With today’s episode, we are reaching the climax of the struggle for the North Pacific.
Though the fierce and well-entrenched Japanese defenders have managed to hold the American
offensive for more than a week, successfully inflicting heavy casualties on the attackers,
their desperate resistance is finally at an end.
Now, it’s the turn of the Hourglass Division to prove its worth and annihilate the enemy
in an effort to isolate the Kiska fortress, the main Japanese presence in the Aleutian
Islands; so join us as we delve into the end of the bloody Battle of Attu.
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As we last saw, General Landrum assumed as the new commander of the 7th Division just
as Colonel Culin’s Northern Force was making a major breakthrough in the Holtz Bay area,
pushing the Japanese defenders to the Chichagof Harbor and forcing them to abandon their deadly
positions at the Jarmin Pass.
To the south, Colonel Zimmerman’s Southern Force had been pinned down in the Massacre
Valley for over a week, unable to move forward without suffering heavy losses against the
concealed enemy positions above the ridges.
But with the Japanese withdrawal on the night of May 16, the American forces were finally
able to secure the mountain pass and bring the amphibious phase of the battle to an end
. Despite this success, the intact Japanese units had managed to withdraw in order, establishing
once again some well-prepared defenses on the jagged terrain around Chichagof Valley,
including its precipitous several-thousand feet tall heights.
Up to this point, the American force had suffered more than 1100 casualties, 500 of them from
exposure cases; had lost 90 of the 93 landing craft and boats they had started with to Attu’s
shoals, reefs and williwaws; and had been unable to carry out air missions against the
Japanese defenses due to the relentless fog.
On May 18, as the attackers transitioned to this new phase of mountain warfare , Landrum
decided to give his commanders a day to regroup and reorganize for the new offensive, which
was to jump off early the next morning.
His plan was for Zimmerman’s Southern Force to seize Clevesy Pass and then secure the
approaches to Chichagof Harbor while the 1st Battalion, 4th Regiment and Culin’s Northern
Force captured the heights of Prendergast Ridge in preparation for a final attack against
Chichagof.
Throughout the day, Zimmerman and Culin shuffled exhausted units into the reserve and brought
up fresher troops while Colonel Eareckson, in a little Kingfisher, made strafing attacks
below the fog to pick out targets that would be bombed by his bombers above the clouds.
Additionally, Colonel Talley’s Engineers began to build a road up a stream bed to move
artillery inland; and Admiral Rockwell also sent a force of PT boats to carry supplies
ashore, successfully reducing the jam of supplies at the beaches.
By sunset, Zimmerman and Culin were ready to jump off, with the former sending two companies
to probe the enemy defenses at Clevesy Pass during the night, although to no avail.
During the morning of May 19, the main offensive finally started, with Zimmerman sending his
2nd Battalion, 17th Regiment to attack the pass after a strong artillery barrage while
Culin pushed his two battalions against the Chichagof foothills.
At noon, the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Regiment also joined to support the southern attack.
Japanese opposition was fierce enough to halt Culin’s advance; but on the Clevesy Pass,
the air and mortar bombardments managed to soften up the enemy defenses, allowing the
attackers to capture the first high ground.
Yet Zimmerman’s advance would be ultimately stopped by a company of the 303rd Independent
Battalion, which had once again established some very strong positions on a great mountain,
Point Able.
On May 20, one of Zimmerman’s companies also launched a successful early morning attack
to secure Cold Mountain, in spite of the intense enemy machine-gun fire.
By noon, the Japanese only continued to hold Nees Point with a force of around 50 men,
although they would successfully manage to repel every American attack until the end
of the day.
Further to the northwest, Culin was fighting a grim inch-by-inch battle for every bloodstained
hill; and by the end of May 20, he would only gain a few hundred yards, no more.
At the same time, the 1st Battalion, 4th Regiment finally entered the battle, moving over Clevesy
Pass and beginning its ascension of the Prendergast Ridge.
Facing strong resistance, General Buckner’s well-trained troops would manage to reach
the top of the cold and icy wind-swept ridge the following night and would then begin to
move towards the Sarana-Holtz Pass.
Additionally, the carrier Nassau launched its final mission on this day, as its Wildcats
bombed and strafed the main Japanese positions in the Chichagof Harbor area during the afternoon.
Nassau then departed shortly afterwards for Adak, having lost five pilots and eight planes.
On May 21, more air attacks by Eareckson’s bombers managed to destroy every building
in Chichagof Village; and later that day, the colonel would even walk to the frontlines,
borrow a rifle and start shooting at Point Able, unfortunately getting shot and wounded
. On the Clevesy Pass, Zimmerman’s battalions kept pushing north into the mountains against
strong resistance, but to no avail.
The breakthrough would have to wait until nightfall, when Company E, 32nd Regiment made
a final bold charge up the slopes of Point Able and managed to wipe out the enemy company
to the last man.
Further north, Culin’s battalions had succeeded in occupying Hill Four of four hills leading
up to Prendergast Ridge when General Landrum suddenly ordered them to support Southern
Force and seize Fish Hook Ridge, overlooking Chichagof Harbor . Far to the west, Admiral
Kawase was circling off the Komadorskis when he reported the overwhelming size of the American
fleet around Attu.
This was seen as very troublesome news by Tokyo, which finally decided to evacuate their
Aleutian garrisons by submarine instead of reinforcing them.
The following day, 19 G4M bombers from Paramushiro additionally managed to find a patch of clear
sky over Holtz Bay to drop packages over Chichagof Harbor and attack the American vessels, losing
two Bettys as a result.
On the morning of May 22, Zimmerman found his eastern advance blocked by the remnants
of the 303rd Battalion’s company on a peak called Sarana Nose, so he decided to send
the reserve 3rd Battalion, 17th Regiment to take the peak after a heavy and well-coordinated
30-minute artillery barrage that devastated the entrenched enemy positions.
The bombardment would allow the Americans to swiftly take Sarana Nose from the dazed
defenders, successfully annihilating the 303rd as a fighting force with only a handful of
casualties.
Meanwhile, on the left flank, the 4th Regiment troops also went into action along the Prendergast
Ridge; and after another strong artillery bombardment, they would manage to drive the
defenders down the far side of the ridge.
To the north, Culin was facing the heaviest resistance, so General Landrum saw no point
in attacking hardest on that front.
With the breakthroughs achieved on the southern front, Culin only needed to hold on while
Zimmerman led the main attack from the south.
Yet the day’s aerial photos showed that a direct attack up the valley floor would
bring Southern Force under devastating fire from the ridges that overlooked the valley;
so instead, the Americans would have to secure Fish Hook Ridge first . With Culin pressing
from the north, Zimmerman would send the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Regiment to take the high
plateau on the left side of Jim Fish Valley.
Repeating the same effective strategy as before, the artillery barrage would leave only limited
opposition against the American advance.
At this point, the Japanese situation was desperate: they had severe food shortages,
they were completely isolated, and, fighting a protracted battle of attrition, they only
hoped to kill as many Americans as possible.
But although Colonel Yamasaki was now trapped behind his innermost defensive perimeter,
his brilliant delaying action left him in possession of a defensive firepower more concentrated
than before.
Thus, despite the hundreds of casualties that the Japanese had suffered, Yamasaki now counted
with more soldiers to defend each yard of ground.
May 23 opened with a heavy fog and snowy weather, which prevented Zimmerman from launching his
main attack.
Instead, he could only send his two leading battalions to relieve the exhausted 4th Regiment
troops.
Some small units were also sent to make exploratory probes towards the ridge, but all of them
were stopped by determined Japanese resistance on Buffalo Ridge.
Meanwhile, to the west, Culin’s stubborn battlers pressed towards a junction beneath
Fish Hook Ridge, finally linking up with Southern Force to launch a coordinated assault the
next morning.
The only notable action of the day happened in the air, when General Butler’s Lightnings
successfully intercepted a flight of 16 Bettys, shooting down nine bombers and losing two
fighters in the engagement.
Because of the losses sustained, there would be no more air strikes coming from Paramushiro.
On the morning of May 24, the coordinated assault against the ridge would start.
The Americans had to fight hard for every inch of ice-crusted muskeg, suffering heavy
casualties against the fierce and desperate defenders . Air bombing was also carried out
throughout the day, though unfortunately some bombs would fall over American positions.
Eventually, Landrum would have to send again the 4th Regiment troops to reinforce the southern
advance because of the staunch opposition.
Thankfully, by the end of the day, Culin’s battalions would manage to get two companies
into the Holtz-Sarana Pass.
Additionally, in preparation for the next day’s attack, Landrum ordered every available
artillery piece to be dragged up the newly-built road in Massacre Valley.
On May 25, air strikes and artillery supported a new assault against the pass , where the
defenders were concealed by so much fresh snow they were practically invisible.
Charging against a rain of fire, the southern attack would manage to clear the Newman Peak
overlooking the pass, though the northern advance would be stopped in the face of determined
Japanese fire.
Nonetheless, by nightfall, Zimmerman would have control over the base of the ridge, with
isolated slopes being in the hands of scattered companies.
But as the Americans were advancing further away from the beaches where they had landed,
they were now starting to suffer from a shortage of supplies, so they needed to end this battle
as quickly as possible.
Luckily, May 26 started with a good weather, which allowed the American aircraft to bomb
the enemy positions with more precision.
Culin used this opportunity to launch another assault to secure the Holtz-Sarana Pass, gradually
and costly pushing back the concealed defenders, foxhole by foxhole.
Thanks to the sacrifice of Private Joe Martinez , Northern Force would eventually manage to
overcome the Japanese snow trenches, concealed by snowdrifts and rocks, thus securing the
northwestern razorback of the Fish Hook.
Now, the only remaining obstacle in the way to the trapped Japanese was Buffalo Ridge.
In the meantime, the 4th Regiment troops continued their advance along the knife-edge Fish Hook
Ridge, successfully overcoming Japanese resistance along the way and reaching the summit of West
Peak by the end of the day, although they could go no further from here because of the
near-vertical drop into Chichagof.
On May 27, weather socked down once again, hiding the peaks from view and allowing Colonel
Yamasaki to dispatch reinforcements.
Zimmerman, meanwhile, sent a reinforced battalion to take Buffalo Ridge, supported by a strong
artillery barrage.
But again, the stubborn and tenacious defenders would successfully halt the American assaults,
although Zimmerman’s troops would nonetheless manage to inch up within 200 yards of the
ridge’s crest.
During the morning of May 28, another strong assault would be launched against Buffalo
Ridge, yet again supported by heavy artillery.
This time, however, the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Regiment would reach the top of the ridge
facing only limited resistance.
By grueling one-yard advances, the Americans would manage to secure most of the Buffalo
by the end of the day.
Meanwhile, a reinforced battalion down Jim Fish Valley got to a point just beyond the
south end of Lake Cories and established a night defense position in preparation for
what Landrum expected to be the final attack against Chichagof Harbor, which was to be
carried out the next morning.
Thus, the Americans now dominated the high ground around Chichagof, a mirror-image of
the situation at the start of the battle.
With their backs to the sea, the Japanese had been pushed into a crowded little area
of low flat ground, only counting with around 800 soldiers left.
Worthy of mention at this point is that, after the capture of two Japanese soldiers who confessed
that their force was weaker than it appeared, Landrum decided to fabricate and drop a bundle
of leaflets over the Japanese positions, praising their tenaciousness and encouraging them to
surrender to avoid a senseless slaughter.
But the fanatical enemy would not, even knowing that the submarines meant to evacuate them
had been turned back by the American destroyer screen.
There was no point in withdrawing further back to continue with the resistance, so Colonel
Yamasaki decided to do the unthinkable: counterattack.
His plan was to hit the weakest point of the American encircling line during the night,
when they could not be seen, and break through to raid the enemy’s supplies . Once the
enemy’s supplies and artillery had been seized or destroyed, the Japanese were to
withdraw into the southern mountains, where Yamasaki hoped that he could continue to resist
until they could be reinforced or evacuated.
The slim chance of victory depended on speed; they had to charge and keep charging until
they could take the American artillery on Engineer Hill.
The reward to Yamasaki’s gamble could be victory; the certain penalty for failure would
be mass death.
By nightfall, Yamasaki would thus silently assemble all his forces just in front of the
narrow confines between the Lake Cories and the lower slopes of Fish Hook Ridge.
During the early morning hours of May 29, his desperate attack would finally commence,
immediately smashing against the positions held by the reserve Company B, 32nd Regiment.
The inexperienced company had set up camp dead-center in Chichagof Valley, but for some
unexplained reason, they had withdrawn back to the rear during the night for a hot breakfast,
so their deserted positions would be swiftly overwhelmed and the company would be sent
packing to the Buffalo.
Yamasaki let them go and then decided to press towards Engineer Hill.
In an agonic banzai charge, the screaming Japanese would move down Jim Fish Valley and
across Siddens Valley, catching the 3rd Battalion by surprise, brushing past the companies deployed
across Jim Fish Valley and inflicting many casualties on the unsuspecting defenders .
Yamasaki’s timing was brilliant, completely taking the Americans by surprise and finding
no organized enemy resistance.
The Japanese assault then swept up the base of Engineer Hill and easily got to be beyond
the enfilading fire from the ridges by daybreak.
Yet in their savagery, a number of the invaders also lost considerable time killing helpless
patients in a medical station.
Meanwhile, high on Engineer Hill, General Arnold organized his artillerymen, Engineers
and service troops to establish hidden defensive positions.
Lacking automatic weapons, the ragtag force managed to stop the brunt of the Japanese
charge with grenades, with Arnold directing where to throw them as if he were calling
artillery targets.
Finally, some automatic weapons of the 4th Regiment were brought forward, successfully
slowing down and finally stopping the Japanese banzai charge when Yamasaki was within rock-throwing
distance.
The Engineers would then rush forward and charge with bayonets fixed, engaging the desperate
attackers in confusing hand-to-hand combat and at last forcing them to fall back.
Defeated, Yamasaki’s forces tried to charge again, but they could never regain the momentum.
Eventually they would be isolated and surrounded, forcing the bulk of the Japanese forces to
commit suicide by pulling the pins of their grenades and holding them against their chests.
Yamasaki himself would lead a last foredoomed attack on Engineer Hill, and he would finally
perish with his men, sword in hand . Shortly after the battle, the Americans erected a
wooden interpretive sign at the foot of Clevesy Pass honoring him, a rare gesture considering
the intensity of the war at the time.
On the verge of victory, the Americans had come frighteningly close to losing everything
they had gained in three weeks of ferocious, bloody and relentless fighting.
After the annihilation of Yamasaki’s desperate forces , the Americans would occupy Chichagof
Harbor on May 30, proceeding to mop up the marauding bands of Japanese soldiers still
resisting on the hills.
Only 28 of them were captured during the battle; the remaining almost 2900 Japanese personnel
was killed or commited suicide.
The cost for the Americans had been high as well: 3289 casualties, of which 549 had been
killed; 1148 had been wounded; 1200 had severe cold injuries; and 614 had diseases from exposure.
But with the capture of Attu, the Kiska fortress was now completely isolated and the Japanese
had no other choice but to abandon their presence in the Aleutian Islands.
Next week, we’ll cover the direct aftermath of the Battle of Attu and the end of the West
Hubei Offensive, but we’ll also take a look at some very interesting developments that
were transpiring in the Solomons in anticipation of the future New Georgia Campaign.
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