Battle of Wake Island

11 December 1941, Wake Island

American victory

The first Japanese landing on Wake Island was beaten off. Rear Admiral Sadamichi Kajioka came in close at dawn with three light cruisers, six destroyers and two transports, sure that the bombing of the past three days had silenced the island. Major James Devereux's Marines held their fire until the ships were within about 4,500 yards, then opened up with their old 5-inch guns. They hit Yūbari several times and blew up the destroyer Hayate, the first Japanese surface warship lost in the war. Four surviving Marine Wildcat fighters then bombed and strafed the force and sank the destroyer Kisaragi. Kajioka withdrew, having lost about 340 men: the only time in the war that an amphibious landing was repulsed by coast defence guns. He came back with carrier support from Sōryū and Hiryū, and Wake fell on 23 December.