Originally Posted by
Lord of Girth
Wake Island - That sounds perfect. Thanks for the suggestion!!! 4 wildcats against on onslaught of zeros and Vals... Gonna be fun!
On 8 December, just hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor (Wake being on the opposite side of the International Date Line), 36 Japanese Mitsubishi G3M3 medium bombers flown from bases on the Marshall Islands attacked Wake Island, destroying eight of the 12 F4F-3 Wildcat fighters belonging to Marine Corps fighter squadron VMF-211 on the ground.[8] The remaining four Wildcats were in the air patrolling, but because of poor visibility failed to see the attacking Japanese bombers. These Wildcats did down two bombers on the following day, however.[9] All of the Marine garrison's defensive emplacements were left intact by the raid, which primarily targeted the naval aircraft. Of 55 Marine aviation personnel, 23 were killed and 11 were wounded.
Glad you liked the idea! Here's some food for thought...
Note that unit designation (“211” for VMF-211), mission (“F”), and aircraft number (“10”) are still present (these are removed as the war progresses, as was the red "meatball" in the center of the national insignia, though not before Coral Sea).
Lt (j.g.) Noel A.M. Gayler ground-looped the above F4F-3 Wildcat (BuNo 3980 / engine no. 14179) on a dirt runway, damaging its left wingtip and aileron, while ferrying this aircraft across the U.S. It was received on Wake on 1 October, and then assigned to VMF-211 on 10 October. 2nd Lt. Carl R. Davidson flew this aircraft on combat air patrol (CAP) on 8 December, and again on 11 December when he was credited with shooting down two Type 96 rikkōs (“Nell” medium bombers) of the Chitose Kōkūtai. This aircraft was destroyed on the ground during a bombing raid on 14 December, but its engine was saved and installed in 211-F9 (BuNo 3988).
Information from A Magnificent Fight: The Battle for Wake Island, by Robert Cressman
2nd Lt. Davidson was flying the re-engined 211-F9 on 22 December when he was shot down and killed by IJN Petty Officer 3rd Class Tahara Isao of the Hiryū.
F4F-3s of VMF-211 after the fall of Wake. 211-F11 (foreground) was the aircraft of Capt. Elrod, in which he sank IJN Kisargi
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