Battle of Attu 75th Anniversary Commemoration
May 11, 2018 @ 11:30AM — 12:00PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
A special ceremony marking the only land battle of WWII fought on incorporated territory of the United States.
On Friday, May 11th at 11:30 a.m., the Friends of the National World War II Memorial will host a brief ceremony and wreath presentation at the World War II Memorial's Atlantic Arch to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Attu, the only land battle of World War II fought on incorporated territory of the United States.
The Battle of Attu was fought between the forces of the United States, aided by Canadian reconnaissance and fighter-bomber support, and the Empire of Japan on Attu Island off the coast of the Territory of Alaska as part of the Aleutian Islands Campaign.
On May 11, 1943, units from the U.S.'s 7th U.S. Infantry Division made amphibious landings on Attu to retake the island from the Japanese Imperial Army, which had held the island since June 7, 1942. Despite heavy naval bombardments of Japanese positions, the American troops encountered strong entrenched defenses that made combat conditions tough. Arctic weather conditions and exposure-related injuries also caused numerous casualties among U.S. forces. The more than two-week battle ended when most of the Japanese defenders were killed in brutal hand-to-hand combat after a final "banzai charge" broke through American lines.
The Battle of Attu was the last action of the Aleutian campaign. The Japanese Northern Army secretly evacuated their remaining garrison from nearby Kiska, ending the Japanese occupation in the Aleutian Islands on July 28, 1943.
During the May 11th ceremony at the World War II Memorial, WWII veterans will present wreaths at the Pacific Arch of the Memorial in honor of all who served and in remembrance of the more than 3,500 Americans killed, wounded, or injured due to the Arctic conditions during the Battle of Attu.
If you are a World War II veteran, or know of one, who would like to participate in the Battle of Attu 75th Anniversary Commemoration at the Memorial, please email hrotondi@wwiimemorialfriends.org!
We hope you'll join us on May 11th at the WWII Memorial!
The Friends of the National World War II Memorial's WWII 75th Anniversary Commemoration is generously sponsored by AT&T.
Generous support has also been provided by the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation and Worthington Industries.