The Japanese Invasion of Alaska

The Forgotten Battle

In the early morning of 6 June 1942, 500 Japanese soldiers landed on Kiska, one of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. They took the only inhabitants of the island, a ten man (and six dog) US Navy Weather Detachment by complete surprise and quickly took control of American soil. Today, the island is one of the USA's National Historic Landmarks: the aftermath of the Japanese invasion can still be seen on the rolling hillsides of Kiska.