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While returning from his second voyage, Vitus Bering discovered most of the Aleutian Islands including Kiska and a naturalist-physician onboard, Georg Wilhelm Steller, wrote:
"On October 25, 1741 we had very clear weather and sunshine, but even so it hailed at various times in the afternoon. We were surprised in the morning to discover a large tall island at 51° to the north of us." < And so Kiska was found; it, the Aleutians, and Alaska would later become fur outposts for the Russian-American Company managed by Grigory Shelikhov starting from 1775.
In 1867, U.S. Secretary of State, William H. Seward, purchased Alaska and Kiska from the Russians for the United StatesThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in.
As part of Japan's MidwayMidway is: #An island in the Pacific Ocean: see Midway Atoll #A battle in World War II fought on and around that island: see Battle of Midway #A 1976 movie based on the events of this battle: see Midway (movie) #A U. Navy aircraft carrier named after the sideshow in the North Pacific, the Japanese No. 3 Special Landing Party and 500 Marines went ashore at Kiska on the 6th of June, 1942Events January January 1 World War II: The word " United Nations" is first officially used to describe the Allied pact. January 2 World War II: Manila is captured by Japanese forces. January 5 Amy Johnson disappears in flight over River Thames estuary ass. The JapanJapan (, Nippon/Nihon literally "the origin of the sun") is a country in East Asia situated on a chain of islands east of the Asian continent on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. The largest of these islands are, from north to south, Hokkaido , Honshese captured the sole inhabitants of the island - a small American Naval Weather Detachment consisting of ten men, including a Lieutenant along with their dog. One member of the detachment escaped for 50 days. Starving, thin, and extremely cold he finally surrendered to the JapanJapan (, Nippon/Nihon literally "the origin of the sun") is a country in East Asia situated on a chain of islands east of the Asian continent on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. The largest of these islands are, from north to south, Hokkaido , Honshese. The next day AttuAttu is the name of an island in Alaska and of a LORAN station on that island. For information about the island, select Attu Island. For information about the station, select Attu Station, Alaska. was captured by the Japanese.
The military importance of this difficult to supply frozen island was questionable, but the psychological impact upon the Americans of losing U.S. territory was tangible. During the Winter of 1942-43, the Japanese reinforced and fortified the islands not necessarily to prepare for a leapfrogging operation across the Aleutians but to prevent a United States operation across the Kurile Islands. The United States Navy began operations to deny Kiska supply which would lead to the Battle of the Komandorski Islands. During October 1942, 7 bombings missions are undertaken over Kiska by American forces, 2 were aborted due to weather problems. Following the Winter, Attu was liberated and Kiska was bombed once more for 2 1/2 months before a larger American force was allocated to defeat the expected larger than Attu Japanese garrison of 5,200 men. On August 17, 1943, an invasion force of 34,426 Allied troops, 5,300 of whom were Canadian, landed on Kiska to find the island completely abandoned. It turns out that the Japanese, well aware of the loss of Attu and the impending arrival of the larger American force, had successfully removed their troops on July 28, 1943 without the Americans or, and more importantly, their bombers noticing.
Allied casualties during the invasion nevertheless numbered close to 200, all from friendly fire, booby traps set out by the Japanese to inflict damage on the invading allied forces, or disease. There were seventeen Americans and four Canadians killed from either friendly fire or booby traps, fifty more were wounded as a result of friendly fire or booby traps, and an additional 130 men came down with trench foot.
This final removal from the Aleutians spelled the end of any Japanese hopes to invade the United States from the North.