Building for War: The Epic Saga of the Civilian Contractors and Marines of Wake Island in World War IIThe story of the Americans who came under attack five hours after Pearl Harbor was hit: “Intriguing, informative, gripping, and at times very moving” (Naval Historical Foundation). This intimately researched work tells the story of the thousand-plus Depression-era civilian contractors who came to Wake Island, a remote Pacific atoll, in 1941 to build an air station for the US Navy—charting the contractors’ hard-won progress as they scramble to build the naval base, as well as runways for US Army Air Corps B-17 Flying Fortresses, while war clouds gather over the Pacific. Five hours after their attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese struck Wake Island, which was now isolated from assistance. The undermanned Marine Corps garrison, augmented by civilian-contractor volunteers, fought back against repeated enemy attacks, at one point thwarting a massive landing assault. The atoll was under siege for two weeks as its defenders continued to hope for the US Navy to come to their rescue. Finally succumbing to an overwhelming amphibious attack, the surviving Americans, military and civilian, were taken prisoner. While most were shipped off to Japanese POW camps for slave labor, a number of the civilians were retained as workers on occupied Wake. Later in the war, the last ninety-eight Americans were brutally massacred by their captors. The civilian contractors who had risked distance and danger for well-paying jobs ended up paying a steep price: their freedom and, for many, their lives. Written by the daughter and granddaughter of civilians who served on Wake Island, Building for War sheds new light on why the United States was taken by surprise in December 1941, and shines a spotlight on the little-known, virtually forgotten story of a group of civilian workers and their families whose lives were forever changed by the events on this tiny atoll. |
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Building for War: The Epic Saga of the Civilian Contractors and Marines of ... Bonita Gilbert No preview available - 2024 |
Common terms and phrases
Admiral arrived atoll attack barge barracks Boise bombers bombs Burrows camp Captain cargo channel CINCPAC civilian contractors Clipper Command construction contract coral CPNAB CPNAB operating crew December Defense of Wake Devereux Dierdorff dredge employees equipment File forces Frank Miller G. L. Youmans George Youmans Guam guns H. W. Morrison Harry Morrison Harry Olson Harry to Katherine Hokanson Honolulu hundred Japan Japanese JMFC Joe McDonald July June Kimmel lagoon letter mainland marines Midway military Miller Diary months Moreell Morrison-Knudsen navy's night November Oahu October officers operating base orders outlying islands Pacific Island Pan Air Pan American Peale Peale Island Pearl Harbor Pete Russell Peter Hansen PHFC Philippines pioneer party planes POWs prisoners radio runway Russell Diary seaplane September ship submarine Swede Teters U.S. Navy unloading URS Corp Urwin Wake Island Wake's War Plan Orange weeks Wig Wag Wilkes workers wrote Youmans to H. W.