Wake Island

Wake Island is a 1942 American movie directed by John Farrow, loosely based on the Battle of Wake Island in 1941. In June 1941, two US Marine Corps units occupied Wake Atoll between Hawaii and the Northern Mariana Islands. One unit is the 211th Marine Fighting Squadron of Marine Aircraft Group 21, the other is a detachment of the 1st Defense Battalion. The units will be equipped with weapons and ammunition by the end of October. A total of 385 soldiers are ready. The new commanding officer for maintenance and construction is civilian Shad McCloskey. McCloskey, who is skeptical of the military, oversees the construction of bomb shelters. Although there are many different nationalities among the team members, there is good camaraderie. On December 7, 1941, a Japanese diplomat makes his way to Washington after a visit to Wake Island. That same morning, the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. 
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=Handguns=
==Colt M1911==
Nearly all U.S. officers and soldiers like Major Geoffrey Caton (Brian Donlevy), Lieutenant Bruce Cameron (Macdonald Carey), Captain Pete Lewis (Rod Cameron), and Sergeant Higbee (Bill Goodwin) have holstered Colt M1911 pistols.
thumb|500px|none|Lieutenant Bruce Cameron with his holstered Colt before taking off with his plane.
thumb|500px|none|Another American soldier with a holstered Colt.
thumb|500px|none|Pvt. Aloysius K. Randall (William Bendix) engages Japanese soldiers with his pistol.
==Colt New Army & Navy==
A Japanese officer at the end uses a Colt New Army & Navy revolver.
thumb|500px|none|The officer enters the radio room with the revolver.
thumb|500px|none|He shoots the revolver at the radio operator because he kept transmitting.
=Submachine Guns=
==M1928/M1928A1 Thompson==
A few Japanese soldiers are armed with automatic weapons that appear to be M1928A1 Thompson visually mocked-up to resemble German MP 40s. During the time of the Battle of Wake Island in 1941, the Japanese were not producing or issuing any submachine guns at all, and the Type 100 submachine gun would only begin to be issued in late 1942. An unmodified Thompson can be briefly seen fired by an American soldier.
thumb|500px|none|A Japanese soldier clears a foxhole with his submachine gun.
thumb|500px|none|An American soldier fires an unmodified M1928 Thompson.
thumb|500px|none|On the left, a Thompson is held by another Japanese soldier. Note the hooded front sight.
=Rifles=
==M1 Garand==
U.S. troops carry M1 Garands at the beginning of the movie.
thumb|500px|none|Troops exercising with the Garands.
==Springfield M1903==
Both factions can be seen with M1903 Springfield bolt-action rifles.
thumb|500px|none|A soldier in the background carries the rifle fitted with an M1905 bayonet over his back.
==Mauser Gewehr 1898==
Some Japanese soldiers appear to be using German Mauser Gewehr 1898, standing in for correct Arisaka Type 38 rifles.
thumb|500px|none|A shot Japanese soldier drops his rifle.
=Machine Guns=
==.50 AN/M2==
.50 AN/M2 heavy machine guns are mounted in the wings of Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter aircraft.
 
thumb|500px|none|A wing-mounted M2 being fired.
==Browning M2 Water Cooled==
Private Joe Doyle (Robert Preston), Private Aloysius K. Randall (William Bendix), and other U.S. soldiers on Wake island use the water-cooled version of the Browning M2HB machine gun.
thumb|500px|none|The machine gun seen on the left as the fighter aircraft take off.
thumb|500px|none|The foxhole of Doyle and Randall with the machine gun.
thumb|500px|none|The MG being fired at Japanese planes.
thumb|500px|none|Rear view.
==Browning M1917A1==
The garrison of the island is equipped with several Browning M1917A1 machine guns. Major Geoffrey Caton (Brian Donlevy) and Cpl. Gus Goebbels (Philip Van Zandt) man one at the climax.
thumb|500px|none|An American soldiers carries the Browning during the first air attack.
thumb|500px|none|Rear view of Doyle and Randall's Browning.
thumb|500px|none|Cpl. Gus Goebbels opens the top cover.
thumb|500px|none|The Browning seen fired.
==Vickers Mk. I== 
Some British Vickers machine guns are also used by the U.S. troops.
thumb|500px|none|A Vickers MG position under attack.
thumb|500px|none|Goebbels mans a Vickers.
==M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle==
At least one American soldier can be seen firing an early M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle.
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==Lewis Gun==
The Lewis Gun can be briefly seen twice during the defense of the island.
thumb|none|400px|Lewis Gun - .303 British
thumb|500px|none|A Lewis Gun lies next to his dead user.
=Other=
==Grumman F4F Wildcat==
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==5"/51 (12.7 cm) Coastal Gun series==
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thumb|500px|none|
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==Model 16 Stielhandgranate==
The Model 16 Stielhandgranate is used by Japanese soldiers.
thumb|500px|none|A Japanese soldiers primes a stick grenade.
Category:Movie
Category:B&W
Category:Drama
Category:War
Category:John Farrow