Wake Island is a 1942 American action drama war film directed by John Farrow, written by W. R. Burnett and Frank Butler, and starring Brian Donlevy, Robert Preston, Macdonald Carey, Albert Dekker, Barbara Britton, and William Bendix.

The film tells the story of the United States military garrison on Wake Island and the onslaught by the Japanese following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Because of their fierce defense of the island and because a Japanese cruiser was sunk, Marines were beheaded on the way to Japan to work as slaves in the mines there.

A map is shown with a voiceover giving a brief history of the United States military on Wake Island to November 1941.

U.S. Marine Corps Major Geoffrey Caton departs Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii aboard the Pan American Clipper to take over command on Wake Island.

McClosky has a construction contract for large trenches and living quarters, and drives his crew to complete the work on time.

That night, Caton informs pilot Lieutenant Bruce Cameron that his wife was killed at Pearl Harbor.

On a reconnaissance flight, Cameron spots a Japanese heavy cruiser that can hit the island while remaining out of range of the defenders' weapons.

Caton orders the last man out of his command post with a written message, as McClosky walks in, asking for a weapon.

[10] A special weapons detail of selected Marines from Camp Elliott, near San Diego, manned machine guns in land battle scenes.

Most exteriors were shot in the Salton Sea in the California desert; filming took place here for three weeks at Sandy Beach[11] which resembled Wake Island.

[12][13] The film was a fictional account with Brian Donlevy's character being based on Major James P. S. Devereux, commander of the 1st Defense Battalion detachment on Wake.

[14] MacDonald Carey was so inspired by working on the picture that he joined the United States Marine Corps after filming ended.

Except for the use of fictional names and a very slight contrivance of plot, it might be a literal document of the manner in which the Wake detachment of Marines fought and died in the finest tradition of their tough and indomitable corps.

"[15] Variety agreed and called it "one of the most striking pictures of the year ... Never is there pandering to phoney flag-waving, always just a group of normal human beings who knew of no other course than fighting to the end.

The realism of the Japanese attacks, and the stout defense put up by the Marines, are spine-chilling battle scenes that hold one in constant suspense, even though one is aware of the final outcome.

[3] At the 15th Academy Awards on March 4, 1943, Wake Island was nominated for Outstanding Motion Picture, Best Director (John Farrow), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (William Bendix), and Original Screenplay (W.R. Burnett and Frank Butler).