LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Aleutian Islands: United States
built 635 days ago
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.
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During the Second World War, the Aleutian islands were the only area of the United States to be occupied by Japanese forces. The Japanese pulled out upon surrender... and were never more than a token garrison.
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Siberian fur hunters flocked to the Commander Islands and gradually moved eastward across the Aleutian Islands to the mainland. In this manner Russia gained a foothold on the northwestern coast of North America. The Aleutian Islands consequently belonged to Russia, until that country transferred all its possessions in North America to the United States in 1867.
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On June 4–6, 1942, the Japanese occupied the Aleutian Islands in the farthest point of their drive toward Alaska. Almost a year later, on May 11, 1943, the United States 7th Infantry Division bypassed Kiska and stormed ashore on Attu. In bitter, hand-to-hand fighting they wiped out the entire Japanese garrison by May 31.
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The Anchorage Daily News editorial Dec. 12 demanded that the state and federal governments "skip the stalling and get going," on an Aleutian Islands risk assessment. The editorial claims the only thing that has been done is "talk." This is flat out wrong. The public deserves an accurate and fair characterization of the Selendang Ayu spill, its real impacts, the response, and a systematic and methodical assessment of the causes…
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The United States Coast Guard and Alaska Air National Guard rescue twenty-three crew members from a capsized cargo ship south of the Aleutian Islands, on its way from Japan to Vancouver. (CBC)
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