Battle Of Kiska Essay

World War II’s Battle for Kiska was a prime example of Japan’s strategy for attacking the United States during the War In The Pacific. Kiska Island is a part of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean. Japan attempted to invade the Aleutian Islands, so that they could get closer to the west coast of North America. The Japanese struck first on June 6, 1942, when they took control of the islands, Attu and Kiska. Kiska and Attu were the only U.S soil that Japan claimed during the War In The Pacific. Canada assisted The United States, due to their declaration of war against Japan, after the attacks on Pearl Harbour the year before. On August 24, 1943, the United States declared the island of Kiska secure, ending the battle of the Aleutian Islands. The Battle Of Kiska helped U.S troops prepare for the long island hopping battles to come throughout World War II. Kiska Island is little more than a steaming, snow-covered, 4,000 foot volcanic mountain surrounded by a steep succession of

During the months following their occupation, Japanese soldiers learned to adapt to the extreme conditions of Attu and Kiska, while the Japanese navy kept the soldiers well-supplied. It took the U.S a little under a year to finally put together a strategy to go and claim back their land. By March, 1943 the U.S navy set up a blockade of Attu and Kiska to restrict the amount of supplies being shipped to the Japanese.

Americans were left shocked after Japan claimed any of their soil, no matter how dreadful the environment. Some people feared the takeover of the Aleutian Islands would lead to an invasion of the mainland of Alaska. Despite anger around the nation, little attention was paid at first to defending Attu and Kiska. However, by January 1943, U.S Army forces in Alaska Command had increased to 94,000 soldiers, with multiple bases newly built on other Aleutian