Combat Chronology of the US Army Air Forces
in operations against and from the Marshall Islands

Wake Atoll

 
SATURDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 1942
A B-17 flies a photo reconnaissance mission over Wake Island.
 
SUNDAY, 7 JUNE 1942
Major General Clarence L Tinker, Commanding General 7th Air Force, is lost during the night of 6/7 Jun while leading a flight of LB-30s from Midway Island for a predawn attack on Wake Island.
 
FRIDAY, 26 JUNE 1942
3 LB-30s bomb installations on Wake Island. The raid takes place during the night of 26/27 Jun and is staged through Midway Island.
 
FRIDAY, 31 JULY 1942
1 B-17, from Midway Island, flies photo reconnaissance of Wake Island. The B-17 is Intercepted by 6 fighters; in the ensuing fight US gunners claim 4 fighters destroyed.
 
TUESDAY, 22 DECEMBER 1942
Detachments of the 370th, 372d and 424th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 307th Bombardment Group (Heavy) based in the Territory of Hawaii with B-24s arrives on Midway Island. During the night of 22/23 Dec, 26 B-24s bomb Wake Island from 2,500 to 8,000 feet, dropping 135x500 pound bombs. The total length of the mission, from Hawaii and return, was over 4,300 nautical miles. No aircraft were lost.
 
MONDAY, 25 JANUARY 1943
Six B-24s carry out a photographic reconnaissance missions over Wake Island and drop 60 bombs. They claim one fighter shot down.
 
SATURDAY, 15 MAY 1943
7 B-24's from Midway Island bomb Wake Island; 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.
 
SATURDAY, 24 JULY 1943
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.
 
MONDAY, 26 JULY 1943
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.
 
FRIDAY, 14 JANUARY 1944
In the Marshall Islands, 12 B-24's, staging through Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, bomb 3 islands in Kwajalein Atoll; 3 B-25's from Makin Island, Gilbert Islands fly a mission against shipping at Wotje Atoll; 2 of the B-25's attack 2 small vessels, sinking 1 and damaging the other; the other B-25 bombs a runway and building on the S part of Wotje.
 
SATURDAY, 11 MARCH 1944
B-24s, operating out of Kwajalein Atoll, for first time, carry out the Seventh's first raid from the Marshall Islands against Wake Island. P-40s and B-25s, operating from bases in the Gilbert Islands, pound Mille and Maloelap Atolls.
 
SUNDAY, 19 MARCH 1944
B-24s pound Wake Island from Kwajalein Atoll. B-25s from Abemama Island and Tarawa Atoll hit Maloelap, Jaluit, and Mille Atolls. 1 B-24 from Tarawa bombs Mille and photographs Mille and Majuro Atolls.
 
THURSDAY, 23 MARCH 1944
B-24s from Kwajalein Atoll bomb Wake Island; B-25s flying out of Enewetak Atoll hit Ponape Island; and Tarawa Atoll-based B-25s strike Maloelap and Jaluit Atolls, commencing a series of B-25 shuttle-missions between Tarawa or Makin Island and the USN's new base at Majuro Atoll which is used as the rearming base for the return strike.
 
THURSDAY, 6 APRIL 1944
B-24s from Kwajalein Atoll bomb Wake Island. B-25s from Enewetak Atoll hit Ponape Island twice. B-25s from Abemama Island bomb Jaluit Atoll, rearm at Majuro Atoll, and hit Maloelap Atoll during the return flight.
 
TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 1944
First Seventh Air Force attack on the Marianas Islands takes place as B-24s escorting USN aircraft on a photographic reconnaissance mission from Enewetak Atoll bomb Saipan Island. Other B-24s staging through Eniwetok Atoll hit Truk Atoll. B-24s from Kwajalein Atoll bomb Wake Island after failing to find shipping reported in the area; and B-25s from Abemama Island bomb Jaluit and Maloelap Atolls, using Majuro Atoll as a shuttle base between strikes.
 
THURSDAY, 20 APRIL 1944
B-24s from Kwajalein Atoll search the area near Wake Island for shipping; finding none, the bombers hit Wake and Peale Islands. Tarawa Atoll based B-25s, using Majuro Atoll as a shuttle base between strikes, bomb Maloelap and Jaluit Atolls.
 
SUNDAY, 30 APRIL 1944
41 Kwajalein Atoll-based B-24s bomb various targets at Wake Island. 11 Makin Island-based B-25s bomb Jaluit Atoll while 8 from Engebi Island, Enewetak Atoll bomb Ponape Island.
 
WEDNESDAY, 10 MAY 1944
B-24s from Kwajalein Atoll bomb Wake Island during the night of 9/10 May. During the DAY, B-25s from Engebi Island bomb Ponape Island while Makin Island-based B-25s raid Jaluit and Wotje Atolls.
 
TUESDAY, 16 MAY 1944
Kwajalein Atoll-based B-24s pound Wake Island.
 
WEDNESDAY, 17 MAY 1944
B-24s from Kwajalein Atoll bomb Wake Island while Engebi Island-based B-25s hit Ponape Island.
 
TUESDAY, 30 MAY 1944
2 forces of B-24s from Kwajalein Atoll strike Truk Atoll and Wake Island.
 
SATURDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 1944
On the night of 23/24 Sep a B-24 from Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands bombs Wake Island.
 
MONDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 1944
During the night of 25/26 Sep Kwajalein Atoll-based B-24s stage through Enewetak Atoll on a strike at shipping at Truk Island; failing to locate the primary targets the B-24s bomb Tol, Eten, Param, and Moen Islands while others hit Wake Island during the night of 25/26 Sep.
 
TUESDAY, 26 SEPTEMBER 1944
B-24s from the Marshall Islands hit Wake Island during the night of 26/27 Sep.
 
SATURDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 1944
During the night of 30 Sep/1 Oct a Kwajalein Atoll-based B-24 bombs Wake Island.
 
6 OCTOBER 1944
A B-24 from Kwajalein bombs heavy gun battery on Emidj. During 6/7 Oct, 3 B-24's bomb Wake.
 
8 OCTOBER 1944
During the day and 8 9 Oct B-24's from the Marshalls bomb Wake.
 
11 OCTOBER 1944
A Kwajalein-based B-24 bombs Wake during the night.
 
12 OCTOBER 1944
B-24's from Kwajalein bomb Wake during 12/13 Oct.
 
14 OCTOBER 1944
1 B-24 from the Marshalls bombs Wake during 14/15 Oct.
 
15 OCTOBER 1944
2 B-24's from the Marshalls bomb Wake on 15/16 Oct. Sources: AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS OF WORLD WAR II, Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF, 1961,
COMBAT SQUADRONS OF THE AIR FORCE, WORLD WAR II, Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF 1982
THE ARMY AIR FORCES IN WORLD WAR II: COMBAT CHRONOLOGY, 1941-1945 by the Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF, 1973.


[Wake Atoll]


CONTACT:
Dirk H.R. Spennemann, Institute of Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, P.O.Box 789, Albury NSW 2640, Australia.
e-mail: dspennemann@csu.edu.au

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