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 .
On 8 December , just hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor , Japanese Mitsubishi G3M3 bombers attacked Wake Island .