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BATTLE // May 11, 1943

Battle of Attu

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Source · Wikipedia

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

The battle ended with a final Japanese banzai charge that broke through American lines, after which most of the remaining Japanese defenders were killed in brutal hand-to-hand combat. Canadian forces contributed and fighter-bomber support alongside the main U.S. ground effort. Beyond this, the source does not detail the specific maneuvers, dispositions, or terrain use employed during the fighting.

Forces & casualties

Troop strength

  • United States15,000
    medium
  • Japan2,600
    medium

United States fielded a 5.8 : 1 numerical advantage

Casualties

  • United States1,148
    medium8% loss rate
  • Japan2,351
    medium90% loss rate
Order of battle →Casualties in detail →

Commanders (6)

Japan

United States

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6 sibling battles · 6 factions

Last verified June 2026
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