My grandfather fought in this battle. He was an Engineer and was at the banzai charge. He took a Japanese bayonet in the back during the charge. He was able to kill the man but was obviously badly wounded. He survived the battle and the war. He was always proud of fighting in Alaska. RIP Charles Wierzbowski.
@monogamousbonobo3923
4 жыл бұрын
My dad fought on the Aleutians. He didn't speak to me about his combat service until I came home from iraq. I miss him.
@theateroftheabsurd2168
2 жыл бұрын
My grandpa adopted me in the 80s. He was 3rd wave invasion of attu. Commo Sergeant. Sgt Walter mattice. Our family probably served close together. I also did 15 years army recently iraq 08
@theateroftheabsurd2168
2 жыл бұрын
He told me there was a sign b4 u got on the boats that said "if your not scared by now.. you should be".
@CC-8891
2 жыл бұрын
What a coincidence. My grandfather survived the banzai charge on Attu. He was one of the engineers that fought off that attack and got a bayonet in the armpit for his trouble. He doed before I was born, but I also fought in Iraq. I wished we could have bonded over that. From one Iraq vet to another, thank you and your father for your service to our country.
@austinsings666
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for your service!!
@dianamcnally-mccall1448
2 жыл бұрын
@@theateroftheabsurd2168 Thank you for your service.
@redneck4741
3 жыл бұрын
My grandpa fought in this battle this is the first documentary I have heard about it. His group was decimated by the counter attack and he talked about hiding under docks for visual protection. He lied about his age to join the navy but I believe he was 18 at the time of this incident. He died when I was 14. R.I.P. grandpa.
@vigab9601
4 жыл бұрын
5,300 Canadian also fought in the Aleutians; they should not be forgotten.
@jesusfreak1700
4 жыл бұрын
Amen 🙏 let’s not forget the canucks!
@onionhead5780
4 жыл бұрын
Did they send their tank also? 😬
@jesusfreak1700
4 жыл бұрын
Onion Head haha 🤣 we had aircraft carriers!!! No nukes though
@onionhead5780
4 жыл бұрын
Jesus Freak Right on brother. ✌️
@robertfairburn9979
4 жыл бұрын
In both world wars Canada played a significant part greater than there population size would suggest.
@harleypoppitypop3817
4 жыл бұрын
I didn’t learn about this in any high school or college history class back in the 80’s or 90’s. Even being a early fan of the old History Channel didn’t talk about it. It wasn’t till KZitem came along that I heard about this.
@srmj71
4 жыл бұрын
I'm wondering something similar.
@anon457
4 жыл бұрын
Probably because having foreign troops land on our shores is a embarrassing and scary situation.
@MrPh30
4 жыл бұрын
It was some of the top directors that made a war correspondence movie about it. Its on YT , John Ford or John Huston i think it was .
@tellmewhenitsover
4 жыл бұрын
The US education system is terrible. You probably don't know about the Barbary wars either, which are super important but don't fit the leftist narrative.
@disgustedvet9528
4 жыл бұрын
Try reading older History books.
@hatuletoh
4 жыл бұрын
I didn't see my grandfather in this video--he swore he's visible in at least one old film reel shot on Attu, but I have yet to ever come across it. Attu was the first combat my grandfather saw, as an almost 25 yr old 2nd Lt. of the artillery, commanding a battery of five guns. He never talked about any fighting he did, at least not specifically, but he was definitely affected for the rest of his life by his time on that island. For the 30 or so years that I knew him, he absolutely would not eat any variety of fish, and avoided seafood generally--MAYBE a little crab or shrimp cocktail, but rarely. He told me he ate nothing but fish for over amonth, and by the end of it he had started to think maybe just starving to death would be less unpleasant. Aside from fish though, he LOVED to eat. Between the Despression and almost running out of rations on Attu, my grandfather loved to eat food, the nicer and richer the better, but any old food except fish would do, and god help you if you interfered with his meal times. Not surprisingly, my grandfather also refused to be cold, or do what he would call "dumb ass things" like camping or skiing--he had no interest in "sleeping in the dirt" again, nor any interest in being outside if it was cold. He and my grandmother had season tickets for our local college football team, and he always gave us grandkids the tickets for the last one to three games on the schedule, depending upon how early the cold winter weather set in. He refused to be cold, ever. Drove my grandmother nuts because he'd take showers for so long all the hot water would be used up, even in the summer; even after he installed the biggest hot water heater rated for residential use. My grandfather said the closest he came to dying during the war was one night on Attu he had to walk about 100 yards between two buildings. Seconds after he started to walk to his destination,the wind kicked up and a blizzard hit like a ton of bricks. He said one sefond he could see reasonably well, the next totally blind from the driving snow. He tried to keep straight and continue on to the building he was walking towards but after a minute or two knew he was off course. There were other buildings around him to the left and right, within maybe 30-40 yards, but if he tried to reach one and missed, there would be nothing else to guide him to somewhere safe and sheltered. So he got down on hands and knees, and crawled along until he felt the edge of the metal runway. The building he needed was about 10 yrds off the coner of runway straight ahead when he'd started walking, but he didn't know which direction he was facing now, so he just had to crawl, keeping contact with the runway to guide him, until he felt the corner of it; then he'd stand up and count off ten paces, hoping to find the building. It took him two tries and he said he almost ran into the building--thats how close he had to be to see it in the storm. The way my grandfather talked about being on Attu--which in and of itself was rare, and I had to ask him specifically--it sounded like a really unpleasant boy scout camp. He never talked about combat, and I didn't known the story of the bonzai charge towards the artillery park at the end of the battle until several years ago. In fact, I read about it shortly after my grandfather had died at the respectable age of 94 (he was a bit annoyed to not have beaten his mother's age of 97 when she died in the 1970s). Funnily enough, that was also the time I was tasked by the family with going through my grandfather's stuff to separate anything important from stuff we were going to throw away. It was my pleasure--Id seen some of the contents of his three army footlockers, but not everything. For example, I found his Bronze Star and realized it was actually a "Bronze Star with Valor Device", I think is terminology, meaning it was awarded for a "heroic achievement or service", not "meritorious conduct", i.e., the Bronze Star was given to some individuals and units at the end of the war for to recognize their entire, exemplary period of service, rather than an individual heroic act while engaged in military operations with an armed enemy. My grandfather had always told me it was awarded for "not screwing up and getting somebody killed" at the end of the war. But as it has the "V" for valor device, I would bet it's for helping to defend against the banzai charge on Attu. Never did find the citation that went with it--which is odd, since my grandfather saved literally every piece of paper he ever got from the army, including the two warnings about his weight being over the acceptable limit for his height--that was after the war. I'd love to know what happened on Attu, and what the Bronze Star was actually for, but my grandfather would probably say that he was the one who almost froze his ass off while trying not to get it shot off, not me; and if he wanted me to know the details he would most surely tell me, but since he didn't, he wouldn't. And he'd probably also tell me that I could either keep bothering him and make him angry, or I could shut up, and maybe he'd let me come with him to get chocolate malted milkshake, because that's what he wanted to think about. Not that stupid war.
@leechowning2712
4 жыл бұрын
Look up a video series called "Why we fight" made at the time. You might see him in the video there. It was made in 42-43 and was for US services during the war.
@hatuletoh
4 жыл бұрын
@@leechowning2712 Thank you, that's a great idea and l am, familiar with those films. In fact, I might go as far as to say that I love the "Why We Fight" films, although when I looked up the full list of the of them just now, I see that apparently I don't not love them as much as I thought, as I can only remember ever having seen four or five of the seven total. But I'll be rectifying that oversight soon, and looking for my grandfather....The "WWF" films always seemed to be pretty close to perfect for their time, place, and purpose; I suspect this is because the US War Department of 1942, had been given the power to somehow create entirely from scratch the perfect director for their envisioned series of visually arresting, uncomplicated but emotionally profound films explaining to American servicemen why their country's and their participation in the war was necessary and moral, they couldn't have built to spec a better director for the job than Frank Capra. "Honest propaganda", I suppose you could call the films, from someone whose whole body of work would end up being stories of simple goodness triumphing over evil, the transformative power of people working togetber, and idealized depictions of American society.
@andrewhanscom4592
Жыл бұрын
@@hatuletoh Did you ever find it?
@williaml7390
Жыл бұрын
It is battles like these that make me truly detest war. All of those men who died, American and Japanese, were someone's son, husband or father. Their lives were cut short on a tiny desolate island they probably never heard of. Thank you for the history. I never knew of this conflict during WW2 until today.
@MrBUBBAKY
Жыл бұрын
My 2nd Cousin died of wounds on Attu 7 June 1943. His name was Carlie Flanagan, he was from near Jamestown, KY, he was about 27 years old.
@mikewhisky9605
4 жыл бұрын
Our Neighbor Joseph Smith, from Darwin Minnesota, fought in the battle for Attu. He spoke of the horrors of war there often to his neighbors. He later died form alcoholism. Rest peacefully warrior.
@olsonspeed
4 жыл бұрын
I am well aware of the invasion of Alaska, my father was a Seabee stationed at Dutch Harbor during this period. A miserable and brutal place to fight a war, the elements on occasion being as deadly as the enemy.
@olsonspeed
4 жыл бұрын
@Matthew Estrada Not a lot of tourists out on the islands or human presence for any reason these days.
@erikness246
4 жыл бұрын
Worked up there in the 80's, and used to explore up there
@humility-righteous-giving
3 жыл бұрын
the us could have totally ignored it,, the living conditions are so brutal that just keeping them supplied put a great drain on japans resources ,i really dont get why the island hopping campaign happened ,they could have just gone for the jugular ,its not like Europe were land mass with resistance blocks access to Berlin
@olsonspeed
3 жыл бұрын
@@humility-righteous-giving The US believed that Island Hopping was the lowest risk strategy to achieve victory.
@markhonea2461
3 жыл бұрын
@@erikness246 me too!👍 there were pill boxes just up from where we were docked in the outskirts of Dutch. We also made our way over to UnAlaska and got some beers and built a fire out of nylon line and wood on the beach there. Unalaska has the only tree on the entire island, planted long ago by Russians next to their tiny church building there. Not a bad memory at all.
@Gwaithmir
4 жыл бұрын
My uncle was stationed on Attu for just over two years during WWII. He took pictures of a lot of Japanese equipment that had been left behind. He worked as a cook in a mess hall.
@benballard4548
3 жыл бұрын
My dad was there for 2 years also - they probably knew each other. We have left-behind photos taken by the Japanese soldiers themselves - a bunch of kids like my dad. No winners in war, ultimately
@earlhoppe4191
2 жыл бұрын
My Dad was stationed on Attu too at that time. Also I do not think there were any trees on Attu as it was all tundra.
@Gwaithmir
2 жыл бұрын
@@earlhoppe4191 About six months into his tour, my uncle encountered a Japanese man at the mess hall who was wearing an American uniform. The mess sergeant got suspicious and called the Provost Marshall's office. A pair of MP's showed up to interview the Japanese man who spoke broken English. He said he was a Japanese private who had unfortunately been left behind when his unit was evacuated. He had stolen the uniform from a clothesline and had been impersonating an America soldier in order to get food for several months. The MP's allowed him to finish his meal before taking him away. My uncle remarked, in a letter to his wife, that the man was probably taken away to a POW camp in California.
@dianamcnally-mccall1448
2 жыл бұрын
My uncle died on Attu in the banzai attack. He was 23-yo, Army/32nd inf.
@RedEyedPatriot
2 жыл бұрын
My grandfather fought in attu and Kiska 43to44 then Rhineland and Central Europe Jan 45till the end of the war. His 355th infantry regiment liberated Ohrdruf concentration Camp April 5th 6th of 45.
@gungasc
4 жыл бұрын
Remember this kids. Had a History Teacher in middle school put as extra credit true/false was the US ever invaded? The correct answer was “No. well wince I didn’t get my 100% but a B+ I decided to talk to him after class and explain to him this battle and others (British, Canadian, French and Japan) He gave me an A+ and then the next day taught the class on all foreign powers that did occupy American soil (most of which I already knew)
@bassett_green
4 жыл бұрын
@ The British are definitely not the only foreign power to invade the US. - this video is literally about the Japanese invading the US - Mexico invaded several times during the Mexican-American war and the border conflicts afterwards (ever hear of Pancho Villa?) - German agents landed on Long Island in 1942 The Confederate states invaded the US as well, but that's a bit of a stretch to fit the description.
@robertwalsh3275
4 жыл бұрын
technically, Alaska and Hawaii werent american soil until the 50s. but more like protectorates until then, like Guam , the virgin islands, and Puerto Rico are today
@snafu1542
4 жыл бұрын
How to spot a good teacher .... Look for the ones that learn from their students.
@danap.235
4 жыл бұрын
The island of Kiska was an epic struggle of retreat for the Japanese military. Due to the large number of Japanese naval vessels involved in the evacuation; many of those Japanese vessels fell prey to American military attacks.
@bassett_green
4 жыл бұрын
@@robertwalsh3275 those are American soil, as evidenced by the fact that people born there are natural-born citizens.
@lapensulo4684
Жыл бұрын
My father was a doctor in the Aleutian Islands. He took part in that rear guard battle. Also, the Army Band Director was from the same town as my father. The Band Director returned home after his service and he became the local High School Band Director. He taught me how to play the trumpet, match in.the Band, play at concerts etc. Both these guys volunteered. That is who these people were, just regular guys. My neighbor stormed the beaches of Normandy. One of the most mild manner men I ever met. My father went on to Command a combat medical Battalion in 3rd Army under Patton. He was transferred to Europe in 43. I was deployed to Iraq in 03. My unit was housed within 3rd Army. I wore the same patch as my Fatber.
@jonclymer2572
4 жыл бұрын
My grandfather was part of this. I have hundreds of pics never seen in public.
@dianamcnally-mccall1448
2 жыл бұрын
An uncle I never knew, Ira D Lightner, died there May 28, 1943, age 23. I only have two photos of him. Could you somehow share your pics?
@dyn0spectrum
4 жыл бұрын
My Grandfather fought in this battle. Thank you for making this!
@1pcfred
4 жыл бұрын
My grandfather was up there too. He got wounded twice. A bullet in the leg and a bayonet in the gut.
@lonanderson5740
4 жыл бұрын
Do you know their full stories?
@John68411
4 жыл бұрын
My grandfather was part of a artillery unit during this. We don’t have much information about it. He died at home before my time but would never talk about it with his wife or son. Just said hell is cold not hot.
@1pcfred
4 жыл бұрын
@@John68411 I knew my grandfather but he never talked about what happened there. He never brought it up and no one else did either. As many wounds as he sustained he obviously saw some rough stuff.
@User-1683x2
3 жыл бұрын
My grandfather served in Attu, too. He never talked about it, all I know is that he once told the family he "was on clean up duty". He died in 2001. I don't want to imagine what he saw.
@giordanobruno1333
4 жыл бұрын
Doing family research I found out my great uncle was a Marine on the USS San Francisco and was injured in the battle of Attu. Machine gun bullet to the hip. He survived. Never talked about his time on that ship, family says he was the Captain’s Marine guard at Guadalcanal.
@ArcticSeabee
2 жыл бұрын
My grandfather was a Tlingit (Klinkit) man who fought on the Aleutian islands as a very young man. He never talked about it, but the demons came at night. I remember a few times I stayed the night, I'd sleep in his room, he cried heavily in his sleep. A rough, but wise and sweet man.
@MarcoPolo-zc6zo
9 ай бұрын
My Gramps was there with the 7th. He only talked about his service time once. He told me the whole pacific campaign was pretty brutal, but the bloodshed and bitter cold of Attu haunted him. Those poor guys were ramping up for Africa and were sent out there in desert gear. It took him awhile but he was able to rebuild his life after the war. I sure do miss him. RIP.
@TankYouMuchDSNick
4 жыл бұрын
A co 1-17 infantry Buffalos here. I knew this history front and back. I served in Attu company 1-17th. Form 2007-2011. Afghanistan from 2009-2010. Best men I ever worked with. Thanks for the video and the memories.
@TankYouMuchDSNick
3 жыл бұрын
kzitem.info/news/bejne/0Xhou32Ze4R7l3Y
@TankYouMuchDSNick
3 жыл бұрын
To those who asked
@ConvairDart106
3 жыл бұрын
Having fished those waters in modern times, I can understand the difficulties and misery, these men endured. They were also cursed with poor charts, and no radar, or navigation aids. Amazing, that they were able to navigate without seeing the sun for weeks, in which to use their sextant! A huge salute to these men!
@ozone5100
4 жыл бұрын
Thank You for posting this video. I was stationed on the Island of Shemya in 1982. It's located aprox 40 east of Attu. Shemya is covered with relics of WW2. Pillboxes, gun emplacements, and bunkers. There is a bay called $1,000,000 bay. It's where they pushed the excess vehicles and machinery over the cliff. Trucks, Heavy equipment, even aircraft lie rusting away. There even was an old movie theater still intact while I was there. On "Clear days," you could see Attu in the distance.
@rithvikmuthyalapati9754
4 жыл бұрын
The second Aleutian island battle was a catastrophe, Canadians and Americans shot at each other thinking they were Japanese.
@UnyieldingSeraph
3 жыл бұрын
Eh, we probably did it on purpose, like two siblings when one "accidentally" smacks the other one. Some American made fun of the way a Canadian says Eh or aboot and whoops my gun went off, whoops so did mine.
@notahyundaimechanic82
3 жыл бұрын
All the people asking for the Canadians to be spoken about probably don't realise this was their main contribution to it. The main force of Canadians helped the Americans invade an empty island, and they were so convinced it wasn't empty they kept shooting at their own guys. If I was Canadian I'd pipe down honestly, this whole battle was a bit of an embarrassment to the US and Canadians.
@branon6565
4 жыл бұрын
An ex of mine grew up on Dutch Harbor/Unalaska, her dad owns the only propane provider for the islands out there.....I've visited the islands many times, and when the narrator says it's "windy" out there, he's putting it very, very lightly...I witnessed a full garbage bin, a hug full garbage bin, be blown across the road like it was a sheet of paper, and when flying into Dutch Harbor the first time, we came in so sideways I was lookin down the runway from my seat above the right wing, we were completely sideways and I thought this is it, but the best pilots on the planet fly to the Aleutians for Alaska Air....
@bobd9193
3 жыл бұрын
I flew into Adak in 1987 (the first time) just like that, on a jet no less. The airline was "Aleutian Air" And you're right about the best pilots. I was stationed there for 3 years, and I loved it. P.S. I love your screen name...way too true.
@Dimythios
4 жыл бұрын
My Father in Law HATED the officers that were in charge in the initial assault and control of the Aleutians. THEY HAD the intel on how cold it was up there and completely disregard on what kind of clothing needed to fight up there. He did suffer frost bite and they almost cut one of his legs off. Because of the bullshit of what really goes on in the military (yes I know as stated family) he declined being an officer of any type through out the war. And I understood why. My father in law served in the 7th and made it out of the war honorably in '45, but he had little to no regard for the higher ups up who were so callous with their solders. I have family serving both sides of the theater. BAD things DID happen that people and history will disregard for the sake of glory.
@johnferguson3026
4 жыл бұрын
Two of my father's best friends served in Korea. They were fighting on solid white snow and the Americans wore green fatigues. North Koreans had white snow fatigues. They were sitting ducks. Green fatigues not insulated. They lost a lot of men and it could have been avoided. My dad's buddy was a tank driver and still got frostbite inside the tank. That's cold!
@aknonnerd
4 жыл бұрын
From Alaska and the story goes the US units chosen to fight for the Aleutians had been orignaly training to fight in Africa not in any cold weather area.
@johnferguson3026
4 жыл бұрын
@@aknonnerd Sounds legit!
@adamburge5988
3 жыл бұрын
According to my grandpa who was in the USAAC and watched from a troop transport, the soldiers were not issued warmer clothes to motivate them to get the job done sooner.
@jonathanellis8737
3 жыл бұрын
My grandfather was a machinist and was deployed to Alaska during the war. He said the were bunked in canvas tents with a small stove for heat, and the cinders from the stove would fall on the roof of the tents burning holes in them.
@Warbugzz
3 жыл бұрын
From Alaska, very surprised we aren't taught about this at any point in school. 😳
@corycg1956
3 жыл бұрын
Yeah a lot of people don’t realize that Japan was actually trying to invade the US just like a few German U boats got close to New York
@jimruss6269
4 жыл бұрын
My father fought in Attu as a captain of 1 of 3 Scout groups that came in from submarine before the major attacks began. He was the first to step foot on Attu and first to engage. Sadly to say , this report you've given here was partial account compared to the diary my father had.
@dianamcnally-mccall1448
2 жыл бұрын
That diary must be very precious to you, and possibly to others and the historical record. Perhaps there's a way for you to share it? I wish I had known the uncle of mine that died there on May 29, 1943.
@MrBUBBAKY
Жыл бұрын
Be sure to forward copy of Dairy to Army Historians.
@wendyfleming4472
2 ай бұрын
@@dianamcnally-mccall1448mine as well.
@xenophagia
4 жыл бұрын
Regardless of the unknown motive, it blows my mind that this isn't taught in our American schools. These soldiers deserve to be remembered just as much as those in Pearl Harbor.
@aklestinec
Жыл бұрын
I believe this is where my grandfather was during the war. He told me he was sent to Alaska in the islands. Never talked about how bloody or gruesome the battles were while he was there. He did tell me how important this situation was at that time.
@417flop
2 жыл бұрын
My Dad served on Attu from July 1943 to December 1944. He was a Morse code Technition and was 1 of the soldiers that broke the Japanese code. He said Attu was the coldest place on this side of hell. Dad passed away on November 28, 2012.
@mouser7436
4 жыл бұрын
Don't forget about the canadians that took part of this
@bobbycvsixfour5258
4 жыл бұрын
Already did to others above, OH CANADA, ... such a beautiful song. Yes, you guys rock, Your Brother from the South, USA, EH :-)
@mouser7436
4 жыл бұрын
@wargent99 then why were they in d-day
@nommadd5758
4 жыл бұрын
@wargent99 : Great job, keep spreading the hate! Be sure not to mention all the atrocities committed by the Japanese forces during WWII including the mindless slaughter of patients and staff at hospitals in Queenstown, Singapore and Bangka Island, etc! Oh, and let's not forget about "the rape of Nanking" or the Bataan death march! I wonder what could have possibly sparked such "racist violence" toward Japanese!! Don't cherry pick historical facts to support your own bias!!
@nommadd5758
4 жыл бұрын
@wargent99 : Your bias is so blatant you sound like a brainwashed zealot!
@nommadd5758
3 жыл бұрын
@wargent99 : Yet you give Canada a pass and say that Japan's barbaric policies, including the unbridled slaughter of civilians, was justified. You're just another hater directing your animosity toward America to make yourself feel righteous! "Stop the hate!" Don't bother replying, loser!!
@cjohnston6829
4 жыл бұрын
I’m all for securing the bag, but 5 ads in a 12 min video is just overkill.
@ELCADAROSA
4 жыл бұрын
Just played it on 9/16/2020; no ads at this time. It's a KZitem thing ...
@cjohnston6829
4 жыл бұрын
Neil Newhall It’s my belief that creators decide as placements.
@joshlanier8567
4 жыл бұрын
When you create content like this you need the funding so support it and shut up
@zumis1011
3 жыл бұрын
google YT ad blocker
@AnirudhPsychPixel
3 жыл бұрын
Two words - youtube premium. Haven't seen an ad in 2 years now only for 2$/month.
@frankj.vargasjr.3541
2 жыл бұрын
An excellent book to read on the battle of Attu and the entire Aleutian campaign is 'The Thousand-mile War' by Briand Garfield. It is a must-read for anyone interested in this campaign. As almost forgotten as this campaign is, it was really very important in the whole context of the war. The US military learned a lot about inclement weather fighting and military tactics that it implemented later in Europ and the Pacific. It is an excellent book and I highly recommend it.
@brandonhurtskovich6675
9 ай бұрын
My Grandfather fought there, just said the fighting was hell and also everything was booby trapped. He said he lost a few friends from picking stuff up that was connected to explosives. RIP Charles Herman
@Queequeg61
3 жыл бұрын
Been to Attu, don’t remember a forest there, or any trees whatsoever. As a matter of fact it was as desolate a place as I’ve ever been. My great uncles Martin and Tillman Larue fought the Japanese there.
@johnneill5960
4 жыл бұрын
We're still doing range clearance in those areas to this day for UXO . Still tons of Japanese and American UXO laying in that A/O . I have many friends that have worked on UXO/EOD projects out there . The problem in that area is you can only work a few months out of the year and then must come back the next year . They say the bugs are also incredible .
@nos8141
3 жыл бұрын
i heard is same for some other country too. the ground is scary
@uggligr
2 жыл бұрын
People forget that this is a part of war, cleaning up the battlefield. A dangerous landmine is the unexploded cluster bomb. This is particularly bad in Vietnam and northern Israel. What kind of sick, sadistic psychopaath would design a bomb that looks like a children's toy? EOD are heroes, especially the civilians doing it years afer the "Peace" treaty was signed.
@johnchandler1687
3 жыл бұрын
My uncle Junior was a Young Ltd and platoon commander in those battles. While the main battle on the larger island was going on he was ordered to secure a small one near by. It was thought to be empty. It wasn't. It was the historical burying ground for the natives forcenturies covered with stone mausoleums buit low and in the ground. The Japanese had converted many into pill boxes.whenever they tried to go over the top they were under heavy fire and couldn't gain ground. He saw an American ship about 1/2 mile out and requested fire support. After a few minutes the ship's radio man said the capitan had approved one Salvo. My uncle was POed as this didn't sound like much, but it was a battleship. He told us thru his binoculars he saw a huge spout of smoke and flame as the 3 16 inch guns from no. 1 turret fired. The shells, traveling at Great speed, were so large he could see them sailing his way. He thought they were going to be short but saw them barely clear the islands top and plow thru the ground . They slid a ways then with the precision of 3 ballet dancers flipped over and slip tail first. About the center of the little island they flipped again and their delayed fuses set them off almost deafening his platoon. When the smoke cleared there were no more Japs or tombs just a large crater where the flat top used to be. He radioed the ship to tell them thanks and was told "anytime guys" as they sailed on out of sight.
@kd1s
4 жыл бұрын
Isn't Yamamoto the one who said "Never wake a sleeping giant" In reference to the United States?
@MrPh30
4 жыл бұрын
I fear we have awoken the sleeping gigant, and also that he could play around as he would like for 6 months up to a year,but after that it would be very difficult to continue the path . Even longer it would be impossible to conquer more, due to the industry and troops being trained and deployed. Yamamoto had both studie in the US and been Naval Attache there ,so he had lot of experience and knowledge .
@wadedungan3172
4 жыл бұрын
I believe it was never his desire to attack the US, but being an honorable military officer, he obeyed the directive of his superiors.
@constitution_8939
4 жыл бұрын
Most Importantly, for Japan, was Yamamoto's Warning of, "Behind every blade of grass will be a American with a rifle" which may only have been "Behind every blade of grass will be a rifle." Yamamoto familiarized himself while attending College in the U.S. and knew well of Our Second Amendment and Americans obsession with guns. I wist that were still the case for defense of Our 2A, but instead ALL the Marxist VVeJ infested Colleges are Indoctrinating Americans and More Illegal Aliens Against America and Our Sacred 2A. We MUST get Rid of the SvveJ as they are the Poison of Our Country as was FDR and Churchill, Both Traitors who gave away Our Western Civilization.
@InfinityUnleashed
4 жыл бұрын
Even the Emperor himself is against starting a war with USA since they can't outmatch USA industrial power but since the Military controls the government and have more power than him that they can just assassinate the Emperor if they feel like it, so he basically is a puppet, same towards to Yamamoto, he knew from the start that Japan will never win a war with USA since Japan relies way too much on Imports to survive.
@MrPh30
4 жыл бұрын
He was trying the longest to stay out of war ,but when no other option,he wanted to habe it as short as possible, as i have seen and read. And the 2A was one factor behind why they tried Aleutian campaigm and the balloon attacks for forrest fires .
@branon6565
3 жыл бұрын
Adak is pronounced like Aye-Dack...I've flown into Dutch Harbor/Unalaska more than a few times, my ex grew up there and her folks still live there, and as a combat vet myself, I can't imagine tryin to mount either an offense or defense on that god forsaken rock...and until one experiences it, you can't imagine just how horrific the weather can get out there, it's insane...
@RavensEagle
4 жыл бұрын
Only thing I can think about is, So when can I expect a Hollywood movie about this so by proxy all the history buffs will reveal even more juice details. Thanks for making this video, never knew about this
@artbrann
4 жыл бұрын
no real chance of love triangles so it would have to fit some other hollytrope or completely rewriting parts to make David v Goliath look fair... maybe some Aleuts taking out a cruiser or such from baidarkas
@vincenthu9773
4 жыл бұрын
I love your work!
@bageled_meme2690
4 жыл бұрын
Kyle Sky 😆
@shanejohnson2486
7 ай бұрын
Watched an in-depth documentary on the battle of Attu Island. It was so cold that quite a few soldiers were technically dead from the number of times they had been shot, but their wounds froze. Many soldiers bled out after being taken to the med tents and warming up. Literally dead men walking. Crazy!
@thomasmurallo9688
3 жыл бұрын
I working for the US coast guard in1980.the coast guard sent me to finish the fire escape about 4 years later they blew. Up the up the building which housed personell. It was vision how the army live during ww2.beautiful scenery
@markpaul8178
4 жыл бұрын
Wow DARK DOCS,that video was outstanding.I just now learnt more about the battle than I ever knew.Great video details as well.
@SS-rw9kd
4 жыл бұрын
This episode deserves to be re-done. 5300 Canadians also took part, along with Canadian patrol & figher aircraft, and two Canadian navy vessels. Yes, the Canadian contribution was relatively small, but why not one mention or word of the Canadian allies?
@notahyundaimechanic82
3 жыл бұрын
It should also be redone because it is horrifically biased towards the Americans. It mentions that the Japanese took the Alaskans to prison camps but did not mention the Americans did the exact same "evacuating" thousands of Alaskans to their own prison camps where many of them died. My point is not that the Japanese were good or anything but that both sides were awful and both sides made stupid mistakes in this battle. It was a massive tragic loss of life over a now uninhabited island.
@belleisleloyalist5054
2 жыл бұрын
Dark Docs Fail
@dianamcnally-mccall1448
2 жыл бұрын
@@notahyundaimechanic82 Yes, I would love to see a new more balanced documentary of what took place from differing viewpoints. My uncle died there and wonder if his death could have been avoided. I think there were some real f__k ups in military strategy and very poor communications.
@LukeMentz
2 жыл бұрын
They have in every source I have read online!
@redaug4212
2 жыл бұрын
No, there were not 5,300 Canadians that participated in the fighting on Attu. You're confusing this battle with the landing on Kiska. It's funny how people get so confident about correcting these kinds of videos they forget to check their own information.
@GrumpyForester
3 жыл бұрын
Interesting documentary. My father was one of the US Army engineers participating in the invasion of Attu. While he never talked a lot about the entire experience, he did have some vivid stories about the final Japanese attack.
@RedEyedPatriot
2 жыл бұрын
My papaw was in attu and Kiska 43to44 then Rhineland and Central Europe Jan 45 till the end of the war 355th infantry 89th Div US Army
@srmj71
4 жыл бұрын
Why isn't this common knowledge? Why am I in my late forties before I head of this? Too many people have had their hands all over our history.
@donwatson7485
4 жыл бұрын
EGO
@TheStonedEvo
4 жыл бұрын
Amuro Ray maybe in your school. But also, the US education system is lagging behind most other developed countries. It’s not a surprise people don’t know about history, or general knowledge, when 30-40% of the country thinks education is anti Christian propaganda.
@srmj71
4 жыл бұрын
@Bob1934 I do home school my boys.
@emansnas
3 жыл бұрын
@Bob1934 Yes, you've pointed to one of the root causes of America's problems - infiltration of its public school system by socialists whose values are antithetical to the Nation's interests.
@tendomancer6955
3 жыл бұрын
Because many people forgot that we alaskans are part of the United States
@donmarz7030
2 жыл бұрын
I was searching through Google map about remote islands in the pacific ocean, until i found this alaskan island near Russian island. Read its history that a battle took place in world war 2, so i checked it out on KZitem. Now i know. They should make a Movie out of this. This is Gold. A way to remember the dead soldiers who fought for freedom.
@oluncleruckus3362
2 жыл бұрын
That’s funny, I’m here watching this because I did the same exact thing lol
@joshuaehman4027
4 жыл бұрын
Never even heard of this campaign and I study 20th century war on a daily basis. Thank you for pure knowledge!!!!
@josephpelzel3144
3 жыл бұрын
My dad was in the Coast Guard Cutter out of the harbor and they came at the very far edge of the Japanese fleet sent to attack Attu and Sitka. They were very far away and saw the Japanese fleet. The captain wisely struck stars and stripes and slowly slipped away otherwise I wouldn’t be here.
@skyjumper999
4 жыл бұрын
This was a joint Canadian/American operation.. but thanks for forgetting about us as usual.
@Halcyon_games
4 жыл бұрын
I hear ya everyone forgets us Kiwis in battles as well
@mamajhons4817
4 жыл бұрын
Mad cuz bad
@kengrantham4176
4 жыл бұрын
LMH, You’re welcome.
@DerekCully
4 жыл бұрын
Not here! This American hasn’t forgotten about the Canadians.
@skyjumper999
4 жыл бұрын
@magic8 the Martians can't even match the quality of a Canadian sniper.
@WWeronko
3 жыл бұрын
The battle to retake Kiska should be noted. It was called "Operation Cottage". On August 15, 1943, the U.S. 7th Infantry Division, 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division and the 13th Infantry Brigade (Canada), landed on opposite shores of Kiska. The invasion also involved the first combat deployment of the First Special Service Force, an elite special forces unit consisted of American and Canadian commandos. Unknown to the Allied forces the Japanese had already withdrawn from the island. Both U.S. and Canadian forces mistook each other, after a Canadian soldier shot at American lines believing they were Japanese, and a sporadic friendly fire incident occurred, which had left 28 Americans and 4 Canadians dead, with 50 wounded on either side. The impenetrable fog made identification difficult. It was one of the few recorded battle of WW2 where significant casualties occurred by intense fighting between allied units.
@RoadCaptainEntertain
4 жыл бұрын
My Uncle was involved in the The Battle of the Komandorski Islands that was a naval battle between American and Imperial Japanese forces which took place on 27 March 1943 in the North Pacific, south of the Soviet Komandorski Islands. A four hour running gun battle at sea. An entire video could be done about this action.
@LTJames1962
3 жыл бұрын
My grandfather, Captain William H. Willoughby led the Provisional Scout Battalion to retake the island. Reference “The Thousand Mile War”.
@dianamcnally-mccall1448
2 жыл бұрын
An uncle I never knew, died in the banzai charge Battle of Attu (although his grave marker says he died on May 28, 1943 and the battle is said to have been on May 29). Ira David Lightner. He was 23 years old when he was killed by the Japanese surprise attack.
@cherryrunner7205
4 жыл бұрын
Rest in peace to all those american soldiers that fought in the Aleutain islands.
@samdennis16
4 жыл бұрын
I think you mean the Aleutian Islands.
@TheMadVulpen
4 жыл бұрын
What about the japanese soldiers too
@ddaffyduck9636
4 жыл бұрын
5 ads in 10 minutes..good info destroyed by advertising
@cherryrunner7205
4 жыл бұрын
@@samdennis16 yes you get what I mean.
@cherryrunner7205
3 жыл бұрын
@Baxterl02 respects from america.
@g3heathen209
4 жыл бұрын
There are two seasons on Attu, freezing and mud.
@joeyjamison5772
4 жыл бұрын
@ I was stationed in central Alaska when I was in the USAF. The only month it didn't snow was July.
@Simon_2020
3 жыл бұрын
And occasionally volcanic eruption
@menwithven8114
4 жыл бұрын
This show and "dark skies" are absolutely amazing stories. I'm somewhat of a WW2 amateur historian. I'm 35 and have read close to 50 books about WW2. My great uncle was Michael Wittmann who is arguably the greatest tank commander in history but unfortunately he was a nazi. I'm an American with the same last name and I obviously HATE NAZIS but my connection to the war always kept me interested in it. Between the dark skies and dar docs channels I am stunned by how many of these stories I didnt know. Thanks you so much for these amazing stories!
@menwithven8114
4 жыл бұрын
I would also consider Dan Carlins series about the 2 great wars as mandatory listening!
@johnindo6771
2 жыл бұрын
I am 72, and live apartments for about the elderly/disabled. This is in Houston, Texas. One of the newer residents is a female named Troudy. She was born in 1937 in Frankfurt , Germany. She came to Houston in 1955- sponsored by her sister and brother-in-law here in Houston. When Trouty was preparing to come to Houston in 1955, her mother finally told her about her father’s death in 1940 in Frankfurt. The mother told Trouty that her 40 year-old father died by suicide rather than continue to knuckle under to the Nazis and rubber stamp death sentences on innocent people. Trouty’s father was a judge in Frankfurt.
@ayronlp1534
Жыл бұрын
My GrandUncle lost his life on Attu on May 29, 1943 when he was 25 years old. I have so much respect for all our Men and Women that fight and risk their lives in the name of freedom
@wendyfleming4472
2 ай бұрын
Mine as well--24, anti-tank gunner.
@sillyone52062
3 жыл бұрын
9:57 One of the first things I was taught in the Army is that every soldier has the secondary MOS of 11B (infantryman).
@caliloyalty818
3 жыл бұрын
I’ve seen the pill boxes in Dutch harbor. On my way to akutan. Alaska was so beautiful. I loved wrangell in the summer.
@kenkelly524
4 жыл бұрын
My first duty station when I was in the Navy in the early 90s was Adak. That would be a rough place for a battle.
@bobbycvsixfour5258
4 жыл бұрын
@Ken Kelly, you must of been a SEABEE. I know of a SHOBACK who was there in the late 70's.
@davidcogburn6725
5 ай бұрын
I was assigned to Shemya AS, Jun 73 to Jun 74. It was easy to see Attu (towards the west) from our base on Shemya. A lot of WWII equipment was also visible on Shemya, including tanks, ships, pillboxes, etc. I knew those high winds, low temperatures and rolling banks of fog mentioned in this video. At the time I was there, on Attu was a Coast Guard station with 32 people assigned.
@akacadian3714
2 жыл бұрын
I commend DARKDOCS for being generally accurate and portraying this often forgotten battle. But no where in the Aleutian Campaign either on the Japanese side or the US/ Canadian Side did troops doing any combat or maneuver on skis. The invasion of Attu was in May the snow line was a considerable distance up on the mountains. The video of the Alaska Natives dancing are not Aleuts (Unanaginx) but they look like Yupik Eskimos. There are also no trees in the Aleutians almost at all and none on Attu during the Japanese invasion or the battle to retake Attu. There is some discrepancy about the name of the Operation It has been call Operation LANDGRAB but is most often been referred to as Operation LANDCRAB.
@wendyfleming4472
2 ай бұрын
I read a US military account that the Japanese used 'short skis' on Attu. Agree with 0 trees, too.
@nancyrea3863
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for this video and this information. I have never heard of this and I’m 75. This was never mentioned in high school or college and it should have been.
@walterdanielswalter.r.dani7628
3 жыл бұрын
The whole Aleutian campaign was known as the forgotten war . "The Forgotten War" is a very good book describing this portion of the war in the Pacific -and BTW, any footage of winter scenes with trees was not taken in the treeless Aleutians.
@marykuss3390
3 жыл бұрын
I was stationed on Adak when an American Soldier was found who had been missing since WWII. He fell into a 'sink hole' and was not found until 1990, sink holes where talked about during the introduction lectures for Army/Marines/Navy/Coast Guardsmen stationed on the island.
@bobd9193
3 жыл бұрын
I was stationed on Adak for 3 years. (1987-1990) And I loved every minute of it. Even during condition Alpha (Total whiteout) and the minus zero temps in the winters. I worked at NSGA, but I had my wife and kids with me (Accompanied tour) so I lived in the housing on NAS by the airfield (what everybody called downtown), the single people who worked at NSGA had to live in the barracks there, Which was 7 miles up a potholed gravel road from downtown. I doubt I would have wanted to be stationed on Adak if I was single. Not much nightlife, lol. Anyway, It was a 2-year billet for me, but I liked it so much I extended for a year. After that, I tried to extend for a fourth year but the navy wouldn't let me. Which never made sense to me, because Adak was type 3 duty (isolated) which most people (especially single people) didn't want. I wanted to stay and free up a shore duty tour for someone else but they sent me to shore duty in San Diego (type 1 duty) which pretty much everybody wanted. Still can't figure out why. The government... go figure. Anyway, it was the best 3 years of my career (20 years). I had one of the few fishing boats on the island so I spent most of the summers deep-sea fishing. And some of the wintertime also, (weather permitting). At the time I seriously considered retiring there, (mainland Alaska) but that was a long time ago, now I'm glad I didn't. A few years back I had spinal surgery and have a lot of nerve damage so I can't stand the cold anymore. Getting old isn't for sissys. lol
@brandonmckinney6298
4 жыл бұрын
I served in Alaska snd the building we worked out of was named after this battle. Attu Hall
@richpontone1
3 жыл бұрын
What is the most notable about this campaign was that a Japanese pilot crash landed his Zero fighter, completely intact. At this time. the Zero was considered a Master Killer against the then outclassed, obsolete US Warplanes. The Americans shipped it back to their engineers who examined and engineered a "Zero killer" substitute fighter. The Hellcat was more sturdy, had self sealing gasoline tanks and heavier machines guns. The Hellcat fighter was created and was so superior to any and all Japanese warplanes that they shot down almost 17,000 of them. This set a record for any Allied fighter in World War 2. As for the Alaska expedition, this was a Japanese diversion as they really wanted to attack, invade and conquer Midway and then Hawaii. The US Naval Command never fell for this diversion and concentrated their carriers in destroying four Japanese Carriers at Midway, a defeat that Japan never recovered. So, this was a Win Win for the Allies in the Pacific.
@seth1223
4 жыл бұрын
My great grandfather was assigned to a machinery company and was stationed in Alaska during ww2, he was sent through maintenance tunnels to clear out animals many of which were wolves.
@johndoes2434
4 жыл бұрын
I was on UnAlaska Dutch Harbor in 1993 in the summer it was cold see a lot bunkers trenches bomb out planes all been cleaned up now
@gersonislas
4 жыл бұрын
Learned something New today. Great video
@frankieborrero1071
2 ай бұрын
I'm 52 years old and literally just found out about this battle! Wow this land invasion was never mentioned in school
@daveanderson3805
4 жыл бұрын
Great video Very informative It's too bad that this campaign is overshadowed by the battle of Guadalcanal
@poppi46
29 күн бұрын
My father fought with the Army in the Aleutians. He never talked about it. RIP 🙏🙏🙏 I did get to see his DD-214. Combat with a bronze star. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🙏🙏🙏
@bigmikeobamas69inch3rdlegpenis
4 жыл бұрын
There's plenty of books about this campaign in the war but the one book that first introduced me to the Aleutians was Ghosts in the Fog. Great Book and a must read for Aleutians.
@sammyseguin2978
4 жыл бұрын
No mention of the First Special Service Force involvement or the Japanese Zero fight that was captured intact?
@tellmewhenitsover
4 жыл бұрын
Japanese soldier: Wears neato white snow suit to blend in with the snow Also Japansese soldier: Carries bright red imperial flag.
@nathanb.8114
3 жыл бұрын
It doesnt matter what flag you carry, as long as it's your countries flag.
@DicedIceBaby314
4 жыл бұрын
Thank you guys. Very interesting. Keep it up!
@Kevin-vx3hg
3 жыл бұрын
"Fear the man who has nothing to lose"
@robertbellus7092
4 жыл бұрын
My dad was in the navy then and served in this campaign.
@markhonerbaum6988
3 жыл бұрын
The voice is of authority and recall, I'm sure that I've learned more than I learned afor listening to this, a whole world opened to you.
@nonyabeeznuss304
4 жыл бұрын
My great uncle fought in this operation. His stories were pretty interesting, its really cool to see a documentary on this obscure military action.
@1gabysoto
4 жыл бұрын
Gosh darn it I Love This Channel!!! Guys keep doing what you're doing is brilliant 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
@retired3067
3 жыл бұрын
I had no idea that my fellow Canadians fought with our Americans friends there. Thanks for the history lesson.
@The5thGen
8 ай бұрын
My father ( American ) was there during the battle with the Canadians. Other than that, he fell in love with Alaska. We are from Maryland.
@bijan4697
4 жыл бұрын
Visited the bunkers on Dutch and seen the bomb craters that litter the island. Very cool and often forgotten part of WW2!
@klonkimo
4 жыл бұрын
I don't think I've said "bless you" to someone that many times, ever.
@jwrappuhn71
4 жыл бұрын
Excellent vid.
@kayzeaza
4 жыл бұрын
Yeah Attu is about as ‘mainland’ as Hawaii
@roymoore3156
7 ай бұрын
My dad also fought on Kiska and Attu, as well as an uncle in the Navy, off shore. Dad spent a day on the Navy ship with his brother in law, had food that his Army buddies would have died for! When he returned and described the hot wonderful food he’d been served, his buddies thought he’d lost his mind and was 100% hallucinating! Of course he wasn’t!
@user-th6db1vs9b
4 ай бұрын
My dad was in the Aleutian's and records listed his time as unknown for the time there, he spoke of it often. History doesn't report much on this part of the war.
@reidzitzelberg7329
2 жыл бұрын
RIP to my great uncle Maurice Zitzelberger. KIA Battle at Attu killed by Japanese machine gun fire. Till Valhalla
@Gorilla_Jones
4 жыл бұрын
Dr. Felton and Dark Docs, the real history channel.
@kenp7814
3 жыл бұрын
1) Mark Felton 2) Dark Docs 3) The History Guy
@maughan3061
4 жыл бұрын
On 9 March 1916 Mexican General Pancho Villa and his revolutionary army invaded Columbus, New Mexico, in the USA.
@ASTR0_Gameplay
4 жыл бұрын
America like : u can’t just invade me Japan : lol ok
@ASTR0_Gameplay
4 жыл бұрын
A. Null Lou Bricant why COVID-19
@johnweber4029
4 жыл бұрын
Japan like : u can't just nuke me America : lol ok 😂
@jamesengland7461
4 жыл бұрын
The quotes you cited were definitely from a man of few words. Truly a great story, well- presented!
@mopardoctor9966
4 жыл бұрын
The navy also had a sea battle in the Aleutians called “The battle of the pips” that was caused by radar signals messed up by the dense fog.
@Dannyedelman4231
3 жыл бұрын
My great grandfather was there with the 32nd infantry regiment
@dianamcnally-mccall1448
2 жыл бұрын
My uncle was there also with the 32nd infantry. Killed there in the final bonzai attack, Ira D. Lightner.
@Dannyedelman4231
2 жыл бұрын
@@dianamcnally-mccall1448 my great grandfather was one of the officers who survived that charge he was near the middle coming back from HQ
@qwerghjk5699
4 жыл бұрын
the chad dark docs VS virgin mark felton
@arvidpeters9680
4 жыл бұрын
He do be a chad tho
@qwerghjk5699
4 жыл бұрын
@@arvidpeters9680 bruh
@aquiegaloucura
3 жыл бұрын
Bruh both are Chad's
@weirdshibainu
4 жыл бұрын
This is why the Japanese could never have successfully landed or invaded the U.S. west coast, even from day one of the war. Logistics would have been an utter nightmare. It would have been a deathtrap for the Japanese. But, it was a good move by the U.S. government to stoke those fears early in the war. Australia would have been the same way for the Japanese.
@drgunnwilliams5185
4 жыл бұрын
Realise Canada declared war on Japan one day before USA. RCAF were patrolling & bombing the Japenese b4 US forces could react in the Aleutian islands RCN and Canadian infantry participated in the assault & retaking of those islands
@Toxicrabbit141
4 жыл бұрын
@@drgunnwilliams5185 I didn't know that. But honestly, I'm happy I did.
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