Historical Background Scope and Content Restrictions on Access Restrictions on Use Acquisition Info Subject Terms |
circa 1942-1944 |
| Accession No.: | PH2009-025 |
| Title: | Aleutian Islands in World War II photograph and postcard collection |
| Date Span: | circa 1942-1944 |
| Quantity: | .05 cubic feet (1 box) |
| 39 photographs ; 3 x 5 inches and smaller | |
| 4 postcards | |
| Languages: | Collection materials are in English. |
During World War II, in June, 1942, the Japanese seized the Aleutian Islands of Attu and Kiska. These islands are part of the chain of Aleutian Islands, located off the tip of Alaska, and provided the Japanese with a base from which to limit Allied air and sea operations in the North Pacific. In an effort to recapture the islands, the United States established airfields on Adak and Amchitka Islands in August, 1942. Plans were made in the spring of 1943 to recapture Kiska and Attu. It was eventually decided to bypass Kiska, and American and Canadian forces landed on Attu on May 11, 1943. Air and naval units supported the operation. The Japanese on Attu defended their position intensely, and the fighting continued until May 30, when Japan announced the loss of the island.
On August 15, 1943, a powerful Allied amphibious force, including a U.S. infantry division and elements of the Royal Canadian Army, assaulted the island of Kiska, where the Japanese had developed their largest base. To the surprise of the Allies, they found that the Japanese, under cover of heavy summer fog, had secretly evacuated the island. In August, 1943, the island was declared secure, thus ending the Aleutian Islands Campaign. During 1944 the Canadians left and U.S. Army presence in Alaska dropped from a high of 144,000 to 63,000 personnel. Although interest in the Alaskan theater waned, it was in the Aleutians that the Allies won their first theater-wide victory in World War II, ending Japan's only campaign in the Western Hemisphere.
Snapshot photographs and postcards of the Aleutian Islands during the period of Allied operations against Japanese occupation in World War II. Includes scenic views, and images of service men, aircraft, military buildings, and graves. Many of the photographs are stamped on verso "Passed by examiner - Base 1717 Army."
The collection is open to the public.
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.
Source: Charles Apfelbaum; Received in August 2007.