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Posted on 11/07/2009 5:41:24 AM PST by Kaslin
Every Veterans Day presents an opportunity to commemorate those who served in some faraway place long ago, many of whom paid that ultimate sacrifice. World War II offers its share of remembrances: Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941; Normandy, June 6, 1944; the Battle of the Bulge, December 16, 1944; to name a few.
Sadly, however, one series of battles continues to be ignored. On June 3, 1942, the Japanese bombed Dutch Harbor, located at the Aleutian Islands, west of the Alaskan peninsula. Three days later, they landed on the islands of Kiska and Attu, culminating in the only battles of the war fought in North America. Many of the men there went through hell.
Remarkably, the battle is barely known.
One person who has not forgotten is renowned World War II historian, Donald Goldstein. Goldstein, a retired University of Pittsburgh professor, authored one of the only books on the campaign, called the “Williwaw War,” named for the freezing, high-velocity winds flowing from Siberia and the Bering Sea, which made service in the Aleutians a constant misery.
"It was strategically very important who controlled those islands," says Goldstein. The Americans stationed there "kept the Japanese from the West Coast and from invading the U.S. mainland.... From a strategic point of view, you can't underestimate the situation there. Look at a map! The Aleutians aren't very far from Seattle."
In the Aleutians, American troops battled not only the Japanese, but debilitating weather and boredom. To combat the fierce and unpredictable williwaws, soldiers leaned forward as they walked, before falling on their faces as the winds abruptly ended. They battled blinding, waste-deep snow, dense fog, sleet that felt like a sandblaster.
To escape the climate, troops spent hours inside. The boredom was so bad that some drank anything they could find. There were stories of casualties from "torpedo juice." Morale was awful.
"War is boredom mixed with moments of stark terror," says Goldstein. "You sit and wait. And then all at once it comes."
And when it came to the Aleutians, it came with ferocity. Shortly after bombing Dutch Harbor, the Japanese took Attu and Kiska. Thirteen months later, in August 1943, American forces sought to drive them out. Kiska was easy, since Japanese forces had bailed out two weeks earlier. Attu, however, was another story.
Attu was taken back only after a horrible fight. Japan fought to the last man. Facing defeat, 500 Japanese soldiers committed suicide with their own grenades. Whereas Dutch Harbor witnessed fewer than 100 casualties, U.S. burial patrols at Attu counted 2,351 Japanese bodies. Total U.S. casualties were 3,829—549 killed. Some believe it was the bloodiest battle of World War II.
And yet, few Americans have heard of the battle. Notes Goldstein: "Even [at the time] there was hardly any press coverage. If you ask most people today where Attu is they have no idea.... It's forgotten."
Do the veterans of this campaign feel neglected?
"Oh, yes," says Goldstein. "They're bitter. These guys never got the credit they deserve."
Many of the unrecognized survivors suffered premature deaths once they got home. One was Andrew Boggs Covert, a tall, lanky fellow who had worked at Pullman Standard in Butler, Pennsylvania prior to the war. Boggs found himself drafted into the Marines Corps as a 30-year-old with seven children. His surviving son, Jim, recalls riding to Pittsburgh to say goodbye to his father in 1942.
It was not a permanent goodbye, as Andrew survived the brutal combat. “He told me about some of the hand-to-hand stuff,” says his son today. “It was traumatic. But he was matter of fact: ‘Do it, take care of it, serve your country, get over it.’”
Still, getting over it was not that easy. Andrew died in October 1966 at age 54. A survivor who outlived Andrew was Leonard Levandoski of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, a member of the 11th Fighter Squadron, who spent two grueling years at Attu.
A few years back, while writing for a newspaper, I tried to track down Leonard on a tip from the Department of Veterans Affairs: “This guy is perfect for you to interview,” said the press person. “Every year he writes letters-to-the-editor trying to get people to remember what happened. He’ll be thrilled to get your call.”
When I called, Leonard’s wife, Geraldine, answered. “Who is this?” she said slowly. When I gave my name and purpose, Geraldine began to cry. “Leonard just passed away,” she told me. “He waited years for someone to call.”
Many of those veterans have now passed away. The years have slowly faded, with no one calling about the Aleutians. It is about time we remember.
Thanks for posting.
My Dad served on the USS Arthur Middleton. While at Amchitka, it hit a rock and knocked a hole in it. Everyone had to abandon ship. My Dad stayed at Dutch Harbor for approximately 6 months.
He spoke few words about that experience. In fact, he told me he couldnt recall anything after abandoning his ship.
After being towed to Washington state, months later the Middleton was repaired and my Dad rejoined his crew & served at Tarawa & Kwajalein.
He’s one of America’s greatest generation.
I was stationed out at Shemya AFB, second to the last Aluetian Island on the chain.
Toured Attu with the base commander, and our chaplain. (We flew over courtesy of the Coast Guard.) Amazing sights and stories were shared as we crawled across the tundra on track snow machine.
It was amazing to see.
I don’t know that much about the Aleutian War but every time I watch ‘Deadliest Catch’ I think of it.
Huh? Over 13 months?
Thanks. My Dad was a platoon Sgt. in the 201st Infantry and spent most of the war in the Aleutians.
The "13 months" refers to how long the Japanese had control of the Island of Attu after landing there. The actual battle to reclaim Attu lasted about twenty days.
IIRC, the 7th Infantry Division were the main US force in the Aleutians. After the archipelago was secured, they went on to fight at Kwajelin and then participated in the liberation of the Philippines.
Because surrender was so disgraceful, Japanese military doctrine did not include a concept of defense or strategic withdrawal.
As a result, when confronted with defeat, we see all over the Pacific theater, mass suicides rather than the men individually waiting for allies to approach and attempting to "take one with them".
Many certainly did feign surrender only to produce a weapon when close to allied troops. Many fought to their last bullet and then charged with fixed bayonet. Others chaotically massed in suicidal Banzai charges but then we see large numbers of others who unafraid of death could have continued resisting and extracting further allied losses but they didn't choosing instead to kill themselves.
Faced with being overrun, they didn't know what to do. Each man or small unit commander deciding for himself how best to escape the disgrace of surrender or being captured wounded.
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The casualties, per soldier involved, were some of the highest in all of WW2. That you did not know that proves it was one of The FORGOTTEN Battle of WW2.
There was a massive Banzai charge on Attu that succeeded in breaking thru to a campsite where a squadron of USAAF pilots were sleeping. Almost the entire squadron got wiped out. Flying was extremely hazardous up there as you might imagine. Far more operational accidents than combat losses. Planes just failed to come back.
I think that the 7th ID was fresh from desert warfare training when they were committed to the Aleutians. They were slated for North Africa and were not equipped for arctic warfare.
On Attu they couldn’t even get up the ridges where the Japanese were entrenched because the draws & valleys were so marshy from snowmelt. They disassembled jeeps & hauled them up by hand, reassembled them & used them to power tow-ropes to drag supplies up to the summits. Incredible ingenuity under fire.
The Army didn’t do everything wrong. They at least had the foresight to recruit Inuits, Trappers & Fishermen who had knowledge of the terrain into “Scout Units”. These guys imparted valuable survival skills to the troops & help them adapt.
Sending the men up there without proper clothing was criminal. They should have rounded up senior generals from the Pentagon and dropped them off up there in their summer uniforms until they figured out the problem.
I went to a military technical school in Texas in 1960. We had mixed classes: five sailors and five airmen per class. The sailors’ received their orders by name from BUPERS; we airmen were given an allotment of five overseas posts, and class ranking decided who went where. Quite a few of our naval brethren ended up in the Aleutians, on the island of Adak. USAF personnel that went from our school to Alaska ended up at Elmendorf AFB. Other USAF schools supplied operators that ended up at St. Lawrence Island or Shemya AFB.
"It was strategically very important who controlled those islands," says Goldstein. The Americans stationed there "kept the Japanese from the West Coast and from invading the U.S. mainland.... From a strategic point of view, you can't underestimate the situation there. Look at a map! The Aleutians aren't very far from Seattle."
Hate to disagree with the historian, but who on earth would conclude you can take the US mainland from Attu???!?!?!?!?
Good article. It was not a easy duty post by any means with the weather being as it was.
As an Alaskan of over 30 years, who has lived on the coast of Alaska, I can tell you that Aleutian weather is incredibly brutal. Even where I live the winter storms coming out of the Aleutians, well, its like living in a constant hurricane (a very cold one). Hardly a breather between storms.
We have a cute saying here about the Aleutians, the weather is so bad there that the air strips have to use a logging chain for a windsock! A joke and an exaggeration, I’m sure, but not far off from the truth.
I don’t think the article meant taking the mainland of Alaska from Attu. Obviously not, Attu is a looong ways from the mainland of Alaska...at least a thousand miles away, maybe more, I’d have to look at a map.
I think it meant Attu was to be the first stepping stone of taking the Aleutian chain, once the Aleutian chain was taken, they were to be the base for taking the mainland.
My mom’s brother was stationed up there. I had just thot it was an outpost/ to guard the borders. Did not even know there was a battle there! I will send this to my cousin/ his son. He was a doctor/ even then, I think.
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