June 1942 (2)
Alaska
The Japanese Second Mobile Force retired to cruise a support area about 400 miles south of Kiska. On the second day of attack on Dutch Harbor, two occupation forces moved up to positions from which they could run their objectives. The first was the Adak-Attu Occupation Force and the second, the Kiska Occupation Force. As a result of the defeat at Midway [to be dealt with after this preliminary Alaska situation], the Adak occupation was canceled and the Adak-Attu Force was directed to only seize Attu, where a battalion of Army troops went ashore about 0300 hours, 7 June. The Kiska Force landed a battalion from their Navy at Reynard Cove at 1500 hours, 6 June.
Due to the weather and the attention given to the attacks on Dutch Harbor, US air reconnaissance did not discover that the occupation of Kiska and Attu was taking place until 4 days later. The PBYs led off the bombing of Kiska, followed by B-17s and the longer range B-24s as soon as they could be concentrated on at the strip on Umnak Island. This airfield was expanded to suit the purpose being as ironically there was no airfield on Unalaska Island which had 2 harbors.
The initial Japanese landings were made with combat and labor troops totaling approximately 1,200 men at each location. But, by the end of June, the Kiska garrison had doubled. Antiaircraft and communication personnel were added as well as submarine base personnel and six midget submarines.
The US wanted to shift its aerial resources to protect bases and attack enemy ships, aircraft and installations. They requested that a Canadian squadron take over the job of protecting the Alaskan coastline. Canada responded by supplying two bomber squadrons and two fighter squadrons. The 111(f) Squadron was one of the later.
The Canadian 111 Squadron hurriedly trained at Patricia Bay (present site of Victoria International Airport, Vancouver Island) and were soon operational. They flew their Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks north, under Arthur Deane Nesbitt, DFC, and operated out Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, Alaska. Nesbitt was then promoted to Wing Commander. As the fighting increased, the 111 moved forward, their mission being to protect the US installations. The Aleutian Campaign was now an Allied effort.
The new Squadron Leader, J.W. Kerwin was killed weeks later, along with 4 other pilots who became caught up in the unusual weather created by the cold Bering Sea meeting up with the warm Japanese Pacific, causing dense fog and violent winds. Flying conditions were extremely difficult and casualties were high. The RCAF 111th is credited with destroying a float-equipped Nakajima A6M2-N “Rufe”.
The 111 Squadron headquarters moved to Kodiak Island. They also had temporary detachments at Umnak, Adak and Amchitka Islands where they served as reinforcements to the US Army Air Corps and were included in various other offensive operations on Kiska. (The 111 would remain in Alaska for nearly 2 years and will be heard of in later operations as well, but then they would be deployed to Europe at the end of 1943 and receive the new squadron number 440.).
The Alaska Territorial Guard, more commonly known as the Eskimo Scouts, was a military reserve force component of the US Army organized in response to the attacks on American soil. The ATG operated until 1947 and is said to have had 6,368 volunteers [from the official rosters – thousands more participated], from 107 communities. These included a variety of ethnic groups which included: Aleut, Athabaskan, White, Inupiaq, Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian, and Yupik. Among their tasks: To safeguard the only source of platinum in the Western Hemisphere; secure the terrain around the Lend-Lease air route between the US and Russia; and they placed and maintained survival caches along the transportation routes and coastal areas.
Anne, Gallivanta, has contributed the “Report From the Aleutians” newsreel which can be seen HERE!
Judy Hardy at Greatest Generation Lessons had her Uncles Ced and Dan in Alaska back then, check her out.
Click on images to enlarge.
##################################################################################
Military Humor – Out In The Cold
###############################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
Leonard Amico – Uttica, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII
Evelyn Brown – Jackson, MI; US Army WACS, WWII
Aloys Dosch Jr. – So.Auburn, WA; US Army (Ret. 23 years), Korea, Vietnam
Charles Garland – Philadelphia, PA; US Army, LtCol. (Ret.), Vietnam
Thomas Homan – Richfield, MN; US Army, Sgt., WWII, Purple Heart
Vernon Mountcastle – VA; US Army, battlefield surgeon, neuroscientist
Ernest Ronaldson – TeKuit, NZ; RAF # 4213929, WWII
Beatrice Rowe – Carbonear, New Foundland; British WAAF, ETO
Bruce Smith – Coffs Harbour, AUS, RA Army #VX67260/6460, Korea
Eugene Walsh – Boynton Bch, FL; US Navy, WWII, PTO
Ramon Ysursa – Boise, ID; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO
################################################################################
Posted on February 5, 2015, in WWII and tagged Alaska, Aleutians, Canada, family history, History, Military, nostalgia, Pacific, USA, veterans, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 76 Comments.
Reblogged this on KCJones.
LikeLike
It’s wonderful to know such an avid reader. Thank you, Penny.
LikeLike
Always a look back into history with your posts gp, unless someone is an avid researcher or avid reader of military history , these snippets do actually bring the past back to the present in a human form.
Well done mate, love your wedding dress too.
LikeLike
Thank you very much for the compliments, Ian – you’re about to give me a big head. I thought the wedding dress was cute – good thing he married a woman that wore his size!? 🙄
LikeLiked by 1 person
Old Man Jack told me once he flew to Kiska “to get spare parts ‘cuz there weren’t any.” He said they had no winter wear having been on an island. When they got there, he said he “…froze his nuts off” and never, ever wanted to be cold again. He was successful until a few months before he died when his daughter took him up to her home in the mountains. He died surrounded by snow.
LikeLike
Wow, talk about the ironies of life, eh? Sad as it was to lose Old Jack – it is great to hear another story about him. Thanks, Koji.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is a fascinating part of the war story. I wonder how many knew about it at the time.
LikeLike
Not very many, Ann. It was in the newspapers but overshadowed by Midway.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Typo in your caption of the lined up P-40s.
111 Squadron not 11.
LikeLike
I’ll get there shortly, thanks!
LikeLike
Thanks again for educating people about WWII
LikeLike
You accomplish far more than I – why do you think I reblog you, Pierre? You’re still the Master!
LikeLike
Master of sharing
LikeLike
Whatever – I do know you have been very patient with me as I’ve tried to learn the intricacies of blogging.
LikeLike
I never felt I was patient.
LikeLike
You got me there – ah well, I tried to be nice…. 🙄
LikeLiked by 1 person
Anything Alaska fascinates me. I watch all those crazy Alaska frontier shows. But I’m always amazed at the logistics of WWII operations…how they find out four days later about an attack or maneuver. We have such instant communications today.
LikeLike
With the warm and cold air colliding in that area, storms always brewing, the mountains, etc, etc, it simply played havoc with visual sightings and communications. Certainly not like today when we can use out-in-space satellites to locate archaeological sites – that’s for sure! Good to see you Nike.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on theowlladyblog.
LikeLike
Thank you for your interest and for helping the world to remember the veterans who fought for us.
LikeLike
Having lived in Alaska for a few years and having camped out in minus 30 degree weather, I have great sympathy for what the soldiers must have faced. Thanks for the info, GP. -Curt
LikeLike
My pleasure, Curt. It makes everything worthwhile to have friends and readers like yourself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
gpcox,you have done an awesome job providing proof of our difficult situation in the Pacific in WWII.My uncle Sherwood B Griffith Jr was a Bombardier on many Pacific maneuvers in the early 40’s. I am sorry I cannot provide his squadron affiliation & numbers! I do know he was later in a SAC unit in N California,at the end of his service years. He was from the Town of Carver, in Massachusetts. After the war,he went back to running his Cranberry bogs.He was an outdoorsman,and also loved his beagles & the sport of hunting! I am most pleased to find your Blog Site,and THANK YOU for your excellent writings & photos.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I appreciate your compliment and for sharing your uncle’s information with us. [I will include him in the Farewell Salutes in a later post.] I am very happy to hear of your interest in this data and also that you have a personal connection to it. I hope we’ll see you here again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You can use them if you wish giving credit to Mr. Weston.
LikeLike
Thank you, Pierre. I’ll be re-blogging your RCAF 403 Squadron/ 2013/ 05/ 28/ tomorrow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sometimes I just can’t believe what people shared with me. Most of the pictures have never been seen before. It’s also the same for untold stories.
Tomorrow’s post will be most interesting.
LikeLike
I will be here waiting while I reblog your post for Alaska.
LikeLike
I just check on my 403 squadron blog. Searching Alaska I found pictures of P-40s
LikeLike
Another interesting chapter. Also is that really a moose on an airfield 😀
LikeLike
Glad you liked the post – and Yes, that is a REAL moose. 😆
LikeLike
Yeah ta, not a part of WW2 that i am familiar with, so educational to say the least.
It is a brave armed forces person that goes up against an armed? (legged) moose 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Considering the size of those creatures – I’d say it’s brave!
LikeLike
Maybe a moose medal is in order..
LikeLiked by 1 person
I never thought of that – let’s contact Washington – this would be more impressive than anything they’ve done lately!!!!!
LikeLike
Do I detect a little cynicism? 😀
LikeLike
WHO? ME? 🙄
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on quirkywritingcorner and commented:
I particularly liked the soldier in the camo white wedding dress!
LikeLike
Thank you for continuing to keep the veterans always present in our minds.
LikeLike
This will be interesting. Not a whole lot of Americans know about this attack…
LikeLike
Well, you and I know that the Marines in the Pacific received the majority of headlines and they were entering Midway at the same time. I suppose our school teachers felt Alaska could be eliminated. Thanks for reading, Koji!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Keeping Alaska safe does seem like a difficult task. I read this with interest.
LikeLike
The weather seems deadly in that sectors they were in, horrendous reports. Thank you for your interest, Jacqui.
LikeLike
P-40 is also my favorite WWII plane. Oh, I like the idea how to make use of ex-wife’s wedding dress.
LikeLike
Glad you enjoyed your stop here.
LikeLike
“. . . ironically there was no airfield on Unalaska Island which had 2 harbors.” A look at Unalaska Island, the home of Dutch Harbor, on Google Earth shows an island with very few suitable airfield locations. The island’s topography, though, shows a number of bays in which harbors might be located.
LikeLike
Thanks, Allen.
LikeLike
That poor snow-blower’s going to pop a gasket before the runway’s 1/10th finished. 😀 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sure looks that way, doesn’t it!?! 😆 Can imagine what he was thinking!! 🙄
LikeLike
It’s too funny to even think about. 😀
LikeLike
Very interesting and sounds like Canada trained really fast. Love the Military humor especially the wedding one and the driveway one 🙂 Great post, Everett.
LikeLike
Thank you, Kathy. The RCAF had experience patrolling their own coast for a little while, although no one was really prepared for another major war to start.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I haven’t given the Alaska front much thought over the years. Interesting post as usual, my friend.
LikeLike
Not too many people do, John. Even back in ’42 these events were overshadowed by the actions on Midway going on simultaneously. Thanks for coming by.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on A Conservative Christian Man.
LikeLike
Thank you, as always, Paul.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another battle region I know little about. Great post and perfect funny posters/photos for the topic !!
LikeLike
I try to match the humor to the story, but it isn’t always possible. Glad you enjoyed your visit here, Sammy.
LikeLike
I just interviewed a guy this week who was a medic in the Aleutians during WWII. I’m writing his story now. There is a neat military history museum in Anchorage that details this type of info too. I’ll forward this to the director.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much, Kay. Will your story of this veteran be on your web site? Please inform me when it is published if I happen to miss it.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on jon kilkade.
LikeLike
You keep the memory of veterans alive with every post and now with one of mine – Thank you, Jon.
LikeLike
Thank you lieber Freund liebe Grüße Gislinde
LikeLike
I appreciate your visits, Gislinde. Thank you.
LikeLike
Our thanks to all these men and women who served. And their families.
Fascinating post – about a part of the war we don’t hear much about.
A Military Mom
LikeLike
I greatly appreciate your comment and the sacrifice you make every day as a military Mom! Thank you for stopping by.
LikeLike
I am really enjoying learning about this phase of the battle. I’ve read a lot about Midway but this always seemed to just be a side note.
LikeLike
Midway took the headlines back in ’42 as well and that is why many call it the forgotten war. It is also one reason why I led with this info first. I’m thrilled to hear you enjoy it so much, Dan!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
If you are interested in the Second World War and the pacific particularly then this is an excellent site..
LikeLike
Thank you very much, Sally for helping to promote the remembrance of all the veterans have done for us.
LikeLike
The reason I find your 1942 histories so fascinating is because it was the year of my birth (one month to the day after the occupation of Kiska) and reminds me that I would have had a very different life without the heroism displayed in WWII
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for bringing that to my attention, Derrick. Hopefully it will help others to understand the importance of remembering all veterans that fight for freedom.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Guess Japs learned Alaska is no Hawaii.
LikeLike
At first they didn’t want any part of it, it was just being used as a distraction, but as you’ll see in later posts, their best laid plans for Midway failed and psychologically it was great for them to have a piece of US soil for their home front to cheer about. Thanks for the interest, Carl.
Funny I was just talking about you to Ernie Peters – you two have the same sense of humor.
LikeLike
Love the wedding dress. Best use for it I’ve seen.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahahahaha…..
LikeLike