Show I LAND ON NIP BASE OF ATTU A Fierce Fighting Rages as US U.S. U. U S. S Launches Attack to Drive Enemy nemy Out of Aleutians ALEUTIAN ISLANDS S S A ATTU TT U w lz Holtz M. M d j 1 IBa Bay S 5 S w f S r r- r t S S Bering Sea Seo S. S f I. I I 5 S i 5 I. I 0 S SEGULA S Rocks S 'S KISKA X S S LITTLE Tahoma RAT 0 Reel Reef Kin of I fm Bay Bay ALASKA S SS S USA P Pacific Ocean JAPAN dI S O. O so 50 ST STATUTE A TUTE MilES S Associated Press Map Mop U. U S. S Opens Aleutian Campaign American forces have landed on Jap held Jap-held eld Attu island westernmost of the Aleutians and fighting is in progress Americans Americans' occupied occupied pied ped island on January 12 2 and have been building up up their strength there and cind at other north Pacific bases O Occupation of Outpost Would Enci Encircle cle I Nip-Held Nip Kiska Put Bombers f Within 1778 Airline Miles of Tokyo r I WASHINGTON May lay 14 INS Secretary INS Secretary of oC the Na Navy J Frank Knox reported late Friday that the fighting on Attu Attn island in the Aleu Aleutians ians is going very ery satisfactorily for t the e a r U. U S. S army and navy forces which Tuesday invaded the Jap Jape r held base kii t WASHINGTON May 14 UP The The The United States has launched the long-expected long attack to to drive Japan out of the ir Aleutian islands li American troops landed on the island of Attu on Tuesday J the navy announced Friday and were met by Japanese of un unknown unknown un- un known strength S locked in battle I They are now The situation still Is s not clear but United States air and J forces force presumably are participating in out all out l-out bid for sea S an a early decision I f Attu so far appears to be the only direct target of American Ameri- Ameri I can landings A general conclusion that no similar attack has 1 been made yet on Kiska the other ther Japanese Aleutian base l was based in part on the fact that a Friday told T of fresh air attacks on that island i j Hardly Would Bomb After Troops Landed American planes hardly would bomb bomb an island after American Ameri Ameri- S merl i can troops have landed there it was pointed out and the new fi I raids on Kiska came on Thursday two days aft after r the Attu Attn landing S l S tj The landing was announced in navy No 37 i. i j- j i 1 which said S 11 North Pacific S 1 1 On May 11 United States forces landed at the island island- island of f. f Attu in the Aleutians and are now engaged with Japanese forces on the island Details of the operation will be released when tile the situation clarifies 1 j S Naval spokesmen spokesmen- declined to go beyond the limits limits- of fi his bare announcement or offer any comment on the course of th the fighting Fir First t word word- of th the landing operation c m th the th Toky Toky radio which broadcast a Japanese imperial headquarters com- com Friday saying the landing began Wednesday and that thata a fierce battle was in progress That as recorded by the federal communications ions commission said crack American forces began landing on island of the Aleutians on on May 12 Our forces forces on on the same island have intercepted them and are now engaging them in fierce battle The Japanese had renamed Attu after the ts t shrine at Nagoya Japan I Size ize of Enemy Garrison Not No Certain The size of the enemy's garrison on Attu is not known Hut DUt it is be believed to be smaller than the approximately troops reported on Kiska island east pf Attu There was no indication Friday that any attack had been made on Kiska and this led to speculation that the United States maneuver w was s designed to outflank the more strongly held enemy enemy H base and if possible place its garrison in an almost untenable position before attacking there Possession of Attu would give the American Aleutians command command com corn mand a weather observation station west of Kiska Kiska-a Kiska a fact of J supreme importance in the Aleutians where weather is most constant constant constant con- con stant single problem which airmen and seamen face Heretofore the advantage has been with the Japanese because the weather moves from west wet to east and they knew wHat conditions would be when United States tates forces could not know S Attu Lies Miles From Giant Jap Base Possession of Attu provided it reduces the Japanese garrison garrison garrison gar gar- rison on Kiska to impotence and puts American forces in position position tion on to knock out Kiska speedily would afford an American base within nautical miles of Japans Japan's great base of which is at the northern end of the island extending between between between be be- tween Japan proper and Russia's peninsula If the Japanese have succeeded in carving an air base out of Attus Attu's mountainous landscape American forces undoubtedly would devote full energies toward completing it as speedily as poss pos- pos s in ord order r to bring in Serial herial bombardment The drive to clear the Japanese out o of the Aleutians comes 11 months after the enemy moved into the westernmost of those islands as p part rt of ot their most ambitious ambitious ambitious am am- and most completely defeated de defeated de dc- offensive operation I Naval authorities now generally agree that the offensive was t broken by American sea and air of I forces in the battle of or Midway vay in inthe or orthe the central Pacific which developed developed devel devel- J simultaneously with the enemy enemy en en- emy attack on American positions at and around Dutch Harbor in the tile north Pacific The Midway Midway- victory broke the southern arm of the Japanese pincers thrust aimed ultimately ultimately ultimately ulti ulti- at the North American continent continent con con- and left the northern arn 5 Continued on 00 P Pale PaCe K Two S 'S Column One f I franks y anks Battle Japs for Possession n. n Of Attu Vital Base in Aleutians I i Jj Continued from tram Pt Pae One On S endangered and without support 2 The enemy's northern force torce In tn- tn two aircraft carriers also came under American air attack from roni army anny bases about which which the Japanese Japan se apparently had no prior Intelligence and the best he could r do without seriously endangering I hla entIre fleet of ot carriers cruisers and transports was to tomake make a a. landing In the western Aleutians nautical miles s from the defending bases around Dutch k Army Jy and navy airmen flying 5 through the worlds world's worst weather wea-ther or of almost constant fog tog and high f S 'S undertook to hold the en en- v I emy imy my to the tip of the island chainS chain and and were so successful that American American Amer Amer- S ican Scan naval officers began to de- de Kiska as a Japanese rattrap rat rattrap trap t Despite this aerial pounding which Increased as American forces forces moved their bases westward westward west west- ward the Jap Japi tenaciously du dug themselves Into I Kiska's Iskas bleak hlll- hlll sides set up antiaircraft and harbor harbor har- har bor defenses and under cover of last winters winter's fog tog began begar to build airfields on cn both Ciska and Attu which lies nautical miles milts farther farther farther far far- ther west and was therefore less Jess to frequent bombin bombing The American counterstroke was I to move Into the Island of ot Am chitka last January and set up an airfield only 63 nautical miles from This lessened Vie the weather hazard and enabled attacking attacking attacking at at- tacking planes to make two or more round trips a day Raids on the Japanese Installations on Kiska reached a 8 peak of 15 lIS a day dayon on April 19 By y May fay 6 the Aleutians Aleutians Aleu Aleu- command was able not only to deliver five raids raId on Kiska but bu also to set a a. one-day one record for attacks on Attu of ot seven even raids The aerial hammer blows which had really begun in earnest March 1 did much to worsen the enemy's In the Aleutians and to prepare prepare the way for tor American re- re of the islands The American high command according to the best Information information tion Uon obtainable was never seriously serious serious- ly concerned about the threat to American Interests and security arising from Japanese occupation of Kiska once It was definitely ascertained that Midway had been the complete and smash smashing nJ success i It was Defenses in the Aleutians area were slender when the first Japanese blows fell feU but It was believed In the hl highest hest Quarters that without full naval support the thC enemy forces would not be ba able to Improve their positions positions by moving eastward Baltes Baies Strengthened Moreover Immediate steps were taken aken to strengthen American bases ases stretching westward along the he curving curving- island chain Planes guns runs and troops were poured into them hem as rapidly as American production production production pro pro- and the grand strategy then being followed would permit First Japanese bombs to fall on United States possessions in the western hemisphere landed on the naval laval bas bass at Dutch Harbor and the he nearby army base Fort Mears in n th the tho central Aleutians about 6 R a. a m. m June 3 The next day army planes lanes counter-attacked counter and the third day the day the big day of the theattle battle attle of Midway the Midway the Japs again returned to to- Dutch Harbor and Fort Mears and also raided the army anny post of ot Fort Glenn on Um- Um nak island 7 1 nautical miles west of Dutch Harbor Japanese intelligence apparently had failed to find out about Fort rort Glenn to the thrust at Dutch Harbor and some authorities believe believe belleve be be- lieve that the existence of that airfield Indicating greater American Ameri Amen can strength than had been expected expected ex ex- was what caused the enemy admirals to decide not to attempt to invade the Dutch Harbor Harbor Harboy Har Har- bor boy are area Light on Kiska Seven days day after the Dutch Harbor Harbor Harbor Har Har- bor attack a navy patrol plane spotted enemy forces in the harbor at Kiska The following day tents were observed ashore there and ships also were seen at Attu American air attacks followed and the long and grueling Aleutians campaign was on The Japanese Immediately began began began be be- gan digging l Kis Kiska iska is- is ka and Attu and soon after were reported on Island also They relinquished their positions on however in the fall Attu became a a. stepping stone on their communications line to establish es establish establish es- es bases in the islands north of Japan and Kiska became the main base probably because It Is the largest of the three islands they seized and affords the best anchorages Their Installations at Kiska in included In- In a seaplane base submarine base and antiaircraft p positions I which they constantly expanded and Improved during the fall winer winter winter win- win ter er and spring It seemed likely the he Japanese counted on using Kiska principally as a point for operations against American supply sup sup- ply ly lines Jines to Russia If it and when Russia became involved in the Pacific war and United States supply supply sup- sup ply sly lines IInes to ran s-an through the north Pacific The next major development In inthe the ho ca campaign came In September and md was partially announced b by bythe the he navy in October the October the movement movement move move- ment of army Into the islands only miles east of the Japanese base On May 7 1 71 the same day the existence of the he base was revealed th he the navy disclosed that th the main base in in the was on island Bad weather characteristic of the he Aleutians In winter winter winds winds fog og snow and rain raIn held held offensive aerial operations to a minimum but Ut with March the real offensive against Kiska began Th The en enemy my Positions on Kiska were raided 34 times imes in March as against 9 in February and in Ap April l they were bombed times |