THE LAST MAN
Cover Art: Wake Island Pilot: A World War II Memoir

On 3 December 1941, Captain Henry T. Elrod was among the pilots of Marine Fighter Squadron VMF-211 and F4F-3 Wildcats headed for Wake Island aboard the carrier Enterprise. By 10 December, Elrod was airborne, diving aggressively and single handedly into a flight of 22 enemy planes. Downing two, he also strafed enemy ships and was credited with having sunk the enemy’s first major warship to be destroyed with small bombs dropped from a fighter aircraft.

Shown here, Elrod is between Japanese attacks and high above Wake Island on 12 December 1941 in his Grumman F4F-3, the last serviceable Wildcat. On 23 December, Elrod lost his life courageously acting as an infantryman, commanding a squad of men organized on the beach in shore defense. He became the first United States Marine pilot to be awarded the Medal of Honor.