the paekakariki area during ww2 this was a place where Marines trained before going to Guadalcanal if u watch the movie sands of Iwo jima john Wayne it makes reference to the area
@@HappyFlapps My dad was a Chief Petty Officer in the Seebees and also served on Saipan as well as Okinawa and finally on Tinian were his company worked on construction of the building that held the Fat Boy bomb.
A friend of mine served on the USS Marvin Shields named after a Seabee Medal of Honor winner.
My grandfather was one of the civilians on Wake Island and endured the Japanese slave labor camps, ending up in Kyoto by the end of the war. He and some of his co-workers were treated to additional abuse by the Japanese military because they were Chinese. What's worse is that, after the war, the U.S. government did not recognize their service on Wake Island because my grandfather and his co-workers were in the U.S. at that time under false papers, like 99.99% of Chinese immigrants (thanks, Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882). It took an act of Congress in the 1990's before their actions were recognized and they received their POW/MIA and Pacific Theater medals. The vets never forgot, though. All the guys at our local VFW chapter came out to pay respects at his funeral. It was a very touching show of respect.
The USA sucks.
@@freddyflintstoned913 NO...not this great Nation...but a lot of politicians usually do. We need to always be careful to distinguish between the ordinary citizens of a country..most who just want to be left along and be able to work to support themselves and/or family...and the government. There is a big, big difference.
@@freddyflintstoned913 pretty sure it sucks a lot less than almost any other country on Earth.
@@freddyflintstoned913 As with all great nations, its bureaucracy sucks, and is usually righteously worthy of scorn. Don't be fooled into directly equating the PEOPLE of a nation with their government.
At least he wasn't murdered later as were the rest of the civilian workers kept on Wake.
My husband's uncle Robert O. Arthur, all of 20-years-old, was a Marine Wildcat pilot who, although wounded, flew one of the Wildcats until he couldn't. He was eventually captured and spent the entire war in different PW camps where many of his buddies were beheaded.
The Japanese were brutal to all other races. Forcing Korean women as prostitute for the troops and many other unspeakable crimes
@@joeyoung4121 If you dig into real history I believe you may find that the Koreans were willing and not forced. The Koreans and Chinese promote this lie. www.michaelyon-online.com/book-review-comfort-women-and-sex-in-the-battle-zone.htm
sure prostitutes are apart of any army...but considering how many there where for this case and how Japanese usually viewed anyone not Japanese, to say all of those women were willing is just Japan trying to rewrite history and supporters who are gullible enough to believe it
@@bethanyhouserom
Many times women 'willingly' act as prostitutes during war to survive. Just as a POW will work as they are told to survive. Calling it all a lie and the women willing is not a lie, it is a goddamn lie. You, and the writer of that horse puckey, should be ashamed.
@@bethanyhouserom B.F.S where do you get your info,, the national enquirer????????????????
Americans fought. Even when outnumbered and over run, they fought. The Germans learned this in the Battle of the Bulge,
even as American Units were overrun and command structure destroyed, Americans fought. Roads were mined, bridges destroyed, enemy units delayed. The Japanese learned this in the Philippines.
This bought the time needed. Remember those Americans.
lyntwo remember what our boys siad when surrounded. "The Krauts have us surrounded. The poor bastards."
The engineer battalion that blew up bridges right in front of Advancing German troops. "those damn engineers" the German CO labeled them. There too bought the time needed.
@Stanley Banks I also remember the Russians who invaded Poland, Finland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania back whey the Russians and the Nazis were allies.
It may seem like a pointless waste of life to defy overwhelming odds. However, experiences like Wake Island forced the Japanese to assign more of their finite resources than would have otherwise been assigned to future battles. That significantly increased the likelihood they would win battles but reduced the likelihood they would win the war.
Remember the American reply in the face of utter devastation; "NUTS"
👍👍 Yes, they deserve to be remembered.
Yes, thanx for the details. I only knew that Wake Island was captured early in the war.
Thanks, History Guy! I appreciate you doing a spot on Wake Island. I was the archaeologist and Cultural Resources manager for Wake Atoll during most of the years that the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command owned and operated it. (1994-2003) I published the first detailed account of the murder of the 98 civilians in Navy History Magazine in 2001. A follow on spot concerning the fate of the 1,100 civilians and their ordeal in Japanese POW camps would also make a great spot. That story also deserves to be remembered. Thanks! Keep up the great work!
Wow! Thanks for reaching out! I agree, and will likely get an episode out on the other survivors in the future.
erasgone.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-wake-island-helmet-part-one-dodging.html
Thanks for this information, Mr. Hubbs. I long ago read your article in Naval History. I still subscribe to that magazine and am a life member of the USNI. I'm working on a book about Pearl Harbor. Have been working on this since late 1983. I submitted to this year's naval history contest titled Time to Reexamine Pearl Harbor. I never knew of the History Guy's website until today, Sunday, 19 August 2018. (2 or 3 years ago I dug some interesting dispatches about Wake out of the FDR Library. I'm certain the History Guy must know of these.)
Mark Hubbs My Father Archie Belanger and Uncle Marcel worked Construction and new most all of the Civilian Constructors. They weren't allowed to carry military arms. But they were allowed to bring Civilian Arms. The had .32 caliber Winchester Model 94's. 30-30 Marlin lever guns. Shotguns and .32 and .38 Caliber pistols. They made a concentrated stand against the Japanese. The Japanese had longer range military Arisaka Rifles. The Naval Artificers and Constructors had to surrender. Marcel was C.C.C before the War. He became a Goddamned U.S. Navy Seabee because of this. After the Surrender he and my Father each passed thru Wake. They found the bones in a rock pile where the Japanese had killed the Civilian Workers. The excuse was that they were"noncombatants " carrying weapons that violated the Geneva Convention because of the hunting type bullets. My Father found a Marine Skeleton in a foxhole with a rusty Garand and hand grenades. He also found a crashed Brewster Buffalo in shallow water near the Shore. My Father built Buffaloes for Brewster before the War.
@@achillebelanger989, I was all about it till the fox hole account..... The place is so small that nary a square inch was not surveyed by the IJN land force. And, the weapon may have been an 0-3 but, no way a Garand.... The excuse to murder the civilians was the lack of building material/work, the USN blockade had cut off all food supplies and they could not raise enough food to subsist..... Then again, I do not think the Japanese minded killing anyone..... In fact, they were stopped on the surrender day from doing just that.......murdering all who had surrendered.
As a former member of the squadron that defended Wake, I can't help but wonder how you failed to mention Marine Captain Henry Elrod, who flew against the Japanese until there were no longer any flyable aircraft left, and then took up a rifle and fought as an infantryman until he was killed, thereby earning one of the first Medals of Honor awarded in WWII. You also forgot to mention the fact that one of the Marine pilots also sank a Japanese submarine. The squadron, which at that time was designated VMF-211 (F being the designation of a fighter squadron) had changed to VMA-211 by the time that I served with them in the mid 1970's. The "A" stands for "attack," meaning close air support of the Marines on the ground. We had A-4 Skyhawks in those days. The squadron eventually transitioned to the AV-8B Harrier II+, which it flew until 2016, when they transitioned to the FA-35B. At the time that they traded in their Harriers for the F-35B's, the squadron designator also changed to VMFA-211, indicating a combined role of close air support and air to air combat. (Fighter Attack) We are known as the Wake Island Avengers.
Craig Bowlby What a great squadron to have served with...did you meet any of the original Wake defenders/hero's and, is that poor guy who survived that evil Japanese commanders massacre of the 98 construction crews words, he etched into a rock before he too was murdered, still there on Wake?
I never met any of the defenders of Wake, as that was long after my time. However, in the course of doing I have become good friends with the daughter of Captain Freuler, now Anne Loring, as she married a Marine aviator who flew A-4 Skyhawks with VMA-211 in the 60's. She has been a great friend and a valuable resource for information on the Wake battle. She, as well as her two siblings and mother were at Pearl on December 7th, while her father was preparing to meet the Japanese attack on Wake. He was the last man shot down by the Japanese, and carried two Japanese bullets in his back for the rest of his life, as a reminder of that day. Fortunately, the parachute that he was wearing slowed the bullets down enough that they didn't kill him, but with his plane shot to pieces, he was forced to crash land the last flyable F-4F on Wake, thereby turning the Marines aviation personnel into infantry men.
Craig Bowlby Thank you for the additional info. It would be difficult to include all the heroic act under fire of the defenders. This battle always reminded me of the attitudes of the Alamo’s defenders “Come and Take It”.
Because this was about ALL the defenders of the island and not singling out any one person.
Buy a fucking clue, why don't you.
Apparently even Marine pilots are also riflemen.
Stories like this makes me proud to be an American!
Absolutely...!!
Your pride couldn’t be more justified: from Britain
Thank you for this story. Our warriors (including the civilians) who fought brave and fearless should indeed be remembered. This is sacrifice, service before self and honor.
If I remember correctly some of those civilians manned one of the 5"/51 gun batteries: they were told to keep that to themselves lest they be executed on the spot by the Japanese.
Sadly they were herded into air raid shelters, then dosed in air fuel and burned alive. A truly horrific way to go, but trust me those in the Navy have and will never forget those at wake island
Thank you for this. Every time I hear of the heroism of the Wake Island defenders, it brings tears to my eyes.
My ol mans 1st taste of island battle was Wake--but Pelelui changed him forever
From the epilogue you delivered on this video, you seem to have been really moved by the courage and steadfastness of the Wake Island Defenders. It's these types of stories that need to be shared regularly, and with the care and respect you have for them. They're a testament to the human spirit at its best. And they set an example for us to emulate.
The Alamo of the Pacific.
Weren't the people at the Alamo the invaders?
CG Account It’s called Manifest Destiny.
@@cgaccount3669 no they were Texans who had lived in texas for a good portion of their lives, and had been welcomed there by Mexico, until Mexico started to treat then as non Mexicans, it is that point the rebelled, as did the quote unquote native Mexicans themselves.
@@ChineseChicken1 no that was later.
Delgen1951 Doesn’t matter. It was our Destiny to have that land.
Sometimes it's not whether you won or lost but how much damage you did to your opponent and their weaknesses you brought to light.
True! If all we knew was Japanese crushing our forces we would have decided at some point it was no longer worth the sacrifice.
I've had the distinct privilege of landing at Wake Island twice. The 2nd time I was able to convince one of the personnel to drive me to Prisoner Rock where the 98 American prisoners were executed. It's an historical site not many people are fortunate enough to visit. Wake Island is where America's day really begins.
A small correction. The shore battery guns were 5 inch 51 caliber guns, usually noted as 5"/51 guns. That may be where the confusion of "5.5 inch" came from. The US never used a 5.5" gun. The 5"/51 guns wee the hardest hitting medium caliber guns in the navy. Even though they had been removed from the Texas, they were in excellent condition, as shown by the results of their shooting. What Marines needed was a battery of 5.25" dual purpose guns rather than the mixed battery of 5"51 and 3"/50 guns. The 5"/25 could have shot down the high flying Japanese bombers and still have sunk the two destroyers. Unfortunately, the serious preparations of the defense of Wake only began about six months before the attack so they had to use what was available.
That's the story of the Marines! Hand me downs from every branch. My cold weather gear I wore in the Artic Circle in northern Norway in 76. The tag stated U.S.ARMY COLD WEATHER 1954.
Designed to keep you cold.
In his book, "Wake Island Command", Captain Cunningham mentions that they were mostly 3" guns, and that's why the Marines had to wait for the Japanese to be so close before they could fire.
I also believe the Wake Island defenders had a few 3" guns as well.
A very good chance. We still find stuff all the time here on Guam.@DAILY OBSERVER
Wayne Diffee Jr I read Captain Cunningham’s book as a kid. I remember that he said he ordered the breachblocks of the guns removed and thrown in the ocean when they were forced to surrender. He also stated that the Japanese refused to believe, initially, that the guns the Marines used to hit their ships were the 3” and 5” that they found and looked for bigger ones that they just knew must be hidden somewhere! Lol
Did not know about Wake island. Thank you for this Wake Island, WWII history. I am left stunned at the events and proud of the Americans who gave all there is to give. Wow.
No military victory can secure freedom for future generations. It might make freedom easier, but it is always possible to throw away one's inheritance. What, then, is the enduring contribution that soldiers, sailors, and airmen CAN pass done to future generations? THEIR EXAMPLE.
EXCELLENT Comment, my friend!!!
@Jonathan Williams Just look at bone spurs.
A Vietnam buddy once said to me that "valor is sometimes just another word for too damn tired too care;" I might also add "too pissed off to care." I keep telling him that should be the title of his memoir.
So glad you did this one. The defense of Wake Island was a true act of heroism. Also heavens. Didn't know the guy killed the civilians left on Wake.
Josh Geiger yes, it was a horrific act.
The History Guy: Five Minutes of History
The contractor for the work being done on Wake was based in Idaho.
Most of the contractors were from Idaho.
Shigematsu Sakaibara was the commander tried and convicted for the executions, with Misami Kobayashi, his superior, never going to trial.
Josh Geiger
One of those victims survived the initial massacre and left a message detailing the murder of his fellow detainees. This mystery individual didn’t make it to the end of the war.
Japanese Admiral died by hsnging , a great dishonor for doing a dishonorable thing of excuting civilian prisoners !
I had the privilege of spending a few days on a battle sites tour on Wake when I was in the Marines. It was humbling to see POW rock (etched on a rock about the executions, author also captured and executed).
Known as the '98 POW rock'. It was lost to nature several years ago when a typhoon swept the island.
It was still there in 2012 when I saw it.
It is still there, as far as I know. POW rock as weather many storms and at least one minor tsunami.
Thank you njaneardude... I saw a picture of the rock since the dawn of the information age...and other documentaries about what really happened on Wake and to the people, I think that EVERY SINGLE ONE of those prisoners did a duty and made a sacrifice that can only be left to the imagination, the rock was inscribed in secret according to the legend by a lone survivor of the 98 machine gunned down after the airstrip was repaired, no doubt the occupying forces c.o. did NOT want the slave laborers existance to be discovered as evidence of the cruelty of their captors, as so often is the case in war, soldiers forced into extremes, the madness of war, brought on by hardships we can't even fathom in peacetime. RIP to ALL who suffered and fought in that terrible conflict. And thank you Mr. H for not speculating about the unknowns of this battle for personal gain, and sticking to the military record at this point in time, as you know history is seldom written by the losing side, and there is information that is de-classified coming out of the vaults all the time, and I for one commend you for this attribute, and I can tell by your work that it is something you take very seriously. Again thank you for your eyewitness report njaneardude, safe travels to you, from Jax Fl.
I was on the island 2014-2015 working for Chugach and the rock is still there in very good condition.
Great job with this story. I've heard of this battle ever since I was a kid and saw the movie. A courageous group of men did their duty and gave a spanking to the Japanese and a great loss of face!!! Thanks.
Having a life long (71 years) passion for factual history of all ages I am thrilled to find your channel !
Thank You for your wonderful presentations !
I was briefly on Wake Island in route to Vietnam. I have studied the defense of Wake and over time immersed myself in the defense of Bataan and resistance efforts in the Philippines during the war. There is more to learn in Analysis of defeat than overwhelming victories.
True point.
Bataan was a fiasco, thanks Doug.
@@stevek8829 The defense of Bataaan was masterful given that the US and Philippine troops fought valiantly against a vastly superiorJapanese army for four months there with only what the brought with them. There was never a finger lifted in DC to resupply them.There 's much about General MacArthur's ego to dislike, but the defense of Bataan while he was still in the PI -- and after he was orderd to leave by FDR -- wasn't one of them. Nor was his personal courage.
The "can do" of American spirit! RIP to those who gave all.
That's such a great story, that I always revel in hearing. Over and over again.
Thank you.
EXCELLENT HISTORICAL VIGNETTE on the these heroic Marines, Sailors, Soldiers and Civilians defending Wake Island and thrashing the Japanese.
Wow.... Just wow. I could hear the emotion in your voice at the end. I felt it too. Thank you for the excellent presentation. This battle does indeed deserve to be remembered.
Another great video! There is a documentary done several years ago, " Wake Island: Alamo of the Pacific" that extensively details the battle and subsequent surrender of Wake Island. I recommend that video as well.
4:03 So guns from the USS Texas fought at Wake. Cool 😎
Brilliant. I had no idea of the heroism of those people.
Thanks for remembering these Men and the events that occurred on Wake Island.
spent many moons on Wake supporting MDA tests, hats off to the USAF there and all the great Thai staff... esp Xman, many fond memories from Drifter's Reef :)
I'm so glad I've had the chance to be on Wake Island for one day in 1988. Our squadron was flying across the Pacific to Japan. I liked thinking that this was a good place to stop on our way to our continued occupation of Japan. I got to explore the island a little, and even snuck my way over to the "off limits" end of the island where the permanent personnel lived. Near where we stayed there was a submerged Japanese tank chassis that stupidly drove off a small bridge into the lagoon.
I also recall that the Marines repelled two amphibious landings and only the third one succeeded, mostly because the Japanese bombardment cut the phone lines to the other end of the island and Cmdr Cunningham incorrectly believed that the defenders on that end were over run, prompting him to surrender prematurely. Maj Deveraux is one of my personal heroes for leading much of the defense effort.
In the early 80's my US Navy Patrol Squadron, VP 65 sent my crew on a one plane detachment to Guam from California. We were flying the P3B Orion. We went to Midway first, and headed for Guam the next day. From Midway we would fly directly over Wake and as luck would have it, we developed an engine transmission problem and decided to land at Wake. It was summer and it was HOT. While on the ground we visited their little museum and gift shop. I still have the tee-shirt that says "Wake Island University, A good education and a great tan." Two dreams had come true. I've been to Midway and Wake. One day we would fly over Iwo Jima.
@@johnemerson1363 I used to have a Wake Island University shirt too!
My first ship was named after a Wake Island defender, Major Henry Elrod. He fought the Japanese with his Wildcat until it took too much damage to fly, then led in the ground defenses.
My dad was stationed there in the 80's. He gave me a book to read about the battle and I'll always remember the last radio call from CMDR Cunningham: "Enemy on Island.....Issue in doubt."
Thank you for this history moment and the comment they did their duty. That is lost sometimes in our world.
Great, as always. If you like these heroism stories, consider the WW2 Pacific Taffy3 engagement with Capt, Evans of the Johnston. Incredible story and amazing heroic action. History Dude should pick this one up!
Two contractors managed to evade capture for a few months after the invasion, despite the island's small size and lack of cover. Surely, they deserve to be remembered.
William Bendix. portrayed one of the civilian contractors in a move about Wake island. I remember it being shown in the 1950s.
Yes, and remember John Wayne was there too.
I think you're wrong about William Bendix.
He played a Marine.
@@jamesbrozyna5295 Yeah, he played a marine. I just saw the movie a few days ago. I think it would be a good idea to do a movie remake of this brave historical event.
@@tonywoconish6695 John Wayne not in that movie
But he was in the the Philippines movie They Were Expendable which was pretty historically accurate .., he also was not the lead in that movie
@@g.t.richardson6311 John Wayne was in the movie FIGHTING SEABEES, which was about WAKE ISLAND. SEMPER FI 🇺🇸(I landed 🛬 at WAKE ISLAND on a refueling stop heading to Japan 1980 while in the Marines. You could still see the FOX HOLES and fighting pits dug into the sand and coral.
My Dad was 11 years old in Dec. ‘41 and could remember vividly the earlier months of WW II.
I had never learned much about Wake Island until I joined the Marine Corps and was taught more about their valiant stand against the Japanese during Boot Camp.
On one of my visits back home during my active service, I mentioned Wake Island and Dad started talking about Wake very emphatically.
More than 40 years later, he spoke of how important their actions were to an 11 y/o and to an entire country reeling from the avalanche of Japanese victories during the first few weeks of the war. He could recall the headlines and stories about the tenacious defense of an island nobody had ever heard of before and how Americans took a lot of hope from their ability to fight off the initial invasion. It was the only good news the country got that Christmas. He said that history had forgotten how much their actions had meant to both him and the nation at a time when good news and hope were rare commodities.
Semper Fidelis, Brothers. You are not forgotten.
You may like to do a episode on the battle of castle Itter. It's a battle where the U.S. Army and the German Wehrmacht joined forces to fight the Waffen SS.
Pookybr2696 yes, a ripping yarn! I do plan an episode in the future.
"The Last Stand" is a good book on that amazing story, Besieged Germans and Americans protecting the former prisoners of the castle, from the SS werewolves
I'd like to hear that one! When and where?
The Battle of Castle Itter:
ua-cam.com/video/IRx7KkrT1QU/v-deo.html
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel was thari a movie made about that called Castle Keep? Or am I confusing it.
I've been watching this channel off and on for the past couple of days, since finally discovering and subscribing. This is one of the most fascinating episodes I've seen so far. Do you have a Patreon account where we can contribute to keep you going? Hopefully the subscribers will continue to grow. Everyone needs to hear these stories. Thank you!
As a Marine, I had the opportunity to pass through Wake Island four times while deployed, with my last stop there being an overnight stay in 1989. Wake actually consists of three linked atolls, Wake, Peale and Wilkes Islands. I was able to walk the islands and visited several of the "pill box" gun emplacements while I was there. There was also a small museum at the "terminal building" remembering the battle of Wake Island. Years later, I found myself assigned to VMA-211, the Wake Island Avengers, shortly after their transition to the AV-8B Harrier.
All of your videos are well done and very interesting. Here's a new for you: The Story of the 1942 Royce Raids in the Phillipines. The Doolittle Raid occurred at the same time but the Royce Raiders did far more damage.
Brilliant HG. I rewatched this episode [exhausted your back catalogue some while ago :( ] This type of "futile defence" makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. As you say so well "They did their duty"
One of the most moving of all your excellent historical accounts.
Mr. History Guy - My dad was a decorated, civilian survivor of Wake. He passed suddenly at the age of 95 in 2016. I have letters to and from him during his imprisonment. Thanks for acknowledging the Wake Island Defenders.
The treatment of our military and civilian population by the Japanese still fills me with disgust.
Remember what they did to the people living in Nanking, China. The Chinese are still
very, very bitter about the atrocities.
Culture, is not always a wonderful thing.
F em they murdered my grandapa in the Philippines.
Remember what we did to the Japanese-american population over here?
austin dean
Still a huge difference!
Absolutely they deserve to be remembered. Thanks for this video. I really enjoyed this and all of you videos. Great work! THANK YOU!
You give me goose pimples talking about these real life hero's.
I love that you give so much credit to the soldiers sailors and airmen. Not just the guys who called the shots. Thank you for all the wonderful history you have opened my eyes to.
A heartfelt salute to those brave men on Wake Island.
Well done, men
Well done.
never heard anything about this action , brave people fighting against huge odds , let them never be forgotten .
Your videos are always good. This one was great. As a student of history myself...I was aware of this, but it's amazing to see this bit of American history available for the uninformed to see and understand. Love your channel. Good work.
In 1985, as a Navy Corpsman assigned to the Marine Corps, I was on a USMC C-130 flying to Okinawa, Japan. We made a stopover on Wake Island to refuel before proceeding on to Japan. We had half of the day to wander around, and I got the chance to visit the battle sites, the Shinto shrine and snorkeling some of the remaining wrecks left over from the war. Already aware of the battle for Wake Island and its importance to the history of the Marine Corps, I was honored to visit such a treasured and historical place. Trust me, much of America may have forgotten Wake Island (its moniker is "Where America's Day Begins"), but the folks of the USMC never will.
Back in 1972 I was attached to VR-21 flying in C-118Bs for the Navy. We were flying to NAS Cubi Point, Phillipines where we had a detachment. On the way, there we blew a jug out of one of our engines and set down on Wake. I spent a whole week there at Thanksgiving. Had a great meal and explored the whole Island. They still had the old gun emplacements, pill boxes, and guns that the Japanese had hauled in from Singapore. Also ships that we had sunk during their occupation were setting on the harbor floor. Had a grand time just exploring and visiting the various sites. You could hear the surf booming on the reef, which the Defenders said drowned out the sound of approaching aircraft during the battles.
"They did their duty". There is no greater compliment or honor to those who serve.
Thank you for this program.My family friend Lewis H Smith was a civilian there.He went to slave labor camp.I saw pictures of him when he returned .Skin and bones.It took many years for them to be recognized as defenders.He finally was able to get benefits from the US government.
I firmly believe everyone would be improved if they spent just an hour of their time watching these kinds of videos. I already had a lot of respect for what people endured in WW2, but these stories hit you in so much more of a deeper way. I'm so grateful that there are people choosing to preserve these memories.
Another well-done and meaningful episode.
It warms my heart knowing that we dropped not one but two nuclear upon them
No better place to test than on a brutal bunch of racist asses.
I am so glad I found you. I love history. Love the stories. And, as a Navy vet of 12 years, actually became a part of it all. Thank you!
After coming down from the emotions of binge watching Chernobyl, this also managed to make me cry. I know it is an older video, but, thank you for this channel!! I am happy to see that you are are at nearly 375,000 subscribers!
Just discovered this one. Great video, and thanks for remembering this forgotten history!
One casualty not mentioned by The History Guy was that of the little bird called the Wake Island Rail. It was a flightless bird that was indigenous to the island. Nowhere else in the world did the little bird exist. Once the Japanese defenders were unable to receive supplies, they began to starve. With nothing else to eat, they chased down every last one of the Rails, driving them into permanent extinction. I wrote a poem about the rail, that is available to listen to on UA-cam. It's title is simply, 'Extinction'. As The History Guy says, the Wake Island Rail deserves to be remembered. The species gave the ultimate sacrifice, in a war it had no part in.
War is an evil curse not only to humanity, but to all God's creatures who are swept up in it. I read a story about the Berlin Zoo and the terrible suffering of the poor animals kept there during the bombing of that city. I'd also read about a German sergeant who, prior to the war, raised horses. He fought over 2yrs. on the Eastern front and said his heart broke to see the thousands of horses who suffered and died from exhaustion and exposure during the Russian winter and during the "Rasputitsa", the Russian mud season, hauling German artillery and logistics, only to be shot and eaten when their strength finally gave out.
@Robert Coward - I will read your poem. THank you for mentioning this - I had had no idea that the Japanese had rendered extinct a rare bird, though I am sorry to say that almost no atrocity or wrong done by the Japanese of that era surprises me.
Guam had a rail also. Extinct now except for a preserve on a small, adjacent island. Victim of snakes from Papau, NG brought by cargo as a result of WW2.
In a fight that saw a small detachment of Marines drive back a first amphibious assault before succumbing to a second one, and then hundreds of Americans enslaved by a Japanese regime that could rival any in history for its brutality, the fate of some evolutionary dead end that existed on a small island in the middle of nowhere seems utterly trivial and unimportant.
@@MrEvanfriend The demise of any species, especially a harmless defenseless one, should be reason for pause and reflection. In my humble opinion.
I just love your teaching.keep it up! Thank you
Simply outstanding! A story I’d never heard.
Love it! Thanks for the great history videos! God Bless the defenders and the fight for Wake.
It was great. I knew they kicked a lot of ass before giving in.
As a Marine Vet. This event was taught to me at Recruit Training. As recruits, we receive college level credit education on Marine History. It is stories like this, passed down to future generations, that set a standard for us to live up to. Thank you sir. Remember Wake Island.
I served aboard the USS Elrod, named for Maj. Henry T Elrod one of the defenders of Wake Island. It's hard to forget the heroics of those brave souls after serving on a ship named for perhaps the bravest of them all.
This video is very well done, as always, and your efforts are greatly appreciated. Thank you for all that you do!
A very proud episode in US history the defence was spectacularly well done ,well coordinated and very brave.
The full story is well worth reading about .
It is 01-09-2019 as I watched this video. Our nation is in a historical "government shut down". I feel compelled once again to say Thank YOU, History Guy. In my sadness and frustration YOU gave rekindled my hope that we Americans will remember who we are by remembering who and what our forefathers were and sacrificed for us, even today. God Bless. Sincerely....a good friend/fan from central Michigan...❤
Reckon mr history guy choked up at the end. Fair enough. A true amazing act of duty indeed
They bought time for our nation to begin its fight.....God bless and thanks
I have known about wake island but not that way. I like the in depths presented you put forth you are a teacher that is plan to see keep up the good work
Brings back memories of playing Battlefield 1942 when I was a kid. Wake island was my favourite map.
Excellent story, well told. I love history and learning lessons from it. I thought I knew a lot about the Pacific theatre of war, but I am always learning more. Thank you for sharing the details of a battle I knew nothing about.
Thanks so much for sharing this. My Uncle was at the Fall of Bataan. He survived the Death March and being a P.O.W. until repatriation at the end of the War. Theses stories in history need to be shared with the younger generation. Thanks for doing just that.👍🏻🙂
My dad was a survivor of Bataan, Cabanatuan, the hell ships, and subsequent imprisonment mining coal outside of Nagasaki. He was 6 feet tall, a football player in high school, and weighed 89 pounds when liberated.
@@BettyHorn...MOH winner Richard O'Kane was probably only a day or two away from death by starvation when they were liberated.
@@philgiglio9656 my mom said the hardest thing about being a nurse for her at the time (she was my dad's nurse...Army...that's how they met!) was having to withold food, because their bodies couldn't handle it. They had to add food by increments so they could adapt to it. Otherwise, they would often get sicker, and some died as a result.
Not that it would have significantly changed the ultimate outcome, but according to Major Devereux's book, he believes Commander Cunningham prematurely surrendered the atoll.
If I do an updated version of this episode, I plan to include more about major Devereux's role.
Low food, low drinkable water, no air cover, ammo running out not to mention they were fighting a scourge of rats as well from many of their defensive positions along the shorelines and civilians to keep safe on top of all that. The Japanese did not have the luxury of time to let them starve to death another 24 hours of fighting probably would have meant all the defenders and civilians would have all been killed. Remember we ( USA ) really didn't know how the Japanese would treat P.O.W.s at that time.
Hindsight is 20/20. Without timely help from the US Navy Wake was doomed to fall, despite the fact that the Marines made the enemy pay dearly for it.
Devereux and Cunningham butted heads from the first day they met. J.P.S. Devereux tried to write Cunningham out of the history as much as possible and toot his own horn when he published his account. Devereux also was not well liked or respected by his men. They said his three first initials stood for "Just Plain ShXX"
Japan was not a part of the Geneva Convention and routinely brutalized and killed allied POWs. In many cases they never gave the names of POWs to the International Red Cross.
Thank you for your videos, I have been watching them one by one and each one is a true gem.
Thank you for all of your good work, I hope your channel will be preserved for generations to come.
Wake Island the Alamo of the Pacific. Thanks for this video
Outstanding! Thanks so much.
I enjoy all your history stories.
I just started. Wake island.
Did any of the soldiers, sent to Japan, make it, through the war.
Very brave men. All of them.
Just wanted to let you know that I enjoy listening to you.
You tell the story of the unknown that happen os far away.
Thank YOU
BTW the PanAm clipper (The Philippine Clipper) at Wake on Dec. 8th was a Martin 130 you show in your first picture of a clipper not the Boeing B314 you show in your second picture of a clipper. Source: Wake; The Story of a Battle by Irving Werstein, 1964. Originating in Manila it had arrived from Guam at dusk the night before. It was riddled with bullet holes from the Japanese air attack but nothing vital was damaged. It took off for Hawaii that afternoon overloaded with all passengers and PamAm personnel on the island.
You are correct. I just used a picture of a Pan Am Clipper, but should have used a photo of the Martin 130.
I imagine there is a great story to tell there too. Imagine that they escaped with their lives.
Not all Pan Am employees left with the Clipper. When they left the Island Pan Am left their Guamanian employees there to be captured and killed. A reflection of the racism of the day.
Hit the "Like" button as the video started. Great battle story! I was not disappointed.
This comment is being made 5 years after this segment was aired. I have been so enthralled by the stories being presented, that I wasn’t paying attention to the presenter! When I first started watching “The History Guy”, I never paid attention to the date-of-air. At the time, the presenter was wearing a bow tie. Here, I noticed he is wearing a ‘standard’ tie. I hope the bow-tie is now ‘standard’ costume. As for this particular episode, I cried. Thanks to ALL of the ‘Greatest Generation’ for their continued contributions and sacrifices to help keep this Republic together. ❤️
You're right - they sure do deserve to be remembered. Thank you!
The Japanese truly did Awaken a Sleeping Giant.
A story of men of honor,great video.
Remembering events like this leave me so humbled when I ponder what these brave men did. Totally at a loss for words. Can't even begin to thank them enough. I was aware of the defense of Wake Island after Pearl Harbor, but the way you presented it really allows one to put it all in perspective, to see the odds against them, and their valiant efforts in defending their country, and as you say, doing their duty to the finest of their abilities. We should never forget!
Another great episode. This really is history that needs to be remembered.
To borrow from another great defense, When you go home speak of us and say, for your tomorrow's we gave our today's
Colon: Was that Thermopylae?
Sorry, Colin.
John Emerson words on the Kohima memorial Nagaland, India from the Burma Campaign, WWII
Thank you.
That's beautiful
Simply 0utstanding Thank u very m-u-c-h !!!!!!!
I got to briefly know one of the Marines that was taken captive, Bob Bourguin. He passed away in 2015 or early 16 at 95 years old. It was truly an honor to know him and hear his retelling of his experiences, both of the battle and his years of captivity. God rest his soul.