The Battle of Wake Island 1941 - Animated

[@TheOperationsRoom]

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[@skinnysnorlax9994]

Does the code work on console as well?

[@theMIGHTYquinnWT]

Let's go bro

[@brokenbridge6316]

Nice video

[@jobe_seed6674]

Biggest lie I heard in this video is that you after 7 years of warthunder you still enjoy it lol

[@ashtonkamien8542]

Hi The Operations Room I like watching your videos about your history battles can you do the present day of War in Ukraine please and can you do the war against Isis please of the battles with the both warm please I hope you have an awesome day

[@paulroberts3639]

I didn’t realise that the Wake defenders sank a couple of Japanese ships and initially drove off the invasion force. I already thought that the defenders were heroes for holding their ground against overwhelming odds. But I have a great deal more respect having watched this video.

[@coryhall7074]

There's an excellent book called Pacific Alamo about the Battles for Wake that do an excellent job of humanizing the characters and describing their actions during the fighting.

[@paulroberts3639]

@@coryhall7074 the Alamo is a good comparison. It must have been frightening to be out there so far from home, facing overwhelming odds. Each soldier knowing that winning wasn’t the idea. Survive a little longer was.

[@stephenmelton2532]

The history guy did an excellent vid called "The guns of the uss Texas ". This battle is referenced.

[@dustinsmith8812]

To be honest I didn’t know wake was actually invaded

[@lovelessissimo]

@@dustinsmith8812 🤨

[@mattelliott8446]

My grandfather, George Rosandick, was one of the Morrison Knudsen contractors working on the airfield on Wake when the Japanese came. He spent the entirety of the war, 4.5 years, in a Japanese POW camp watching his friends killed and in a constant state of hunger. His trial absolutely changed the path of my families’ life. He passed in 2005 but his greatest achievement was the strong, loving family he raised and left in his native Idaho. He didn’t hold a grudge against the Japanese people and visited Japan and Wake again later in his life. Thank you for telling this story.

[@yudodisbro]

Thank you for sharing your story. It really adds a human context to these insane historical events.

[@chongyulius]

Japanese army was famous for how they treated their POWs in WWII, I'm glad he got to live to the end of the war at all, and pass this story down to you and us. May his soul rest.

[@KorbinX]

Appreciate you sharing this. Cheers

[@geddon436]

how did he survive being otherds werew tortured/killed?

[@levitatingoctahedron922]

@@chongyulius ironic that germans were known to treat POWs well according to everyone except the USSR, who we declared lying communists except for adopting their narrative surrounding german POW and labor camps. weird stuff.

[@jeanhunter3538]

A lot of the defenders were hastily equipped civilian contractors as well. Though a large portion of them and the marine wake POWs would be murdered by the Japanese before the end of the war.

[@coltseavers6298]

The murder of the civilian contractors is what lead to the formation of the Seabees as the contractors were not protected under international law for fighting back in combat.

[@CharliMorganMusic]

It's shit like this that, I think, made a culture of "surrender before death" very strong in the Marine Corps. I got out 10 years ago and I can honestly say nobody in my platoon would've surrendered bc capture was just...it's just so much worse.

[@dragonace119]

@@CharliMorganMusic When surrendering is a worst fate than dying fighting then instead of demoralizing your foe you only make the reistance you face tougher.

[@KamiKaZantA]

@@CharliMorganMusic "Always leave an avenue of escape for your enemy" or whatever Sun Tzu said. If you know your enemy is going to torture or kill you if captured, then might as well take as many with you as you can (I imagine ISIS/muslim militia don't care too much about the Geneva Convention).

[@jeanhunter3538]

@@coltseavers6298 True, though not like the Japanese were known for their following of international law.

[@PhizzleOut]

Imagine promised help, although late, then getting news that that mission was abandoned.

[@Taima]

It's a sinking feeling to surpass all sinking feelings. That shot of hopelessness right in the gut felt by hundreds of men. And to think those bastards still mounted such an incredible defense in the face of overwhelming force. If nothing else, Americans in WW2 were fuckin beasts.

[@navyseal1689]

But the fleet succeeded in Midway

[@talesoftheamericanempire]

There were three American carriers that could attack, all part of Admiral Kimmel's master plan to surprise the Japanese. Navy and Marine officers supported the fight, but Kimmel was sacked and cowardly Admiral Pye ordered the carriers to flee. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h563noyanLt0eas

[@OodldoodlNoodlesocks]

Happened both ways too. The Americans never bothered to retake the island, they just cut the Japanese off and let them starve.

[@thecappeningchannel515]

Fletcher was a great failure. He chickened out as always throughout 1942 untill finally removed by King.

[@peterslaby9782]

Huge props to those Wildcat pilots for all those accurate hits. It had probably been a awhile since they had had a chance to train with anything.

[@Maxvla]

I was impressed by the shore guns accuracy too. A lot of the videos on this channel show waves of aircraft that drop bombs and score almost no hits, or ships that fire round after round never hitting anything, so that first battle at Wake was a surprise.

[@nickkepley9294]

It's even more impressive considering the fact that these planes were brand new to them and they no experience in them.

[@Rahel_Rashid]

Exactly what I was thinking! Looking at Midway and the wildly different accuracy!

[@contrapasta2454]

I don't even get how they did it. Divine intervention.

[@tedytarrify]

I thought that too... I wondered if the same bad weather and pitching seas that prevented the troops loading into their landing craft were making accurate naval shooting difficult. Hence why the Japanese didn't hit many targets in that first sortie making the engagement seem so one sided.

[@AmericanIdiot7659]

The men defending Wake island were legendary and shall never be forgotten. It is sad to see how they were treated after the battle, they all should get Medals, including the civilians. "As we lay down our arms on the twenty third day The Japs cheered the news of defeat. But they could not believe a few crummy Marines Had stopped the whole Japanese fleet." -Wake Island by Oscar Brand

[@WildBillCox13]

Semper fidelis.

[@AmericanIdiot7659]

@@huntclanhunt9697 I am very glad to hear that!

[@vevenaneathna]

the japanease really needed their carriers in the west and the fact that they resisted and dragged them over there for really no reason at all was probably the most important result of the defense. this was at a time when japan had planned everything and was steam rolling the pacific and needed their carriers. this slowed the entire japanease war effort down by several weeks

[@hopatease1]

@@huntclanhunt9697 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake_Island_Device

[@southseasflying]

Our company goes to Wake regularly. It's really impressive to see some of the old sites and "98 rock" is a solemn reminder of what awaited these brave men after they surrendered. There were about 1200 civilians on Wake Island at the time of the attack, mostly military contractors and some Pan Am Airlines employees.

[@pablopablo3834]

If they knew how savage the Japanese were to prisoners they would have probably fought to the last man.

[@CalebGrahnert]

They burned my great uncle alive in a pit and then shot them all while they burned. They earned every ounce of those 2 nukes sent to Japan.

[@yaburu]

That's exactly what I thought when he said they surrendered.

[@Alex.Kaleipahula]

Amen brother my grandfather was in the 442nd 100 battalion

[@kryptekfunnies7473]

No, they knew they just didn't want to risk unnecessary civilian contractors in the crossfire

[@rexquite5547]

​@kryptekfunnies7473 they where willing to die and fought with them

[@kilcar]

Our dear friend Richard was a civilian contractor who volunteered to assist the Marine shore battery. He was sworn in, and He was captured with the Marines, while his co-workers, ( civilians who did not fight) were tortured & butchered by Japanese, and many worked to death by Japanese Marines of the IJN who were "fiendish animals" according to Richard, who worked in coal mines in Japan as slave labour till liberation in August, 1945.

[@ScottyShaw]

I'm glad Richard was able to survive long enough to see us win. I hope he found peace afterwards.

[@nicksmth33]

Something that is very saddening. after wake island was captured. 98 soldiers and civilians were kept on the island for slave labor. they were treated horribly and tortured regularly. Soon the US was advancing on the pacific so the Japanese commander ordered all of the 98 to be killed. 1 soldier or civilian managed to escape and hide next to a large boulder for a few hours. He etched into the rock the words “ 98, US, PW 5-10-43”. soon after he was captured and personally beheaded by the japanese commander. The rock is now known as “98 rock” and you can actually go and see it

[@cuckmasterflex9106]

Sickening stuff. No war is a good war.

[@sweetnerevar7030]

For people so obsessed with honor, they sure had a different perception of honor. For me nothing is more dishonorable than killing a POW after he put up that much of a fight.

[@conservativedemocracyenjoyer]

@@cuckmasterflex9106 putting down the EoJ and the nazis is good enough

[@chaosXP3RT]

That's awful! What brave heroes! They deserve to be remembered!

[@chaosXP3RT]

@@cuckmasterflex9106 A war against the Nazis and Imperial Japan was a good war

[@mr.m1garand254]

Been waiting for this one! Probably my favorite battle of the early war

[@gwtpictgwtpict4214]

Sorry, but I must point out that by the time of Wake Island Britain and the Commonwealth had been fighting for over two years, so not really early war, at least by our point of view. That said, I've the utmost respect for the defenders of Wake Island, it was a bloody good effort deserving of respect.

[@mr.m1garand254]

@@gwtpictgwtpict4214 I agree I’m referring to America’s early war, there are plenty of early war European front battles I love too

[@Tekisasubakani]

I can't recommend "Pacific Alamo" by John Wukovits enough, it is an excellent coverage of pre-, during and post-battle, and tells the stories of those involved [civilian, USMC, IJN] very well.

[@DakotaofRaptors]

Should be noted that the last WW2 MoH recipient passed away on the 29th of June. RIP, Hershel "Woody" Williams...

[@ToastytheG]

I got to meet one once. Massively humbling experience... Sad to hear they're all gone now. :(

[@jakobsievers]

I have such fond memories of playing "wake island" in Battlefield 1942 when I was younger, that I honestly got really happy when I saw the notification for this video. Always wanted to know how it actually went down.

[@burningphoneix]

For the longest time I thought Wake Island was a fake location created by DICE for a map. 😄

[@willnixon1583]

same!

[@ThePuschkin1986]

one of my favorite maps in the game

[@derain95]

@@burningphoneix It was one of the first things I serched for when I realised google earth was a thing. So many BF2 memmories.

[@Ie_Shima]

As bombs fell on Ford Island and torpedoes slammed into Battleship Row, the 520 soldiers, sailors, and marines of the Wake Island garrison found themselves trapped on a glorified sand spit in a suddenly hostile Pacific. Trapped with them were 1,221 civilian employees of the Morrison-Knudson construction company. While many of the MK men refused to help the garrison during the campaign, hundreds stepped forward to fill whatever role was needed. They utilized the heavy construction equipment on hand to dig trenches and build bunkers. They laid and wired dozens of improvised mines made from dynamite and blasting powder. They carried ammunition for the atoll’s antiaircraft batteries during the endless air raids and, when the shorthanded garrison couldn’t man all of the guns, formed an impromptu gun crew to help. Their mechanics worked day and night to aid the marine aviators in refueling, rearming, and repairing the dwindling handful of war-torn Wildcats that flew patrols until they literally fell apart. They cheered with the garrison as the shore batteries sank a Japanese destroyer during the first invasion attempt, the first enemy surface ship sunk during the war, then cheered again when word came back that a second destroyer had succumbed to the atoll’s pilots. And when the last Wildcat had been shot down, as food and ammunition dwindled, as the bombing intensified, as word came from Pearl Harbor that the vital rescue force had been ordered to turn back, and as a second Japanese fleet appeared over the horizon, they stood with the garrison and met the invaders at the water’s edge, fighting with rifles, rocks, and their own bare hands. The 3" gun that rained fire into the Japanese patrol boats on the south shore was captained by Marine Lieutenant Robert Hanna and Corporal Ralph Holewinski. Manning the gun alongside them were civilians Bob Bryan, Paul Gay, and Eric Lehtola. Bryan and Gay would not survive the night. Major Paul Putnam, commanding officer of VMF-211, was ordered to take his 22 surviving officers and men and form a scratch defensive line between the shore and the airfield. As they moved out to take their positions, 22 civilians, led by work boss John Sorenson, followed them. Putnam ordered the MK men to turn around, warning that they had no spare weapons for them and that if they were captured the Japanese would surely execute them. Sorenson, who towered over the diminutive Marine, responded, "Major, do you think you're really big enough to make us stay behind?" And so Putnam made his stand with half his force comprised of civilians. Ten of them would die in the fighting. Sorenson would be among them, killed as he charged a Japanese position with his bare hands to buy time for his comrades. Captain Henry "Hammerin' Hank" Elrod, the pilot who had on the 12th attacked a formation of over twenty Japanese aircraft by himself, shooting down two in the process, and then capped his success by sinking the destroyer Kisaragi, was also with Putnam's group. Reportedly wielding a Thompson submachine gun, and then a captured light machine gun, as well as he handled a Wildcat, Elrod was at the point of every counterattack against the Japanese. He was killed early in the morning of the 23rd, gunned down as he threw grenades to cover men bringing up ammunition and taking back the wounded. He would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in the sky and on the ground, the first to be given to an aviator during the war. But despite these efforts, it wasn’t enough. On December 23rd, fifteen days after the start of the war, the defenders surrendered. The Japanese quickly transferred the garrison and the able-bodied civilians off the atoll, putting them to work in POW camps in Japan and China. The wounded, and several members of the defender’s medical staff who volunteered to stay behind, remained on the islands as they were quickly cut off by the advancing Allied counter offensive. Soon, the occupying forces received a taste of their own medicine as American bombing raids and blockades severely hampered resupply efforts. Facing potential starvation, the Japanese commander made an appalling choice. On October 5th, 1943, the 98 remaining American prisoners were taken to the northern end of the island, blindfolded, and then killed with machine guns. Amazingly, one of the POWs managed to escape the massacre, but he was discovered the following morning and executed. At the end of the war, the Japanese garrison surrendered to the American Navy. When questioned about what happened to the POWs that had remained on the island, the commander insisted that the shelter they were staying in had been hit by an American bomb, killing all of them. Knowing that this was a lie, as it was to convenient to have taken place, the Americans conducted a search of the island. They quickly found what they were looking for Unbeknownst to the Japanese, they had not covered all of their tracks. In the dead of night, the massacre’s lone survivor returned to the beach and, in the darkness, carved a message into a coral boulder at the water’s edge: 98 US PW 5-10-43 When confronted with this, the garrison admitted to their crimes. The Japanese commander was sentenced to death, and his subordinates spent the rest of their lives in prison. Today, Wake Island is wildlife sanctuary, established to protect the thousands of rare bird species that call the coral atolls of the Pacific their home. The airbase there is used as an emergency field for transpacific flights, and the total population numbers less than 100 American military personnel. The rock, and its mournful message, are still there.

[@hooper4581]

Well done thanks pal.

[@timh5413]

Incredible recounting, my friend, thanks for the solid read.

[@2x2is22]

Holy shit, at a total loss for words here

[@thegreatestkhan]

@@hooper4581 copy and paste

[@SuperCatacata]

That commander deserved a fate worse than death. What a dishonorable human being.

[@69Applekrate]

Such a damm shame those brave men were not reinforced or rescued somehow, submarine, etc. They served and fought so bravely. It hurts me to see they were abandoned. Excellent video by the way. I have read a few great books on the subject but, the video and narration here are well done and help further. thank you for great historical work!

[@sid2112]

IT hurt the admirals and everyone else who had to turn back, but there was no way to evacuate or resupply. They fought hard and fought well. Lord bless them. Two destroyers that wouldn't be hurting our boys again.

[@Binkley-rj6gf]

Love your videos. A small suggestion - it struck me that this video would have been improved by adding dimensions at various points of the narration like how long is the southern shore, how wide is the mouth of the harbor, how far from the northeast battery to the southwest battery, etc. Some scale to the island would have provided a higher level of appreciation of what was going on, the difficulty the American had given their small numbers, etc

[@FirestormX9]

i was thinking the same thing. Like when he said Battery B took out the Patrol Boat on the other shore, i was completely baffled by the ranges and distances there.

[@724bigal]

That’s the fun part of history is doing one’s own research, this is a very detailed for the length video there are several good books about this battle and the aftermath. Interestingly it was never taken by force by the Americans from the Japanese. But was a practice target for every task force headed to combat in the PTO . I believe A GREEN bomber pilot President Bush flew several sorties against Wake in a TBM .

[@contrapasta2454]

Really doing justice to these pacific theater engagements.

[@TheOperationsRoom]

Thanks!

[@cming9423]

Those Marines simply shot the HELL out of anything that came near them. I was always disappointed that Wake Island wasn't recaptured a lot sooner in the Pacific War. If for Morale reasons if nothing else. We would've owed it to those Marines who so gallantly did their Duty and gave the Japanese Navy a really bad bloody nose so soon after Pearl Harbor.

[@yzfool6639]

Look at what our Marines did to the Japanese and they surrendered. Imagine what the Japanese would have done to us if, and since, they didn't surrender. Let them rot on that atoll.

[@patrickazzarella6729]

Absolutely wonderful job, covering these often overlooked/rushed events of the war and showing the details and actions on such small levels really aids in elevating the actions of everyone involved and brings things down to an individual level something usually reserved for larger battles

[@cavalry624]

I didn't realize the Wildcats on Wake were used for bombing ships. That's incredible.

[@gwtpictgwtpict4214]

They could carry 2 x 100 lb bombs, so not exactly ship killers but enough to ruin the smaller Japanese ships day.

[@dapperfield595]

@@gwtpictgwtpict4214 Well anything exploding *inside* your ship is bound to cause severe damage, no matter the size.

[@seeingeyegod]

took a lot of skill to hit something with them

[@trespasserswill7052]

@@seeingeyegod It's amazing they hit anything at all when you consider there was no training at all.

[@Zarastro54]

@@dapperfield595It didn’t explode inside the ship. It hit the exploded depth charges on the back causing a chain reaction.

[@epicnagger2216]

Played the hell out of this map in Battlefield 1942 Demo…Didn’t know it was such a crazy last stand situation

[@chrisjlee2013]

Same bro… I remember playing for the Allies and seeing planes and boats going towards us from the Axis’ battleship as soon as the game started. That itself was horrifying.

[@MrJJuK]

This was my favourite map for defending in BF1942 and BF2. Thanks for the video dude, amazing as usual.

[@ChristopherNFP]

Agreed. Want to go and play it now

[@chrisheckel3887]

It’s the best map on BFV rn too

[@benjamindover4337]

It's a brilliant map.

[@enescsgo]

I didnt know its real

[@EroPantherH]

The first invasion attempt was horrifyingly incompetent lol

[@wolfroze9703]

fancy seeing you here

[@EroPantherH]

@@wolfroze9703 I love this stuff. When I read a good old wikipedia article my normie brain can't really visualize where units are supposed to be.

[@Taima]

It's really good that it happened from an American perspective. The absolute morale boost they got that probably saw them through a lot better than if they got hit with the second assault outright. But then again, once they realized help wasn't coming, that didn't matter anymore.

[@RCAvhstape]

So Japan, you think this landing will be easy? Allow me to introduce to you the United States Marine Corps.

[@billytaylor4596]

My Grandfather William Taylor was a civilian contractor on Wake who helped fight off the Japanese invasion. It’s amazing how brave those men were. After the battle he was one of the lucky ones taken prisoner to mainland China and put in a prison camp. He miraculously escaped by jumping off a moving train and was captured/rescued by Communist Chinese forces under the command of General Mao. He wrote a book “Rescued By Mao” that tells his whole story.

[@benleuchtman9519]

A good ending

[@relentless3six]

Great video. My grandfather fought on Wake as a merchant marine, spent the rest of the war in POW labor camp. He had some interesting stories

[@tamarakepreyeomgbuayakimi.2841]

Pls what or who is a merchant marine.

[@charlessaint7926]

Though Wake Island fell, their stand in the darkest days gave the People what they needed most; Hope and Heroes.

[@Taima]

Wake Island 2007 was my favorite map in Battlefield 2, and I've loved playing on it in any game it's featured in. I learned some of the history about it thanks to those games, but the detail and visuals took it to a whole 'nother level for me. Amazing work.

[@patrickhamilton9242]

That game changed gaming forever, in my opinion. Agreed, absolutely the best map.

[@joedoe6444]

i wish you had included what happened to the Marines captured and how few of them survived the Japanese prison camps. also, a big part of the story you left out is the civilian workers on the island and the hell they went through under Japanese hands.

[@chrisse3q950]

hello, I absolutely love your videos the animations are absolutely amazing and give a really nice overview of the battles. one thing which would be nice is if there were a distance scale so the viewer can get a better grasp on the distance between the combatants, for example, if the animation is somewhat to scale it would become easier to grasp the scale of witch the battle is fought. LOVE THE VIDES CEAP EM UPP :D

[@aighti]

It's 01:07 where I am so imma watch it tomorrow, but I'm hella excited, your videos are always top-notch quality

[@TheCountofToulouse]

Wow, the Japanese really underestimated the US on that first try. You should ALWAYS be afraid of a cornered enemy that will fight HARD, even outnumbered and outgunned, be very cautious.

[@Taima]

Especially considering how the Japanese themselves fought when they had to defend places like Okinawa and Iwo Jima. Maybe they thought the Americans didn't have it in them like they did. Foolish move either way.

[@chaosXP3RT]

They thought the Americans were cowards

[@steveinspokane3096]

A great illustration of the Wake Is battle. I learned a lot and eagerly awake your next production of operations room.

[@tedparkinson2033]

This really shows the absolute grit of US forces in the 40s. Can't say how much respect I have for these tough sons-of-bitches and the bloody nose they gave the Japanese navy.

[@blitzpelirrojo]

Thanks!

[@Jbrooks253]

I learned so much by watching your videos! Thanks for being a great resource!

[@zappddosso3383]

i was here

[@rubroken]

My uncle was a Marine stationed at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on Dec. 7. What I didn't know(until recently)was that he was on the transport that was going to reinforce Wake Island after the Marines there had repulsed the first attack. The task force turned around after they heard of Wake being taken. He recently passed(age 98), he was a favorite uncle, loud but loving

[@JaredOtto]

I didn’t know how bravely the US forces fought on Wake Island! I especially didn’t know that sank 2 Japanese ships. Well done yet again!

[@jamesscalzo3033]

Loved the video @The Operations Room! Can't wait for the next video guys! Wake island would later be Cut off from Supply during the Island Hopping Campaign in the Pacific even though Aircraft Carriers like USS Hornet (CV-12) or her Essex-class Sister Ship USS Yorktown (CV-10) would steam by and pull One off Air Raids on the Island and her Japanese Captors.

[@tgreythorne45]

"Posted 14 minutes ago?!" *grabs beer and steaks* "LET'S GOOOOOO!"

[@darkrampage3216]

Bro it’s like noon 😂 I respect it tho

[@tgreythorne45]

@@darkrampage3216 like 1400 where I am at the time of post 😂 Besides, I haven't slept since Wednesday: so it's still Thursday night, right?

[@tomnm1]

0:48 >Historically accurate >destroys plane with artillery I mean, I guess it's not impossible... Love the video as always!

[@thansarproductions7602]

It’s a variable time fuze HE shell that killed the plane!

[@jamesdreads7828]

beautifully researched, scripted and delivered as always. TheOperationsRoom has quickly become my favourite military history channel on yt.

[@Themain1ofall]

@3:43 I like how you emphasized the "Nissan" landing crafts

[@Tigerheart01]

Don't forget that these were Marines in the early part of the war. Most were armed with WW1 bolt action Springfields and the machine guns were water-cooled .30cals. The more iconic M1 Garands and such were not in full production yet or given out to these older units.

[@g.t.richardson6311]

Both still excellent weapons, water cooled, same weapon, just heavier too move around. Marines were very skeptical of the new M1 and at that point would have preferred the 1903

[@g.t.richardson6311]

They had many more weapons than they could actually man. What was really needed was a couple extra companies of actual infantry. A marine defense battalion at the time consisted mostly of men to man 5 inch and 3 inch guns, .50 MG, and .30 MG, all the crew served weapons. There was actually only a very small infantry component, if any.

[@MommyKhaos]

6:43 "Changes from a ship into a ball of flame" spit out my coffee at just how calmly you said that.

[@nyxknight7555]

Love these type of vids from you. Now to actually watch it.

[@rong8955]

Excellent as always. I had no idea the Wake defenders had done so well. Much admiration

[@POBPOBPOB]

All my experiences of this battle have been played out through the Battlefield games over the past 20 years, which mostly recently in BFV involved a hacker in a tank sniping me from a mile away... Now it's interesting to finally see how it actually played in great detail over 80 years ago. Thank you again for all your top quality and fascinating work!

[@garreTTU2023]

I recently read a good book by Duane Schultz on Wake Island’s defense, and this was a good accompanying video to help me visualize the battlefield better. Thanks, always enjoy these.

[@manuelacosta9463]

Among the the the Japanese aviators shot down in this battle was warrant officer Noboru Kanai, widely believed to be the bombardier who dropped the fatal bomb on the USS Arizona. His plane was apparently hit by ground fire and last seen spinning out of control out to sea in flames. Neither he nor his fellow crewmen were ever seen again. Small bit of revenge there by the defenders of Wake.

[@manuelacosta9463]

@@sirjamessommer Ah thanks for elaborating. Most the accounts are rather vague and only point to them being hit and spinning out to sea.

[@TuckFinn831]

Awesome video. I love researching WW2 ( I'm 43 and the son of an army Captain so I started early. haha) .. I had no idea that the Japanese had held Wake til the end. I mostly focus on the European theater but this proves that there's always something new to learn! Thank you

[@chrisfoster6599]

No matter the ad, I will watch it due to the quality of these videos

[@nathanbyrne24]

The Japanese soldiers always deciding to do a bayonet charge for literally no reason, only to be mown down

[@leftnut7508]

That was depressing to hear, didn't know much about wake but once I heard that the carriers turned around I knew those Marines were dead. Hindsight being 20-20, the commander of the island shouldn't have surrendered. Sad to know how they were afterwards.

[@Xindet]

Japan occupied this island until the end of the war it was wise to surrender to save the lives of his men 1. how could 400 isolated soldiers have held against (in this situation) an vastly superior enemy? 2. how did this get 6 fokin 3 upvotes

[@italiansandvich6]

​@@mlx39996 it was beginning of the war they had no idea

[@ScottyShaw]

@@italiansandvich6 They already had four years (1937-1941) of China being invaded by Japan. American forces did what they could early in the war, but they should not have surrendered.

[@AmericanIdiot7659]

The commander was concerned about the civilians in the island, and was not aware how bad Japan treated their POWs.

[@seeingeyegod]

@@Xindet they couldn't have, but dying fighting would likely have been a better experience than being taken as POWs. They probably weren't aware how horrible the Japanese in WW2 treated prisoners, though.

[@Izvitoy]

09:33 I was not expecting you to say Lt. Poindexter. You got quite a laugh from me.

[@MrCk1234567890]

Babe wake up Operations Room just dropped another banger

[@CrosscutFilmsSask]

I cannot tell you how pumped I am when I get a notification that you've uploaded a new video. These are all extremely so well done and I appreciate and applaud all the work that goes into creating these. I've learned an incredible amount of military history. Thank you so much!

[@RickLowrance]

This is what I love about history. I am constantly being reminded how wonderful it is to be an American.

[@daniellucas1494]

A true hero's fight - told wonderfully by a highly skilled historian. Well done, yet again sir, I anxiously await your next posting. Hoping that you will honor the brave men under the command of Commander Richard O'Kane (whose grave site I just visited at Arlington National Cemetery) on their final patrol in the Formosa Strait. Please keep them coming sir.

[@PCSheepy]

Brutal battle but an incredibly brave stand by the US forces. Another belter Francis 👍🏽

[@ThereIsNoSpoon4]

Amazing as always. Never even heard of this battle! Thank you so much for what you do brother, we really appreciate it. Could I make a suggestion? When you run out of WW2/1 battles it'd be cool to see some revolutionary war stuff. Much love from Texas.

[@nutt1674]

Don't ever forget about the story of Butch Coolidge and his gold watch. Butch's grandfather, Dane Coolidge, a marine on Wake Island, knew he was facing death as the Japanese attacked. He handed his gold watch off to a gunner of an airforce transport plane named Winaki and had it delivered back to his wife in America. Butch, who would later become a prizefighter, treasured this watch. It was his birthright. He treasured the watch so much, that when his girlfriend Fabienne forgot to pack it when they were moving, he would have to go back to their apartment and kill a man to retrieve it.

[@sid2112]

It's shameful I had to scroll this far to find the reference. And now, little man, I give the watch to you.

[@NightFlighttoCairo]

You magnificent bastard.🫡🫡🫡

[@iainmalcolm9583]

Excellent animation. Really helps visualise the battle(s).

[@cjthebeesknees]

Rest in eternal paradise to my brothers before me and these brave marines who fell upholding their duty.

[@LightningWing11]

I’ve always been more interested in the European theatre of WWII, but your videos have all of a sudden made me fascinated with the Pacific theatre as well. Well done!

[@mikes8948]

Wow, heard of how the POWs were treated after the surrender, but this is the first clear description of the battle. Excellent telling of history, Operations Room!!

[@jwport580]

Well produced and animated series of documentaries in which the narrator does a great job of bringing the viewer back in time and into the heart of these ferocious battles. Worth anyone's time who likes history.

[@Timelost_Techpriest]

That first attack sounds like some IJN planner forgot how dangerous shore batteries are. One real cruiser, two oversized destroyers that weren't particularly good when they were built 30 years before, and some destroyers against a 5-inch battery is a comical example of overconfidence.

[@johnwebb4191]

My wife"s uncle Charles Schemel was a civilian contractor who was left on the island as part of the 100 slave laborers and was killed on the beach when the Americans returned. They were all executed on the beach that day.

[@karlcheney1039]

Great video, such an interesting story.

[@SB-yq8uo]

Very good documentary of Wake island. The Operations Room did it again

[@finnanutyo1153]

I really, genuinely, love this channel. I get butterflies everytime there is an upload. I love this shit so much. Thank you TOR. You make my days so much better.

[@STGTCK]

Love your videos man! they are great and really submersive for some reason, keep up the good work mate, greetings from Panama

[@samuelkim6754]

Wake up mom dad, the ops room posted

[@wmegamo6879]

Great videos. Please do Leyte Gulf, Santa Crus Islands and the Marianas turkey shoot! Can't wait to see them

[@AceArata]

I remember playing this level over and over in Battlefield 1942

[@Geckobane]

They re-added it in BFV as well. Tough to defend.

[@jjhendo]

My Grandfather was a machine gunner somewhere around the airstrips. Was a POW for 45 months. Thanks for telling the story!

[@gimmethegepgun]

It feels weird being able to reasonably accurately imagine the terrain of this battle, due to my experience playing on Wake Island in Battlefield 2.

[@inevitableleopard3810]

I'm glad Butch's grandfather was able to safely give the gold watch to Winocki before he was killed.

[@CoNww3]

excited to watch this !

[@highdesertutah]

I usually hit the like button but I would also like you to know I really appreciate you putting in the time and effort to produce these videos.

[@questionmark05]

the treatment of the surrendered defenders was horrific. the civilian construction workers massacred, the naval troops and marines sent to horrible pow camps on hell ships. the story of commander Cunningham. after all that when the Japanese when they realised how screwed they were after being isolated attempted to convince the US POWs left on the island that they wanted to "be friends"

[@jewchini6261]

Lemmi guess, the POWs weren't to keen on being "friends"

[@kiwifruit27]

Another awesome video about a truly heroic defence. Well done, can’t wait to see you guys get 1 million subs

[@beararmzkriz]

Can't imagine how they felt when they new reinforcements weren't coming. They fought like hell though.

[@darkdill]

As always, nicely done. A few other operations I'd like to see: Pointe Du Hoc, The Battle of Remagen, Pegasus Bridge.

[@larryalvares1369]

I got here 30 seconds after the video was uploaded

[@notepadinc655]

i just want to say, the war thunder sponsor is what made me smile, im really glad people are helping each other out when they are in the same boat : )

[@jmanj3917]

5:35, sunk by the Navy? More like the Marines and their artillery

[@tylerpittman5405]

Facts

[@banacekishere3857]

Those Marines were really really tough!

[@sledgehammerk35]

It’s a tragedy what the Japanese did to those men after they surrendered. An even bigger tragedy is that very few were even held accountable for their crimes.

[@elgatothecatseye8409]

The Japanese commander responsible was found guilty of war crimes and hanged.

[@fadoobaba]

2 nukes

[@haowoon8213]

Also, some of the japanese soldiers that participated in the actual warcrimes committed suicide soon after the US took back the island. According to a letter left behind by one of the japanese soldiers who comitted suicide, they actually felt guilty about committing the warcrimes and pointed the blame on to the commander in charge of wake island during the japanese occupation of wake island.

[@gilbertkohl6991]

Renovation of Japanese Empire WW2 image is in effect.

[@chriszinanni2092]

Hell yea, this is just what I needed to relax tonight. Keep up the awesome work.

[@andrewmontgomery5621]

This is like The Alamo

[@RW77777777]

there's actually a book with that title 'Pacific Alamo' re: this battle

[@dinosaur4714]

I love your channel, wow, glad to see this post. Keep it up, m8

[@spreadeagled5654]

Although overwhelmingly outnumbered, the Marines are not going down without a fight and fight they did to the end. Don’t mess with the Devil Dogs! Semper Fi ! 🇺🇸

[@plaguedyouth]

They surrendered though. lol?

[@Josephmgo1]

@@plaguedyouth They were ordered to surrender by Navy Commander Captain Winfield Cunningham.

[@herbertsmagon5777]

@@plaguedyouth yeah i am always miffed by american, russian, chinese, and polish commenters. Vietnamese dont act this way /shrug

[@soho1352]

Great job! Your content never disappoints!

[@jakeedmonds3625]

Awesome! What about a video of the Canadian infantry at the Medak Pocket in Croatia? That would be great

[@HamiltonStandard]

This was brilliant, concise and most enjoyable. Well done!

[@texasranger24]

Could we get a video on the naval battle of Leyte gulf?

[@steyrproof]

Great job. Always look forward to your videos as you do great work !