At 0400, Major Putnam put VMF-211 on the alert, and soon thereafter he and Captains Elrod, Tharin, and Freuler manned the four operational F4Fs. The Wildcats, a 100-pound bomb under each wing, then taxied into position for take-off. Shortly before 0500, Kajioka’s ships began their final run. At 0515, three Wildcats took off, followed after five minutes by the fourth. They rendezvoused at 12,000 feet above Toki Point. At 0522, the Japanese began shelling Wake.
The Marines’ guns, however, remained silent as Kajioka’s ships “crept in, firing as they came.” The first enemy projectiles set the oil tanks on the southwest portion of Wake ablaze while the two converted destroyers prepared to land their Special Naval Landing Force troops. The column of warships advanced westward, still unchallenged. Nearing the western tip of Wake 20 minutes later, Kajioka’s flagship, the Yubari, closed to within 4,500 yards, seemingly “scouring the beach” with her 5.5-inch fire. At 0600, the light cruiser reversed course yet again, and closed the range still further.
The Yubari’s maneuvering prompted the careful removal of the brush camouflage, and the Marines began to track the Japanese ships. As the distance decreased, and the reports came into Devereux’s command post with that information, the major again told Gunner Hamas to relay the word to Commander Cunningham, who, by that point, had reached his command post. Cunningham upon receiving Hamas’ report, responded, “What are we waiting for, open fire. Must be Jap ships all right.” Devereux quickly relayed the order to his anxious artillerymen. At 0610, they commenced firing.
Barninger’s 5-inchers at Peacock Point, Wake’s “high ground” behind them, boomed and sent the first 50-pound projectiles beyond their target. Adjusting the range quickly, the gunners soon scored what seemed to be hits on the Yubari. Although Barninger’s guns had unavoidably revealed their location, the ships’ counterfire proved woefully inaccurate. Kajioka’s flagship managed to land only one shell in Battery B’s vicinity, a projectile that burst some 150 feet from Barninger’s command post. “The fire ... continued to be over and then short throughout her firing,” Barninger later reported. “She straddled continually, but none of the salvoes came into the position.” It was fortunate that the Japanese fire proved as poor as it was, for Barninger’s guns lay completely unprotected, open save for camouflage. No sandbag protection existed!
Captain Platt, meanwhile, told Major Potter via phone that, since Battery L’s rangefinder had been damaged in the bombing the previous day, First Lieutenant McAlister was having trouble obtaining the range. After Platt passed along Potter’s order to McAlister to estimate it, Battery L opened fire and scored hits on one of the transports, prompting the escorting destroyers to stand toward the troublesome guns.
Platt carefully scrutinized the Japanese ship movements offshore, and noted with satisfaction that McAlister’s 5-inchers sent three salvoes slamming into the Hayate. She exploded immediately, killing all of her 167-man crew. McAlister’s gunners cheered and then turned their attention to the Oite and the Mochizuki, which soon suffered hits from the same guns. The Oite sustained 14 wounded; the Mochizuki sustained an undetermined number of casualties.
A portable coincidence range-finder is like those used at Wake Island in conjunction with the 5-inch/51 caliber guns of Batteries A, B, and L. It was believed that they had been removed from decommissioned and deactivated battleships in the 1920s.
Charles A. Holmes Collection, MCHC
First Lieutenant Kessler’s Battery B, at the tip of Peale, meanwhile, dueled with the destroyers Yayoi, Mutsuki, and Kisaragi, as well as the Tenryu and the Tatsuta, and drew heavy counterfire that disabled one gun. The crew of the inoperable mount shifted to that of a serviceable one, serving as ammunition passers, and after 10 rounds, Kessler’s remaining gun scored a hit on the Yayoi’s stern, killing one man, wounding 17, and starting a fire. His gunners then shifted their attention to the next destroyer in column. The enemy’s counterfire severed communications between Kessler’s command post and the gun, but Battery B—the muzzle blast temporarily disabling the rangefinder—continued with local fire control. As the Japanese warships stood to the south, Kessler’s gun hurled two parting shots toward a transport, which proved to have been out of range.