The
Battle of Wake Island began simultaneously with the
attack on Pearl Harbor and ended on 23 December 1941, with the surrender of the American forces to the
Empire of Japan. It was fought on and around the
atoll formed by
Wake Island and its islets of Peale and Wilkes Islands by the air, land, and naval forces of the Empire of Japan against those of the U.S., with
Marines playing a prominent role on both sides.