WI Wake Island was relieved?

bard32

Banned
Here's another what if. Wake Island was a major American base in 1941.
It was going to the forward base of the Pacific Fleet's submarines. However,
it fell to the Japanese in 1942, and became a Japanese base until the end of the of the war. The USN had plans to relieve it but they came all came to nothing because the admiral who was supposed to relieve Wake Island was an
overly cautious man and wouldn't send ships, and troops, to relieve it. So what
if Wake Island was relieved?
 
The American public would lose the story of the "Alamo of the Pacific" and the cry "Send us more Japs," but I doubt it would have much if any effect on the war overall. The most it would do would be a few less POWs and civillian executions.

During the war, the US only did bombing runs on the island and Wake was not formally surrendered until September 4, 1945.
 

CalBear

Moderator
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No significant difference regarding the outcome of the war.

The IJN schedule was so packed that it would not have been available to mount an entirely new operation, at least prior to June 1942. It is possible that the Japanese may have chosen Wake instead of Midway as the "trap" to bring about the Decisive Battle. Since the U.S. had JN-25 penetrated, the location of the battle would not have been a surprise (although, given that Wake was within range of Emily flying boats operating out of the Mandates, the U.S. might have had more difficulty springing it's own trap.

edit: The world would be deprived of one of the more storied "last stands" of the last century
 

bard32

Banned
No significant difference regarding the outcome of the war.

The IJN schedule was so packed that it would not have been available to mount an entirely new operation, at least prior to June 1942. It is possible that the Japanese may have chosen Wake instead of Midway as the "trap" to bring about the Decisive Battle. Since the U.S. had JN-25 penetrated, the location of the battle would not have been a surprise (although, given that Wake was within range of Emily flying boats operating out of the Mandates, the U.S. might have had more difficulty springing it's own trap.

edit: The world would be deprived of one of the more storied "last stands" of the last century

Given the reaction to this post, most, if not all of it, running against the relief effort, I have to agree. I heard about on a History Channel program about Wake Island called Wake Island: Alamo of the Pacific. It was based on a book of the same name.
 
Theodore over on the Naval Fiction Board once did a TL based on this POD (he starts with killing an admiral in a freak accident). You can still buy it here if you're interested http://www.lulu.com/content/575731. The bottom line is that while there are some hard battles early on the war in the Pacific ends earlier by a few months without resorting to the ABomb. The author is more of a Halsey fan than I am.
 
I think holding Wake would have been handy since they were within range of the Mandates. What the Japanese could do the US could do in reverse.

The question is when does the relief get to Wake? Does it get these as late as possible and provoke a naval battle, or get there earlier and allow Wake to fight off the landings? As good as I think holding Wake would be I don't think I'd want to lose a carrier in it's defence.
 
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