#Japanese occupation of Attu

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"MASSACRE BAY, on Attu island, was one of the beach-heads from which U.S. troops drove to meet another force in a pincer-move which has pinned the Japs in a fast-shrinking pocket.

FIGHTING FOG, as well as Japanese, U.S. soldiers worm their way up from the black volcanic beach of Massacre bay. Jap snipers, aided by the mist and camouflage. kept the Yanks under cover. This is one of the first pictures of actual combat." - from the Toronto Star. May 28, 1943. Page 33.

[todaysdocument]

On August 10, 1988, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 was passed into law, apologizing and making reparations for the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. 

Record Group 11: General Records of the United States Government

Series: Enrolled Acts and Resolutions of Congress

File Unit: Laws of the United States; Public Law 100-383: An Act to Implement Recommendations of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians

Transcription:

Public Law 100-383

H.R. 442

One Hundredth Congress of the United States of America

At the Second Session

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday, the twenty-fifth day of January,

one thousand nine hundred and eighty eight.

An Act

To implement recommendations of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled.

Section 1. Purposes.

The purposes of this Act are to--

(1) acknowledge the fundamental injustice of the evacuation, relocation , and internment of United States citizens and permanent resident aliens of Japanese ancestry during World War II;

(2) apologize on behalf of the people of the United States for the evacuation, relocation, and internment of such citizens and permanent resident aliens;

(3) provide for a public education fund to finance efforts to inform the public about the internment of such individuals so as to prevent the recurrence of any similar event;

(4) make restitution to those individuals of Japanese ancestry who were interned;

(5) make restitution to Aleut residents of the Pribilof Islands and the Aleutian Islands west of Unimak Island, in settlement of United States obligations in equality and at law, for--

(A) injustices suffered and unreasonable hardships endured while those Aleut residents were under United States control during World War II;

(B) personal property taken or destroyed by United States forces during World War II;

(C) community property, including community church property, taken or destroyed by United States forces during World War II; and

(D) traditional village lands on Attu Island not rehabilitated after World War II for Aleut occupation or other productive use;

(6) discourage the occurrence of similar injustices and violations of civil liberties in the future; and

(7) make more credible and sincere any declaration of concern by the United States over violations of human rights committed by other nations.

SEC.2. Statement of the Congress

(a) With regard to individuals of Japanese Ancestry.-- The Congress recognizes that, as described by the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, a grave injustice was done to both citizens and permanent resident aliens of Japanese ancestry by the evacuation, relocation, and internment of civilians during World War II.  As the Commission documents, these actions were carried out without adequate security reasons and without any acts of espionage or sabotage documented by the Commission, and were motivated largely by racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and a

[page 2]

H.R.442--2

failure of political leadership.  The excluded individuals of Japanese ancestry suffered enormous damages, both material and intangible, and there were incalculable losses in education and job training, all of which resulted in significant human suffering for which appropriate compensation has not been made.  For these fundamental violations of the basic civil liberties and constitutional rights of these individuals of Japanese ancestry, the Congress apologizes on behalf of the Nation.

(b) With respect to the Aleuts.--The Congress recognizes that, as described by the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, the Aleut civilian residents of the Pribilof Islands and the Aleutian Islands west of Unimak Island were relocated during World War II to temporary camps in isolated regions of southeast Alaska where they remained, under United States control and in the care of the United States, until long after any potential danger to their home villages had passed.  The United States failed to provide reasonable care for the Aleuts, and this resulted in widespread illness, disease, and death among the residents of the camps; and the United States further failed to protect Aleut personal and community property while such property was in its possession or under its control.  The United States has not compensated the Aleuts adequately for the conversion or destruction of personal property, and the conversion or destruction of community property caused by the United States military occupation of Aleut villages during World War II. There is no remedy for injustices suffered by the Aleuts during World War II except and Act of Congress providing appropriate compensation for those losses which are attributed to the conduct of United States forces and other officials and employees of the United States.

TITLE I--UNITED STATES CITIZENS OF JAPANESE ANCESTRY AND RESIDENT JAPANESE ALIENS

SEC 101.SHORT TITLE.

This title may be cited as the "Civil Liberties Act of 1988".

SEC 102. REMEDIES WITH RESPECT TO CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS

(a) Review of Convictions.-- The Attorney General is requested to review any case in which an individual living on the date of the enactment of this Act was, while a United States citizen or permanent resident alien of Japanese ancestry, convicted of a violation of--

(1) Executive Order Numbered 9066, dated February 19, 1942;

(2) the Act entitled "An Act to provide penalty for violation of restrictions or orders with respect to persons entering, remaining in, leaving, or committing any act in military areas or zones", approved March 21, 1942 (56 Stat. 173); or

(3) any other Executive order, Presidential proclamation, law of the United States, directive of the Armed Forces of the United States, or other action taken by or on behalf of the United States or its agents, representatives, officers, or employees, respecting the evacuation, relocation, or internment of individuals solely on the basis of Japanese ancestry;

[page 3]

H.R.442--14

estate of a parcel of land consisting of all land outside such village that is within 660 feet of any point on the boundary of such village.  The conveyance may be made under the authority contained in section 14(h)(1) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (Public Law 92-203;43 U.S.C. 1613(h)(1)), except that after the enactment of this Act, no site on Attu Island, Alaska, other than such traditional Aleut village site and such parcel of land, may be conveyed to the Corporation under such section 12(h)(1).

(f) Authorization of Appropriations.-- There are authorized to be appropriated $15,000,000 to the Secretary to carry out this section.

SEC.208. COMPLIANCE WITH BUDGET ACT.

No authority under this title to enter into contracts or to make payments shall be effective in any fiscal year except to such extent and in such amounts as are provided in advance in appropriations Acts.  In any fiscal year, the Secretary, with respect to--

(1) the Fund established under section 203,

(2) the trust established under section 205(b), and

(3) the provisions of section 206 and 207,

shall limit the total benefits conferred to an amount not in excess of the appropriations for such fiscal year.  Any provision of this title which, directly or indirectly, authorizes the enactment of new budget authority shall be effective only for fiscal year 1989 and thereafter.

SEC.209.SEVERABILITY.

If any provision of this title, or the application of such provision to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the remainder of this title and the application of such provision to other persons not similarly situated or to other circumstances shall not be affected by such invalidation.

TITLE III-TERRITORY OR PROPERTY CLAIMS AGAINST UNITED STATES

SEC.301. EXCLUSION OF CLAIMS

Notwithstanding any other provision of law or of this Act, nothing in this Act shall be construed as recognition of any claim of Mexico or any other country or any Indian tribe (except as expressly provided in this Act with respect to the Aleut tribe of Alaska) to any territory or other property of the United States, nor shall this act be construed as providing any basis for compensation in connection with any such claim.

[signature] Norman Mineta

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Speaker pro tempore

[signature] Spark Matsunaga

["Vice President of the United States and" crossed out] Acting President of the Senate. Pro Tempore.

[stamped] APPROVED

AUG 10 1988

[signature] Ronald Reagan

[fardell24b]

Rise of Weirdness - Part 12

May 1, 1943

Mussolini meets with the Pope, saying that if the Pope insists upon preaching against the war that the Lateran Treaty would be 'revised'.

May 3, 1943:

Warsaw Riots; Resident of the Siekierki District of Warsaw report the appearance of the Virgin Mary, triggering civil unrest and violence after the Virgin Mary reportedly condemns the occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union,......

June 5, 1943:

Japanese forces execute Filipino President Jose P. Laurel after being suspected of recruiting magical shamans into armed resistance,...

June 11, 1943

More 'UFO's sighted over Pearl Harbor.

July 5, 1943:

USS Lawton Incident; U.S. battleship is appatently attacked by an unknown creature, killing all on board, fueling concern across the PacificTheater,...

July 18, 1943

Rabat the sequal to Casablanca is released.

August 27, 1943:

Heart of Darkness directed by Orson Welles, starring African-American Paul Robeson, secures the director as one of the greatest of all time,....

September 6, 1943:

German vimana is seen in Oncativo, Argentina, signaling a secret meeting between General Heinrich Himmler and General Juan Peron,....

September 17, 1943:

Richard Shaver of Berwick, Pennsylvania warns that the current Second Great War has awakened an underground army of ancient robots known as the "Deros", sparking international attention and concern....

October 7, 1943:

In a major political coup, German Prince Christoph of Heese announces his defection to the Allies in London, England,....

October 9, 1943: SS General Karl Wolff and Erwin von Lahousen lead a raid on the Vatican City, in a failed attempt to silence the College of Cardinals and to punish Pope Pius XII for his stance against the Holocaust, killing 35 people, including 17 cardinals,....

October 10, 1943:

U.S. military forces report "strange, mystical forces" being unleashed against B-17 bombers in Schweinfurt, Germany, fueling concern about the nature of the war in the Atlantic Theater of War,...

October 15, 1943:

Sotheby's Fire; British military officials reports massive fire at Sotheby's in London, England, after Nazi agents launch a failed attempt to steal crystal skulls from the auction house, sparking concerns of the inventory of talismans,....

October 17, 1943:

Japanese forces in the Kei Islands, Indonesia report being attacked by the "Orang Ikan", amphibious carnivorous fish people, sparking international attention and concern,...

October 18, 1943:

Japanese-backed Filipino President Jose Laurel triggers anti-Japanese uprising after receiving a letter from Generalissimo Francisco Franco, praising his leadership,...

October 28, 1943:

USS Eldridge (DE-173) teleports successfully from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Norfolk, Virginia utilizing portal spell, much to the satisfaction of the Roosevelt Administration,....

November 1, 1943:

U.S. Army officials report sightings of a Japanese "foo fighter" over Escondido, California, fueling concern across the West Coast of the United States,....

November 22, 1943

More riots occur in Warsaw, when a magic user assassinates the commanding officer of the occupying forces...

December 23, 1943

The "Koryukai" attacks the Alaskan island of Attu...

Ghosts are reported by Reverend E.N. Firth, theorizes that ghosts are trapped by the electromagnetic waves of radio signals in Kent, England,...

[miriamgrace25]

Holy Synod Commemorates 75th Anniversary of WWII Internment of Aleut Peoples

[Article text reposted here for convenience from the original article published by the OCA.org website on July 1st, 2017. Link to original article here.]

“During their retreat held in mid-May 2017 at the Holy Dormition Monastery, Rives Junction, MI, the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America adopted a resolution commemorating the World War II internment of the Aleut peoples of the Aleutian and Pribiolof Islands.

“Before the Japanese invasion of Attu and Kiska, Alaska in 1942, nearly 900 Aleuts living in the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands had been forced to resettle to camps in southeast Alaska,” explained His Grace, Bishop David of Sitka and Alaska.  “It was estimated that over ten percent of the evacuees perished during this little-known era of World War II history.”

The text of the resolution appears below.

The Internment of the Aleut Natives of the Aleutian Islands

In 1942, as the Japanese were expanding their attacks on the United States, they sent two carrier groups to the Aleutian Islands in the Alaska Territory.  The purpose was to force the Americans to divide their forces and leave the true objective, Midway, with fewer defenses.  The ruse didn’t work, but the Alaskan defense forces did manage to make the Japanese occupation a brief one.  In the process, the Aleut Natives were removed from their homes and taken to Southeast Alaska for internment for the duration of the war “for their protection.”

There were several problems with this explanation for the move, non-natives did not have to leave, and the internment program was only half thought-out with no real plan for their destination or housing or provisions.  The locations were chosen after they left the Aleutians while the transport ships were underway to “somewhere” away from harm.  They no sooner got underway than they had their first of what would be too many deaths when a new born baby had to be buried at sea in route to Funter Bay.  The approximately 885 Aleuts were divided between five sites, Funter Bay and Killisnoo, west of Admiralty Island; Wrangell Institute, a stopover site on Wrangell Island, southeast of Admiralty Island; Burnett Inlet, a permanent campsite on Wrangell Island; and Ward Cove on Revillagigedo Island.  Meanwhile the occupying troops took advantage of their absence by looting their homes and leaving them with virtually nothing to return to but empty shells.

Whereas during the Second World War the Japanese attacked the Aleutian Islands in June of 1942 by bombing Unalaska/Dutch Harbor and capturing the islands of Attu and Kiska in an effort to divert forces of the United States away from the Midway Campaign of that war;

Whereas under the guise of moving people from harm’s way on the Aleutian Islands, the Aleuts who occupied these islands were removed “for their own protection” and placed in internment camps in Southeast Alaska;

Whereas this month marks the 75th Anniversary of the internment of the Aleut people of Alaska by the United States Government during World War II;

Whereas the internment, managed by the Department of the Interior, the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Service and the Alaskan Office of Indian Affairs was poorly handled and mismanaged, causing hardship, harm and even death to many of the Aleuts they claimed to be helping;

Whereas the people of Attu, being captured by the Japanese remained prisoners of war until the end of the conflict;

Whereas the result of this poor management placed the Aleuts in abandoned canneries and mines not meant to house so many people and not built for protection from winter’s harshness, with inadequate food, unsanitary living conditions and no facilities for bathing or cooking and led to the death of over ten percent of the 885 people interred;

Whereas despite this mistreatment by their own government, these Orthodox Christians persevered with help from the local Tlingit Natives (many of whom were also Orthodox) and endured until the end of the war, burying their loved ones in a land so far from their home;

And whereas this event has gone largely unnoticed by many;

Resolved, that the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, meeting in session at Holy Dormition Monastery in Rives Junction, Michigan

offers our prayers and support of the Aleut People of the former villages of Mukushin, Kashega, Biorka, and the reoccupied locations at:  Unalaska, St. George, St. Paul, Akutan, Nikolski, and Atka;

stands with the Aleuts to say “Never Again!” should any people be forced to endure what these pious Orthodox people endured at the hands of our own government; and

will direct that prayers be offered by the Orthodox Faithful of our Church to remember the departed faithful of the interment camps to be included whenever Memorial Saturdays are observed in our Church.

PDFs of the resolution and a listing of those who fell asleep in the Lord in the internment camps are available on-line.

An interesting historical article with photos is also available on-line.”

[atlas6667]

USS John Hood

A Tin Can Sailors Destroyer History

USS JOHN HOOD (DD-655)

A survivor of shipwrecks and the Spanish-American and Russo-Japanese Wars, as well as revolutions in Haiti and Central America, RADM John Hood commanded seven U.S. warships. Launched during World War II, the destroyer bearing his name had an equally distinguished career. The JOHN HOOD (DD‑655) was a FLETCHER-class destroyer. She was laid down on 12 October 1942 by the Gulf Shipbuilding Corp., Chickasaw, Alabama, and was launched 25 October 1943. The HOOD was commissioned 7 June 1944, with CDR Thomas J. Thornhill in command.

Following her shakedown in the Caribbean, the new destroyer headed for the Pacific on 21 August 1944, arriving at Mare Island on 6 September. She set out almost immediately for the Aleutian Islands and duty with the U.S. forces in the North Pacific and arrived at Adak, Alaska, on 18 September. The HOOD joined DesRon 57 operating with Rear Admiral J. L. McCrea=s Task Force 92.  She served out the rest of the war patrolling the stormy waters of the North Pacific. Her primary offensive mission was to harass and threaten enemy outposts in the Kurile Islands, more than 600 miles west of Attu, the most westerly of the Aleutian Islands. Operating well beyond the range of friendly air cover, the task force made nine sorties against the Kuriles and five offensive sweeps in the Sea of Okhotsk. Throughout, the ships were hampered by bad weather. Undaunted, the JOHN HOOD was the only ship of the task force that participated in every sortie until the war=s end.

In November she engaged in the bombardment of the Japanese base on Matasuwa, causing considerable damage to the installation. She continued sorties and patrol operations in the Kuriles through the winter and spring of 1945. While patrolling in the Sea of Okhotsk on 25 June 1945, the HOOD came upon an enemy convoy carrying reinforcements to the badly battered Japanese garrisons. The destroyer assisted in sinking one cargo ship and is believed to have sunk another. On 11 August her task group conducted one of the final naval operations of the war by destroying another enemy convoy.

With the end hostilities, she steamed to Adak to prepare for occupation duties. The HOOD left Adak on 31 August with a large force headed for Northern Japan. The battle-tested destroyer remained in Northern Japanese waters with the occupation forces until 18 November when she got underway for home. She arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, on 22 December and remained there until she was decommissioned on 3 July 1946 to enter the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.

The HOOD was recommissioned on 3 August 1951, with CDR S. P. Gantz at the helm, and immediately underwent major modifications that prepared her for modern fleet operations. Her modernization complete, she left Norfolk on 29 June 1952 for an around‑the-world cruise that included peace‑keeping patrols with the Seventhth Fleet off the coast of Korea. She returned to Norfolk on 6 February 1954 for repairs and coastal training operations before sailing on 5 November 1955 for Mediterranean duty with the Sixth Fleet during which she weathered a storm. Upon returning to Norfolk 26 February 1956, the destroyer underwent a yard period for repairs  to her storm-damaged mast. She then got underway for a midshipmen training cruise that  summer. During the tense Suez crisis in the fall, she sailed to Lisbon with Task Force 26 to stand by for action if needed. By December she was steaming home through the Virginia Capes.

The year 1957 saw the HOOD in training exercises along the Atlantic coast followed by another Sixth Fleet cruise to patrol the turbulent Middle Eastern waters. Early in 1958, she began  training cruises, then operated with the fleet sonar school and engaged in ASW exercises before being transferred to the reserve destroyer squadron at New York on 1 October 1959. She continued training reservists until 1 August 1961, when President Kennedy ordered a callup of reservists when the construction of the Berlin Wall caused a major Cold War crisis. The strong American, English, and French response to the communist challenge prevented a major conflict. As tensions eased, the HOOD resumed her duties as a reserve-training destroyer in New York in August 1962.

The warship was decommissioned in June 1964, remaining in reserve until stricken from the navy=s list on 1 December 1974. She was sold for scrap to Luria Bros. & Company of Cleveland, Ohio, on 12 April 1976 and removed from navy custody by the end of that month. The JOHN HOOD received one battle star for her World War II service.

From The Tin Can Sailor, July 2011

Copyright 2011 Tin Can Sailors. All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from Tin Can Sailors.

©Copyright 1996-2017 Tin Can Sailors

[patrickgmarcoux]

My image on top from the Canadian Heritage Warplane Museum in Hamilton Ontario... An employee standing in front of a PBY-5A aircraft. 

Bottom image: 

A Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina Flying Boat of Patrol Squadron VP-61 in flight during a patrol in the Aleutians in March 1943. VP-61 was based at Otter Point Naval Air Facility, Umnak Island, Alaska (USA), at that time. In the Battle of the Aleutian Islands (June 1942-August 1943) during World War II (1939-45), U.S. troops fought to remove Japanese garrisons established on a pair of U.S.-owned islands west of Alaska. In June 1942, Japan had seized the remote, sparsely inhabited islands of Attu and Kiska, in the Aleutian Islands. It was the only U.S. soil Japan would claim during the war in the Pacific. The maneuver was possibly designed to divert U.S. forces during Japan’s attack on Midway Island (June 4-7, 1942) in the central Pacific. It’s also possible the Japanese believed holding the two islands could prevent the U.S. from invading Japan via the Aleutians. Either way, the Japanese occupation was a blow to American morale. In May 1943, U.S. troops retook Attu and three months later reclaimed Kiska, and in the process gained experience that helped them prepare for the long “island-hopping” battles to come as World War II raged across the Pacific Ocean. (Photo source - U.S. Navy 80-G-475409) (Colourised by Richard James Molloy from the UK)

[usaac-official]

When a Japanese invading force struck at Dutch Harbor in early July 1942, in the war's first threat to the North American continent, it expected little or no opposition from land-based aircraft.  The invaders were turned back after continuous attacks by fighters and medium bombers of the 11th Air Force operating from secret, advance bases. When the enemy had established positions out on the Aleutian Island chain the 11th moved after him, making its first attack on the enemy's main base at Kiska on June 11.  The last attack came 14 months later, after strikes and sorties conducted in some of the worst weather in the world.  So effectively did the 11th persist in its attacks on Jap bases that the enemy rarely had a score of planes operative at one time.  Construction of advance bases on Adak and Amchitka permitted action at closer range and made possible air assistance to our surface forces when they occupied Attu in May 1943.  After feeling the effects of 3000 tons of bombs, dropped by the 11th in 3609 sorties up to July 19, 1943, and after their supply lines had been cut by the occupation of Attu, the enemy evacuated Kiska without a struggle. Elimination of the enemy fro the Aleutians enabled the 11th to consolidate its hard-won gains, build up new bases, strengthen others and improve its supply lines.  Operating principally from Attu, heavy bombers of the 11th began long range attacks on the enemy's bases in the Kurile Islands.  By early 1944, despite unfavorable weather conditions, these attacks against the outer fringe of the enemy's homeland were increasing in intensity.

The Official World War II Guide to the Army Air Forces

[batterycondition]

Battleships Nevada, foreground? Texas background? by photolibrarian

USS Nevada (Battleship # 36, later BB-36), 1916-1948

USS Nevada, first of a class of two 27,500-ton battleships, was built at Quincy, Massachusetts. She was commissioned in March 1916 and operated in the western Atlantic and the Caribbean until mid-1918, when she went to the British Isles for World War I service. Following that conflict, Nevada was active in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Pacific. Cruises to Brazil in 1922 and to Australia in 1925 punctuated a decade of regular fleet exercises and drills.

Nevada was modernized in 1927-30, exchanging her "basket" masts for tripods. The update work also included the installation of a new superstructure, relocation of her five-inch secondary battery, new anti-aircraft guns and significant improvements to her firepower and protection. She then returned to duty with the U.S. Battle Fleet, mainly operating in the Pacific over the next eleven years.

The only battleship able to get underway during the 7 December 1941 Pearl Harbor Raid, Nevada was the object of intense attacks by Japanese aircraft. Left in a sinking condition after receiving one torpedo and several bomb hits, she had to be beached. Vigorous salvage work and temporary repairs enabled her to steam to the U.S. west coast in April 1942. She spent the rest of the year receiving permanent repairs and improvements, including a greatly enhanced anti-aircraft gun battery.

Nevada returned to combat during the Attu landings in May 1943. Transferred to the Atlantic in mid-1943, her 14" and 5" guns were actively employed during the Normandy Invasion in June 1944 and the Southern France operation in August and September. The battleship then returned to the Pacific, where she assisted with the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa in 1945. Though damaged by a suicide plane on 27 March and by an artillery shell on 5 April, Nevada remained in action off Okinawa until June 1945. She spent the remaining months of World War II in the Western Pacific, preparing for the invasion of Japan.

With the coming of peace, Nevada steamed back to Hawaii. She was too old for retention in the post-war fleet, and was assigned to serve as a target during the July 1946 atomic bomb tests at Bikini, in the Marshall Islands. That experience left her damaged and radioactive, and she was formally decommissioned in August 1946. After two years of inactivity, USS Nevada was towed to sea off the Hawaiian islands and sunk by gunfire and torpedos.

USS Texas (Battleship Number 35, later BB-35), 1914-1948

USS Texas, a 27,000-ton New York class battleship built at Newport News, Virginia, was commissioned in March 1914. In May, she steamed to Vera Cruz to support the occupation of that Mexican city. Regular operations with the Atlantic Fleet began in mid-year and continued to January 1918. The battleship then crossed the ocean to join the Grand Fleet in the North Sea, where she remained to the end the First World War. Texas returned to the United States in late December 1918 and again took up her duties with the Atlantic Fleet.

Reassigned to the Pacific Fleet in mid-1919, and designated BB-35 in 1920, Texas came back to the Atlantic in 1924, when she again visited Europe on a training cruise. The ship received new oil-fired boilers and many improvements to her combat systems in a major modernization that began in 1925. With her appearance transformed, Texas’ operations alternated between the Atlantic and the Pacific until 1931, when her base was shifted to California. For the next six years, she served as a fleet and division flagship during regular U.S. Fleet exercises. Texas briefly revisited the Atlantic in 1936 and was sent back to that ocean in 1937 for service that would last until late in 1944.

During 1937-39, Texas kept busy training the Navy’s officers and men. When the Second World War began in September 1939, she joined other Atlantic Squadron ships in maintaining a Neutrality Patrol, an activity that became increasingly warlike when the U.S. Navy began convoying western Atlantic shiping in 1941. The next year, with the Nation now formally at war, Texas escorted troops and supplies to Panama, West Africa and the British Isles. A change in mission took place in October and November 1942, when she provided heavy gunfire support during the invasion of North Africa. Texas continued her Atlantic convoy escort duties through 1943 and beyond. In April 1944 she began preparations for the Normandy landings, which began on 6 June 1944, with Texas’ 14-inch and 5-inch guns firing on German positions ashore for several days. On 25 June, she participated in a bombardment of Cherbourg, France, during which she was hit twice by enemy coastal artillery fire. Her heavy guns were again active in August, this time in the Mediterranean Sea in support of landings in Southern France.

After an overhaul, Texas went to the Pacific, arriving in the war zone in time to take part in the February 1945 Iwo Jima invasion. From late March to late May, she operated off Okinawa, firing her guns against Japanese positions and helping to fight off suicide plane attacks. Texas was preparing for the invasion of Japan when the war ended in August 1945. She left the Western Pacific in late September and spent the next three months transporting veterans home. Returning to the Atlantic coast in February 1946, Texas was inactive until April 1948, when she was placed out of commission and turned over to the State of Texas. She has been maintained as a memorial at San Jacinto ever since. #reconditioning #batteries car battery, #battery, rechargeable aa batteries, rechargeable batteries, battery charger, car batteries, nimh battery, battery doctor, battery reconditioning, battery repair, battery desulfator @BatteryReconditioningNew Home http://bit.ly/2UkYxZu

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[spookybarbarianflower-blog]

10 Facts About The Japanese Invasion Of Alaska

10 Facts About The Japanese Invasion Of Alaska

Many people believe that World War II was fought in the cities of Europe and the islands of the South Pacific. It was, but what those people forget is that for about a year from 1942 to 1943, the Imperial Japanese Army occupied the Alaskan islands of Attu and Kiska.

This occupation shocked and terrified North America, and the subsequent events in the aftermath of the occupation set the stage…

[dirjoh-blog]

A little known fact of WWII is that Japan attacked North America several time. Aside from the Pearl Harbor attack, the other attacks were relatively unsuccessful

Below a summary of some of those attacks.

On June 3–4, 1942, Japanese planes from two light carriers Ryūjō and Jun’yō struck the U.S. military base at Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands, Unalaska, Alaska.

Originally, the Japanese planned to attack Dutch Harbor simultaneously with its attack on Midway but it occurred a day earlier due to one-day delay. The attack only did moderate damage on Dutch Harbor, but 78 Americans were killed in the attack.

On June 6, two days after the bombing of Dutch Harbor, 500 Japanese marines landed on Kiska, one of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Upon landing, they killed two and captured eight U.S. Navy officers, then took the remaining inhabitants of the island, and seized control of American soil for the first time.

  The next day, a total of 1,140 Japanese infantrymen landed on Attu via Holtz Bay, eventually reaching Massacre Bay and Chichagof Harbor. Attu’s population at the time consisted of 45 Native American Aleuts, and two Americans – Charles Foster Jones, a 60-year-old ham radio operator and weather observer, and his 62-year-old wife Etta, a teacher and nurse. The Japanese killed Jones after interrogating him, while his wife and the Aleut population were sent to Japan. The invasion was only the second time that American soil had been occupied by a foreign enemy, the first being the British during the War of 1812.

A year after Japan’s invasion and occupation of the islands of Attu and Kiska, 34,000 U.S. troops landed on these islands and fought there throughout the summer, defeating the Japanese and regaining control of the islands.

Bombardment of Ellwood

The United States mainland was first shelled by the Axis on February 23, 1942 when the Japanese submarine I-17 attacked the Ellwood Oil Field west of Goleta, near Santa Barbara, California. Although only a pumphouse and catwalk at one oil well were damaged, I-17 captain Nishino Kozo radioed Tokyo that he had left Santa Barbara in flames. No casualties were reported and the total cost of the damage was officially estimated at approximately $500–1,000. News of the shelling triggered an invasion scare along the West Coast.

Bombardment of Estevan Point Lighthouse

More than five Japanese submarines operated in Western Canada during 1941 and 1942. On June 20, 1942, the Japanese submarine I-26,

under the command of Yokota Minoru,fired 25–30 rounds of 5.5-inch shells at the Estevan Point lighthouse on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, but failed to hit its target.Though no casualties were reported, the subsequent decision to turn off the lights of outer stations was disastrous for shipping activity.

Bombardment of Fort Stevens

In what became the only attack on a mainland American military installation during World War II, the Japanese submarine I-25, under the command of Tagami Meiji, surfaced near the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon on the night of June 21 and June 22, 1942, and fired shells toward Fort Stevens. The only damage officially recorded was to a baseball field’s backstop.

Probably the most significant damage was a shell that damaged some large phone cables. The Fort Stevens gunners were refused permission to return fire for fear of revealing the guns’ location and/or range limitations to the sub. American aircraft on training flights spotted the submarine, which was subsequently attacked by a US bomber, but escaped.

Lookout Air Raids

The Lookout Air Raids occurred on September 9, 1942. The only aerial bombing of mainland United States by a foreign power occurred when an attempt to start a forest fire was made by a Japanese Yokosuka E14Y1 “Glen” seaplane

dropping two 80 kg (180 lb) incendiary bombs over Mount Emily, near Brookings, Oregon. The seaplane, piloted by Nobuo Fujita, had been launched from the Japanese submarine aircraft carrier I-25. No significant damage was officially reported following the attack, nor after a repeat attempt on September 29.

Fire balloon attacks

Between November 1944 and April 1945, the Japanese Navy launched over 9,000 fire balloons toward North America. Carried by the recently discovered Pacific jet stream, they were to sail over the Pacific Ocean and land in North America, where the Japanese hoped they would start forest fires and cause other damage. About three hundred were reported as reaching North America, but little damage was caused. Six people (five children and a woman) became the only deaths due to enemy action to occur on mainland United States during World War II when one of the children tampered with a bomb from a balloon near Bly, Oregon and it exploded. The site is marked by a stone monument at the Mitchell Recreation Area in the Fremont-Winema National Forest. Recently] released reports by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian military indicate that fire balloons reached as far inland as Manitoba. A fire balloon is also considered to be a possible cause of the third fire in the Tillamook Burn. One member of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion died while responding to a fire in the Northwest on August 6, 1945; other casualties of the 555th were two fractures and 20 other injuries.

  Japanese attacks on North America A little known fact of WWII is that Japan attacked North America several time. Aside from the Pearl Harbor attack, the other attacks were relatively unsuccessful…

[aviationhistory]

In support of the American occupation of Amchitka in the Aleutian Islands scheduled for the next day, U. S. Army Air Forces aircraft fly photographic reconnaissance missions over Amchitka and strike Japanese forces on Attu and Kiska, sinking two fully loaded Japanese transports approaching Attu and Kiska.

[georgy-konstantinovich-zhukov]

The small settlement present on Attu at Chicagof Harbor at the time of the Japanese invasion in 1942. About 40 Aleut natives lived in the settlement, along with a school-teacher and her husband. The latter was killed by the Japanese during their invasion (possibly deliberate), while the rest were eventually evacuated to internment camps in Japan, where more than half of them would die.

(LoC)

[fardell24b]

Rise of Weirdness - Part 59

1 January 2201

An Atlantean city is discovered under the waves, near Attu...

2 January 2201

Panic ensues in the Aleutians when the discovery made the previous day is announced...

3 January 2201

The Alaskan government debates whether to suppress the news of the discovery near Attu. (But given it is already out...)

24 February 2201

A cult in Kazan, Russia, is busted.

June 29, 2201:

Usama al- Ahmad bin Abd Allah, proclaims hims himself "Mahdi" in Khartoum, Sudan fueling religious unrest,...

October 8, 2201:

Solar system enters the Hawking-Fullerton Dark Matter Field, which causes a reduced nuclear reaction in the sun, causing a reduction in temperatures across inhabited space,...

January 14, 2202:

Lunar Stock Market Crash; worker unrest and continued financial unrest forces financial and corporate leaders to announce major layoffs and shutdowns, sparking violence in the lunar colonies especially at Heinlein and Armstrong City,....

April 6, 2202:

U.S. President Rosemary Walker calls for the launch of programs in a televised address in Washington D.C.,...

April 19, 2202:

Alien native leader Nlgakkohot leads one of the most violent rebellions against human military occupation at Sadaltager fueling concern about the abilities of the interstellar states,....

November 2, 2202:

London Spiritualist Renaissance; necromancy necomes popular with growing contacts and trade between the afterlife and humanity,...

December 25, 2202:

Christmas Pogrom; American anti-Semitic pogroms are launched in Anchorage, Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta, fueled by the collapse in political and economic stature across the globe

February 5, 2203:

Japanese Yokai led by Hiro Hamada overthrow the Japanese government at Tokyo, proclaiming Japan a "Transformed homeland", sparking internartional attention and concern across the Pacific Rim,...

April 14, 2203:

Earth government forces lay siege to the exodus city of (insert city here) led by (insert name here), fueling international condemnation,....

January 15, 2204:

Mermaids launch raids against Holdernes, Wales, fueling civil unrest and violence across the Anglo-French Union,....

September 11, 2204:

Aitahad Aldawrii (a.k.a. "Holy Union") is formed on Mecca ny Muslim clerics led by Mohammed el-Haddad, in an effort to "protect the Islamic world..."

November 5, 2205:

Anastasiya Kuzmina of Aphrodite is honored by the Earth government for her efforts of rehabilitation of the State of Aphrodite,...

November 21, 2205:

Mystical advisor Adam Guru is hired to advise the Earth Government in San Francisco, California,...

July 1, 2205- May 17, 2206:

Alien Inuiatsu P'r Frso impersonating Boris Romanov seizes control of Novgorod, proclaiming a "Golden Age for Russia", until his assassination,...

June 16, 2206:

Prophet Erasmus Crick of the Ultimaist religion is executed by alien leader Ne N'ndeenrolo, being proclaimed a martyr in the process,.....

August 1, 2206:

Michelle Cruz-Knight unveils evidence of Bailey's Theorems regarding "Quintessence" in Harut, Iraq, sparking scientific discovery,...

November 28, 2207:

Earth Government officials led by Ahmad Hilal, launch hearings to discuss political protections of spirits and entities in Dakar, Senegal,...

May 12, 2208:

Brazil passes legislation banning life extension technologies in Rio de Janeiro, fueling tensions between North America and South America, effectively dividing the Western Hemisphere,....

July 1, 2208

A majority of Humanity, whether Bland or Transformed, lives more than 75 light years from Sol/Arbol.

January 1, 2209:

Wovoka Uprising; ghostly apparition of Native American prophet Wovoka, triggers a continental ghost uprising in Reno, Nevada,...

October 31, 2209:

Residents of Mount Fairweather, Alaska report the discovery of an Atlantean city, sparking unrest and panic in the region,..

July 2, 2210:

Earth government passes legislation led by Ziauddin Pekai of Karachi, Pakistan calling for the abolition of life-extension technologies; American leaders led by James Koch III claim that the measures are "destroying the free market for totalitarianism",..

December 20, 2210:

Virginia legislature passes legislation restricting the rights of Offworlders, citing them as a "threat to state and national security",.....

December 29, 2210:

Alien native leader Pilom leads the "Wraith War " campaign, as a religious campaign to drive human colonists from Arcturus, fuelling civil unrest and panic,...

March 28, 2211:

Colonists led by Hallia Inez begin production of cannabis infused potions in Copernicus Gamma, fueling international controversy,...

May 21, 2211:

Treaty of Istanbul; Iranian leader Behzad Arouchiani announces that the Middle East will be protected under its nuclear umbrella,...

November 8, 2212:

New Orleans Disaster; New Orleans, Louisiana is devastated due to floods and hurricane damage, amidst reports of massive corruption and substandard environmental protection measures,.

July 24, 2213

Mermaids attack Nambucca Heads, New South Wales, demanding return of an Atlantean artefact.

August 1, 2214:

Earth- Trealiaz War; Trealiaz extraterrestrial group declares war against Earth; Many human observers note that the Offworlder and Transformed colonies refuse to fight the alien invasion threat, fueling resentment and anger on the homeworld,....

November 8, 2214:

Battle of Osaka; Japanese zaibatsu/keiretsu forces launch a brutal crackdown on anti-corporate dissent in Osaka, sparking international condemnation,....

August 13, 2214:

Dragons are reported in Saint Leonard's Forest in Sussex, England,, sparking international attention and concern,...

December 20, 2214:

Mermaids launch massive demonstrations in New Foundland, Canada, demanding civil rights and recognition from the Earth government,...

December 30, 2216:

Mystical advisor Adam Guru is brutally executed by Earth government forces in Los Angeles, California.

August 29-31, 2217:

American Jewish leaders gather in Sitka, Alaska led by Josh Haberman, calling for an independent Zionist state in Palestine, sparking international attention,...

June 11, 2218:

Political leader James Parry proclaims "100 Days of Reform" before the United Nations General Assembly in San Francisco, California, angering many Offworlder and Transformed groups,....

August 5, 2219:

Sayyid Mah al-Ogaden proclaims a religious holy war against the Earth government and Offworld colonies in Mogadishu, Somalia,...

October 2, 2219:

Caracas Conference; Latin American nations declare that the Monroe Doctrine no longer applies, fueling political divisions across the hemisphere,...

October 11, 2219:

Free Celeum sparks a massive rebellion, calling for the annexation and development of the Celeum State state, sparking interstellar attention,....

June 21, 2220:

Human supremacist organization Humanity First launches an armed uprising in Portland, Vancouver and Kobe, proclaiming their defense of the United Nations under Secretary-General Teresa Geraldson,...

December 7, 2220:

Venezuelan President Cipriano Cortez calls for Latin American nations to launch an economic blockade against the United States, during a speech in Caracas,.

April 19, 2222:

Kevin Alexander is named as spiritual advisor to totalitarian leader Gary Waters at Procyon City, fueling sectarian tensions and divisions across inhabited space,....

Aphrodite leader Sonja Thompson is appointed as "spiritual advisor" to the Earth government by President James Roberts, sparking controversy,....

December 19, 2222:

Venezuelan President Francisco Guaira condemns the political practices and violence in the European Union, during an address in Caracas,....

January 27, 2224:

American and Mexican military forces clash at Sakalum, Yucatan, fueling anti-American sentiment in the region, and the perception of the country as a "rogue nation state",.....

February 8, 2224: Japanese keiretsu/ zaibatsu clash with Russian oligarchs over the corporate interests in Manchuria and Korea, sparking fears of a possible war in the region,

29 September 2224 An Arbol AI researcher goes missing...

May 17, 2225:

Alpine Zombie Uprising; Zombies are unleashed across Bavaria and Austria led by Christian fundamentalist leader Stefan Aichinger, fueling civil unrest and panic in the region,.....

[pacificeagles]

https://pacificeagles.net/dutch-harbor-raid/

The Dutch Harbor Raid

Often described as a diversionary attack to draw American forces away from Midway, the Japanese attack on Dutch Harbor on the 3rd and 4th of June, 1942, was in fact a distinct operation. The Japanese Army had long desired a presence in the Aleutians in order to protect the Home Islands from any possible incursion by American aircraft and submarines from the north. By occupying the uninhabited but strategically located islands of Kiska, Adak and Attu, Japanese forces could detect any incoming air attacks that might attempt to reprise the Doolittle Raid, as well as basing anti-submarine forces there. More fanciful planners also thought that an offensive through the Aleutians might also lead to an invasion of Alaska and then the continental United States. For the Navy though, the mounting of Operation AL was primarily the price that had to be paid for Army support of the Midway operation.

Despite the bulk of the Japanese Navy being assigned to the Midway operation, substantial naval assets were available for Operation AL. Led by Rear Admiral Kakuji Kakuta, the Dai-ni Kido Butai, or Second Mobile Striking Force, consisted of the small carriers Ryujo and Junyo and their escorts. Ryujo had already seen extensive action, supporting the occupation of the Philippines and the Netherlands East Indies, as well as sortieing into the Indian Ocean in April 1942. Junyo however was brand-new, having recently completed conversion from a passenger liner. Between them, the two carriers were home to 40 A6M Zero fighters, 21 D3A Type 99s and 21 B5N Type 97s. the carriers were escorted by three cruisers and five destroyers, with other surface vessels tasked with supporting the landings on the three target islands.

The main American base in the Aleutians was at Dutch Harbor on the island of Unalaska. This small port was home to a small garrison of troops, including the US Army’s 206th Coast Artillery Regiment with several batteries of 3-inch anti-aircraft guns. There was a small seaplane base capable of hosting a few flying boats, but no airfield. Two airstrips had been secretly constructed at Cold Bay and Fort Glenn, respectively 180 miles and 60 miles distant from Dutch Harbor. These were home to fighters of the Eleventh Air Force, the newest and smallest of the USAAF’s overseas air forces. The Eleventh had a strength of just 4 heavy bombers (two old B-17s and a pair of LB-30s), 31 B-18 and new B-26 medium bombers, and several squadrons of P-40s – including a pair of squadrons from the Royal Canadian Air Force. The US Navy contribution to the air effort was in the form of Fleet Air Wing 4, consisting of VP-41 and VP-42 with twenty PBY Catalinas. All of the flying boats were equipped with the ASE radar, whilst the four USAAF heavies sported the similar SCR-521 – sets which would prove useful in the foul North Pacific weather.

The 2nd Kido Butai arrived south of the Aleutians late on the 2nd of June, 1942, and prepared to launch strikes early the next morning. The arrival of the Japanese was not unexpected – the American forces had been alerted by the same intelligence that warning of the impending Midway attack, and on the 2nd a patrolling PBY provided confirmation when it sighted the fleet 800 miles from Dutch Harbor. Japanese submarines were also busy flying reconnaissance missions: an E9W from I-9 overflew Kiska, Amchitka, Adak and Kanaga, another from I-19 reconnoitred Bogoslof Island, and an E14Y from I-25 flew over Dutch Harbor itself, reporting several cruisers and destroyers in the port.

The Third of June

The morning of the 3rd of June saw the Japanese carrier force mired in very poor weather which delayed the takeoff. Even when the weather did clear, one Ryujo B5N was lost on takeoff, but crew was recovered by a destroyer. Heavy cloud cover prevented regimented formation flying, requiring individual divisions to make their own way to Dutch Harbor. The Junyo contingent would never manage to find the target – the escorting fighters saw another PBY out on patrol and veered away to shoot it down, and then failed to re-join their bomber charges. The Ryujo attack group was then picked up on the SC radar of the seaplane tender Gillis, which radioed a warning to Dutch Harbor and prompted the six ships in port to get under way. Meanwhile, P-40s were scrambled from Cold Bay, 180 miles away, but they would not arrive in time to challenge the attackers.

The Ryujo force broke into clear air just south of Dutch Harbor, opposed only by the 206th’s anti-aircraft batteries. A PBY was just taxiing on the water before beginning the daily mail run to Kodiak, and it was attacked by strafing Zeros. Two passengers were killed and the pilot had to drive the aircraft onto a convenient beach to escape. A second PBY managed to get airborne, harassed by more fighters, and escape into a nearby cloud – but not before it damaged one of the Zeros, which would soon have important consequences. The bombers meanwhile concentrated on Fort Mears, the conspicuous Army base, and bombed a barracks building – 25 men within were killed. Another bomb hit the nearby Russian Orthodox church, which was thankfully empty, and the Navy radio station took a near miss which shook the occupants but did not affect their ability to communicate. None of the ships in the harbour were hit.

Despite what was reported to be ‘heavy’ AA fire, none of the attackers was brought down immediately. One of the three Zeros to arrive was damaged attacking the PBYs, in what would prove to be a momentous piece of fortune for the Americans. The fighter piloted by PO1c Tadayoshi Koga was holed in the fuel tank, and Koga realised he would not be able to make it back to the Ryujo. He elected to crash land on nearby Akutan island, hoping to be picked up by a nearby submarine positioned to rescue stranded pilots. However, on touchdown Koga’s fighter flipped on its back, and Koga himself suffered a fatal broken neck. His fighter remained undiscovered until 10th July, when a patrolling PBY sighted it. A recovery crew found that the Zero was almost intact, and it was soon shipped back to the United States for evaluation – an intelligence boon for the Allies.

The Junyo formation, having failed to find Dutch Harbor in the murky conditions, flew over a small group of American destroyers moored in Makushin Bay to the west. These ships had been positioned as a strike force to challenge any attempted landing on Unalaska. Lacking the anti-ship bombs and the fuel to make an attack, these planes flew back to Junyo to refuel and re-arm, before setting out in an attempt to re-locate the ships. To cap an awful day for the frustrated aviators, they again failed to find the target and returned to base empty handed. Even worse was the experience of four cruiser floatplanes from Takao and Maya, which were sent to reconnoitre Umnak Island. These got lost in the bad weather, and strayed near to the secret airfield at Cold Bay. P-40s were scrambled to intercept, and they shot down two of the scouts.

A flotilla of American warships, Task Force 8, had departed Kodiak under the command of Rear Admiral Robert Theobald in order to confront the attack. However, Theobald needed confirmation of the location of the Japanese carrier force before he could engage, and so Patrol Wing 4 was ordered out on a search mission. However the PBYs were mainly sent north into the Bering Sea to find the enemy, misled by the withdrawal of the Dutch Harbor attackers in that direction. Only two flew to the south west, both of which found the carriers. The first PBY was shot down by the combat air patrol, and although several of the crew escaped into liferafts, some of them died of exposure. Three survivors were later picked up by the cruiser Takao. A second PBY was also attacked by Zeros and forced to crash land, but the crew were rescued by an American patrol boat. Neither Catalina had managed to make a contact report.

The Fourth of June

The following day the search resumed. The weather was again terrible, and a PBY on night patrol in a notably stormy area failed to return, with no trace ever found of the crew. Another flying boat was more fortunate – at 0900 the radar operator got a contact, 160 miles south west of the seaplane base at Umnak. The plane was on its return leg and despite a dwindling fuel supply, the crew counted the contacts, reported them back to Umnak, and got an acknowledgement before heading back to Cold Bay with minimal fuel remaining in the tanks. This turned out to be the most important contact report of the day, pinpointing Ryujo and Junyo for the waiting strike force.

The first PBY sent out from Dutch Harbor to amplify the contact was loaded with a Mark 13 torpedo and a pair of 500lb bombs. This aircraft also relied on its radar to find the Japanese in the appalling weather. The pilot radioed a contact report and then began an attack run, but the aircraft was badly damaged by anti-aircraft fire and had to jettison its ordnance, returning to base on one engine. A third PBY also found the 2nd Kido Butai on radar, and intended to guide Army B-26 bombers in to the attack. Instead the aircraft was found by the combat air patrol and shot down.

Eventually, the Army bombers managed to find the Japanese carriers independently, although the bad weather meant that the formation was badly separated. A single B-26, with a Navy Mark 13 slung under the belly, attacked first. The pilot elected to drop the weapon like a bomb, and ended up missing the Ryujo by 200 yards. Next to arrive were the two old B-17s of the Eleventh, both fitted with radar sets which allowed them to see the enemy despite the terrible weather. Dropping down to low level, the B-17s made individual attacks that failed to hit any ships, but one of the bombers was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Finally, three more B-26s arrived, again armed with torpedoes. They made runs on the Junyo and Ryujo but, despite claiming the sinking of a ‘cruiser’, managed to hit nothing at all.

Manoeuvring his fleet to avoid these attacks had cost Admiral Kakuta time, and he was unable to launch a second attack on Dutch Harbor until the afternoon of the 4th. A strike force of seventeen bombers covered by fifteen Zeros was launched to hit the town again. Whilst the aircraft were en route, Kakuta received a strange message ordering him to postpone the occupation of the Aleutians and take his fleet south to join up with the fleet then attacking Midway. Unable to comply until his aircraft returned, Kakuta elected to wait for amplifying instructions.

The strike force arrived over a ready-and-waiting Dutch Harbor an hour after leaving the carriers. All ships had left the port except for the Northwestern, an old troop transport that was permanently aground. She was hit by two bombs but her holds had been filled with concrete to make her more stable, and although she burned for three days the thirty-year old ship survived to provide electrical power to the town for months to come. Other bombs hit the hospital at Fort Mears, a nearby warehouse, and one of the anti-aircraft gun emplacements. Four oil storage tanks were destroyed, and almost a million gallons of fuel began to burn. 18 men were killed and 25 wounded. Eight P-40s from Umnak managed to intercept the Japanese on their way back to their carriers, but succeeded only in losing one of their number to the escorting Zeros.

By the time the Ryujo and Junyo planes landed back aboard their ships, Kakuta’s orders to move south had been revoked and he was ordered to continue the occupation of Attu, Kiska and Adak. Realising that Adak was far too close to the American air base on Umnak, he chose to cancel that landing but continued with those on Attu and Kiska. These islands, unoccupied except for small teams at weather stations, fell without loss to the Japanese on the 8th of June. Soon floatplane fighter and flying boat units arrived to defend Kiska from the expected assault by American bombers.

[georgy-konstantinovich-zhukov]

A few days following the bombing of Dutch Harbor, June 6th 1942, the Japanese landed troops in the Aleutian Island chain, capturing Attu and Kiska. On Attu (above) the landing was unopposed, although one civilian was killed and 46 civilian inhabitants captured and eventually evacuated to Japan. Kiska was likewise unopposed, although two members of a military weather station were killed with the other eight captured.