WWII Museum, Dutch Harbour

It was here in the Aleutians that the US forces came up against the Japanese in WWII around the time of Pearl Harbour.The Japanese attacked Dutch Harbour and occupied the island of Kiska in 1942. In 1942/3, US forces began to occupy Amchitka. In May 1943, the Battle of Attu saw 12,500 US soldiers land and began a slow and costly campaign to defeat the Japanese. It was a war combining air strikes and ground assaults. Those Japanese that were still alive, all committed suicide. Of particular note is that the US issued leather army boots were no barrier to the intense cold, causing extensive frostbite. Both they and the Japanese eventually opted for Aleutian traditional garb to combat the cold.Read more