laid broken in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor.  The British colonies had also been invaded,  

suffering defeat after defeat both in  Hong Kong and in the Malayan Peninsula.  

But this would not be the end of the  Japanese aggression, as the strategic  

American possessions in the Pacific were now  up for grabs. Today, we are going to cover the  

initial landings in the Philippines, as well  as the attacks against Guam and Wake Island.

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As we've already seen, the United States  had neglected the defenses of its Pacific  

possessions for too many years since their victory  in the Great War. And with the Japanese threat  

approaching like dark clouds on the horizon, the  effort to prepare for a new war was still minimal,  

leading to a considerable weakness for  the American forces in the Pacific.  

In July of 1941, after the Japanese occupation  of southern Indochina, the USAFFE was formed,  

including both American and Filipino forces in the  region, with Lieutenant-General Douglas MacArthur  

as its commander-in-chief. The Philippine Army had  thousands of troops, but it lacked modern weapons,  

adequate training, and valuable experience,  something MacArthur set out to correct from  

the get-go, even though he wouldn't have the  time to complete his task. The US Navy also  

had a small presence in the region with the old  Asiatic Fleet of Admiral Thomas Hart, which is  

not to be confused with the Pacific Fleet based  on Hawaii. This fleet depended on a few cruisers  

and WWI-era destroyers , although it counted  with a considerable submarine squadron as well,  

albeit not big enough to successfully struggle  against the Japanese. The Asiatic Fleet was also  

responsible for the defense of Guam, while the  defense of Wake Island was under the jurisdiction  

of Admiral Husband Kimmel's Pacific Fleet. In the Philippines, MacArthur counted some  

22,532 men, including one fully-American regiment  , three well-trained regiments of Philippine  

Scouts, two tank battalions , ten inexperienced  Philippine divisions, and considerable coastal and  

anti-aerial artillery . MacArthur also had at his  disposal the Far East Air Force under the command  

of Major-General Lewis Brereton, totaling some 218  modern aircraft , as well as the Philippine Air  

Corps' six squadrons of obsolete aircraft ; a very  sizable air force to stem the Japanese offensive.  

In Guam, although the US didn't think that  the island could be successfully defended,  

naval forces were under the command of Captain  George McMillin, counting with some 271 Navy  

personnel, as well as 153 Marines led  by Lieutenant-Colonel William McNulty  

and some 246 volunteers of the Guam Insular Force  Guard. Meanwhile, in Hawaii, Admiral Kimmel had  

noticed the valuable strategic importance  of Wake Island since the start of the year,  

ordering the construction of naval-base  facilities with the objective of turning  

it into a stronghold, something that wouldn't  be completed by the end of 1941. Kimmel had the  

1st Defense Battalion of marine units for the  defense of the American islands in the Pacific,  

with the other three battalions assigned to  Midway and Hawaii. Two detachments were sent  

to the Johnston and Palmyra Islands, while the  rest of the battalion remained at Pearl Harbor.  

On August 8, a new detachment of the 1st Defense  Battalion was sent to Wake, totaling some 422  

marines under the command of Major James Devereux.  In late November, the defense of Wake was placed  

under the command of Winfield Cunningham,  while the defenders would be reinforced with  

the VMF-211 squadron of Major Paul Putnam,  consisting of twelve F4F-3 Wildcat fighters. 

As for the Japanese, limited by the war in China  and the attacks against the British and Dutch  

colonies, they could only count on 2 divisions  and a brigade for their offensives against the  

American possessions in the Pacific. The rest of  the hard work would have to be carried out by the  

IJN and their Special Naval Landing Force,  the Japanese equivalent to the US Marines.  

For the invasion of the Philippines in  particular, Tokyo had planned to first  

neutralize the American air forces in the  Philippines to have full control of the air.  

To do this, they would also need to execute  several amphibious invasions against the main  

American northern airfields to extend Japanese  aircraft capabilities. Once air superiority was  

assured, they would launch their main amphibious  assault against Luzon and Mindanao , then  

advancing across the Philippines to occupy their  vital strategic locations . The 14th Army of  

Lieutenant-General Homma Masaharu, consisting of  the 16th and 48th Divisions, as well as the 65th  

Independent Mixed Brigade and two tanks regiments,  was appointed to carry out this operation, and  

they would be supported by the 5th Army Air Force  Division of Lieutenant-General Obata Hideyoshi,  

consisting of 183 short-range aircraft .  The Japanese also appointed Vice-Admiral  

Takahashi Ibo's 3rd Fleet to support the invasion  of the Philippines, primarily showcasing a variety  

of cruisers and destroyers , and providing some  358 valuable long-range aircraft in the form of  

the 11th Air Fleet. Takahashi's role in the  Philippines was to destroy the Asiatic Fleet,  

cover and support the naval landings, and then  protect Japanese supply lines and reinforcements. 

Meanwhile, the 4th Fleet of Vice-Admiral Inoue  Shigeyoshi was selected to conduct operations  

against the islands of the Pacific Ocean,  including the invasions of Wake and Guam.  

For the attack on Wake Island, Inoue planned  to conduct three days of aerial bombardment,  

followed by naval landings on Wilkes Island and  Wake proper. The invasion force, designated as  

“COMDESRON 6” and commanded by Rear-Admiral  Kajioka Sadamichi, consisted of a covering  

and support force of cruisers and destroyers , 34  bombers of the 24th Air Flotilla, an occupation  

force , and 450 SNLF marines. For the assault on  Guam, Inoue assigned the South Seas Detachment of  

Major-General Horii Tomitaro, mainly counting with  4886 men from the 144th Infantry Regiment . To  

support the naval landings on Guam, the Japanese  would also appoint the 6th Cruiser Division  

of Rear-Admiral Goto Aritomo, consisting of four  heavy cruisers, four destroyers, and 370 SNLF  

marines . Inoue also planned to occupy the Gilbert  Islands and to conduct bombardments of the Howland  

and Baker Islands. For this operation, he created  a supporting group under the command of Captain  

Miyazaki Shigetoshi, consisting of two minelayers,  two destroyers, and a gunboat, to escort the 51st  

Naval Garrison Unit in its invasion of the  Gilberts. At the same time, the 24th Air  

Flotilla was placed in charge of the bombardment  of the Howland, Baker, and Gilbert Islands. 

As we've seen, on December 2, the order  to “Climb Mount Niitaka” was given,  

setting up the final preparations for the  Japanese offensives to be launched on December 8.  

Three days later, Homma's men departed Haha-jima  en route to Guam, with the objective of landing at  

Tumon Bay, on the southwest coast near Merizo,  and on the eastern shore of Talofofo Bay. The  

other invasions, however, would have to wait  first for the air attacks to be successful.  

Around 03:00 on December 8, the American  commanders in the Philippines were informed  

of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Although the US  thought that the Philippines were a lost cause  

and only wanted to execute a limited resistance  for reinforcements of the Pacific Fleet to arrive,  

MacArthur had planned to do a more active  defense, trying to defeat the Japanese on the  

beaches before they could establish a foothold.  Thus, he established three main defense forces,  

the North Luzon Force of Major-General Jonathan  Wainwright; the South Luzon Force of Major-General  

George Parker Jr.; and the Visayan-Mindanao Force  of Brigadier-General William Sharp. MacArthur  

also believed that the combined strength of the  Asiatic Fleet and his air forces were capable  

of destroying any Japanese fleet; something  Admiral Hart opposed, believing it would be  

best for his forces to retreat south and join a  combined fleet with the British and the Dutch.  

General Brereton wanted to prepare a retaliatory  B-17 bombing strike against Formosa in accordance  

with the Rainbow 5 war plan. At 05:30, Chief of  Staff of the U.S. Army, General George Marshall,  

ordered MacArthur to execute the existing war  plan, Rainbow Five, but MacArthur did nothing.  

General Brereton proceeded three times time  to ask permission and was denied until he  

personally spoke to MacArthur at 11:00 finally  obtaining permission. This procrastination of  

a preemptive attack would cost them dearly. Meanwhile, at Wake, the American defenders  

were informed of the attack on Pearl Harbor  around 06:00, quickly rushing to man the  

islands' defenses. Four Wildcats were also sent to  patrol around Wake, with the rest being prepared  

for lift-off. Around 07:00, Japanese aircraft took  off from Formosa, heading towards the Philippines  

and then striking Tuguegarao and Baguio at 09:30.  At this point, army bombers returned to Taiwan,  

leaving the Americans feeling like the attack  was over, even though it had just begun.  

34 bombers had also taken off at dawn from Roi  island towards Wake, while from Saipan, Japanese  

aircraft struck Guam, destroying one of their  minelayers . At the same time, Japanese bombers  

from the Marshall Islands shelled Nauru, Howland,  Baker, and the Gilbert Islands. As a result,  

airstrips and infrastructure in the islands were  damaged and Howland lost two of its four cruisers.  

Meanwhile, troop transports from the Marshalls  also began to embark en route to the Gilberts.  

They would arrive on December 9, with SNLF marines  landing on Makin and Tarawa unopposed and starting  

the construction of seaplane bases there . Two  days later, the Japanese would also take control  

of Little Makin and Bokati, completing  their invasion of the Gilbert Islands.  

And back to the main action, Japanese navy bombers  caught the Americans unaware at 12:30, bombarding  

the Iba airfield and destroying a flight of  P-40s and its radar station. They then headed  

to Clark Field, where they managed to destroy  most of the American aircraft on the ground,  

leaving only 17 B-17s operational. By afternoon,  half of the Far East Air Force was shattered,  

assuring Japanese air superiority for the rest of  the campaign. Douglas MacArthur's procrastination  

of Brereton's requests cost them dearly. At the same time, Japanese bombers at Wake  

managed to slip through the American patrols, then  bombarding the airfield and destroying the eight  

Wildcats on the ground. They also struck the  American camps, defenses, and seaplane facilities,  

causing considerable damage before  returning back to the Marshall Islands.  

In a single day, the Japanese air forces  had repeated their success at Pearl Harbor,  

leaving the American presence in the Pacific  severely weakened. Furthermore, some 490 SNLF  

marines had already landed in Batan Island, taking  control of its small airfield to further execute  

air operations. This convinced Admiral Hart to  order the bulk of the Asiatic Fleet to withdraw  

and join the British and the Dutch on the Borneo,  just as he had planned. More aerial bombardments  

over the remaining American airfields would follow  in the next few days, destroying most of the  

remaining aircraft and leaving only a handful of  P-40 and B-17 unscathed. Thus, MacArthur was left  

without naval or air forces, alone to defend  the Philippines with his ground divisions.  

Wake and Guam were also hit again on December  9, although this time the American defenders  

were prepared to brace the Japanese attack, so  they didn't suffer much damage. More air attacks  

would follow on December 10, but this day would  also see the first major fighting in the Pacific. 

Around 02:00, Goto's 370 SNLF marines landed  on Agaña Bay , quickly engaging the men of  

the Guam Insular Force Guard and overtaking  their positions with their superior firepower.  

They subsequently advanced towards Sumay and  the Marine barracks, while Horii's South Seas  

Detachment landed at its objectives practically  unopposed and then started its advance across the  

island. Some fighting ensued on Agaña's Plaza  de España, and soon Captain McMillin saw that  

further resistance was pointless, calling  a ceasefire. Around 06:00, he would finally  

surrender his forces, making Guam the first  American territory to fall into Japanese hands.  

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, the situation was  also very grim. At dawn, three Surprise Attack  

Forces, carrying around 2000 Japanese soldiers  each, started their operations, with the first  

one landing at Aparri. This was a very important  target, as its airfield could allow army aircraft  

of the Japanese to conduct attacks all across the  Philippines. Despite this, the Japanese landed  

unopposed and could capture Aparri, Gonzaga, and  the Camiguin Island in a matter of hours. At the  

same time, the second force disembarked at Vigan,  but was met with an intense B-17 and P-40 attack  

that forced some Japanese soldiers to retreat  back to the transports. They would return the  

following day, landing four miles to the south  and taking the town of Laoag, while the rest  

of the detachment had already secured Vigan and  its airfield. MacArthur was livid when he heard  

about the naval landings, blaming Wainwright  for his incompetence in MacArthur's planned  

active defense, not even offering any resistance. The last Japanese surprise force , coming from  

the Palau Islands, also disembarked on Legazpi  unopposed on December 12, then taking the city and  

its airfield. At this point, Japanese forces had  also taken the Tuguegarao airfield to the south  

of Aparri, threatening the last major American  airfield at Del Monte. This prompted Brereton  

to ask permission for the remaining aircraft  to be transferred to Darwin, Australia, and as  

MacArthur agreed, the remaining B-17s had escaped  by December 19. Homma then ordered his forces in  

the northern Philippines to concentrate at Vigan  to assist the main offensive against the Lingayen  

Gulf, which we will cover in the future. In the  meantime, we are going to return to Wake Island,  

where hell was going to let loose on December 11.  Early in the morning, Kajioka's invasion force  

arrived in the vicinity of Wake and proceeded  to take positions for the landing of his troops.