The only WWII battle in North America
In spite of my long-standing interest in the Second World War, I had no idea until this week that there was a full-scale battle on North American soil. The location was the island of Attu at the western-most reaches of the Aleutian chain.
The fighting was fierce and the death toll ran into thousands. You can read about the battle here.
What drew my attention to this little-known aspect of World War Two was a tiny item in a newspaper explaining that US and Japanese officials have just found four mass graves which they believe hold the remains of around 500 soldiers.
July 19th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
My grandfather was stationed on Attu for part of the war. He was in the navy. This battle took place before he was on Attu, but I suppose that battle is one explanation for the continued military presence there.
July 19th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Here’s some information on the experience of Dana’s grandfather during his time on Attu:
http://genealogy.danahuff.net/?p=17
http://genealogy.danahuff.net/?p=19