[antidisestablishment]

You need to read The Thousand Mile War. Alaska was not only "not a state;" it was uninhabitable wilderness. It's strategic importance was so significant, however, that it was truly one of the main reasons we won the war in the Pacific.

The book reads like a novel, but it is very accurate and is should be included in every military library as it gives a new understanding to the fog of war. It's a damned shame more folks don't know anything about the Aleutian campaign.

[Wiggins]

I read about Attu and Kiska. There was tough fighting in very harsh conditions. The Japanese were able to withdraw their forces from Kiska pretty much intact. The Aleutian’s were Mostly a diversion for the battle of Midway. As a matter of fact I believe it was on or Akutan Island where the first Japanese Zero crashed pretty much intact killing the pilot. The plane was repaired by the US and used to gain knowledge of the strong points and weaknesses of the Zero. I’m going to read that book too thank you.