Originally posted by Soulyss
but now I seem to recall somthing about the U.S. cv's turned back from their mission to reinforce wake so nm. 
By December 21, eleven days after the Wake Island Marines had repelled the first assault on the atoll, Fletcher and Saratoga were still 600 miles from Wake. The Japanese were much closer, and in much greater force. A day earlier, Admiral Kajioka had sortied from Kwajalein with a second assault force, this time reinforced with four heavy cruisers. In the north, the carriers Soryu and Hiryu were detached from the Pearl Harbor strike force, their planes pouncing on Wake on December 21. Wake's last two Marine Wildcats scrambled into the air, and though badly outnumbered managed to down a Zero before being forced down themselves. But Wake was now bereft of air defense, and the promised relief mission nowhere in sight: in fact, at the time of the raid, Fletcher's force was refueling and, due to heavy seas, sailing away from Wake.
On receiving word of the carrier-based raid, Pye's resolve began to weaken. Fearing that Saratoga and Lexington were sailing into a trap, and not knowing the disposition of Japan's carriers, he ordered both task forces not to approach closer than 200 miles to Wake. Tangier, instead of landing reinforcements and supplies on Wake, was ordered to evacuate the atoll. The same day, however, Pye also lifted restrictions on Lexington's and Enterprise's operating areas, in hopes they could more effectively support Fletcher.
But, it was too little, too late. Under cover of night, Kajioka's force had approached close to the island, and before daybreak on the 23rd commenced landing the 1000-strong Maizuru 2nd Special Naval Landing Force. On Wilkes island, 70 Marines, armed with little more than vintage 1903 Springfield bolt-action rifles and hand grenades, set one transport on fire, and trapped the landing Japanese on the beach. Four hours later, that landing had been defeated, but on Wake island, two hundred Marines faced hundreds of Imperial Marines. The Marine commander, Major James Devereux, radioed his superiors in Hawaii: "ENEMY ON ISLAND ISSUE IN DOUBT". (Not quite two years later, the last three words would return to chill Nimitz and his command, when they were radioed from the beaches of Tarawa.)
The Pacific command's response left Devereux with few options. The nearest American carrier, Fletcher's Saratoga, was still a day away. Tangier, the relief ship, was even further off. A half hour later, Devereux surrendered Wake. At nearly the same time, Pye, reasoning that "Wake is a liability" ordered the relief forces to turn back.
The Consequences
The fall of Wake was a tremendous blow to American morale, not to mention that of the Navy's. When Pye's orders to withdraw reached Saratoga, an enraged Fletcher finally had to leave the bridge, where the talk had grown "mutinous". Aboard Enterprise, the crew struggled through two somber Christmas Eves (due to crossing the International Date Line), as men contemplated the fate of the Marine airmen they'd delivered to Wake just a few weeks before. What made the loss more bitter was the perception - perhaps accurate - that Wake's loss was unnecessary.
Holding Wake indefinitely may have been untenable, due to the land- and carrier-based airpower Japan could bring to bear. What seems more likely is that a more vigorous and concerted effort on the U.S. Navy's part could have saved the Marines and civilians on Wake. However, not possessing the benefit of hindsight, Pye could not justify risking his precious carriers - the only effective Navy surface forces in the Pacific - on a relief mission, in the face of possibly overwhelming enemy forces. Years after the war, the Marine commander James Devereux seemed to concur with Pye's decision: "I think it was wise ... to pull back."
http://www.cv6.org/1941/wake/wake_2.htmBut alternate reality sometimes allows for other options to be persued.
I pictured a defense consisting of several shore batts with overlapping fields of fire, a shore based squadron of Wildcats, some small GVs, a Japanese cruiser assault force, inbound bombers and two opposing carrier task groups of approximately
equal size rushing to support their respective sides.
I also pictured the setup being reversed afterwards to reflect the recapture of Wake.
Just exploring an avenue that may be doable that I haven't seen brought up before.
