Evening star., 1945-07-20
Wake
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a colonel, wrote his son early this
year that he was receiving food par
GELS at prison camp in Shanghai.
1t. McAlister said it was Maj
Deyereux who actually made con-
tact with the japanese commander
to surrender When 1t appeared
that the situation was hopeless on
that December %, Maj. Devereux
reported the fact to Comdr. Win
field Scott Cunningham, the island
commander. who directed him to
take steps to surrender the island.
The whole purpose of the sur
render was the concern of Comdr.
Cunningham and Maj. Devereux for
the l 200 civilian personnel who had
been sent to the island to build up
its defenses. A large number of the
civilians had been killed in air at
tacks which the Japs had made on
the atoll. The atoll actually is a
group of three islands-Wake,
shaped like an Indian arrowhead
pointing toward the United States;
Wilkes. as the southern and western
angle, and Peale, to the northward.
Landings Held OFF.
When Maj. Devereux was directed
to make the surrender, he went to
the senior Japanese officer in the
landing party bearing a white flag
Subsequently, 1t. McAlistef said, he
went with that officer to the various
Marine positions, some of which had
been cut of from communications
to inform them of the surrender
The Jap admiral in command OF
the task force of about 40 ships
later came ashore and read the
imperial rescript, which threatened
the prisoners with being shot for
almost anything they did. Maj
Devereux subsequently was put in
solitary confinement until the group
was put aboard ship and headed
for Japan, 1t. McAlister said.
The Japs, 1t. McAliSter continued
made their first attempt at land.
ing on December II, 1941, but this
was unsuccessful Actually, they
were held off until December %
Most of their troops were put ashore
from destroyers which they beached
They landed about one company oi
from 30 to 100 men in Wilkes al
2:30 am. on December %. There
were only IS Marines there ane
after the contact was made, IS jar
dead were counted. Later, the Jap.
poured gasoline on the bodies anc
burned them up.
One-Man Banzai.
1t. McAlister told how a lont
Marine sighted Jap behind some
rocks and climbed to investigate
He killed five. Later this Marine
Corpl. Alvey Reed of Rye, Colo.
experienced one-man Banzai
charge. Both opened fire at the
same time and killed each other.
With the 1900 civilians on the
island were 400 Marines. Forty-nine
Marines were killed and one died
after capture. Seventy civilians
were killed during the bombings.
Lit. Kinney told how the Japs fired
into a group of Marines standing
with their arms upraiSed to sur
render, killing two Of them.
After the surrender" 1t Kinney
said, Il was confined to the hos
pita1 from fatigue. At o'clock in
the morning of December % we
were called and told to raise a white
flag. The Jap troops arrived about
an hour later. Every one of us was
standing with our arms raised. The
Japs fired into the group, killing
two and wounding one.
Later they took us outside and
tied us up with telephone wires after
stripping us of our clothing. In the
afternoon we were marched back
into the building and subsequently
were taken on the same day up to
the airf1eld, where we remained un-
til the afternoon of December 25
We were kept on the airfield during
that period with very little water
and no food.
Expected Rescue.
"On that afternoon, Comdr. Gun.
ningham and Maj. Devereux appeal
ed to the Japs to put us in barracks
which they did. Twenty-Five mer
were place In each of the barracks
and after that we received two
meals a day, made up from supplies
which the Japs had collected from
our positions around the island
There was very little unusual which
occurred in the barracks In that Pc
riod until we were loaded aboard
ships on January II.
During the whole period we were
quite confident that the American
boys would be back to rescue u,
within a couple of days.
"At 8 o'clock in the afternoon oi
January IL, we were assembled anc
prepared for loading on the trans
port. We were told that we could
take no clothing except that which
we had on, or cigarettes. The sea
was rather rough when we were
taken out to the ship, the Nitl
Maru. We were loaded aboard II
cargo nets and all of the enlisted