ATTU THE FORGOTTEN BATTLE - National Park Service

U.S. soldiers, Attu Island, May 14, 1943. (U.S. Navy, NARA 2, RG80G-345-77087)

ATTU THE FORGOTTEN BATTLE John Haile Cloe

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National Park Service Alaska Affiliated Areas Aleutian World War II National Historic Area

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Attu, the Forgotten Battle ISBN-10:0-9965837-3-4 ISBN-13:978-0-9965837-3-2

2017

ATTU THE FORGOTTEN BATTLE John Haile Cloe

Bringing down the wounded, Attu Island, May 14, 1943. (UAA, Archives & Special Collections, Lyman and Betsy Woodman Collection)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS.........................................................................................................iv LIST OF MAPS .......................................................................................................................... vii PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..............................................................................ix FOREWORD .................................................................................................................................x INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................xi

Chapter One - the Setting..............................................................................................1 Terrain ............................................................................................................................................. 1 Weather ........................................................................................................................................... 8

Chapter twO - the iSland and itS hiStOry ........................................................ 13 Russian Period.............................................................................................................................13 American Purchase....................................................................................................................13 Attu Village, the Last Vestiges of the Aleuts in the Western Aleutians..........................................................................................................14 Strategic Interest........................................................................................................................15

Chapter three - war COmeS tO the aleutianS................................................. 21 The Midway-Aleutian Plan ......................................................................................................21 Occupied by the Enemy.............................................................................................................23 Forced to Leave, the Aleut Ordeal .........................................................................................28 Advance Down the Aleutians ..................................................................................................30 Captives in Japan ........................................................................................................................32 The Japanese Reoccupation of Attu......................................................................................33

Chapter FOur - deCiSiOn tO retake attu............................................................. 39 Planning ........................................................................................................................................39 Commitment.................................................................................................................................46 The Japanese Prepare...............................................................................................................50

Chapter Five - day OF Battle ...................................................................................... 65 May 11, Landings........................................................................................................................65 May 12-13, Stalemate in Massacre Valley, Success in Holtz Bay ................................76 May 14, Failure in Jarmin Pass ..............................................................................................81 May 15, Relief of General Brown ...........................................................................................88 May 16-17, Holtz Bay Taken, Jarmin Pass Secured.........................................................90 May 18, Transition to Mountain Warfare ..........................................................................93 May 19-20, Clevesy Pass Secured ..........................................................................................96 May 21-22, Sarana Nose and Prendergast Ridge Captured.........................................99 May 23-25, Attack to Take Holtz Bay-Chichagof Harbor Pass

on Fish Hook Ridge......................................................................................................... 101 May 26, Joe Martinez, Medal of Honor.............................................................................. 104 May 27-28, Buffalo Ridge Taken......................................................................................... 106 May 29, Engineer Hill ............................................................................................................. 108

Chapter Six - aFtermath ........................................................................................... 113 The Costs..................................................................................................................................... 113 Burying the Dead..................................................................................................................... 114 The Impact on Japan .............................................................................................................. 114 U.S. Media Coverage................................................................................................................ 114 Lessons Learned....................................................................................................................... 114 Lessons from Tarawa, a Comparison................................................................................ 118

Chapter vii - miSSiOn tO the kurilS..................................................................... 121 Bridge to Victory...................................................................................................................... 121 Attu as a Major Base............................................................................................................... 123

Chapter vii - COld war and rememBranCe ...................................................... 127 Abandonment of the Island.................................................................................................. 127 You Can't Go Home Again, Repatriation of the Attu Aleuts........................................ 127 Repatriation of Remains ....................................................................................................... 130 Cold War ..................................................................................................................................... 131 The Environmental Legacy................................................................................................... 134 Designation as a Historic Landmark

and Valor in the Pacific Site Memorials .................................................................. 134 Memorials .................................................................................................................................. 135

APPENDICES a. geographical names, Battle of attu ......................................................................... 138 B. abbreviated Census, attu village, 1940.................................................................. 148 C. Order of Battle, Battle of attu, american Forces.................................................. 150 d: Order of Battle, Battle of attu, Japanese Forces .................................................. 160

by Ephriam D. Dickson III e. Order of Battle, Battle of attu, Japanese Forces ................................................... 166

by John Cloe F. Japanese weapons Captured on attu ....................................................................... 169 G. Memorials......................................................................................................................... 173

BiBliOgraphy.................................................................................................................... 178

LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS

I-1: Aerial, Massacre Bay, 1934, looking northeast I-2: Aerial, Entrance to Chichagof Harbor, 1934, looking southwest I-3: Aerial, Chichagof Harbor, August 6, 1942 I-4: Aerial, Chichagof Harbor, September 8, 1942 I-5: Aerial, Holtz Bay, August 8, 1942 I-6: Oblique of Holtz Bay I-7: Looking west beaches of West Arm, Holtz Bay I-8: Looking east across beaches of East Arm, Holtz Bay

II-1: Mike Hodikoff II-2: Aerial, Attu Village, 1934 II-3: Attu Village, Naval Expedition, 1934 II-4: Partially underground barabaras II-5: Old church II-6: New church II-7: Interior, new church II-8: Attu Village school II-9: Aerial of Dutch Harbor, Naval Operating Base and Fort Mears II-10: Japanese vessel in Chichagof Harbor, 1934 II-11: Etta and Charles Foster Jones

III-1: Bombing of Fort Mears III-2: Bombing of Dutch Harbor III-3: Japanese flag raising III-4: Nissan Maru burning in Kiska Harbor III-5: Generals DeWitt and Buckner III-6: Admiral Theobald III-7: Admiral Kinkaid III-8: Consolidated B-24 III-9: Consolidated PBY Catalina III-10: Atka Village III-11: Adak Naval Station III-12: General Talley III-13: Elizabeth Golodoff III-14: School house at Attu Village burns III-15: Uncompleted Japanese airfield on Attu

IV-1: Major General Albert Brown IV-2: Major General William O. Butler IV-3: Japanese soldier on Attu dressed for winter warfare. IV-4: Colonel Yasuyo Yamasaki IV-5: Castner's Cutthroats IV-6: Escort carrier Nassau (CVE-16) IV-7: Lockheed P-38 IV-8: Battleship Pennsylvania (BB-38) IV-9: Fort Mason IV-10: Plaster mockup of battle area IV-11: Aboard the attack transport J. Franklin Bell (APA-16) IV-12: Camouflage Japanese building IV-13: Japanese landing craft captured on Attu

iv Attu, The Forgotten Battle

IV-14: Japanese Type 88 75-millimeter dual purpose gun IV-15: Japanese Type 89 20-millimeter machine cannon IV-16: Japanese Type 41 75-millimeter mountain gun IV-17: Japanese Type 41 mountain gun on display Fort Lewis Army Museum IV-18: Japanese Type 92 70-millimeter howitzer IV-19: Japanese Type 94 37-millimeter antitank gun IV-20: Japanese Type 38 Arisaka rifle and Type 99 Nambu light machinegun IV-21: Japanese Arisaka heavy machinegun IV-22: Japanese 500-millimeter grenade launcher IV-23: Japanese M2A1 105-millimeter howitzer IV-24: Massacre Valley, June 2016 IV-25: Jarmin Pass as it narrows

V-1: Attack transport Heywood (APA-6) V-2: Disembarking into Higgins boat V-3: Loading 105-millimeter howitzer V-4: Austin Beach V-5: Scout Force V-6: Private Pletnikoff V-7: Landing on Blue Beach V-8: Troops advancing on Jarmin Pass V-9: Red Beach V-10: Rucksacks on Red Beach V-11: Hill X V-12: Dr. Paul Tatsuguchi V-13: Colonel Zimmerman V-14: B-25s off Attu V-15: Cable tram on Red Beach V-16: Top of escarpment Red Beach V-17: Jeep and 37-millimeter gun V-18: American soldiers on Attu V-19: Wildcat going down V-20: Troops advancing towards Jarmin Pass V-21: Bringing down the wounded. V-22: Bulldozer stuck in mud V-23: Use of stream beds as roads V-24: Supplies piled up on beach V-25: Bulldozed road to Clevesy Pass V-26: African-Americans on beach V-27: General Landrum V-28: Abandoned Japanese ammunition, Holtz Bay V-29: Gunboat Charleston V-30: Troops traversing slopes of Fish Hook Ridge V-31: Passing supplies up V-32: Looking southwest from Holtz Bay-Sarana Pass V-33: Steep Valley leading down into Chichagof Harbor V-34: Looking east towards Chichagof Harbor V-35: Private Martinez V-36: Private Martinez Memorial Plaque V-37: General Buckner and others at Chichagof Harbor V-38: Japanese dead

List of Photographs v

VI-1: Little Falls Cemetery VI-2: Holtz Bay Cemetery VI-3: Japanese Cemetery VII-1: Base construction on Attu VII-2: Alexai Point Army Air Base construction VII-3: Casco Field VII-4: Eleventh Air Force display of aircraft, May 1945 VIII-1: U.S. Coast Guard building, Attu VIII-2: Looking northwest across destroyed Attu Village, June 1943 VIII-3: Atka villagers return, April 1945 VIII-4: Japanese burial site, Fort Richardson National Cemetery VIII-5: Foster Jones gravesite App-1: Veterans standing near Japanese Peace Memorial in 1993 App-2: Memorial to Medical Officer Ohmura App-3: Japanese memorial commemorating 1953 visit to recover remains of soldiers App-4: Vault on Engineer Hill, June 2013 App-5: Yamazaki plaque App-6: Attu Village plaque in August 1986 App-7: Alice Petrivelli, President, Aleut Corporation, with Aleut Village memorial, 1993 App-8: The Attu Village memorial placed in 2012

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