Author: W.Scott Cunningham
Publisher: Popular Library SP167 
Year: 1962 Print: 1 Cover Price: $.50
Condition: Book Grades.  Good Plus. Cover wear
Genre: Non Fiction/War/History

Pages: 224
50126067E

• The Setting: It covers the December 1941 Battle of Wake Island, an onslaught by the Imperial Japanese Navy that began simultaneously with the Pearl Harbor attack.
• The Command Conflict: Commander Cunningham was the overall military officer in charge of the Navy-managed atoll. However, wartime public relations focused heavily on Marine Corps Major James Devereux, building a narrative that largely eclipsed Cunningham’s leadership role.
• Setting the Record Straight: The memoir serves as Cunningham's historical correction, offering an insider perspective on the strategic choices, interactions, and logistical difficulties of managing the island's defenses.
• The Siege: It highlights the actions of a small, outnumbered garrison of Navy personnel, U.S. Marines, and over 1,000 civilian construction workers who valiantly held off the initial invasion fleet before being overwhelmed.
• POW Ordeal: The book details the subsequent surrender and Cunningham's experience enduring nearly four years of brutal conditions as a Japanese prisoner of war