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To: Strategerist
We should have sent nobody to fight on Attu.

With Attu retaken, the US now posed a potential threat to Japan's Kurile Islands and Northern Territories that it would have to at least take into account, diverting its attention from other battle fronts.

13 posted on 05/29/2013 7:04:49 AM PDT by Fiji Hill
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To: Fiji Hill
Yes and no. With the June 1942 to May 1943 Aleutians campaign experience under their belts, the Japanese high command effectively ruled out a northern invasion route as a realistic possibility.

In fact, the only combat which occurred on their equivalent of the Aleutians was a bloody firefight against a Russian force invading Shumshu Island in the northern Kuriles in August 1945. Arguably, that garrison was put there in anticipation of an American invasion, so there was at least some diversion value. But probably not much.

Interestingly, the gulf stream is active miles above these miserable weather islands and transpacific flights still most commonly take these routes. Once in a great while, these flights even use them for emergency landings as I believe a China based commercial flight did at the U.S. base in Shemya some years ago.

14 posted on 05/29/2013 7:18:11 AM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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