MEDAL OF HONOR FIGHTERS

The highest award for extreme service

BARRETT TILLMAN

Captain Henry T. Elrod did it all. In the 16-day defense of Wake Island in December 1941, the 36-year-old Marine shot down at least one Japanese aircraft, sank an enemy warship, and conducted the ground defense on his part of the 1,400-acre sandspit when the invaders got ashore. A native Georgian, Elrod had enlisted in the Corps in 1927, received a commission, and won wings of gold in 1935. He was an experienced fighter pilot in Maj. Paul Putnam’s VMF-211 when Mitsubishi G3M Nells attacked on December 8, across the International Date Line from Pearl Harbor. Elrod was leading his four-plane division but was out of position to intercept the bombers. They wrecked much of Wake’s defense, including all the F4F-3s on the ground. The pilots took turns flying the…

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Flight Journal (Digital) - 1 Issue, November/December 2024

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