The Story of Wake Island, James P. S. Devereux
The Story of Wake Island, James P. S. Devereux
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The Story of Wake Island

Author: James P. S. Devereux

Narrator: Joel Schrank

Unabridged: 5 hr 58 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HN Publishing

Published: 06/29/2019

Categories: Nonfiction, History


Synopsis

On December 8th, 1941, just hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, 36 Japanese bombers attacked Wake Island and destroyed eight of its 12 aircraft.

Two more raid shortly followed, further reducing the defensive possibilities for the men who were left to defend this small area of American soil in the center of the Pacific Ocean.

Major James P. S. Devereux was the Commanding Officer of the first Marine Defense Battalion who faced Japanese onslaught.

The first Japanese landing attempt on the morning of December 11th was repelled by a ferocious defense put forward by Devereux and his men.

Yet, although the Japanese had withdrawn without landing, they continued to bombard the island by air and sea, and there was little hope of resupply for the Americans.

For 15 days the American troops suffered endless bombardments until the second major Japanese offensive was launched on December 23rd.

Against overwhelming forces the Marines and other troops that were stationed on the island fought valiantly, but after 49 men had lost their lives in the fight, the remaining American men and civilians were captured by the Japanese.

.James P. S. Deveraux’s remarkable book The Story of Wake Island takes the listener to the heart of the action from the point of view of the commanding officer. It is a brilliant account of this tragic event that demonstrated the fighting spirit of the American soldier even in the face of unbeatable odds.

James P. S. Devereaux was a United States Marine Corps general, Navy Cross recipient, and Republican congressman. After the ferocious 15-day battle of Wake Island Devereux was interned for nearly four years in Japanese prison camps. His book The Story of Wake Island was first published in 1947 and he passed away in 1988.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jeff on January 06, 2019

Major Devereux give a no-nonsense account of the fifteen days of battle the US Marines, Army, VMF, Navy and civilian force held off a vastly superior enemy, the IJN and IJA. For fifteen days they faced insurmountable odds. The motley force destroyed twenty-nine planes, nine warship and over 5400 of......more

Goodreads review by John on December 23, 2018

Well written: good pacing, appropriate level of detail (some books get bogged down in details), I found the personal anecdotes from the various participants interesting, and I liked how the book told the story including their experiences in the POW camps (rather than just ending with the battles on......more

Goodreads review by Michael A. Simmons, Sr. on January 13, 2019

If you are a student of Marine Corps history, you will find this book an invaluable source of information information on the battle for Wake Island. Shortly after the attack on Pearl harbor a tiny contingent of Marines, sailors and civilians were charged with the defense of Wake Island. This book re......more

Goodreads review by John on May 20, 2020

A well-crafted account of the attacks and invasion of Wake Island by the Japanese following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The Japanese were surprised to find such resistance from a desolate island far from friendly forces. The book is more of a blow-by-blow account of the maneuvering and resilience o......more

Goodreads review by William J. Boyne on November 28, 2018

Excellent historical 1st person account with several myth busting truths I really enjoyed the factual presentation of this book. The battle for Wake Island was not the one sided affair often quoted in the history books. Sure is was tough, especially for the surviving soldiers and civilians, some of w......more