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Given Up For Dead: America's Heroic Stand At Wake Island Given Up For Dead
A gripping narrative of unprecedented valor and personal courage, here is the story of the first American battle of World War the battle for Wake Island. Based on firsthand accounts from long-lost survivors who have emerged to tell about it, this stirring tale of the “Alamo of the Pacific” will reverberate for generations to come.On December 8, 1941, just five hours after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japanese planes attacked a remote U.S. outpost in the westernmost reaches of the Pacific. It was the beginning of an incredible sixteen-day fight for Wake Island, a tiny but strategically valuable dot in the ocean. Unprepared for the stunning assault, the small battalion was dangerously outnumbered and outgunned. But they compensated with a surplus of bravery and perseverance, waging an extraordinary battle against all odds.When it was over, a few hundred American Marines, sailors, and soldiers, along with a small army of heroic civilian laborers, had repulsed enemy forces several thousand strong––but it was still not enough. Among the Marines was twenty-year-old PFC Wiley Sloman. By Christmas Day, he lay semiconscious in the sand, struck by enemy fire. Another day would pass before he was found—stripped of his rifle and his uniform. Shocked to realize he hadn’t awakened to victory, Sloman Had he been given up for dead—and had the Marines simply given up?In this riveting account, veteran journalist Bill Sloan re-creates this history-making battle, the crushing surrender, and the stories of the uncommonly gutsy men who fought it. From the civilians who served as gunmen, medics, and even preachers, to the daily grind of life on an isolated island—literally at the ends of the earth—to the agony of POW camps, here we meet our heroes and confront the enemy face-to-face, bayonet to bayonet.
412 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
30 people are currently reading
787 people want to read
About the author
Bill Sloan
35 books42 followersBill Sloan is a respected military historian, former newspaper reporter/editor and author of more than a dozen books, including Brotherhood of Heroes: The Ultimate Battle. He lives in Dallas, Texas
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January 20, 2023
“[Private Wiley W.] Sloman didn’t hear the shot that hit him. He was moving ahead and to his right in a crouching position when ‘a great big flash of fiery light’ exploded behind his eyes. The initial impact didn’t knock him out, but it stunned him. The force of it straightened him up, and then he fell forward. Within that searing flash was a 6.5-millimeter slug fired from an Arisaka rifle. It punched a dime-sized hole in Sloman’s skull just above his right temple, then tore a jagged exit wound about three inches farther back, driving bullet and bone fragments deep into Sloman’s brain. He had a live round in his rifle, and somehow he was able to squeeze off one last shot and pull back the bolt to eject the shell, but by then his left arm was dead, and he couldn’t hold the rifle… As the rifle slipped out of his fingers, he could feel his senses shutting down. The white-hot pain had ebbed into numbness, but now everything was getting dark, fuzzy, and vague…”
- Bill Sloan, Given Up for Dead: America’s Heroic Stand at Wake Island
By 1941, the Japanese Empire had been embroiled in a murderous, slogging war with China for over four years, a war that eventually cost the Chinese somewhere in the neighborhood of fifteen to twenty million lives. Unable to crush Chiang Kai-shek, and worried about entangling themselves in a conflict with the Soviet Union, the Japanese – at the behest of the Navy – embarked upon the so-called southern strategy, a multipronged invasion of Southeast Asia that would secure vital natural resources.
Infamously kicking off with the air raid on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese poured into Burma, Thailand, Malaya, and the Philippines. For a moment, they seemed unstoppable, as even the great fortress at Singapore fell.
Then, briefly, the wave crashed against a tiny atoll in the Pacific inhabited mainly by rats: Wake Island. From December 8 to December 23, 1941, a small detachment of Marines, aided by civilian construction workers, held off a determined Japanese air and amphibious assault, inflicting heavy losses before finally surrendering.
The “Epic of Defeat” is a relatively strong subtheme in western military history, and it is very easy to overstate the significance of “moral victories,” especially since “actual victories” are a far more efficient way to win a war. Still, the Wake Island story maintains a small, prideful place in the historiography of America’s Second World War, and in Given Up for Dead, Bill Sloan does an excellent job of explaining why.
***
Given Up for Dead is straightforward and sturdy, a chronological narrative that is focused on the Wake Island defenders, following them before, during, and after the battle, including their time in prisoner-of-war camps.
Sloan begins by discussing the strategic value of Wake Island, an out-of-the-way speck on the vast Pacific that had no native inhabitants or fresh water, but was seen as a useful pit-stop for Pan American’s Clipper service to the Far East. As the Second World War percolated around the globe, the United States belatedly made an effort to provide for the island’s defense. Nevertheless, as Sloan points out, those efforts were minimal, and did not include radar. Along with noting the preparations on the island, Sloan also introduces us to dozens of men, allowing us to get to know them before the big blow up occurs.
***
Around the time of the Pearl Harbor attacks, the Japanese arrived and destroyed most of Wake’s fighter planes. Surging with overconfidence, Japan then sent a modest flotilla against the island, making their first attempted landing on December 11. Using what resources that remained – a handful of outmoded Wildcats, along with shore-based, five-inch artillery – the Marines sent that flotilla packing with a bloody nose, short two destroyers.
On December 23, a second landing was made, this time with aircraft carriers in support. The island sank two patrol boats, and the Marines held their own in small unit actions, actually managing to counterattack and neutralize one of the Japanese beachheads. Despite these localized successes, and in a controversial decision later bitterly disputed among participants, the American forces surrendered.
Wake Island has sometimes been called “the Alamo of the Pacific.” But as Sloan astutely observes, the comparison is facile. Unlike the Alamo, where the defenders were annihilated, the vast majority of Wake’s Marines and civilian contractors survived the fight and – more surprisingly, given conditions in Japanese camps – made it through their captivity.
That fortune did not include around 100 civilians who remained on the island throughout the war, and were executed by the Japanese shortly before it ended.
***
Sloan builds his story from the bottom up, using the firsthand accounts he took from survivors as his foundation. Weaving those reminisces into his own descriptions, he delivers some really evocative battle scenes, brimming with novelistic detail. These scenes have additional power given that Sloan has made the effort to differentiate the men, so that you are invested in their fates.
With that said, Sloan does not rely entirely on eyewitness testimony given sixty-plus years after the fact. He attempts to corroborate various perspectives against each other, as well as the documentary record. This allows him to gently correct certain claims that cannot be verified, or that is contrary to other evidence. Indeed, one of the things that most impressed me about Given Up for Dead is that Sloan – despite his self-evident adoration of the Wake defenders – does not give into the temptation for hagiography or unsupportable assertions.
For example, Sloan devotes substantial sections of his book to the U.S. Navy’s aborted attempt to send a carrier task force to relieve the island. The rescue attempt was eventually called off, much to the unending anger of the survivors. While Sloan clearly sympathizes with their feelings, he is objective enough to weigh all the evidence – including that Wake Island would not be necessary for the American counteroffensive – and to conclude that it was probably the right decision.
***
Published in 2003, Given Up for Dead is a very certain type of history that can’t really be written anymore, due to the inescapable realities of actuarial math. We’re at a point in the grand timeline of existence where World War II veterans are leaving us at alarming rates. The senior leadership is long gone, as are most officers. Actual combat veterans are only a percentage of the overall number still remaining. Thus, there are fewer and fewer first-person stories left to be collected, and authors tackling the war today must do it without any connection to living memory. Sloan deserves credit for capturing these particular recollections before it became too late.
Wake Island is incredibly well-suited to this type of participant-driven tale. In the cataclysm of a worldwide war, it was a miniscule episode, involving comparatively small units vying for control of an ultimately useless locale that could not be easily supplied or supported. Yet for those involved, it was their Stalingrad, their D-Day, their terrible moment of reckoning. Given Up for Dead does them justice, and does so without unnecessary hyperbole or mythmaking.
- Bill Sloan, Given Up for Dead: America’s Heroic Stand at Wake Island
By 1941, the Japanese Empire had been embroiled in a murderous, slogging war with China for over four years, a war that eventually cost the Chinese somewhere in the neighborhood of fifteen to twenty million lives. Unable to crush Chiang Kai-shek, and worried about entangling themselves in a conflict with the Soviet Union, the Japanese – at the behest of the Navy – embarked upon the so-called southern strategy, a multipronged invasion of Southeast Asia that would secure vital natural resources.
Infamously kicking off with the air raid on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese poured into Burma, Thailand, Malaya, and the Philippines. For a moment, they seemed unstoppable, as even the great fortress at Singapore fell.
Then, briefly, the wave crashed against a tiny atoll in the Pacific inhabited mainly by rats: Wake Island. From December 8 to December 23, 1941, a small detachment of Marines, aided by civilian construction workers, held off a determined Japanese air and amphibious assault, inflicting heavy losses before finally surrendering.
The “Epic of Defeat” is a relatively strong subtheme in western military history, and it is very easy to overstate the significance of “moral victories,” especially since “actual victories” are a far more efficient way to win a war. Still, the Wake Island story maintains a small, prideful place in the historiography of America’s Second World War, and in Given Up for Dead, Bill Sloan does an excellent job of explaining why.
***
Given Up for Dead is straightforward and sturdy, a chronological narrative that is focused on the Wake Island defenders, following them before, during, and after the battle, including their time in prisoner-of-war camps.
Sloan begins by discussing the strategic value of Wake Island, an out-of-the-way speck on the vast Pacific that had no native inhabitants or fresh water, but was seen as a useful pit-stop for Pan American’s Clipper service to the Far East. As the Second World War percolated around the globe, the United States belatedly made an effort to provide for the island’s defense. Nevertheless, as Sloan points out, those efforts were minimal, and did not include radar. Along with noting the preparations on the island, Sloan also introduces us to dozens of men, allowing us to get to know them before the big blow up occurs.
***
Around the time of the Pearl Harbor attacks, the Japanese arrived and destroyed most of Wake’s fighter planes. Surging with overconfidence, Japan then sent a modest flotilla against the island, making their first attempted landing on December 11. Using what resources that remained – a handful of outmoded Wildcats, along with shore-based, five-inch artillery – the Marines sent that flotilla packing with a bloody nose, short two destroyers.
On December 23, a second landing was made, this time with aircraft carriers in support. The island sank two patrol boats, and the Marines held their own in small unit actions, actually managing to counterattack and neutralize one of the Japanese beachheads. Despite these localized successes, and in a controversial decision later bitterly disputed among participants, the American forces surrendered.
Wake Island has sometimes been called “the Alamo of the Pacific.” But as Sloan astutely observes, the comparison is facile. Unlike the Alamo, where the defenders were annihilated, the vast majority of Wake’s Marines and civilian contractors survived the fight and – more surprisingly, given conditions in Japanese camps – made it through their captivity.
That fortune did not include around 100 civilians who remained on the island throughout the war, and were executed by the Japanese shortly before it ended.
***
Sloan builds his story from the bottom up, using the firsthand accounts he took from survivors as his foundation. Weaving those reminisces into his own descriptions, he delivers some really evocative battle scenes, brimming with novelistic detail. These scenes have additional power given that Sloan has made the effort to differentiate the men, so that you are invested in their fates.
With that said, Sloan does not rely entirely on eyewitness testimony given sixty-plus years after the fact. He attempts to corroborate various perspectives against each other, as well as the documentary record. This allows him to gently correct certain claims that cannot be verified, or that is contrary to other evidence. Indeed, one of the things that most impressed me about Given Up for Dead is that Sloan – despite his self-evident adoration of the Wake defenders – does not give into the temptation for hagiography or unsupportable assertions.
For example, Sloan devotes substantial sections of his book to the U.S. Navy’s aborted attempt to send a carrier task force to relieve the island. The rescue attempt was eventually called off, much to the unending anger of the survivors. While Sloan clearly sympathizes with their feelings, he is objective enough to weigh all the evidence – including that Wake Island would not be necessary for the American counteroffensive – and to conclude that it was probably the right decision.
***
Published in 2003, Given Up for Dead is a very certain type of history that can’t really be written anymore, due to the inescapable realities of actuarial math. We’re at a point in the grand timeline of existence where World War II veterans are leaving us at alarming rates. The senior leadership is long gone, as are most officers. Actual combat veterans are only a percentage of the overall number still remaining. Thus, there are fewer and fewer first-person stories left to be collected, and authors tackling the war today must do it without any connection to living memory. Sloan deserves credit for capturing these particular recollections before it became too late.
Wake Island is incredibly well-suited to this type of participant-driven tale. In the cataclysm of a worldwide war, it was a miniscule episode, involving comparatively small units vying for control of an ultimately useless locale that could not be easily supplied or supported. Yet for those involved, it was their Stalingrad, their D-Day, their terrible moment of reckoning. Given Up for Dead does them justice, and does so without unnecessary hyperbole or mythmaking.
December 17, 2020
Known as the Alamo of the Pacific, the Battle of Wake Island began hours after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The defenders were undermanned, under equipped and unprepared for what lay in store for them and with the first attack by the Japanese they lost two-thirds of their air cover on the island.
After the early setbacks though, the Marines on the island fought back and repelled the first attempted landing by the Japanese on 11 December 1941 and sank 2 IJN destroyers and crippled many more ships that day, and so doing gave America it's first victory of World War 2. After that they were subjected to a brief siege before the invasion came again on 23 December 1941, where they were busy defeating this second attempt, before a huge bungle from the island commander lead to the premature withdrawal of the relief force and surrender of the garrison on Wake.
This is a well researched book and very well written that combines the history, the strategies and the personal accounts of those who were there beautifully. It gives all the angles of how everything was messed up before and during the battle, and the aftermath of the battle. Highly recommended and one of the best histories I have read of a battle.
After the early setbacks though, the Marines on the island fought back and repelled the first attempted landing by the Japanese on 11 December 1941 and sank 2 IJN destroyers and crippled many more ships that day, and so doing gave America it's first victory of World War 2. After that they were subjected to a brief siege before the invasion came again on 23 December 1941, where they were busy defeating this second attempt, before a huge bungle from the island commander lead to the premature withdrawal of the relief force and surrender of the garrison on Wake.
This is a well researched book and very well written that combines the history, the strategies and the personal accounts of those who were there beautifully. It gives all the angles of how everything was messed up before and during the battle, and the aftermath of the battle. Highly recommended and one of the best histories I have read of a battle.
April 29, 2014
SEND MORE JAPS
ENEMY ON ISLAND ISSUE IN DOUBT
With Pearl Harbor shattered, the country looked
to the tiny Wake Island atoll in the far off Pacific
where a small group of Marines stood the picket
line against the might of the victorious Japanese Navy.
During the 16 day siege, two of the messages
that came from the island bolstered American morale.
One early in the fight, was created almost randomly,
the other at the end, was the product of careful
consideration.
Author Bill Sloan tells the tale of these messages
amidst a fast-paced, detailed account that includes
contemporary interviews of men from both sides of the
battle for Wake Island. I couldn't wait to read the
next chapter.
Although forewarned by the bombing of Pearl, Wake
also suffered a devastating first attack. After that
the small detachment of Marines are joined by
many of the civilian construction workers who are
trapped on the island. Together with good ol'
Yankee ingenuity and a bit of bravado, they scrape
together a defense that gave the country a boost
when things seemed so dark.
While everyone in the country knew of Wake Island
early in the war, by the end it had almost been
forgotten, so much had happened. The author makes
the best of the scant Japanese records of the battle,
the tale from the other side while frustratingly
brief, adds to the tale.
After the battle the story continues with life as
POWs and into the postwar period till the writing
of the book, 2003.
Sloan also examines the potential of the relief force,
centered around the carrier Saratoga, which was only
a day away from taking part in the battle.
Could 'Midway' have occurred at Wake?
A great map is included, showing details down to the
man, however in my paperback version it is rather
small, would love to have larger version.
Except for hula skirts and well, entertainment,
Wake has a similar pre-war romantic allure as Hawaii,
Pan Am Clippers arrive to a nice hotel, a lagoon to
swim in, and Pacific sunsets. On December 8th,
1941 the action starts, once on the island you'll
like this book I HAVE NO DOUBT.
Purchased this book at the National Museum of the
Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas.
May 25, 2017
December 7 1941 is well-known for the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, but seldom remembered is that Wake Island was attacked on December 8. There, a small band of Marines and civilian contractors held off the attacking Japanese for 2 weeks before finally surrendering on Dec 23rd. Incredibly, they exacted a high toll in deaths and casualties, while experiencing relatively few themselves. (Sloan estimates over a thousand in the initial invasions, and that "the conquest and occupation [together] probably cost at least 4500 Japanese lives between Dec 1941 and Sept 1945. Of the 1700+ American civilians and military personnel... a total of 366 died either of combat injuries or the ill affects of captivity." pg 356)
This is a fantastic history of a moment in US history that was both incredibly sad and highly inspiring. Not only do we get a good idea of life on the island prior to Dec 8 but it's almost a 'you-were-there' kind of feeling for the battles. Although all the island's inhabitants eventually became prisoners of the Japanese and endured terrible hardships, Sloan chooses not to burden the reader with an endless telling of the brutality (there's enough of it) but instead highlights many of the compassionate moments the survivors remembered - not something I've seen much of in other histories. And in the 'afterword,' Sloan neatly assesses the possibilities the US had to have kept the island, and what that might have meant for the war.
(For such an outstanding history, this book sat on my to-read list for far too long, but since Memorial Day is just a couple days away, I'll have that much more to be thankful for.)
This is a fantastic history of a moment in US history that was both incredibly sad and highly inspiring. Not only do we get a good idea of life on the island prior to Dec 8 but it's almost a 'you-were-there' kind of feeling for the battles. Although all the island's inhabitants eventually became prisoners of the Japanese and endured terrible hardships, Sloan chooses not to burden the reader with an endless telling of the brutality (there's enough of it) but instead highlights many of the compassionate moments the survivors remembered - not something I've seen much of in other histories. And in the 'afterword,' Sloan neatly assesses the possibilities the US had to have kept the island, and what that might have meant for the war.
(For such an outstanding history, this book sat on my to-read list for far too long, but since Memorial Day is just a couple days away, I'll have that much more to be thankful for.)
August 8, 2014
I purchased GEVEN UP FOR DEAD , the story of the battle for Wake Island, some time ago, and It sat on my bookshelf. I would pick it up to read, but always put it aside because some hot new novel came to hand. Sorry I waited.
I regret waiting so long to read this wonderfully well written story of one of the first land island combat ( I think) in the Pacific. On that tiny hunk of coral rock, a few hundred US Marines, A small number of Marine pilots some US Naval personnel and various civilian contractors held at bay some thousands of Japanese naval landing forces while being shelled by naval vessels and bombed by reappeared air raids. They fought for days, caused the invaders heavy casualties ( all calculation put Japanese casualties at more than ten times the American forces) and disrupted Imperial Japan's timetable in the Pacific.
The book is a military and personal history. That is, along with relating the facts of battle, author Bill Sloan, uses survivors' own words to tell what they felt, saw and did during their epic struggle to survive, both on Wake, and the prisoner-of- war camps that they lived in for the next four years.
GIVEN UP FOR DEAD is an inspiring tale of courageous men whose deeds are almost forgotten now days in the bigger stories of World War 2. But it should not be, and this book can help us all to be inspired by better men who lived, fought , suffered and died for us.
A very rewarding book.
I regret waiting so long to read this wonderfully well written story of one of the first land island combat ( I think) in the Pacific. On that tiny hunk of coral rock, a few hundred US Marines, A small number of Marine pilots some US Naval personnel and various civilian contractors held at bay some thousands of Japanese naval landing forces while being shelled by naval vessels and bombed by reappeared air raids. They fought for days, caused the invaders heavy casualties ( all calculation put Japanese casualties at more than ten times the American forces) and disrupted Imperial Japan's timetable in the Pacific.
The book is a military and personal history. That is, along with relating the facts of battle, author Bill Sloan, uses survivors' own words to tell what they felt, saw and did during their epic struggle to survive, both on Wake, and the prisoner-of- war camps that they lived in for the next four years.
GIVEN UP FOR DEAD is an inspiring tale of courageous men whose deeds are almost forgotten now days in the bigger stories of World War 2. But it should not be, and this book can help us all to be inspired by better men who lived, fought , suffered and died for us.
A very rewarding book.
February 8, 2022
I was completely unaware of the battle for Wake Island during WW2, a battle that occurred mere days after Pearl Harbor. Sloan's book brings to life the gutsy stand of the Marines, naval personnel, and civilians on the island, as they were attacked by numerically superior Japanese forces.
Though fair and even-handed, Sloan is forthright in his recounting of bad decisions and unfortunate circumstances that led to the loss of Wake. For example, the failure to use star shells to illuminate the invasion forces, a petulant insistence to go "by the book" when common sense and circumstances dictated otherwise, negligence in supplying and resupplying the forces on the island, poorly worded communiques leading to additional bad decisions, and more.
What is amazing is that, bad decisions notwithstanding, the small force on Wake Island very nearly won the victory--a testimony to the grit, courage, and determination of everyone on the island, from civilians to enlisted men, to the NCOs, and the officers.
Sloan's recounting of the event is excellent, and it honors the men who served there, both the survivors and the casualties. Five stars.
Though fair and even-handed, Sloan is forthright in his recounting of bad decisions and unfortunate circumstances that led to the loss of Wake. For example, the failure to use star shells to illuminate the invasion forces, a petulant insistence to go "by the book" when common sense and circumstances dictated otherwise, negligence in supplying and resupplying the forces on the island, poorly worded communiques leading to additional bad decisions, and more.
What is amazing is that, bad decisions notwithstanding, the small force on Wake Island very nearly won the victory--a testimony to the grit, courage, and determination of everyone on the island, from civilians to enlisted men, to the NCOs, and the officers.
Sloan's recounting of the event is excellent, and it honors the men who served there, both the survivors and the casualties. Five stars.
June 22, 2023
I can’t do this any better than Matt’s review. Just see his accurate and wonderful review.
August 4, 2017
A great military history read. This is the story of how a handful of American fighting men held off a Japanese invasion of Wake Island in the opening of World War II in the Pacific, but were ultimately directed to surrender during a second seaborne invasion. Wake Island, a cluster of three small coral islands, was targeted as part of the unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Because Wake Island was on the other side of the international date line, it was December 8 by their calendar when they were struck.
The worsening international situation in Europe and the Pacific had finally spurred the United States to start beefing up its defenses in 1940. A contingent of over 1100 civilian contractors were brought onto Wake in 1941 to upgrade defense and civil infrastructure. They were there when the attack hit. The Marine garrison, including a dozen newly arrived fighters, maintained control of the island until December 23. Many of the contractors fought side by side with the Marines throughout the battle. Many accompanied the Marines into captivity, although a number were kept behind on Wake Island by the Japanese. The latter were later executed before the war's end.
The book is well researched, including personal interview with many of the military and civilian survivors. The story is fast moving and action packed. Sloan details the controversies surrounding the decision to surrender the island, and the cancellation of a relief fleet including an aircraft carrier that was within a day of reaching Wake Island at the time of the second enemy landing. The chain of circumstances and decisions allows one to contemplate various "what-if" scenarios.
The book notes the brutality of captivity by the Japanese. It also notes the humanity of one Japanese military doctor who is credited with saving the lives of some of the seriously injured marines and civilians.
Sloan provides a follow-up on the lives and military careers of some of the survivors. At least seven of the officers eventually reached the rank of general following the end of WWII. Surprisingly, many of the individuals Sloan interviewed and quotes are upbeat in their view of life, although some admitted to a life-long hatred of the Japanese who were their captors.
A fine contribution to the literature of World War II in the Pacific .
The worsening international situation in Europe and the Pacific had finally spurred the United States to start beefing up its defenses in 1940. A contingent of over 1100 civilian contractors were brought onto Wake in 1941 to upgrade defense and civil infrastructure. They were there when the attack hit. The Marine garrison, including a dozen newly arrived fighters, maintained control of the island until December 23. Many of the contractors fought side by side with the Marines throughout the battle. Many accompanied the Marines into captivity, although a number were kept behind on Wake Island by the Japanese. The latter were later executed before the war's end.
The book is well researched, including personal interview with many of the military and civilian survivors. The story is fast moving and action packed. Sloan details the controversies surrounding the decision to surrender the island, and the cancellation of a relief fleet including an aircraft carrier that was within a day of reaching Wake Island at the time of the second enemy landing. The chain of circumstances and decisions allows one to contemplate various "what-if" scenarios.
The book notes the brutality of captivity by the Japanese. It also notes the humanity of one Japanese military doctor who is credited with saving the lives of some of the seriously injured marines and civilians.
Sloan provides a follow-up on the lives and military careers of some of the survivors. At least seven of the officers eventually reached the rank of general following the end of WWII. Surprisingly, many of the individuals Sloan interviewed and quotes are upbeat in their view of life, although some admitted to a life-long hatred of the Japanese who were their captors.
A fine contribution to the literature of World War II in the Pacific .
February 5, 2017
3.5 stars
An omnipresent viewpoint of a forgotten early battle of World War II. Sloan is a journalist/novelist who talks to various survivors and uses historical documents to piece together a cohesive, relatively objective narrative.
I say relatively objective because there's some political commentary here, and I felt as if it was inserted with a lot of difficult to see through conviction. The author's view is that we should have started the Pacific front of World War II earlier, and he really leans hard on this idea that Japan's aggression could be solved in no other way except for matching aggression. I'm not saying that this isn't a good interpretation, because I think it is, but I feel like he really failed to give credence or value to any other interpretations. Also, it really isn't necessary to lean on his interpretation to enjoy or understand the rest of the story. The only thing I think it really does is encourage an intense sense of patriotism that makes the United States "the good guys." It's fine. This sense of patriotism really buoys the storytelling and makes for a good read. But in my personal life, I was left with nagging questions about warfare, conviction, and nationalism. Which is a good thing.
I think the book can be almost cheesy at times in its descriptions (i.e. people whispering grimly to themselves, "yelling through the surf," you get the picture). But to be fair, I think this cheesiness contributes to the tone of the book. It paints the events in a cinematic light and humanizes the soldiers in the only way possible. In the heat of the battle, there isn't much you can do to keep it objective and still give it a cinematic flavor.
In the same vein, it isn't too objective. I've read some intensely technical war novels, and this is not one of them. So I'd recommend this to any casual reader that wants to read more war novels.
All in all, great book. Not literary, but engrossing and thrilling. Can provoke more intense debates, but the book itself doesn't encourage it.
An omnipresent viewpoint of a forgotten early battle of World War II. Sloan is a journalist/novelist who talks to various survivors and uses historical documents to piece together a cohesive, relatively objective narrative.
I say relatively objective because there's some political commentary here, and I felt as if it was inserted with a lot of difficult to see through conviction. The author's view is that we should have started the Pacific front of World War II earlier, and he really leans hard on this idea that Japan's aggression could be solved in no other way except for matching aggression. I'm not saying that this isn't a good interpretation, because I think it is, but I feel like he really failed to give credence or value to any other interpretations. Also, it really isn't necessary to lean on his interpretation to enjoy or understand the rest of the story. The only thing I think it really does is encourage an intense sense of patriotism that makes the United States "the good guys." It's fine. This sense of patriotism really buoys the storytelling and makes for a good read. But in my personal life, I was left with nagging questions about warfare, conviction, and nationalism. Which is a good thing.
I think the book can be almost cheesy at times in its descriptions (i.e. people whispering grimly to themselves, "yelling through the surf," you get the picture). But to be fair, I think this cheesiness contributes to the tone of the book. It paints the events in a cinematic light and humanizes the soldiers in the only way possible. In the heat of the battle, there isn't much you can do to keep it objective and still give it a cinematic flavor.
In the same vein, it isn't too objective. I've read some intensely technical war novels, and this is not one of them. So I'd recommend this to any casual reader that wants to read more war novels.
All in all, great book. Not literary, but engrossing and thrilling. Can provoke more intense debates, but the book itself doesn't encourage it.
January 22, 2015
This book can claim one of the best true history books to be written. Bill Sloan did an absolute amazing job at retelling the story of the brave marines, sailors, soldiers, and civilians that defended a small atoll in the middle of the pacific at the beginning of the 2nd World War.
The book was so much easier to read than I expected. Typically I find historical non somewhat harder to read as the author bases the books on facts, and time lines. Although Mr. Sloan does a great job at this, he blended the human aspect of the fighting men on the island. He does this so successfully that I found myself attached to the marines and civilians he describe that I found myself rooting for the men, and worried for their well being in a battle that had taken place almost 70 years ago. I felt sorrow when the marines died, and a sense of overwhelming pride when the marine succeeded.
This is a rare gem in a sea of overly drab historical non-fiction. A study of a battle that meant so much to a nation at the time, and has all but forgotten it now. But the most important thing about this book is not the retelling of events at Wake island, but the human aspect, the true experiences that Mr. Sloan also brings into the book. I would easily recommend this book to ANY history buff, or WWII buff, as well as anyone who is looking for a good gripping read..
The book was so much easier to read than I expected. Typically I find historical non somewhat harder to read as the author bases the books on facts, and time lines. Although Mr. Sloan does a great job at this, he blended the human aspect of the fighting men on the island. He does this so successfully that I found myself attached to the marines and civilians he describe that I found myself rooting for the men, and worried for their well being in a battle that had taken place almost 70 years ago. I felt sorrow when the marines died, and a sense of overwhelming pride when the marine succeeded.
This is a rare gem in a sea of overly drab historical non-fiction. A study of a battle that meant so much to a nation at the time, and has all but forgotten it now. But the most important thing about this book is not the retelling of events at Wake island, but the human aspect, the true experiences that Mr. Sloan also brings into the book. I would easily recommend this book to ANY history buff, or WWII buff, as well as anyone who is looking for a good gripping read..
December 2, 2019
"We'd rather have died fighting." That was the recollection of Corporal Frank Gross upon learning that he and his comrades had been ordered to surrender to hapless Japanese invaders after a valiant fight the Americans might very well have won had not poor communication and incompetent U.S. military leadership not doomed them. "Given Up for Dead" is a riveting account of the history surrounding the Battle for Wake Island, the first substantial American resistance of WWII. Unfortunately, it is also a heartbreaking story. You can't help but want to curse the cowards and idiots who left these brave men--many of them civilian contractors--hanging in the wind to be captured, tortured, and imprisoned after a remarkable (and largely successful) effort to defend Wake Island. This should be required reading for any student of military history.
The writing is commendable, comprised mostly of well-researched historical facts enlivened with personal accounts drawn from extant documents and interviews with survivors. Some of it is a bit uneven--at times, almost fictional in its speculation, and at other times, crying out for more information. I would especially have liked to know more about the fighting carried out by the civilian construction workers stationed on the island, and why they were largely left to fend for themselves rather than armed and integrated with the troops. There are hints at answers to those questions, but Sloan surely could have have researched or reported more than he did on that front. And while the battle itself is fairly well-documented, the aftermath is slim on details.
Not a perfect book, but the best I know of on this largely forgotten WWII battle.
The writing is commendable, comprised mostly of well-researched historical facts enlivened with personal accounts drawn from extant documents and interviews with survivors. Some of it is a bit uneven--at times, almost fictional in its speculation, and at other times, crying out for more information. I would especially have liked to know more about the fighting carried out by the civilian construction workers stationed on the island, and why they were largely left to fend for themselves rather than armed and integrated with the troops. There are hints at answers to those questions, but Sloan surely could have have researched or reported more than he did on that front. And while the battle itself is fairly well-documented, the aftermath is slim on details.
Not a perfect book, but the best I know of on this largely forgotten WWII battle.
December 15, 2022
When I was young, I watched the movie with Willam Bendix about the defense of Wake Island, now I know the complete story. I recommend this book to anyone who has curiosity about the WW2 Pacific War. I'm glad I read it.
Randy Reigstad
Randy Reigstad
January 15, 2015
Well written history of the first battle a small garrison of U.S. Marines, a handful of sailors and a group of civilian construction workers fought in WW II.
April 16, 2022
An excellent and well researched book on the battle for Wake Island.
January 3, 2020
I've probably seen the 1942 Brian Donlevy, William Bendix Wake Island movie (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035530/) a dozen or more times. I thought I knew the story. I was wrong.
As often happens, the movie was short on detail or included things I missed or both. The greatest difference was me thinking the battle was over fairly quickly, if not in hours than maybe a day or so. Not true, the first bombing of Wake by the Japanese began December 8, 1941, and the island's surrender did not occur until December 23rd. I also didn't know how well the Americans did in this first face-to-face encounter between Japanese and American ground forces of WWII.
Author Sloan does an excellent job describing the battle and what happened to the US Marine and civilian defenders after surrender and 4+ hard years in captivity. Not a pleasant story, one made even worse learning how little attention was paid to the survivors when they did come home.
You don't have to be a WWII buff to enjoy this but it certainly helps. Sloan tells the story in such a way as to enable you to "see" what the island was like during those 15 days of conflict. Read this book and you won't forget it.
As often happens, the movie was short on detail or included things I missed or both. The greatest difference was me thinking the battle was over fairly quickly, if not in hours than maybe a day or so. Not true, the first bombing of Wake by the Japanese began December 8, 1941, and the island's surrender did not occur until December 23rd. I also didn't know how well the Americans did in this first face-to-face encounter between Japanese and American ground forces of WWII.
Author Sloan does an excellent job describing the battle and what happened to the US Marine and civilian defenders after surrender and 4+ hard years in captivity. Not a pleasant story, one made even worse learning how little attention was paid to the survivors when they did come home.
You don't have to be a WWII buff to enjoy this but it certainly helps. Sloan tells the story in such a way as to enable you to "see" what the island was like during those 15 days of conflict. Read this book and you won't forget it.
December 6, 2021
This is book 2 in my 3-part study of this battle. This book is very detailed and is a good chronicle of the battle. I have a very good understanding of the personalities, dynamics, considerations, and decision points of the leaders. I believe Cunningham took advantage of the time lapse between the battle and the liberation as a POW to revise his role in the surrender. I feel his exclusion from the PUC and general perception was appropriate and accurate. I believe Devereux did the best he could but he did not make good decisions or advise properly WRT Wilkes Island falling. While I do not believe I would have done any better, from a tactical perspective he should have delayed until he got a bit more information.
I will never be in that position but to see the Marines to the man wish they fought to the death than surrender—I would be in that camp. Lt Platt deserves more than he got. Great book on a great battle!
I will never be in that position but to see the Marines to the man wish they fought to the death than surrender—I would be in that camp. Lt Platt deserves more than he got. Great book on a great battle!
December 22, 2023
For most Americans over 60, and almost anyone over 70 (like me), the name Wake Island has meaning as the site of the ferocious resistance of a few hundred U.S. Marines, sailors, and civilian construction workers facing thousands of Japanese troops in the days immediately after Pearl Harbor. Thoroughly researched and told with straightforward frankness by William Sloan, investigative reporter for the Dallas Times Herald, the book explains the strategic importance of this small coral atoll in the western Pacific halfway between Hawaii and the Philippines and describes in detail the battle for this island, it's surprising ending, and its aftermath. Using interviews with the remaining survivors, Sloan relates the horror of the battle as well as the heroism of these soldiers and civilians. Despite the nearly 400 pages, the story unfolds briskly and is hard to put down. Recommended.
September 16, 2017
A fast read that keeps your interest from page one.
Simultaneously while pearl Harbor is attacked the Japanese also have their eyes on the small but militarily important island called wake island. Marines fighting side by side with construction workers defending it with a few planes ,a handful of pilots and a non present commander. But thankfully they are lead by a hard nose major that truly provides these men with the right stuff to fight off wave after wave of attacks by a numerical superior army. Read the rest of this less recounted story about the siege that took place for 15 days making it the Alamo of the Pacific.
Simultaneously while pearl Harbor is attacked the Japanese also have their eyes on the small but militarily important island called wake island. Marines fighting side by side with construction workers defending it with a few planes ,a handful of pilots and a non present commander. But thankfully they are lead by a hard nose major that truly provides these men with the right stuff to fight off wave after wave of attacks by a numerical superior army. Read the rest of this less recounted story about the siege that took place for 15 days making it the Alamo of the Pacific.
November 30, 2019
A well done book on an amazing battle that has been very overlooked in the history of WWII. While the Japanese won this battle, was it a Pyrrhic victory? It was a very costly battle for the Japanese, but one that could have been won by the Americans. Lingering questions about the decisions by the leaders on Wake and at Pearl Harbor have divided the experts into two camps-American leadership failure or a tactical decision to give up Wake and force the Japanese to expend resources defending a worthless island? This book did not give an an answer to that, but focused on many of the individual soldiers.
June 15, 2019
Well Researched Book on a Nearly Forgotten Event
As a student of history and a retired Marine artilleryman, I am ashamed by how little I knew about the epic struggle at Wake. Mr. Sloan's research and writing revived the stories of individual participants and interweaves them with each other and the official reports to paint a vivid and touching picture that tells the whole story. Another reminder of how great that generation was.
As a student of history and a retired Marine artilleryman, I am ashamed by how little I knew about the epic struggle at Wake. Mr. Sloan's research and writing revived the stories of individual participants and interweaves them with each other and the official reports to paint a vivid and touching picture that tells the whole story. Another reminder of how great that generation was.
August 13, 2020
Tells the true story of courageous Americans, military and civilians, who were left on their own to fight against overwhelming numbers and their fierce disdain for defeat. With great research and a sense of humanity, Bill Sloan shares the seemingly forgotten early battle of World War Two and the heartbreaking, yet inspiring, outcome that awaited those who served and fought heroically at Wake Island.
May 21, 2018
This is a 4.5 rounded up to a 5 stars. This is a well-researched history book that looks at an often forgotten battle of WWII, Wake Island.
The author does an amazing job of creating a story that is both historical fact and interesting to read. It is a history book that is interesting to read from start to finish.
The author does an amazing job of creating a story that is both historical fact and interesting to read. It is a history book that is interesting to read from start to finish.
September 30, 2020
It's a shame the story of Wake Island isn't better known. The valiant Devil Dogs of the USMC along with civilian workman and USN personnel took on a stronger Japanese force in the opening days of WWII, and almost defeated them. Their battle would be overshadowed by the war and they'd fade into obscurity. Good Bless each and everyone of the fighting man of Wake Island.
May 29, 2022
This book fills in some gaps not covered in the Officer written accounts of the battle for Wake Island. The sheer will, determination, and resourcefulness of the Marines and civilian contractors in that struggle is something I had forgotten. And, I didn't realize just how many Japanese troops had died in the initial battles and long after the main war had passed them by.
September 11, 2024
It's a great book, I found the prologue extremely captivating. But, other than that, it's a slow start. The book gets extremely interesting when the Japanese send troops on the ground. And the POW section is very interesting and harrowing. This is an amazing book about Wake, a tiny but important battle that more should learn about.
May 29, 2018
First hand accounts enhance this story the of the first American battle of World War II. It was called the battle for Wake Island. War is such a horrible thing but it also can bring out the best in people through heroism and camaraderie. This is just one of the many tales of that.
January 6, 2020
Clearly sets forth what happened
A very readable rendition of the battle. It reads like an adventure novel. It makes what happened come alive. The what happened to the survivors is a welcome addition.
A very readable rendition of the battle. It reads like an adventure novel. It makes what happened come alive. The what happened to the survivors is a welcome addition.
April 26, 2023
What a book.... Even though this battle took place so long ago, it is still stirring how the US Marine Corps as well as 1100 civilian construction workers held their heads high and kept their morale while fighting. I was so moved by this book.
April 2, 2019
Everything you need to know about World War II's version of the Alamo. Faced paced from cover to cover and immediately gets the reader emotionally invested. What a story!
January 31, 2020
Wake Island !!!!! Victory or Defeat? Sloan does it again using the memories of the survivors to keep the memory of this historic battle alive.
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