Thread: The battle for Attu (Aleutians) - Alaska

[Attu WWII History - from USCG Loran Attu web site]
Attu's World War II History

In early June of 1942, Japanese forces landed on the island of Attu capturing the only inhabitants: 41 native Attuans, an American schoolteacher and his wife. When American troops landed almost a year later, May 11th, 1943, they found the Japanese dug in and well positioned in the foothills and ridges that cover the Southeastern portion of the island. The American's also found that they were not completely prepared for all the trappings the weather and topography of Attu had in store for them. Trained in warm climates and outfitted with inadequate cold weather gear, many succumbed to frostbite and hypothermia. The cold Bering Sea also served as an unwelcome adversary, claiming several soldiers before they could get ashore. Low lying fog impeded the American's ability to see and navigate the many reefs that surround the island. Landing craft would run into each other or rip-up altogether on the reefs, sinking with everyone onboard. When land was finally reached, the American forces found that the tundra could not support the weight of the vehicles and artillery. It would be up to the foot soldier to take the island back.

The Japanese were buried in the hills. They wore white to blend in with the terrain, and would rise and fall with the level of the fog line. The Japanese soldiers used mortars, hand grenades, and snipers to attack the American forces as they advanced up Massacre Valley. The battleships Nevada, Idaho, and the Pennsylvania used their guns to bombard the island with shells. As the battleships hit their targets, Japanese machinery, soldiers and supplies came down the mountains along with the snow which moments earlier had fortified them. A second American force came from the north, but took longer to reach its destination then first thought. The unexpected delay caused the American troops to run out of supplies, forcing them to search the dead bodies of Japanese soldiers for rice. In all, the capture of Attu took 20 days to complete. In the final days of the battle, the Japanese killed their wounded with morphine and made one last bonsai charge through the American base camp. On their last charge, the Japanese went through the American hospital killing wounded soldiers and destroying the propane stove. Surrounded by units of engineers, the Japanese force committed suicide by holding grenades to themselves. At the end of the battle the Japanese had lost 2622 men and 28 surrendered. The Americans had lost 549 and had 1148 injured, many from the severe weather conditions on the island. The dead were buried in Little Falls cemetery at the base of Gilbert Ridge. The bodies were later exhumed in 1946.

The navy and army set up a large base on the island from 1945 to 1958, creating a little city at the edge of the world. There were hospitals, pubs, bowling halls, a church, and a movie theater. There were three working runways and several buildings. Now, all the buildings and two of the runways have begun to be taken over by the island. The only people remaining on Attu, reside at the USCG Loran Station. Twenty people in all; they serve one-year tours wandering through the skeletons of the past that lie rusting from the end of an era… at the edge of the world.