The Capture Of Attu A World War Ii Battle As Told By The Men Who Fought There

In May 1943 US forces clashed with Japanese invaders in an epic battle on the Alaskan island of Attu. Fighting through the fog and icy rain, avoiding pot-shots from snipers in mountain crevices, lugging heavy machine guns up slippery inclines, and ultimately scaling a 250-foot cliff, the 17th Infantry willed its way to a crucial victory in what the author calls, 'The Queen of Battles.' *Includes footnotes and photographs from the Aleutian Islands Campaign.

The Capture of Attu, first published in 1944, recounts first the history of the westernmost Aleutian Island - Attu - then provides many firsthand stories of the infantrymen fighting in this incredibly harsh and rugged island, against an enemy determined to fight to the last man. In June 1942 Attu and the nearby island of Kiska were invaded by the Japanese. On May 11, 1943, the American effort to retake Attu began in what quickly became an infantry battle: the ever-present fog, rain, and high winds limited airplane use, and the rocky terrain and sodden tundra prevented the use of most mechanized equipment. Fighting was finished by July 4, 1943, and as recounted in the emotional final paragraph of the book: "The battalion was assembled. Major Charles G. Fredericks read the Roll Call of the men who had fallen. Lieutenant Colonel Glen A. Nelson spoke. A sergeant sang My Buddy. And Padre Habetz repeated a prayer. After the volley, the last note of Taps echoed over the mountains. Then it was over. Captain Robert C. Foulston said, "Forward..." but the "march" stuck in his throat. With chins clamped hard and wet eyes blinking, the silent fighting men marched off the field. It had been paid for. Attu was ours." Included are 6 pages of maps and 23 pages of photographs.

In May 1943 US forces clashed with Japanese invaders in an epic battle on the Alaskan island of Attu. Fighting through the fog and icy rain, avoiding pot-shots from snipers in mountain crevices, lugging heavy machine guns up slippery inclines, and ultimately scaling a 250-foot cliff, the 17th Infantry willed its way to a crucial victory in what the author calls, 'The Queen of Infantry Battles.' *Annotated edition with original footnotes. *Includes photographs from the Aleutian Islands Campaign.

This book attempts to put the reader on the battlefield with the ground soldier. Men who fought on Attu, officers, and enlisted men, told their stories to Lieutenant Robert J. Mitchell of the 32d Infantry, one of the regiments engaged. Lieutenant Mitchel was wounded during the latter state of the battle and while convalescing wrote the accounts which are now published as Part Tow of the book. These stories tell of the discomforts and perils, the failures and success, the fear and courage, the many fights between small groups and the occasional humor, of which battle consists. Part One is an introduction in form of connected narrative of events leading up to the invasion of the Aleutian Island of Attu and a detail account of the battle which resulted in the capture of Attu by American forces.

This book attempts to put the reader on the battlefield with the ground soldier. Men who fought on Attu, officers and enlisted men, told their stories to Lieutenant Robert J. Mitchell of the 32nd Infantry, one of the regiments engaged. Lieutenant Mitchell was wounded during the latter stage of the battle and while convalescing wrote the accounts which are now published as Part Two of the book. These stories tell of the discomforts and perils, the failures and successes, the fear and courage, the many fights between small groups and the occasional humor, of which battle consists. In preparing these accounts for publication, every effort has been made to keep them as nearly as possible in the exact form in which they were written down by Lieutenant Mitchell; consequently, a minimum of editorial changes has been made. Part One, written by Sewell T. Tyng, is an introduction in the form of a connected narrative of events leading up to the invasion of the Aleutian island of Attu and a detailed account of the battle which resulted in the capture of Attu by American forces. This narrative is based on official sources and on material collected by Captain Nelson L. Drummond, Jr., Field Artillery, formerly of the Alaska Defense Command. Captain Drummond visited Attu shortly after the battle, studied the terrain, and interviewed participants of all ranks. The volume has been prepared in the War Department under the supervision of the Military Intelligence Division. Aerial photographs are by the 11th Air Force; battle photographs are by the U.S. Army Signal Corps; and terrain feature photographs are by Captain Drummond, assisted by Private First Class A. E. Johnson, 50th Engineer Regiment. The panoramic sketch is based on an original by the 50th Engineer Regiment.

In May 1943 US forces clashed with Japanese invaders in an epic battle on the Alaskan island of Attu. Fighting through the fog and icy rain, avoiding pot-shots from snipers in mountain crevices, lugging heavy machine guns up slippery inclines, and ultimately scaling a 250-foot cliff, the 17th Infantry willed its way to a crucial victory in what the author calls, 'The Queen of Battles.' Includes footnotes and photographs from the Aleutian Islands Campaign.

In 1942 Attu, the westernmost island in the Aleutian chain, was home to two Americans and forty-five Aleut hunters and their families. Located one thousand miles from the Alaska mainland and isolated by year-round damp fogs which manage to survive the constant high winds, Attu was called by an early visitor "the lonesomest spot this side of hell". In June 1942 Attu and the nearby island of Kiska were invaded by the Japanese in the hopes of accomplishing several goals: forestalling use of the islands by the Americans, hindering U.S.-Soviet cooperation, and establishing bases for attacks on the American mainland. On 11 May 1943, the U.S. effort to retake Attu began. The struggle was essentially an infantry battle. The ever-present fog, rain, and high wind limited the use of air power, and the craggy terrain made mechanized equipment next to useless. The infantry retook the island foot by foot.

This “engrossing” (The Wall Street Journal) national bestseller and true “heartbreaking tale of tragedy and redemption” (Hampton Sides, bestselling author of Ghost Soldiers) reveals how a discovered diary—found during a brutal World War II battle—changed our war-torn society’s perceptions of Japan. May 1943. The Battle of Attu—called “The Forgotten Battle” by World War II veterans—was raging on the Aleutian island with an Arctic cold, impenetrable fog, and rocketing winds that combined to create some of the worst weather on Earth. Both American and Japanese forces tirelessly fought in a yearlong campaign, with both sides suffering thousands of casualties. Included in this number was a Japanese medic whose war diary would lead a Silver Star–winning American soldier to find solace for his own tortured soul. The doctor’s name was Paul Nobuo Tatsuguchi, a Hiroshima native who had graduated from college and medical school in California. He loved America, but was called to enlist in the Imperial Army of his native Japan. Heartsick, wary of war, yet devoted to Japan, Tatsuguchi performed his duties and kept a diary of events as they unfolded—never knowing that it would be found by an American soldier named Dick Laird. Laird, a hardy, resilient underground coal miner, enlisted in the US Army to escape the crushing poverty of his native Appalachia. In a devastating mountainside attack in Alaska, Laird was forced to make a fateful decision, one that saved him and his comrades, but haunted him for years. Tatsuguchi’s diary was later translated and distributed among US soldiers. It showed the common humanity on both sides of the battle. But it also ignited fierce controversy that is still debated today. After forty years, Laird was determined to return it to the family and find peace with Tatsuguchi’s daughter, Laura Tatsuguchi Davis. Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Mark Obmascik “writes with tremendous grace about a forgotten part of our history, telling the same story from two opposing points of view—perhaps the only way warfare can truly be understood” (Helen Thorpe, author of Soldier Girls).