Battle of Attu

Overview

The Battle of Attu, which took place on 11–30 May 1943, was fought between forces of the United States, aided by Canadian reconnaissance and fighter-bomber support, and Japan on Attu Island off the coast of the Territory of Alaska as part of the Aleutian Islands campaign during the American Theater and the Pacific Theater. Attu is the only land battle in which Japanese and American forces fought in snowy conditions, in contrast with the tropical climate in the rest of the Pacific. The battle ended when most of the Japanese defenders were killed in brutal hand-to-hand combat after a final banzai charge broke through American lines.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Attu was the concluding engagement of the American effort to retake the western Aleutian Islands, pitting roughly 15,000 U.S. troops against a Japanese garrison of approximately 2,600. The Japanese force was effectively destroyed: 2,351 Japanese died against 1,148 U.S. casualties. The battle eliminated Japanese ground presence on Attu and advanced the broader Aleutian Islands campaign, which aimed to remove the only Axis foothold on North American soil. Retaking Attu also positioned Allied forces to move against the remaining Japanese-held island of Kiska, completing the campaign to secure the Aleutian chain and the approaches to Alaska. The engagement is notable as the only land battle of the Pacific war fought in snowy, subarctic conditions rather than the tropical terrain that characterized most U.S.-Japanese ground combat.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (6)