U.S. Forces Blast Japanese from Attu

The first part of this United News newsreel shows an amphibious landing on the Alaskan territorial island of Attu—an Aleutian Island closer to Japan than to mainland Alaska. Japanese forces had moved onto Attu on June 7, 1942, setting the stage for the only WWII land battle that would take place on U.S. soil.

When the Japanese invaded, there were less than 50 people on the island. Japanese forces took the Aleut/Unangax̂ people from Attu hostage, sending them to Japan as prisoners of war. By 1943, the population on Attu had swelled to over 2,300 Japanese soldiers settling in to defend the island. On May 11, 1943, the Battle of Attu began.

The island was the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting in the Pacific campaign. American forces landed uncontested while the Japanese dug in at higher ground. When the Japanese attacked, 549 American troops were killed, as well as 2,351 Japanese. On May 29, the battle ended with one of the largest banzai charges in the Pacific campaign by the remaining Japanese forces, many detonating grenades against their chests instead of facing surrender. Only 28 Japanese survived.

Part 2 of this newsreel shows a German submarine that tried to attack a convoy. Part 3 shows clean-up operations in Tunis. Hordes of German soldiers are captured. British troops are warmly greeted by citizens. Gen. Giraud reviews French troops.