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Posted on 07/26/2005 8:13:01 PM PDT by SAMWolf
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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Plagued by logistical difficulties and lackluster leadership, the battle for the Aleutian island of Attu remains largely forgotten.  In his classic History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Navy Lieutenant Commander Samuel Eliot Morison wrote that the Aleutian Islands campaign could well have been labeled the "Theater of Military Frustration." This phrase aptly describes the American effort to retake the Aleutian island of Attu from the Japanese in 1943. It was a campaign handicapped not only by the island's fanatical defenders and the bitter Alaskan cold but also by the many miscalculations made by the Army itself. Yet this important campaign to take back U.S. soil, which witnessed the first American amphibious assault in the North Pacific as well as one of the first Japanese banzai attacks of the war, has been pushed into the background by many historians. Such obscurity is unwarranted, and an injustice to those soldiers who fought against extremely difficult odds to place the Aleutian Islands firmly back into Allied hands.  Massacre Bay Attu is the westernmost island of the Aleutians, a chain of some 70 islands stretching 1,700 miles from the southwest coast of Alaska and reaching out to within 650 miles of the Kurile Islands. Since purchasing the Aleutians from Russia in 1867, the United States had done little to develop the area, and most of the islands had not even been fully mapped. As a result of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922, the United States pledged not to construct any naval fortifications on the islands, a promise that it quickly revoked after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. By spring of 1942, there were 45,000 American servicemen in Alaska, 13,000 of whom were stationed on the partially fortified islands of Unalaska and Umnak. The only heavy fortifications were at Dutch Harbor, but even these were defended by a relatively small force.  "Below decks every facility for shipboard training is utilized till the eleventh hour. These troups are seeing in miniature what their ship is carrying them toward--a model reproducing all of Attu except the Japs, whose rifles and machine guns were waiting along these snowbound crags. From the faces, it is evident that even a model of Attu had a sobering influence."(from "The Capture of Attu") In early June 1942, during the Battle of Midway, a Japanese carrier force staged a diversionary attack on Dutch Harbor. Although damaging, the raid failed to divert American carriers from Midway, resulting in a decisive U.S. naval victory there. On the way back to base, however, Vice Adm. Boshiro Hosogaya, commander of the Northern Area Force, ordered Rear Adm. Sentaro Omori to occupy Agattu, Kiska and Attu islands.  "Artillerymen with their howitzer and 105mm ammunition being transferred from transport to landing craft off the Attu beaches. Two leading boats of their wave, dimly seen in the background, are already half swallowed by the fog."(from "The Capture of Attu") As it was American soil, the enemy presence in the western Aleutians was a source of embarrassment and discomfort to the U.S. government. It also brought several theoretical advantages to Japan. Although intense Arctic storms and fog around the islands made any attempt to use the Aleutians as a bridge to the Alaskan coast difficult, a gradual Japanese incursion onto the North American continent was not impossible. The islands also threatened vital shipping lanes between Seattle and parts of the Soviet Union. Finally, and perhaps most important, Japanese presence in the Aleutians meant that the airspace over the Home Islands might be relatively free of major U.S. bombing efforts.  The Pennsylvania softens up Attu prior to the landings, May 1943. (provided by P. Clancey) Shortly after landing, the Japanese withdrew from Agattu and began building airstrips on Kiska. American troops landed on the island of Adak about 210 miles east of Kiska, and built two air bases there. They also occupied the island of Amchitka about 60 miles east of Kiska, although airstrip construction was nearly impossible due to weather and terrain. Because operations in the Central Pacific were of higher priority, American plans for the recapture of Kiska and Attu were shelved for months. By early 1943, however, the Joint Chiefs of Staff decided that it was time to dislodge the Japanese from the Aleutians once and for all. Attu was chosen as the first objective, since reconnaissance seemed to show that is was less heavily fortified than Kiska. After Attu was taken, the plan was for troops from that island and Amchitka to jointly invade Kiska.  May, 1943. Aproaching Attu, 7th Division troops crowd the transport deck to get some fresh air or have a relaxing smoke. Fog and somber gray water surround the ship. Crowded conditions made it impossible to exercise aboard ship. (from "The Capture of Attu") The unit chosen to make the landing for what was code-named "Operation Sandcrab" was the Army's 7th Infantry Division, commanded by Maj. Gen. Albert E. Brown. The "Hourglass" Division had been reactivated at Fort Ord, Calif., in the summer of 1940 as a motorized infantry division. Following its reactivation, the unit had gone through extensive training in the Mojave Desert in preparation for service against the Italians and Germans in North Africa.  "The first wave of assault boats gropes its way through Aleutian fog toward the unknown Attu beach two miles ahead."(from "The Capture of Attu") In January 1943, after the Allied landings in North Africa, military commanders determined that there was no longer a need for the 7th's services in that theater. The division then began amphibious training on the beaches around Fort Ord. Unfortunately, the comparatively mild climate found along the California coast did little to prepare the men for the dense fog and bone-chilling cold of Attu. When the 11,000 men of the 7th were loaded onto transport vessels in late April 1943, many of the troops believed they were going to Hawaii. This seemed plausible, since most of the soldiers were wearing summer uniforms. The quartermaster general had intended that special winter clothing be issued to the troops participating in the invasion. But the order was rescinded because it was thought that the extra weight of winter uniforms might slow the men down. Although some soldiers were issued special equipment just before the landings, most 7th Division GIs reached Attu in inadequate clothing.  The Pruitt guides landing boats to Attu's Massacre Bay beach, 11 May 1943. (provided by P. Clancey) The convoy arrived at Cold Harbor, at the eastern end of the Aleutians, on April 30. Due to bad weather, the ships stayed in anchorage until May 4, then headed west. Since a gale was pounding Attu at that time, the assault was postponed until May 9, and the convoy took off for the Bering Sea to avoid enemy detection. Japanese submarines operating around Cold Harbor, however, had seen the convoy and had relayed the intelligence to the garrisons on Kiska and Attu. The Attu garrison was put on alert on May 3, and for six days the men stayed in their battle positions. By May 9, it looked as if no invasion was coming, so the alert was called off. The next day, the U.S. convoy left the Bering Sea and arrived offshore of Attu, unaware of its good fortune.  American Troops Landing On Attu, May 11, 1943." George Smith) The Japanese forces on Attu were commanded by Colonel Yasuyo Yamazaki, whose garrison consisted of the 303rd Independent Infantry Battalion, along with engineer, artillery, mountain artillery and service troops. The Japanese were well dug-in, and were supplied with fur-lined uniforms and boots, kerosene stoves and sake. Initial American estimates of enemy strength were set at about 500, although this was later increased to 1,500. Preinvasion reconnaissance had shown that the Japanese were concentrated around Holtz Bay and Chichagof Harbor in the north and Massacre Bay in the south. Therefore, two landings were planned. The Northern Force, commanded by Lt. Col. Albert Hartl, consisted of the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, and its attached artillery and auxiliary units. The Northern Force's objective was to secure Holtz Bay and a valley lying to the southwest.  Soldiers unloading LCPR and LCM type landing craft on the beach at Massacre Bay, Attu, on 12 May 1943. Boats are from USS Heywood (APA-6). Note the Military Policeman overseeing operations from his position near the right side of the image. The Southern Force was the larger of the two and was commanded by Colonel Edward Earle. The force comprised the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 17th Infantry; the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Infantry; and field artillery and auxiliary units. After landing at Massacre Bay, the Southern Force was to go up Massacre Valley, take Clevesy and Jarmin passes, hook up with the Northern Force at Holtz Bay and then destroy the enemy at Chichagof Harbor. The 1st and 3rd battalions, 32nd Infantry, along with some field artillery troops, were to stay on the transports as reserves.
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I wish you didn't have to sacrifice like this to make a go of the Wild Bird Center. Just a suggestion but there are always companys (hospitals, insurance, law firms, etc.) that will "farm out" WP, flow sheets and data entry work. In most cases (if they like your hardware) you can work from home. Hope something breaks for you sweets . . .
OHHHH! MYYYYY! I just crack myself up! 8^D
Good for Poland!! :-) Thanks for sharing the pictures with us.
Party on dude!!
Awww, don't worry. I just want to be able to keep myself in Starbucks! LOL. Seriously, it's all about health insurance really. It cost sooooo much when you have to pay for it yourself, and even then it to be able to afford it you have to carry really high deductibles. I'm an excellent typist, I'll look into it but I never believed those "work at home" ads.
(if they like your hardware)
Now why would that matter...oh, you mean that hardware.
Great news and great pics, thanks. :-)
Naughty girl . . . Sam's starting to rub off on you. But that's a good thing. ;-)
The quartermaster general had intended that special winter clothing be issued to the troops participating in the invasion. But the order was rescinded because it was thought that the extra weight of winter uniforms might slow the men down.
When Colonel Earle went forward to see what was holding up the men, the Southern Force commander was killed by a sniper.
The island of Attu measures only 35 miles by 15 miles and is a most inhospitable location on which to conduct military operations. The island is uniformly rocky and barren of trees, brush, or any other cover. The land rises steeply from the water's edge to heights of over 3,000 feet. The lowlands of the island are blanketed with muskeg, a type of bog up to 3 feet deep with a hard crust on top.Attu is shrouded year round with fog that varies in density and can cover the island from the bays to the mountains, creating extreme overcast conditions that limit sunshine to a few days a year. The island normally receives 40 to 50 inches of rain a year, but that rain total accumulates from a constant misting rain that falls 5 or 6 days a week. The temperature during the assault on Attu averaged 25 to 37 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on elevation.
These were the conditions that awaited American soldiers when they arrived to drive the Japanese from the island.
~~~ The planners realized from the beginning that the troops would suffer from the weather, but they reasoned that the entire operation to clear the 1,500 to 2,500 Japanese off Attu would take only 36 hours. This reasoning proved fatal during the course of the invasion. Attu's weather and terrain had a profound impact on the invasion's reception, medical, and combat operations.
~~~ The real logistics failure of the campaign began as early as 12 May, when the first seven casualties from cold-weather injury arrived at the shore hospital. The hospital continued to receive additional cold-weather casualties every day until the conclusion of operations on 30 May. Four days after the anticipated conclusion of operations called for by the planners, the shore hospital received 191 cold-weather casualties.
These casualties were the result of logistics failures. Logisticians failed to ensure that soldiers were equipped with appropriate cold-weather equipment. Most soldiers were issued only normal field jackets, not parkas, and leather boots, not footwear suitable for snow. The island's snow and constant rain, coupled with freezing temperatures, ensured that the soldiers were never dry.
Many soldiers went ashore without their sleeping bags, since the plan was for the bags to follow in a day. Unfortunately, the logistics problems on the beaches ensured that only those supplies critical to the warfight, such as ammunition, flowed from the beaches. Supplies soldiers needed to warm or dry themselves stayed on the beaches. The result was many cases of frostbite and trenchfoot. Cold-weather injuries would account for 31 percent, or 1,200, of the 3,829 total casualties suffered on Attu.
Two Japanese officers, Toshiaki Mukai and Iwa Noda, held a competition of beheading Chinese. They denied the accusation as "imagination" but were confronted with the above evidence published in Tokyo Nicinichi Shimbun. They were executed in 1947 in Nanjing.
LOL!
Morning Phil Dragoo.
The Attu Operation had to have some of the worst "planning" of the war. Some of the decisions made don't even appear to have any common sense behind them. Once again the American fighting man came through despite the downright stupid decisions made by desk jockeys.
BTTT!!!!!
SAM - I dont have reference material in front of me, but if my memory serves me correctly, the Chase & Middleton participated in several island invasions together. Thanks to your FIL for his service - he truely was in both wars.
Great photos at the link you provided Phil, thanks.
The American fighting man has powered through every adversity the enemy, the weather, the terrain, the bureacrat pantywaist pencilneck peckerwoods have thrown at him throughout the history of the Republic, fueled by God, America, motherhood, apple pie, freedom, faith, hope and welch:
For the first half hour on this thread your fotki stuff red-exed--I assume it was a too-busy server as we've got broadband on this end.
"Only 36 hours"--[!]
What on earth were the troops to do if reality did not conform to the pipe dream of romeo echo mike foxtrotters?
Obviously the answer was to lose 1100 to the cold.
For reasons such as this epic disconnect this is a "war story that deserves to be told."
I saw all four pages, great stuff. REMF, yeah.
Fotki gets whacky sometimes but it always comes back.
We think Ollie reads our threads and that's how he gets his ideas for stories. :-)
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