The Only Land Battle To Take Place In North America During WWII
Thousands were left dead in a remote corner of the United States
On June 7th, 1942, Japanese forces landed on the island of Attu in the Aleutian Island Chain. The landings took place unopposed. Attu is a remote island hewn from volcanic rock sitting in the desolate wastes of the North Pacific. At the time, the Japanese believed they were striking a critical blow against the United States. American soil had been captured and it was being done in conjunction with a massive military operation that stretched from Attu to Midway.
Attu sits at the far western tail of the island chain that streams away from mainland Alaska for hundreds of miles. The island was not terribly important at the time but American military planners feared that Japan would be able to turn the island into an airfield for long-ranged bombers capable of hitting Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
As soon as Japanese boots hit the ground in Alaska the Americans began planning for a way to retake the islands from the Japanese. In the meantime, the Japanese held a key symbolic position perched on American territory.
It took nearly a year for the Americans to show up in an attempt to liberate the island.
