The Battle of Wake Island was an engagement between Allied forces - composed primarily of Americans and Oceanians - and a Japanese garrison at the Wake Island atoll in the central Pacific between October 3rd and November 10th, 1926. After successfully driving the Japanese from the Hawai'ian islands, the Allies realized the need for a quick and speedy victory further west to prevent the expected Japanese counterattack against Hawai'i the following spring. Two targets were selected - Midway and Wake - for this two-pronged assault, to be comprised of American, Oceanian and Colombian soldiers attacking Japanese garrisons at both islands.