Bombardment of Wake Island
On August 1st, the Champlin got their first taste of action in the Pacific when they participated in the bombardment of Wake Island. The island had been held by the Japanese since December of 1941, and spent the rest of World War II in Japanese hands. The Japanese held Wake with more than 4,000 troops and erected extensive fortifications to protect it. The U.S. military never tried to retake the atoll but cut it off from resupply and subjected it to periodic naval bombardments and air raids such as the one on August 1st.
Japanese Forces on Wake Island:
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