NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Battle of the Aleutian Islands

The Battle of the Aleutian Islands was a struggle over the Aleutian Islands, part of Alaska, in the Pacific campaign of World War II. 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 large U.S. force to eject them. The islands had very little strategic value for either side, but control of the Aleutians would prevent a possible U.S. attack across the Northern Pacific. Similarly, the U.S. feared that the islands would be used as bases from which to launch aerial assaults against the West Coast, and it became a matter of national pride to expel the invaders from American soil. But Japan lacked both a long-range bomber and the resources to establish and operate an air base in the Aleutians. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Combatants China (from 1937) United States (1941) U.K. (1941) Australia (from 1941) Free France (1941) Netherlands (1941) New Zealand (1941) Canada (1941) Soviet Union (1945) Japan (from 1937) Germany (1941) Thailand (from 1942) Manchukuo Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Franklin D. Roosevelt Winston Churchill John Curtin Fumimaro Konoe Hideki Tojo... Hauling supplies on Attu in the battle of the Aleutian Islands File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Attu Island Attu is the westernmost and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Aleutians seen from space The Aleutian Islands (possibly from Chukchi aliat, island) are a chain of more than 300 small volcanic islands forming an island arc in the Northern Pacific Ocean, occupying an area of 6,821 sq mi (17,666 kmÂ²) and extending about 1,200 mi (1,900... Official language(s) none Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area Ranked 1st - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 kmÂ²) - Width 808 miles (1,300 km) - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km) - % water 13. ... Image File history File links US_flag_48_stars. ... Image File history File links Canadian_Red_Ensign. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan_(bordered). ... Anthem Kimi ga Yo Imperial Reign Slogan: Fukoku Kyohei Enrich the Country, Strengthen the Military (a. ... Thomas Cassin Kinkaid (3 April 1888 – 17 November 1972) was an admiral of the United States Navy, who commanded the 7th Fleet in the Pacific during World War II. Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid watches landing operations in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, from the bridge of his flagship, USS Wasatch (AGC... ROCKWELL, Francis Williams, (son of Julius Rockwell), a Representative from Massachusetts; born in Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Mass. ... Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. ... Boshiro Hosogaya [Hosagaya] (1890-1964) was a Japanese Admiral during World War II from 1941-1945. ... Colonel Yasuyo Yamasaki commanded the Japanese forces on Attu during the Battle of the Aleutian Islands. ... Combatants United States Japan Commanders Charles McMorris Boshiro Hosogaya Strength 2 cruisers, 4 destroyers 4 cruisers, 4 destroyers Casualties 1 cruiser damaged, 1 destroyer damaged 1 cruiser damaged The Battle of the Komandorski Islands was one of the most unusual engagements of World War II. It took place on 26... Combatants United States Canada Empire of Japan Commanders Thomas C. Kinkaid (navy), William Kirby Kiichiro Higuchi, Monzo Akiyama, Takeji Ono Strength 7,300 5,183 (before pullout) Casualties 313 dead, 2,500 wounded, sick, or frostbitten 0 (4 submarines were sunk in pullout operation) The Battle of Kiska was a... The Pacific Ocean theater was one of four major theaters of the Pacific War, between 1941 and 1945. ... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Husband Kimmel (USN), Walter Short (USA) Chuichi Nagumo (IJN), Mitsuo Fuchida (IJNAS), Shigekazu Shimazaki (IJNAS) Strength 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 29 destroyers, 9 submarines, ~50 other ships, ~390 planes 6 aircraft carriers, 9 destroyers, 2 battleships, 2 heavy cruisers, 1 light cruiser, 8... Combatants United States of America Empire of Japan Commanders Chester W. Nimitz Frank J. Fletcher Raymond A. Spruance Isoroku Yamamoto Chuichi Nagumo Tamon Yamaguchi â€ Strength 3 carriers, ~50 support ships, 233 carrier aircraft, 127 land-based aircraft 4 carriers, 7 battleships, ~150 support ships, 248 carrier aircraft, 16 floatplanes Casualties... The Solomon Islands Campaign was a large series of battles that occurred in the Pacific Theater of World War II. This was the first large-scale campaign in the War in the Pacific, and the victories achieved by the Americans in the battles of this campaign helped secure vital bases... In the Pacific Theater of World War II, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaigns, from November 1943 through February 1944, were the first offensive operations of the United States Navy and Marine Corps in the Central Pacific. ... In the Pacific theater of World War II, the American Marianas Campaign, known as Operation Forager, pushed westward from the Marshall Islands in the summer of 1944 to capture the islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Guam. ... The Volcano and RyÅ«kyÅ« Islands campaign was a series of battles and engagements between Allied forces and Imperial Japanese forces during the Pacific campaign of World War II from around January, 1945 until June, 1945. ... Aleutians seen from space The Aleutian Islands (possibly from Chukchi aliat, island) are a chain of more than 300 small volcanic islands forming an island arc in the Northern Pacific Ocean, occupying an area of 6,821 sq mi (17,666 kmÂ²) and extending about 1,200 mi (1,900... Official language(s) none Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area Ranked 1st - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 kmÂ²) - Width 808 miles (1,300 km) - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km) - % water 13. ... Combatants China (from 1937) United States (1941) U.K. (1941) Australia (from 1941) Free France (1941) Netherlands (1941) New Zealand (1941) Canada (1941) Soviet Union (1945) Japan (from 1937) Germany (1941) Thailand (from 1942) Manchukuo Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Franklin D. Roosevelt Winston Churchill John Curtin Fumimaro Konoe Hideki Tojo... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Attu Island Attu is the westernmost and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States. ... Map of Kiska Kiska is an island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska located at 52. ... Northern Pacific Railway Categories: Stub | Defunct railroad companies of the United States | Idaho railroads | Minnesota railroads | Montana railroads | North Dakota railroads | Oregon railroads | Washington railroads | Wisconsin railroads ...

The battle, overshadowed by the simultaneous Battle of Guadalcanal, is known as the "Forgotten Battle." It is described in mainstream histories as a diversionary attack during the Battle of Midway and was in fact launched simultaneously under the same overall commander, Isoroku Yamamoto. Historians Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully made strong arguments in their 2005 book, Shattered Sword, against the theory that Operation AL was merely a diversion. Operation Watchtower On August 7, 1942, the 1st Marine Division performed an amphibious landing east of the Tenaru River. ... Combatants United States of America Empire of Japan Commanders Chester W. Nimitz Frank J. Fletcher Raymond A. Spruance Isoroku Yamamoto Chuichi Nagumo Tamon Yamaguchi â€ Strength 3 carriers, ~50 support ships, 233 carrier aircraft, 127 land-based aircraft 4 carriers, 7 battleships, ~150 support ships, 248 carrier aircraft, 16 floatplanes Casualties... Isoroku Yamamoto ) (4 April 1884 â€“ 18 April 1943) was a Fleet Admiral (Gensui) and Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II, graduate of Imperial Japanese Naval Academy and an alumnus of Harvard University (1919â€“1921). ...

The Japanese attack

On June 3, 1942 Japanese bombers attacked Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island using Kate (Nakajima B5N) bombers from the carriers Junyō and Ryūjō. In bad weather, only half the planes found the target and little damage was done. June 3 is the 154th day of the year (155th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Unalaska is a town on Unalaska Island in the Aleutian Islands. ... Unalaska is an island in the Fox Islands group in the middle of the Aleutian Islands southwest of Alaska, at . ... Nakajima B5N2 Kate in flight. ... JunyÅ (Japanese: éš¼é·¹ junyÅ meaning peregrine falcon) was a HiyÅ-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... RyÅ«jÅ (Japanese: é¾é©¤, prancing dragon) was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ...

The Japanese invasions of Kiska on June 6, 1942 and Attu on June 7 initially met little resistance from the local Aleuts. Much of the native population of the islands had been forcibly evacuated before the invasion and interned in camps in the Alaska Panhandle. June 6 is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... The Aleuts (self-denomination: Unangax, Unangan or Unanga) are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, U.S.A. and Chukotka, Russia. ... The Alaska Panhandle is the coast of the American state of Alaska, just west of the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia. ...

The Allied response

In August 1942, the U.S. established an air base on Adak Island and began bombing Japanese positions on Kiska. 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... For other uses, see Airport (disambiguation). ... Adak Island is an island near the western extent of the Andreanof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. ...

A naval force under Rear Admiral Charles McMorris was assigned to interdict the Japanese supply convoys. After a naval battle known as the "Battle of the Komandorski Islands," the Japanese abandoned attempts to resupply the Aleutian garrisons with surface vessels. From then on, only submarines were used for Japanese resupply runs. The term Rear Admiral originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons, and can trace its origins to the British Royal Navy. ... Charles Soc Horatio McMorris (August 31, 1890-1954) was an American rear admiral during World War II, most notably commanding forces at the Battle of the Komandorski Islands and Aleutian Islands. ... Combatants United States Japan Commanders Charles McMorris Boshiro Hosogaya Strength 2 cruisers, 4 destroyers 4 cruisers, 4 destroyers Casualties 1 cruiser damaged, 1 destroyer damaged 1 cruiser damaged The Battle of the Komandorski Islands was one of the most unusual engagements of World War II. It took place on 26... Alvin in 1978, a year after first exploring hydrothermal vents. ...

On May 11, 1943, the operation to recapture Attu began. A shortage of landing craft, unsuitable beaches, and equipment that failed to operate in the appalling weather caused great difficulties in projecting any force against the Japanese. Many soldiers suffered from frostbite because essential supplies could not be landed, or having been landed, could not be moved to where they were needed, because vehicles would not work on the tundra. The Japanese defenders under Colonel Yasuyo Yamasaki did not contest the landings but rather dug in on high ground away from the shore. This caused bloody fighting: there were 3,929 U.S. casualties: 549 were killed, 1,148 were injured, 1,200 had severe cold injuries, 614 succumbed to disease, and 318 died of miscellaneous causes, largely Japanese booby traps and friendly fire. May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (132nd in leap years). ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Colonel Yasuyo Yamasaki commanded the Japanese forces on Attu during the Battle of the Aleutian Islands. ...

On May 29, the last of the Japanese forces suddenly attacked near Massacre Bay in one of the largest banzai charges of the Pacific campaign. The charge, led by Colonel Yamasaki, penetrated U.S. lines far enough to encounter shocked rear-echelon units of the American force. After furious, brutal, close-quarter, and often hand-to-hand combat the Japanese force was killed almost to the last man: only 28 prisoners were taken, none of them an officer. U.S. burial teams counted 2,351 Japanese dead, but it was presumed that hundreds more had been buried by bombardments over the course of the battle. May 29 is the 149th day of the year (150th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Banzai charge (or banzai attack) is a term related to the Japanese samurai spirit and ideology of not accepting the shame of defeat. ... Melée generally means hand-to-hand combat or mano-a-mano. ...

On August 7, 1943, an invasion force of 34,426 Allied troops, mainly from 7th Infantry Division, including 5,300 Canadians, landed on Kiska, only to find the island completely abandoned. Under the cover of severe fogs, the Japanese had successfully removed their troops on July 28 without the Allied forces noticing. The Army Air Force had been bombing abandoned positions for more than a week. Allied casualties during the invasion nevertheless numbered 313, all from friendly fire, booby traps set out by the Japanese, disease, or frostbite. August 7 is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 7th Infantry Division (Light), nicknamed Lightfighters and sometimes referred to as the The Bayonet Division is a reserve combat division of the United States Army currently made up of National Guard units. ... July 28 is the 209th day of the year (210th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was a part of the U.S. Army during World War II. The direct precursor to the U.S. Air Force, the USAAF formally existed between 1941 and 1947. ... This article is about an antipersonnel trap designed for use against humans. ...

Although plans were drawn up for attacking Northern Japan, these were not executed. Over 1500 sorties were flown against the Kuriles before the end of the war, including the Japanese base of Paramushiro, diverting 500 Japanese planes and 41,000 ground troops. The Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands (Russian: Кури́льские острова́), also known as Kurile Islands, stretch northeast from Hokkaido, Japan, to Kamchatka, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. ... Paramushir or Paramushiro is the second largest of the Kuril Islands, lying near the north of the archipelago. ...

As of 2007, the Battle of the Aleutian Islands was the last military engagement between sovereign nations to be fought on U.S. soil. 2007 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Download high resolution version (1160x691, 119 KB)Map of the Aleutian Islands, showing locations mentioned in the Battle of the Aleutian Islands article. ... Download high resolution version (1160x691, 119 KB)Map of the Aleutian Islands, showing locations mentioned in the Battle of the Aleutian Islands article. ... Image File history File linksMetadata AttuSnow. ... Image File history File linksMetadata AttuSnow. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ...

Veterans

The 2006 documentary film Red White Black & Blue features two veterans of the Attu Island campaign, Bill Jones and Andy Petrus. It is directed by Tom Putnam, and debuted at the 2006 Locarno International Film Festival in Locarno, Switzerland on August 4th, 2006. Location within Switzerland Locarno is a city located on Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore) in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino, close to Ascona. ... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Contents

The Japanese attack

The Allied response

Veterans

See also

References

Books

Web

Notes

Contents

The Japanese attack GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

The Allied response

Veterans

See also

References

Books

Web

Notes

The Japanese attack