America's Arctic War - The Aleutians Campaign
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 พ.ย. 2020
- curiositystream.thld.co/markf...
If you sign up between Nov 16th and Jan 3rd, you can get 25% off a yearly subscription. That's unlimited access for only $14.99 a year so use code ‘markfelton’ when you sign up and get 25% off your yearly subscription.
It was the only land campaign on US soil during WW2 - the Battle of the Aleutian Islands off Alaska, where US and Japanese soldiers fought in Arctic conditions.
Dr. Mark Felton is a well-known British historian, the author of 22 non-fiction books, including bestsellers 'Zero Night' and 'Castle of the Eagles', both currently being developed into movies in Hollywood. In addition to writing, Mark also appears regularly in television documentaries around the world, including on The History Channel, Netflix, National Geographic, Quest, American Heroes Channel and RMC Decouverte. His books have formed the background to several TV and radio documentaries. More information about Mark can be found at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Fe...
Visit my audio book channel 'War Stories with Mark Felton': • One Thousand Miles to ...
Help support my channel:
www.paypal.me/markfeltonprodu...
/ markfeltonproductions
Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Mark Felton Productions. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Mark Felton Productions does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
My great uncle was one of the Canadians who died during this campaign. Killed by a Japanese land mine. Thank you Mark for highlighting this rarely talked about military operation.
My thanks to your great uncle who fought and lost his life so we could love ours the way we do now. My thanks might seem meaningless but it is not as I love the western way of life that was preserved by such sacrifices as your great uncle.
Honor the Brave!
Many thanks to your great uncle for his sacrifice and service to the security of North America and victory in the war.
Condolences for your uncle. My great uncle was also there on the US side.
🇨🇦 My Uncle (Roy Bickle) was there, he didn’t see any of the fighting. He would land on three more islands and become a part of a garrison there until the end of the war. “One of the lucky ones” as he was described he served but never saw combat.
My dad fought in the Aleutian Islands. William Anderton, RM1C, USS Detroit. He’s 99 now living in Lenexa Kansas.
My father was on Attu, received a Bronze star, he was on a heavy machine gun team. I live in Leawood, KS would be honored to meet your father someday.
Hero's
You guys ever stop to think perhaps your giving out too much information?
Old Cremona my father was in the U.S. Navy & the Aleutian campaign was his first taste of war in the Pacific.
My Dad also fought in the Aleutians. He served in the U.S. Army 7th Infantry Division. He passed away last year at a good old age. He was 102. Rest In Peace Dad.
I knew a guy who fought there with the Navy. The weather was cold, foggy, and icy, the windchill was deadly, even the sea states were brutal. Ice formed on the ships and constantly had to be chipped off, and very few American ships were committed. The battle of Kormandosky was horrible. He felt unappreciated because no one remembered this campaign. Thanks for reminding us of these events.
Two of my uncles faced the same conditions on the Arctic convoys when they were in the merchant navy during the war. The trips were in winter to avoid the worst of the Luftwaffe's attention. Brutal hardly covers it.
@Jean Jourdain you must be French... 🤔 🙄 😆
@Jean Jourdain - like the French Army 🤣
@Jean Jourdain why was it pointless?
@Jean Jourdain It defeated a fascist regime that murdered 6 million innocent civilians and stopped a totalitarian nazi onslaught against Europe and its peoples. If you call that pointless, I can’t agree with you.
Settling in tucked into bed under a warm quilt ready to enjoy this chilly tale of arctic warfare 🥶
Glad it’s not just me 😂
Just had soup and grilled cheese vs. frozen c-rations.
It’s wonderful isn’t it?!?!
What's really chilling is that Canadian/US KD ratio differential. That battle deserves it's own segment!
Don’t let the bed bugs bite!
My father is 92 and I was just showing him a youtube video of the sinking of Bismarck. He told me how he heard about the sinking on his grandfather's crystal radio.
Then he wanted to know if there were any videos about the fighting in the Aleutians, which he had heard just a little bit about. And in ticks this great video from Mark Felton! He was elated.
Most old people who didn't happen to be in Europe will tell you that during the entire war they had no clue what's actually happening, except what the radio told them. This is particularly true for Americans and Canadians. Interest in WW2 events started in the 1950's when the events were slowly revealed and people began to get answers. This is why they made so many big budget war movies in the 1960's, and it also explains the inaccuracies. We only began to get a somewhat full picture in the 1990's.
there is also a documentary on netflix!
@@nematolvajkergetok5104 In Australia, I remember people saying they didn't hear about the Japanese bombing Darwin and other northern locations until after the war.
@@matydrum what's it called
@@iamarbiter6469 type aleucian or even just ww2 in the netflix search bar you should find it. I dont know if they still have it but they also used to have an awesome old film on a p-47 squadron in europe, in color, all filmed on the front, amazing stuff!
No conspiracy theories, just forgotten facts. Love the channel
Also, you will note, a lack of aliens.
I wonder if there'll ever be an episode on USS Liberty.
WW2 never happened it was a plot by the Clinton's and George Soros to stack the vote in Michigan 2020.
Bald and Bankrupt
There are lots of war relics - many of them Japanese - on these islands, protected by the remote location. Enter "Kiska Island" or "Attu Island" on Google Images and see for yourself. Warning: Beware of unexploded WWII ordnance if you are lucky enough to somehow get there, special permission is required from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
My Grandfather served in this battle. Unfortunately, the women in my family hated him and disregarded his service. Thus, this part of our family's history was lost.
Thank you for posting this video!
Who else just clicks like while the opening music is still playing?
Think that's most of us
Nope. I waited 'till the end.
Guilty as charged.
Yea man. His content is great. And well researched.
Always
Thank you so much. My dad, SSGT Edward Gresham USAAC was on Adak. Not much is said about the North Pacific in documentary’s. He enlisted on Dec 8,1941. He was 17 turned 18 in January. He told me about the freezing cold and the horrible wind. He passed four years ago next month, my daddy is my hero.
My Grandfather spent part of the war building airstrips on the Alutian islands. I am sure he would be pleased that his contribution to the war had not been forgotten.
There were numerous airfields built along the WWII Alaska-Yukon Hwy for aircraft being sent to Russia too.
Give your grandfather a hug for all of us, for all of humanity!
Probably SEABEES a L ways forgotten
Actor Charlton Heston, famous for his movies like the 1970 Midway, Ben-Hur, and playing Moses in the Ten Commandments. Was a radio operator on a B-25 with the 11th AF during this campaign
Thanks for the interesting information!
I have Two of his Books. .and Autographs.
Imagine tuning in your aerial radio and hearing Heston's voice over the net.
All very realistic.
@@RCAvhstape Possibly more like Heston tapping out morse code over the net.
Nothing like spending my Friday watching a high quality Felton video
“High quality Felton video” is a redundant phrase as there is no other kind of Felton video.
I can't wait 6 days to watch it.
My uncle Joe Hoffart was in the Canadian Rocky Mountain Rangers and was on Kiska. It was very windy and the Japanese left a lot of booby-traps. One of his lieutenants picked up a telephone in a cave that had been a strong point and it blew up, plastering him all over the ceiling. They were glad to leave that horrible island! He next went to Europe to fight the Germans and was there until 1946.
My pops spent a good part of the war in the Seabees building landing strips in the Aleutians. Being from Mississippi, he was duly impressed with the constant COLD.
My great uncle was killed in the Battle of Attu.
He was a Japanese military doctor.
I attended a memorial service held at Yasukuni Shrine with the grandchildren of Colonel Yamazaki and the bereaved families in May.
I hope that one day all the remains left on Attu Island will be returned to their homeland.
But the Japanese government is reluctant to collect the remains of the war dead, so I honestly don't know how individuals can collect the remains of Attu Island, a U.S territory...
There is no doubt that cooperation between the understanding American people and the American government is essential.
May the friendship between Japan and the United States last forever.
I spent many a dreary port call on many of those islands while in the service. However, I was fond of exploring the old fortifications, enjoying a beer and taking in the commanding views. Breathtaking during the summer. Another great video Mark. 👍
My Grandfather told my dad that besides the battle it was some of the most beautiful country he'd ever seen...for a small town Kentucky boy
I would love to see these islands myself!
It’s 1 am where I am, i’m drunk, i’m tired but I need to get my fix of Mark Felton
Most people would settle for pizza. But we're not most people
Godspeed my boy
Did you sad some whiskey buddy ?
My father-in-law served in Adak during WW2 as a signalman. He survived WW2, missed his homeward bound ship, which sank.
Consequently, his mother got a telegram of his death.
He boarded another ship, made it safely home. At 3 AM he knocked on his mother's door - at first his mom thought she was seeing a ghost! It was a very happy reunion.
That's quite a story! I wonder what stroke of luck caused him to miss his ship?
Thank you Dr. Felton for an episode on the war in the Aleutians. My father’s Catalina went down during the Battle of Dutch Harbor, the opening salvo of the Battle of Midway. With his 30 days of Survivor’s Leave, he went home to Chicago to marry my Mom. Again, thank you.
I am surprised Mark did not include the Japanese bombing of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, by the light aircraft carriers Ryujo and Junyo in the opening phase of this campaign in Mid-1942 as part of this video.
‘I was invalided out of the Pacific war’ -malaria? Heatstroke? No-frostbite
I bet there would have been days you would have loved some of that ice.
9:00 Obviously not footage from that battle.
I know this campaign really was overshadowed by battle of midway and considered as a "background battle" but one can die just as easily. Pretty brutal conditions too.
The friendly fire incident was caused by an optical aleutian.
🥶🙈
Hell yeah, when he first said "Aleutian islands" I understood "Illusion islands", but I thought "OK, maybe this is because I'm actually German. A native English speaker would not misunderstand that." :-D
I hate you lol
Too soon. It'll always be too soon...
@@Rauschgenerator Ja👍
Thanks. My Dad was at Attu and Kiska. He just missed being in the location of the last charge on Attu. Some of his friends survived by playing dead. The Japanese over ran hospital tents. Many Japanese were so exhausted and tired of the cold they killed themselves with Grenades . He was in a number of amphibious assaults in the Pacific. He said that the Assault on Kiska scared him the most as the landing sites were so open and rocky. He was glad the Japanese were gone. It's and interesting Campaign that should get more attention.
My grandfather was a USN Seabee that fought & built airstrips on Attu in 1943. I have his photo album which is full of great photographs from his time there, including a few captured Japanese photos.
WOW, rare stuff. Can you post these photos on-line? Maybe titled: "Attu Island 1943 - A Veteran's Photos".
Same here. I found an old photo album of Adak and Kiska. Has pictures of dead Japanese and GI’s, the invasion fleet, etc. Really wild stuff. I’d like to send the images to someplace that documents such things, but I don’t know where.
Go SEABEES always forgotten. Not by me
I live in Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula and I have to say it's great to hear you cover this Mark. It's a subject that isn't talked about in school or anywhere really. Thanks for covering this often forgotten part of the war.
Was it covered at your school as a kid?
I assume Alaskans get more Alaska history than Utahans.
Aye I’m also live on the peninsula, what town?
@@DAndyLord barely in normal school, but I did read a good book on it
@@taylor5065 I live in Clam Gulch but Kenai and Soldotna are the two towns I send most of my time for work. Where are you at?
There's not much reason to talk about it, since it was basically a feint to distract from Midway. The Japanese could have been starved out without any real issue, but Island Hopping wasn't really appreciated at the time.
I knew a fellow from my Regiment, the PPCLI, who was in the Aleutian Islands during the War. All he told me was, it was bloody cold. I live on Vancouver Island recognize names like Kiska.
Is he still alive?
I would have thought Canadians would have been more used to the cold
@@bigblue6917 - I don't know where Big Boy Blue's friend was from but Vancouver is the mildest part of Canada; many winters, it doesn't snow at all and average temperatures are something like 7C. Not tropical but certainly not the Arctic wasteland most foreigners imagine. Farther north and east though will be noticeably colder; then you get into temperatures and snow approaching Siberia in many places.
I've some pictures, from my mums first husband.I believe he was with the London Fusiliers, maybe subbed to the special services( Devil's Brigade). He did survive this campaign, he's buried in Belgium.
@@bigblue6917 i live in saskatchewan, its colder here than Alaska, but I can testify that - 30 clear calm and sunny feels much warmer than -5 damp with a high wind . My father lived back east , said cattle and horses needed to be kept in at - 10 or they might freeze, here they can survive -50
Fantastic video as always Mark Felton! The Aleutian campaign is one of my personal favorite overlooked stories of WWII. A friend of my parents when they lived in Alaska was Charles “Muktuk” Marston who helped form Alaska’s Home Guard largely made up of Inuit soldiers in response Mio the Japanese invasion of the Aleutians. Later on he helped draft Alaska’s state constitution and to help secure civil rights for Native Alaskans. Also the Aleutians were the first campaign fought by my state, Colorado’s most celebrated unit, the 10th Mountain Division(at the time known as the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment).
The father of one of my boyhood friends, a neighbor just across the street, the was caught up in this.
He was with a mechanized artillery outfit.
Cold, foggy gray and dismal was how he put it. Many fellow veterans refused to believe that the US had fought in Alaska. ( The news witheld from the Public during the war.)
One of his hobbies was to start fights at the many bars in town. The other to drive stock cars.
Interesting guy, he always let us keep some of the change from cashing in the beer bottles for the bottle deposit, this back when the glass beer bottles were washed, sanitized and refilled.
My Father-in-Law was in the Aleutians...at Dutch Harbor. He was in the Army and they cleared the snow from the runways and guarded the airfield. He said the weather conditions were extremely dangerous for the aircraft...fog, snow, sleet and high winds caused many plane crashes. On at least one occasion they were bombed by Japanese aircraft. He did bring home many Eskimo artifacts which my wife and her six brothers and sisters used for "show and tell" presentations in grade school. The Nuns did not know there were battles in Alaskan territory during the war!
My father ran a warehouse when I was a kid. He had a retired man who worked for him part time - his wife also worked for my dad and he wanted to keep busy.
When I was a teenager we had a blizzard that shut down the roads. So the man and his wife stayed the night with us.
He served in the Aleutian campaign. If anything this video understates the horrible conditions.
Thank you for reminding people of these forgotten battles.
Things do have an unfortunate way of sometimes going horribly wrong when Canadian and American forces attempt to work together in wars. On Sept. 4, 2006 two American A-10 Thunderbolts mistakenly fired on Canadian troops operating in Afghanistan killing four and injuring thirty.
Allied Officer 1: We can expect heavy casualties on this operation.
Allied Officer 2: Strong enemy presence?
Allied Officer 1: No, Americans alongside us.
The worst unintentional friendly fire might have been in Korea, when the North Koreans figured out the UN force ground signals (to overhead aircraft) and began copying them to confuse American and other coalition pilots. This led to a couple of horrible tragedies where the pilots didn't realize their mistake until it was too late. I think they did change the messaging system, but talk about a MAJOR loss of communications to the enemy.
That's soldiers were heroes ,alone of Fighting the could . I no imagine the soffering, here in Brazil climate tropical . Thanks Mr. Felton , great job .
Tinha que ter um brazuca puxa saco de gringo por aqui... No mínimo é crentelho e bolsomínion, acertei?
My Grandpa's brother was a part of this. The jeep he was in flipped and he broke his back.
My grandpa also served in the Pacific under MacArthur
I had a neighbor years ago who was stationed there. He told me all the miss fits were sent there. The winter gear was non existent and they were very unprepared. There were more casualties from frost bite than anything else.
It wouldn't have been helped by the supply situation ... you know, where some supply clerk gets one digit wrong and instead of being sent 100 winter sleeping bags you get a fire truck instead.
A (late) friend of mine served with the US Army in the Aleutians as a teenager. He didn't see combat, but remembers being freaked out by the northern lights. Nobody in command could explain what they were all seeing.
I don't know why but I still find myself amazed at the footage you are able to locate and present to us. How you keep doing it at the frequency you achieve is beyond my comprehension but please don't stop. I have become accustomed now to sitting on my lounge with my mouth open. Thank you just does not seem adequate.
I suspect a lot of the footage is filmed elsewhere but is used to tell the story. It's not misleading because helps us understand what happened.
@@TheJohhnyrotten you may be correct. I still find it incredible some of the footage he presents.
Hey Mark, just wanna let you know how much we appreciate the work and effort that goes into these vids. Thank you for telling history and keeping it alive
I was just about to sleep. Damn you, Mark Felton!
Damn you, Mark Felton? You know you don't mean it.
@@bigblue6917 I don't :)
Wow! I knew the Japanese invaded some islands in the Aleutian Islands, but i didn't know it was that important.
This channel never ceases to amaze
Called research.
My granddad Charlie Farmer was in this, wounded twice on Attu Island. RIP you old fart, we miss you
I bet Gramps was one tough S.O.B,but a nice,fun guy to be around.
@@spiderreed350 He was indeed. I was in awe of him, he was larger than life. And to hear him tell it he got shot up by the entire Japanese army
@@tbrian420 wow.I used to pick the braines of the vets from ww2,Korea, Vietnam at the VFW in Ct back in the 1980' and 90's.I was so intrigued by the stories. But nowadays the ww2 vets are around 100 years old,there's very few left.I just have the utmost respect for them all.I just wish our country did a lot more for those brave souls.
@@spiderreed350 Indeed. Our treatment of vets has always been shameful. Read about the "Bonus Army" from WW1 if haven't already.
@@tbrian420 I will check that out,thanks.
My Great Uncle served there. He said the ships were covered with ice and guys would slide off. He was a Tech Sgt and shared a tent with another Sergeant. He said the other Sergeant would make his men get out in the cold to drill. One day, one of the guys walked into their tent and shot the guy and walked back out. Nothing became of it.
If I remember right the Canadians on Kiska wore a combination of Canadian and American gear in hopes of avoiding friendly fire incidents, obviously, it didn't work.
My Uncle was in the Rocky Mountain Rangers in Kiska. He did wear a combination of US and Canadian kit. Not for the friendly fire issue. The US was tasked with supply of the mission. The Canadian army used their own firearms but used a strange combination of kit. He kept his US kit and wore it through the war in NW Europe. His US jacket was far more comfortable than the itchy wool one that they were issued. He didn’t care what he wore in Europe.
@stubs 1 like? I can’t recall any other units that had US kit in the Canadian army. Plenty of weapons as you could find Thompson’s, the occasional 1911 but I don’t think there was too much kit worn except for 13th Canadian Infantry Brigade.
@stubs 1 And up to the release of the M1 helmet, US troops had worn the British model helmet!
@stubs 1 No they did NOT. Canadian units were initially equipped with British equipment and then by Canadian manufactured British equipment. Radios, Bren guns, Sten guns, Lee-Enfield rifles, Mills bombs, Universal carrier AFVs, anti-tank guns, field artillery and ammo. US Lend-Lease fighting equipment supplied was C-47 transport planes, some medium bombers, Jeeps, M3 half tracks, and SOME M4 Sherman tanks (a fraction of total British wartime tank manufacture). It's also forgotten that the British Commonwealth supplied huge quantities of raw materials, gasoline, metals and foodstuffs to the US war effort as well as tech (radar, radionav, artillery) as well as finished products such as Australian radios and British artillery ammo as 'REVERSE LEND-LEASE'. It's a MYTH that "America supplied everyone".
The Americans did find out casualty wise that attacking Canadians is a generally bad idea....
I remember that campaign. It's when the Americans reconquered Anchorage from the Red Chinese in 2077.
2027
2021
Communism is the very definition of failure.
Blowing up those gun positions. Tough war. But you get the stealth armour which goes well with the suppressed assault rifle
Last time I was this early, China was grateful for the help in WW2
Ohhh Happy Friday!
Dr Felton is finally here to make my birthday complete ♥️
Peace
Charlie 🇬🇧
Happy Birthday!
I'm a simple man, i see Dr. Felton and i click.
I live in Alaska, so this comes close to home for me.
I live in an igloo so this comes close to home for me
Great work as always, Dr. Felton.
Greetings from Uruguay.
I love how Mark lets the old dramatic film reels play without interruption during his videos. It makes it so much better.
Mark Filton Productions is educating us and we love you unconditionally ❤️
Video suggestion: The land battle on Greenland between secret German radio stations and the Greenland Dog Sleigh Patrol, guest starring Bernt Balchen with four US bombers.
Can you elaborate? I am interested in this subject.
@@Schalazarro Why, this is exactly why I suggested it to Dr. Felton. In a nutshell, the Germans kept sending 10-15 strong crews to set up weather observation and radio listening stations on the Eastern shore of Greenland while the Americans were building airbases on the Western side. Greenland, at the time technically an independent nation, set up an "army" of 15 hunters to look out for these German stations. This was the smallest army in the war. Eventually an odd kind of warfare developed: teams of 2-3 people playing deadly hide and seek in the vast Arctic ice field, occasionally firing a few shots, burning shelter houses. Ultimately the US Army Air Force used two B-24's, supported by two B-17's as "escort fighters" against German Condors, to bomb a shelter house occupied by the Germans and later one of these bases. These were the first air attacks beyond the polar circle, and they were commanded by none else than Col. Bernt Balchen, the world famous Norwegian-American aviator, who, among other things, was Richard Byrd's pilot during the first ever flight over the South Pole. Recommended reading: Bernt Balchen: War Below Zero. You can find and read it online.
@@nematolvajkergetok5104 This is incredible story! Would be great if mr.Mark would do a video about it.
@@nematolvajkergetok5104 @Nem a Tolvajkergetők My father was there and from what I could find out was not on the west side of the island and was supporting the 115 strong "army" of Greenland as he never mentioned air bases. I would like to see more on this too.
I think he already covered this awhile back.
Nothing better than watching obscure epic Mark Felton videos 2 days before my birthday
Happy Birthday in advance!
@@MarkFeltonProductions thanks!
Thanks for another excellent combination of archival footage and narration.
My grandfather fought there. A native Alaskan. He said the majority of the men came from down south. The clothing and equipment made most men succumb to that climate. You were more likely to face frozen feet than enemy. He made a sling once, from a dead soldier's boot tongue as they tried to advance. Cut it off with the laces. He grew up making hunting contraptions for necessity similar to the "David vs goliath" in rural Alaska. As men went to man a gun beneath a hill and all died trying. He made that one thing he knew the best he could. Slung it the best he could, and to his disbelief...it worked. They advanced and took that hill. He never told his kids about these events. He did tell my father who was his son in law. Who only told me after he passed away. He died on June 15 2009 in Anchorage, Alaska. Grandpa was born Sept. 26, 1919, in Marshall. He served in the U.S. Army's 317th Infantry Division during World War II in the Aleutians campaign. He was honorably discharged in 1947.
He retired from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Alaska Railroad, on Sept. 23, 1977, after 31 years.
Fred was married to Mary Goode Pete for 53 years until her death on May 6, 2006. They enjoyed the outdoors, going on family vacations, hunting, trapping, camping and picking berries. He also was a great carpenter.
They lived in North Pole from 1952 until 1977, when they moved to Selawik.
These men fought a good fight. Let us never forget their bravery and commitment to push through....regardless of the hellish cold and relentless enemy they faced.
Yet another little known, fascinating episode of WW2 revealed by the good doctor!
This is the 3rd video I've seen today when I've showed up minutes after it came out. Nice
Amazing to me that no one knew that the Japanese were not even there. Sir Mark as usual you never disappoint. 🇺🇸🇬🇧
I really appreciate every wartime documentary that Dr. Mark Felton makes, which are all historically relevant and factually presented. Way better than anything put forth by the history Channel. Congratulations Dr. Felton, for yet another fascinated and informative documentary! Watching them all every chance I get!
Fact:Ha-Go tank is the only Axis Tank that land on American soil
Or any kind of enemy tank that's not a war trophy.
There are lots of war relics - many of them Japanese - on these islands, protected by the remote location. Enter "Kiska Island" or "Attu Island" on Google Images and see for yourself. Warning: Beware of unexploded WWII ordnance if you are lucky enough to somehow get there, special permission is required from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
Ha-Go ... is that what the crew say when they finally get it started?
My grandfather was in the Aleutian island campaign. Aircraft mechanic
The evacuation of Kiska's Japanese personnel from under the nose of the USN is worth a video of its own. Quite an incredible story.
Professor Felton rescues these obscure bits of history, footage included, and brings them to us. Thanks Professor!
There's a BC-based seine boat named for the battle of Attu. Its captained by a family friend, and I was just on her a few days ago as they were laid up in Nanaimo waiting for an opening. Fortuitous for you to post a video about the battle two days later.
The power of American and Canadian shelling of Kiska, drove the Japanese off the Island or the Japanese realised there was no strategic advantage for them to hold it and better to deploy their forces elsewhere. And perhaps the 'Friendly Fire' incident on Kiska, although tragic, was a good lesson on communications and identification that served to save lives in later battles. One would hope so.
They had value. Once reclaimed, US bombers could reach Northern Japan.
@@WALTERBROADDUS That was probably the primary reason for the Japanese occupying them.
@@WALTERBROADDUS but the U.S. could bomb Japan from Attu without Kiska.
On Google Earth you can see what look like shell craters, many water-filled, around Gertrude Cove (shown on the map at 11:30) as well as zigzag trenches parallel to the beaches on the isthmus/peninsula.
Excellently documented and presented piece about a relatively little-known incident. It always amazes me how in the midst of a battle armies always manage to bring up an orchestra. Thanks Mark!
This is my favorite Mark Felton productions video!
The Americans lost twice as many men to disease then they did actual fighting on attu, with around 549 dying in combat and 1,814 from illness. Such a grim and sadly forgotten battle
A new video from Dr. Felton??
Tea time!!
;)
I'm practically reliving one of my teenager summer between this channel and WW2. Read a day-by-day chronicle of the war.
I’m always amazed at how Dr. Felton presents new WW2 stories I’ve never heard of. Amazing and Thank You for this new story.
I had a teacher in high school who was stationed in the Aleutions in WWII. He told how the soldiers made alchohol using raisins. They called it 'raisin jack'.
That’s really surprising that there was a battle against USA vs Japan in Alaska during world war 2 this is a really fascinating story as usual mark
thanks Dr.Felton for finally covering the Aleutian campaign!
For anyone who's interested in more on this, I have to recommend the documentary Red, White, Black and Blue.
It's a retelling of the taking of Attu through the eyes of two veterans who go back to the islands.
My grandfather was in the navy and stationed at Dutch Harbor. He never spoke a word about it.
Mark, u should do a vid on the "ALCAN" highway. Prior to the war their was no road running all the way from the lower 48 to Alaska. It is one of the bigger engineering projects of the war.
That and the Canol pipeline project and refinery were also part of the effort to fortify Alaska and NW Canada. Would make a great subject!
By lower 48, I'm guessing that you mean States? As the 49th state would be Hawaii?
..and the Kemano Power Project built inside of a mountain during the Korean War.
@@randommadness1021 Oh Barry my man, where's ur pop culture history knowledge? Alaska is the 49th and Hawaii the 50th (actually they were both admitted in 59 but someones got be 49 and the other 50). Everyone knows Hawaii is 50 because Steve Maggaret works for "Hawaii 5-0"......now them, book em Dan-o.
@@randommadness1021 49th is Alaska, 50th is Hawaii. Lower 48 is a saying from before Hawaii's statehood and has just remained like many Alaskan specific sayings.
I worked on many of the Aleutian islands as a Field Geologist. You have never seen such stark beauty nor rugged landscape anywhere else in the world. I can't even imagine conducting a war effort out there - let alone in the winter where Incredible horizontal rain and snow prevail... Incredible...
Do you have pictures from the site.....I love pictures from the area.
A suprisingly overlooked campaign well worth listening to thankyou DR Felton once again 😱
Ah yes! Mark Felton on a Friday! 👍
Thank god. You saved me from Friday night tv. Thanks very much
As someone who lives in Alaska, I am quite intrigued about the fighting in the Aleutian islands. Thank you again for another stellar video. Cheers.
Another interesting and outstanding video, Mark! You and your production team are the best, many thanks!
I love the Red Orchestra 2 banzai sound effects
Was looking for this comment lol
@@oliverpeters3288 same here lol
10:16 mark Yes US and Canadian forces. This was the first deployment of the Devil's Brigade.
As well as canadians from 6th infantry div and 13th brigade.
The 1SSF was there, but so were units from the Canadian Army, part of 6th Division.
Nah, I saw the movie and that part wasn't in there.
Thank you Dr. Felton for reminding us all just how far north the battle of the Pacific went. Easy to remember Guadalcanal or Leyte Gulf when thinking about the pacific campaign, little harder to remember the Aleutians.
According to my father, the FSSF was rather disappointed not to engage the enemy, but delighted that they left so many souvenirs and "toys" behind. Some managed to injury themselves by playing with the "toys", such as motorcycles. This mission acted as a very valuable learning tool that would be useful for the battles to come in Italy.
Yes, they were much more careful using abandoned Italian motorcycles.
The battle of the Aleutian Islands is also called The Forgotten War.
Also there's a 1965 WW2 movie based on the battle of Kiska "The Retreat from Kiska".
The authoritative book on this campaign is titled "The Thousand Mile War" and is still in print.
Man every time i hear the intro i get so hype
One of those forgotten campaigns i did know about and am happy to hear more info about it. Top notch job on this video
I live in Alaska and have seen what remains of the battle fields, pretty cool to see. These campaigns are given little to no recognition, thanks @markfeltonproductions
I’ve heard a bit about the Aleutians during WWII but really wish this was more well known.
Fun fact one of the only times a German soldier set foot on the Americas was in the islands of Martinique which was under Vichy french control the story is that a German submarine was forced to dock in the island due to some of its crew being extremely sick they were somewhat allowed to get supplies and medicine but only secretly as to not alert the Americans also there was combat in French Guiana via an American invasion and a free French uprising so the aluetian islands campaign wasn’t the only battle in the Americas
Well, the only battle that took place in one of the 50 states.
@@Dee-nonamnamrson8718 Alaska wasn't a state back then
Trooper_coolwarrior well so ain’t Guam or midway so it is the only time when the axis landed in us state soil
Actually, a few U-boatmen set foot on US beaches in WWII helping agents to land from rubber dinghies, and a whole armed team went fully ashore in Canada to set up an automatic weather station.
No the Germans also "invaded" Canada and Greenland, putting weather stations on both.
Yes!!! A new Felton!!!
Couldn't be more excited hahaha
Thanks Mark! I had asked for this a bit ago because my grandfather was there. Had an embroidered picture of the aleutians in his home my whole life and I knew he had served there. He never talked about it though.
A family member who is not biologically related but considered family was on DD475 USS Hudson up in the Aleutian islands
He was a intelligence officer. We still have some of the orders including , orders for the surrender of the Japanese and he was at on point in charge of the guns onboard which we have the book he was given that explained all US naval guns inside and out. It was classified at the time. I want to know where I would go to learn more about him. His name was Edwin Ace Parker. Sadly he passed away four years ago.
Don’t think much of Mark’s wall plastering skills but his channel is awesome 😊
My father in law was a combat medic in the field hospital that got overrun. Only three men survived . He was one of them. it took me years to get him to tell me about it. He was also one of the few service men that served in all 4 theaters of war
This must be the best history channel on TH-cam; research, production and presentation are all exceptional.
My father in law was one of Castner's cutthroats, he earned bronze star on Attu.
What a horrible friendly fire incident on Kiska! It really shows, that you need to know how to ID your targets.
In some conflicts they even tie colored bands to clothing and guns to see that they are not killing each other. Ive seen it done in Syria.
Greetings,
Jeff
We Canadians won
@@power2084 Thats uh... one way of looking at it. >__>
@@planescaped you bet it is !
Mr Felton well on his way to a million subscribers I see, myself among them of course. And very well deserved, this channel is just fantastic!
I always learn something new from Mark Felton. I knew the Aleutians were strategically important, but never knew of such fierce fighting and loss of life. Thanks.