En route to Wake Island.

I have just finished for a friend this flight deck for his Wildcat from Figarti.

December 4th of 1941, twelve F4F Wildcats from VMF-211 arrived on Wake island to reinforce US garrison after being carried by USS Enterprise.

They began daily patrols immediately. Meanwhile, Japanese aircraft scouted Wake Island undetected.

On 8th december, Japanese invasion fleet for Wake Island departed from Kwajalein while aircraft of the Japanese Navy 24th Air Flotilla (based at Roi-Namur, Kwajalein) attacked Camp One, Camp Two, and the airstrip on Wake; Japanese aircraft destroyed seven of the Eight F4F-3 fighters were destroyed as well as a 25,000-gallon capacity aviation gas tank. The island will surrender on 23th december.

Le 4 décembre 1941, 12 F4F Wildcats de la VMF-211 sont lancés par l'USS Enterpise pour renforcer la garnison de Wake island .

Ils commencent immédiatement des patrouilles quotidiennes.
Le 8 décembre, la flotte d'invasion japonaise de l'île de Wake a quitté Kwajalein tandis que les avions de la marine japonaise de la 24e flottille aérienne (basé à Roi-Namur, Kwajalein) attaquent les infrastructures de l'ile et la piste d'atterrissage et détruisent huit F4F-3 ainsi qu'un réservoir d'essence aviation d'une capacité de 25.000 gallons. L'île se rendra aux japonais le 23 décembre.

Pic of USS ENTERPRISE - June 1941

Operating in the Pacific, circa late June 1941. She is turning into the wind to recover aircraft.
Note her "natural wood" flight deck stain and dark Measure One camouflage paint scheme. The flight deck was stained blue in July 1941, during camouflage experiments that gave her a unique deck stripe pattern.