The Marine Corps Aviator Who Single-Handedly Took Out a Japanese Destroyer

Photo Credit: 1. Unknown Author / U.S. Navy / Naval History and Heritage Command / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain 2. US Marine Corps / ERcheck / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain (Colorized by Palette.fm)

Maj. Henry T Elrod, famously referred to as “Hammerin’ Hank,” was a distinguished aviator within the US Marine Corps. His lifelong aspiration of soaring through the skies became a reality when he enlisted in the military. Tragically, in December 1941, while confronting the Japanese on Wake Island, he sustained fatal injuries. His valor during this engagement led to him being posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, in recognition of his extraordinary courage

Henry T Elrod had an early interest in aviation

Henry T Elrod. (Photo Credit: US Marine Corps / ERcheck / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

Henry T Elrod entered this world on September 27, 1905, in Rebecca, Turner County, Georgia. During his formative years, his family relocated to Thomasville, where he actively participated in baseball and football while attending the local high school. Following his graduation, he spent a year at the University of Georgia, before making the decision to transfer to Yale University.

Throughout his upbringing, Elrod harbored a fascination with aviation, largely kindled by the awe-inspiring barnstormers who made appearances in the area. Witnessing their daring aerial stunts left an indelible impression on him, igniting a deep-seated desire to take flight himself.

Enlisting in the US Marine Corps

Marine Corps Base Quantico. (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Ezekiel Kitandwe / Defense Imagery / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

In December 1927, Henry T Elrod enlisted in the US Marine Corps, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in February 1931. After attending The Basic School (TBS), he was assigned to Naval Air Station Pensacola, where he served as a student aviator and company officer.

While stationed at NAS Pensacola, Elrod twice had to try for his wings. Not known for his willingness to abide by the rules and considered a daredevil in the cockpit, he failed his first flight training program. He was given a second chance in 1935 and just barely passed.

After earning his wings, Elrod was transferred to Marine Corps Base Quantico, where he wore many hats: Marine aviator, school officer, personnel officer and welfare officer. In July 1938, he was ordered to join a squadron in San Diego, after which he was stationed in Hawaii.

The Japanese launch an attack on Wake Island

Wrecked Grumman F4F-3 Wildcats during the Battle of Wake Island. (Photo Credit: Japanese Photographer / U.S. Navy / Naval History and Heritage Command / ERcheck / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

On December 4, 1941, Henry T Elrod and 11 other pilots with Marine Fighter Squadron 211 (VMF-211) took off from the USS Enterprise (CV-6) in their Grumman F4F-3 Wildcats. Their destination was Wake Island, located some 2,300 miles from Oahu and home to a strategic military base.

On the same day of the attack on Pearl Harbor – technically December 8, 1941, given Wake Island sits on the opposite side of the International Date Line – the Japanese launched an aerial attack with 36 Mitsubishi G3Ms. The bombardment saw eight of the 12 Wildcats destroyed, as the other four were out on patrol at the time. Multiple raids followed this, with the aim being to destroy the Americans’ military equipment and infrastructure.

On December 12, 1941, Elrod took to the cockpit of one of the remaining Wildcats and single-handedly fought an enemy fleet of 22 bombers. He shot down two. Later, he conducted a number of successful low-altitude strafing and bombing runs on Japanese ships. One was the destroyer Kisaragi (1925), which sank after Elrod dropped two 100-pound bombs onto her deck, detonating the depth charges stored below.

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The hit made the Marine aviator the first person to sink an enemy warship with small-caliber bombs while flying a fighter aircraft.

Henry T Elrod is fatally wounded by enemy fire

Destroyed fuel storage tanks following the Battle of Wake Island. (Photo Credit: U.S. Navy / Naval History and Heritage Command / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

On December 22, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) landed a unit from their Special Naval Infantry on the shores of Wake Island. By this point, the remaining four Wildcats had been destroyed, and the surviving US forces had dwindled far below the initial strength of over 500 – 449, of which, had been Marine Corps personnel.

Determined to keep fighting, Henry T Elrod organized the remaining troops to defend the beach. He grabbed a Thompson sub-machine gun to provide cover while unarmed ammunition carriers resupplied a nearby machine gun emplacement.

At just before dawn on December 23, Elrod was preparing to throw a grenade toward an advancing group of enemy troops when he was fatally shot by a Japanese sailor who’d hidden among the dead on the beach. The Marine died instantly.

Wake Island fell to the Japanese later that day and remained in their possession until the end of World War II.

Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor

The USS Elrod (FFG-55) was named for Henry T Elrod. (Photo Credit: U.S. Navy / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

Henry T Elrod was awarded a number of posthumous decorations, including the Navy Presidential Unit Citation, the Purple Heart and the Combat Action Ribbon. The most noteworthy, however, was the Medal of Honor, which was presented to his widow by Gen. Alexander A. Vandegrift on November 8, 1946. While awarded after the Second World War, the efforts for which it was earned made Elrod the first Marine aviator to receive the MoH in the conflict.

While initially buried on Wake Island, the Elrod was reinterred in Arlington National Cemetery in October 1947.

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In the decades since his passing, Henry T Elrod has been memorialized in a number of ways. Along with being inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame in 1995, the US Navy Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate USS Elrod (FFG-55) was named in his honor. As well, roads at the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and Camp H.M. Smith are named for him.

Clare Fitzgerald: Clare Fitzgerald is a Writer and Editor with eight years of experience in the online content sphere. Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from King’s University College at Western University, her portfolio includes coverage of digital media, current affairs, history and true crime. Among her accomplishments are being the Founder of the true crime blog, Stories of the Unsolved, which garners between 400,000 and 500,000 views annually, and a contributor for John Lordan’s Seriously Mysterious podcast. Prior to its hiatus, she also served as the Head of Content for UK YouTube publication, TenEighty Magazine. In her spare time, Clare likes to play Pokemon GO and re-watch Heartland over and over (and over) again. She’ll also rave about her three Maltese dogs whenever she gets the chance. Writing Portfolio Stories of the Unsolved
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