ww2dbaseOn 11 May 1943, Americans landed on Attu Island without resistance on the beach, and the officers smiled to each other as they thought it would be a easy battle. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. "There were so many [bodies]", recalled Trebian. Dmitri Kessel—Time & Life Pictures: Getty Images A Seabee strings wire for communications on the island of Adak, Aleutian Campaign, Alaska, 1943 American troops are carted by tractor to the movies from an isolated camp in Massacre Valley, Attu Island, Aleutian Campaign, Alaska, 1943. . They were proven wrong as soon as the troops moved further inland. The Aleutian Islands form the long strand of islands off of Alaska’s southwest. Here the Japanese remained, primarily in a defensive situation,, US troops mopped up the final Japanese opposition groups in the Aleutian Islands. Nevertheless, the concerted firing from the Japanese task force hit Salt Lake City repeatedly, flooding one engine room. After this battle the Japanese only supplied Aleutian garrisons by submarine. Fearing American aerial intervention, Hosogaya disengaged his ships from combat and fell back to rejoin with Asaka Maru and Sakito Maru. The difficult lessons of one battle had been applied to planning for a second, and the experience of each contributed to planning subsequent Pacific island campaigns. ww2dbaseThe final casualty counts were stunningly high for both sides, especially considering that Attu was an island so remote in the North Pacific. In fact, they believed that the island was so weakly held that the invasion troops only carried one day's worth of K-ration meals. Media in category "Aleutian Islands campaign" The following 78 files are in this category, out of 78 total. During the Battle of the Komandorski Islands, Nachi was forced to push one of her floatplanes overboard (concussion damage from her own guns), fired several Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedoes at the US forces (none of which hit), and received five hits (killing 14). After the battle, they were surprised to find that only a handful of prisoners arrived. Dutch Harbor on the island of Unalaska provides a relatively good anchorage for the Navy 610 miles east of Kiska Island. A small Japanese force occupied the islands of Attu and Kiska, but the remoteness of the islands and the difficulties of weather and terrain meant that it took nearly a year for a far larger U.S. force to eject them. "It was so dang cold up there," said Edwin Trebian, an US Navy supply clerk; he vividly recalled the US Army soldiers staying in tents, keeping warm by means of a small stove while constantly fighting against the muddy ground that served as the tent floor. Aleutian Islands Campaign; Part of the American Theater and the Pacific Theater of World War II: American troops hauling supplies on Attu in May 1943 through Jarmin pass. ww2dbaseThe victories at Attu and Kiska Islands represented the first lost American territory to be recaptured, boosting American morale. Destroyer Baily closed in and fired on Nachi as well, causing ammunition explosions. Naval actions reached their climax on 26 March 1943 in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands, fought entirely by surface forces. Forward bases depended on supplies and reinforcements from distant sources. In June 1942, some 8,500 Japanese personnel, supported by naval forces, occupied the islands of Attu and Kiska, American parts of Alaska at the western end of the Aleutian island chain. After the linkup the Japanese withdrew toward Chichagof Harbor. The Aleutian chain consists of approximately 120 islands stretched over a 1,000 miles from the Alaska Peninsula on the eastern most portion to Attu Island in the west, 90 miles from the Russian province of Kamchatka. Historical Map of the Arctic & the Far North (7 June 1942 - Aleutian Islands Campaign: After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese expanded rapidly across Southeast Asia and the western Pacific. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB. The nature of the theater of operations in the Aleutians proved the greatest source of American casualties during this campaign. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Japanese invasion of the Aleutian Islands … In the only two invasions of the United States during the They extend in an arc southwest, then northwest, for about 1,100 miles (1,800 km) from the tip of the Alaska Peninsula to Attu Island, Alaska. site is two fold. A small Japanese force had occupied the islands of Attu and Kiska. 29,000 Americans and 5,300 Canadian troops landed on the island on 15 Aug and 16 Aug, respectively, supported by a powerful fleet centered around three battleships and a heavy cruiser and 168 aircraft, only to find the island deserted. Though remote, control of the Aleutians had far reaching effects. Overall in this campaign, the 2,600 Japanese men were wiped out at a cost of 550 American lives. Also participating in the battle was the Canadian Army. The Aleutian Islands Campaign book. But in order to do so, American positions on nearby islands had to be shored up. The short but tough campaign made the American command reconsider its plans for Kiska. Fog, blizzards, heavy seas and hurricane force winds wrecked ships and aircraft. ww2dbaseMcMorris had the heavy cruiser Salt Lake City and light crusier Richmond, his venerable flagship. Japanese troops in well-defended positions on high ground fought back ferociously. On 29 May, Yamazaki led a suicide charge that penetrated the American line, surprising the rear echelon troops with hand-to-hand combat, nearly reaching the American artillery positions. Please refrain from using strong language. During World War II the remote Aleutian Islands, home to the Unangax̂ (Aleut) people for over 8,000 years, became a fiercely contested battleground in the Pacific. Phone: (703) 696-6900. ww2dbaseBattle of the Komandorski Islands26 Mar 1943. ww2dbaseBy Mar 1943, the Americans were planning to reclaim the islands of Attu and Kiska, which had been captured by the Japanese in 1942. Hosogaya was forced to retire from naval service shortly thereafter as a result of his rather under-aggressive performance. Nevertheless, by Jul 1943, 5,200 Japanese were present on the island. By 10 Mar 1943, 2,300 men were present on the island, but after the action off Komandorski Islands in late Mar, the Japanese ceased attempts to supply Attu Island by surface vessels. 21st Bomb Squadron B-24 Liberator Amchitka Alaska Mar 1943.jpg 1,210 × 841; 265 KB These successes did not come easily though. The Japanese did, however, leave deadly booby traps that killed upwards of 20 men as they secured the island. Victory on Kiska had been won on Attu and the Japanese had been forced from American territory. All Japanese resistance on Attu, Aleutian Islands ceased. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'ww2db_com-box-4','ezslot_4',116,'0','0'])); ww2dbaseLanding of Kiska Island15-16 Aug 1943. ww2dbaseDuring the winter of 1942 to 1943, Kiska Island was reinforced by sea. Taking advantage of heavy fog more than two weeks before the invasion, the Japanese successfully evacuated the island of Kiska without detection on 28 Jul 1943. 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