Japanese troops on U.S. soil

June 6th 1942, Japanese troops invade and occupy Kiska in the Aleutian island chain only 3 days after their bombing raids on Dutch Harbor. A day later they also occupy Attu. The Aleutians campaign would rage on both sea and land for another 13 months before Japan finally withdrew. Historians believe Japan wished to put America on the defensive in the Pacific after the Pearl Harbor attack, and used this move as a distraction to split the efforts of the then still reeling U.S. Navy.

With increasing public fears of more Japanese attacks on the Mainland or West Coast, the War Department felt it would be an important propaganda tool to create an informational booklet about the Alaskan battles, for morale purposes on the Home Front.

50-year-old well-known novelist, Dashiell Hammett, of detective-fiction fame, had enlisted in the Army and was assigned to Adak island in 1943. While there he edited the base newspaper, and also was a writer of this Army booklet entitled, “The Battle for the Aleutians”. He and his other contributors received commendations for this work. He served on Adak until the summer of 1945.

Surprisingly heavy on facts and light on propaganda for this era. Filled with clear maps of the major actions/battles, this rare booklet would make a great reference/teaching aid for middle grade or high school history courses.

Keywords: Alaska,World War 2,Attu,Adak,Dutch Harbor,invasion,Aleutian campaign,islands