Navy Department Communique No. 62

MARCH 25, 1942

The Navy Department issued the following communiqué today:

Vice Admiral William F. Halsey, who commanded the naval forces which so successfully raided the Marshall Islands on January 31st has delivered additional blows at two enemy outposts.
First, on February 24th at Japanese-occupied Wake Island and second, on March 4th at Japanese-owned Marcus Island.
Although the islands had been the scene of much recent enemy activity these surprise attacks were met with little opposition and the attacking, forces found few enemy planes and ships in the areas.
Considerable damage was done to shore installations, defense positions, aircraft runways and water tanks by combined bombardment from aircraft and surface vessels, following the pattern so effectively used by Admiral Halsey in his raid on the Marshall Islands.
At Wake Island, which U. S. Marines defended from December 7 until its capture on December 23, 1941, the enemy has worked feverishly to strengthen the defenses against attack. Two hundred and nineteen bombs from aircraft and many shells from cruisers and destroyers were rained on the shore installations and landing field. Two enemy patrol boats were sunk, three large seaplanes at anchor were demolished, and the aircraft runways and a part of the defense batteries were damaged. Our loss in this engagement was one aircraft.
At Marcus Island, 760 miles west-northwest of Wake, and 990 miles southeast of Yokohama, Admiral Halsey’s forces executed a successful air attack just before dawn on the 4th dropping flares to illuminate objectives. No enemy aircraft or ships were present.
Heavy antiaircraft fire was encountered while our planes dropped 96 bombs on the small island, resulting in considerable damage to hangars, fuel and ammunition storages, radio installations and aircraft runways.
Our loss in this engagement was one aircraft.
There is nothing to report from other areas.