WWII IN THE ALEUTIANS
1867 18 October -
U.S. acquires the Aleutian Islands and Alaska from Russia
1912 U.S. installs a radio station at Dutch Harbor
1940 July - Construction begins on Army and Navy installations at Dutch Harbor
1941 May - First Army troops arrive at Dutch Harbor
1 September - Dutch Harbor Naval Air Station commissioned
1942 April- August - 6 U.S. submarines arrive in the theater
18 April - Doolittle Raid (sparked Japanese interest in the Aleutian
Islands which was supposed base of the raid)
Late May - Total of 10 S-boats now assigned to Alaska
21 May - Nimitz is made aware of Yamamoto's plans which include
the Aleutian diversion
25 May - TF-8 under RADM Theobald leaves Pearl Harbor for Alaska
2 June - U.S. patrol plane spots approaching enemy fleet
3-4 June - Japanese attack Dutch Harbor on Unalaska
4-6 June - Battle of Midway
6 June - Japanese occupy Kiska (unopposed)
7 June - Japanese occupy Adak (unopposed)
11 June - S-34 and S-35 ordered back to Dutch Harbor from their
patrols north of Attu
19 June - S-27 ran aground on a reconnaissance mission to Amchitka
July - September - 14 U.S. submarine patrols, no enemy sinkings
5 July - LtCdr Gilmore on the U.S.S. Growler attacks and hits 3
Japanese destroyers off of Kiska
30 July - Contact is lost with the U.S.S. Grunion and she is never
heard from again
30 August - U.S. retakes Adak
14 September - U.S. bombing raid on Kiska (from Adak)
20 September - U.S. land on Kiska
29 December - S-35 returns to Dutch Harbor after being damaged
by a storm off of Amchitka
1943 January- U.S. forces in Alaska command reach 94,000
RADM Kinkaid replaced RADM Theobald
12 January - U.S. forces occupy Amchitka
Mid-February - Airfield on Amchitka completed
21 February - U.S. bombing raid on Kiska (from Amchitka)
26 March - Battle of the Komandorski Islands
April - Yamasaki takes command of the Japanese defenses on Attu
1 April - U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff approve Operation SANDCRAB
30 April - 7th Infantry Division under MajGen Brown arrives at Fort Randall
4 May - U.S. invasion force leaves Cold Bay for Attu
7 May - Original plan date for the U.S. assault on Attu
11 May - U.S. forces land on Attu
16 May - MajGen Brown replaced by MajGen Landrum
17 May - Japanese withdraw from Moore Ridge to Chichagof Harbor
23 May - Japanese bombers and U.S. fighters engage in fight over Attu
(last Japanese attempt to support Aleutian campaign by air)
29 May - Last Japanese attack on Attu crushed at Chichagof Harbor
30 May - U.S. occupation of Attu completed
10 July - 11th Air Force makes the first attack on Japanese homeland in
the Kurile Islands
22 July - U.S. surface forces bombard Kiska
28 July - Japanese forces evacuate Kiska
15 August - U.S. amphibious forces reach Kiska (Operation COTTAGE)
18 August - U.S.S. Amner Read hits a mine, 70 dead, 47 wounded
24 August - Kiska declared secure, end of the Aleutian campaign in WWII
11 September - Japanese destroy 3 U.S. bombers and damage 7 others on
an attack on the Kurile Islands
7 October - S-44 was sunk by a Japanese destroyer
End 1943 - RADM Lockwood orders remaining S-boats to withdraw
from Alaska
1944 Spring - Bombing raids resume on the Kurile Islands
1996 - Congress declares Dutch Harbor a National Historic Area
Map of the Aleutians
from Stepping Stones to Nowhere
By Daniel Chiriboga and Kristi Reule
1912 U.S. installs a radio station at Dutch Harbor
1940 July - Construction begins on Army and Navy installations at Dutch Harbor
1941 May - First Army troops arrive at Dutch Harbor
1 September - Dutch Harbor Naval Air Station commissioned
1942 April- August - 6 U.S. submarines arrive in the theater
18 April - Doolittle Raid (sparked Japanese interest in the Aleutian
Islands which was supposed base of the raid)
Late May - Total of 10 S-boats now assigned to Alaska
21 May - Nimitz is made aware of Yamamoto's plans which include
the Aleutian diversion
25 May - TF-8 under RADM Theobald leaves Pearl Harbor for Alaska
2 June - U.S. patrol plane spots approaching enemy fleet
3-4 June - Japanese attack Dutch Harbor on Unalaska
4-6 June - Battle of Midway
6 June - Japanese occupy Kiska (unopposed)
7 June - Japanese occupy Adak (unopposed)
11 June - S-34 and S-35 ordered back to Dutch Harbor from their
patrols north of Attu
19 June - S-27 ran aground on a reconnaissance mission to Amchitka
July - September - 14 U.S. submarine patrols, no enemy sinkings
5 July - LtCdr Gilmore on the U.S.S. Growler attacks and hits 3
Japanese destroyers off of Kiska
30 July - Contact is lost with the U.S.S. Grunion and she is never
heard from again
30 August - U.S. retakes Adak
14 September - U.S. bombing raid on Kiska (from Adak)
20 September - U.S. land on Kiska
29 December - S-35 returns to Dutch Harbor after being damaged
by a storm off of Amchitka
1943 January- U.S. forces in Alaska command reach 94,000
RADM Kinkaid replaced RADM Theobald
12 January - U.S. forces occupy Amchitka
Mid-February - Airfield on Amchitka completed
21 February - U.S. bombing raid on Kiska (from Amchitka)
26 March - Battle of the Komandorski Islands
April - Yamasaki takes command of the Japanese defenses on Attu
1 April - U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff approve Operation SANDCRAB
30 April - 7th Infantry Division under MajGen Brown arrives at Fort Randall
4 May - U.S. invasion force leaves Cold Bay for Attu
7 May - Original plan date for the U.S. assault on Attu
11 May - U.S. forces land on Attu
16 May - MajGen Brown replaced by MajGen Landrum
17 May - Japanese withdraw from Moore Ridge to Chichagof Harbor
23 May - Japanese bombers and U.S. fighters engage in fight over Attu
(last Japanese attempt to support Aleutian campaign by air)
29 May - Last Japanese attack on Attu crushed at Chichagof Harbor
30 May - U.S. occupation of Attu completed
10 July - 11th Air Force makes the first attack on Japanese homeland in
the Kurile Islands
22 July - U.S. surface forces bombard Kiska
28 July - Japanese forces evacuate Kiska
15 August - U.S. amphibious forces reach Kiska (Operation COTTAGE)
18 August - U.S.S. Amner Read hits a mine, 70 dead, 47 wounded
24 August - Kiska declared secure, end of the Aleutian campaign in WWII
11 September - Japanese destroy 3 U.S. bombers and damage 7 others on
an attack on the Kurile Islands
7 October - S-44 was sunk by a Japanese destroyer
End 1943 - RADM Lockwood orders remaining S-boats to withdraw
from Alaska
1944 Spring - Bombing raids resume on the Kurile Islands
1996 - Congress declares Dutch Harbor a National Historic Area
Map of the Aleutians
from Stepping Stones to Nowhere
| Table of Contents |
Geography and Weather |
Background |
Timeline |
Dutch Harbor |
Kiska |
Komandorski |
Amchitka |
Attu |
Significance |
Bibliography |