Battle of Kiska

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For the preceeding air battle, see Kiska Air Battle.

Battle of Kiska

Part of World War II, Pacific War, Battle of the Aleutian Islands

Date	June 7, 1942 – August 1943
Location	Kiska, Aleutian Islands, off Alaska
Result	Japanese escape. Allied tactical victory.

Combatants

United States

Canada

Empire of Japan

Commanders

Thomas C. Kinkaid (navy),
William Kirby

Kiichiro Higuchi,
Monzo Akiyama, Takeji Ono

Strength

7,300

5,183 (before pullout)

Casualties

313 dead,
2,500 wounded, sick, or frostbitten

0 (4 submarines were sunk in pullout operation)

Aleutian Islands campaign
Attu – Komandorski – Dutch Harbor – Kiska

The Battle of Kiska was a tactical maneuver during the Battle of the Aleutian Islands. Although no fighting occurred, the title still remains due to the number of troops involved and the major impact.^{[citation needed]}

After the costly Battle of Attu, only Kiska remained in Japanese hands.

1 Japanese invasion
2 Allied reaction
3 Sources
4 External links

[edit] Japanese invasion

Captain Takeji Ono landed on Kiska at approximately 1 AM on June 7th, 1942, with a force of about 500 Japanese marines. Soon after arrival, they stormed a United States weather station. Here they killed two and captured eight US Navy officers. The remaining eight were sent to Japan as prisoners of war.

Another 2,000 Japanese troops arrived, landing in Kiska Harbor. At this time, Monzo Akiyama, a Rear-Admiral, headed the force on Kiska.

In December 1942, additional anti-aircraft units, engineers, and a negligible number of reinforcement infantry arrived on the island.

In the Spring of 1943, control was transferred to Kiichiro Higuchi.

[edit] Allied reaction

An LB-30, a B-24 British-owned bomber, sighted Japanese ships in Kiska. No further identification was visible. To United States naval planners, none was necessary. The orders to invade Kiska soon followed.

Due to the bloodbath at Attu Island, planners were expecting another. The Japanese tactical planners, however, realized the isolated island was no longer protectable, and planned for an evacuation.

Although small, there were signs of Japanese retreat. Anti-aircraft guns, once active during the Kiska Blitz, were silent when Allied planes flew over days previous to invasion. The "Battle of the pips," was actually a radar record of the Japanese forces leaving the island.

On August 15, 1943, the 7th Division (America) and the 13th Infantry Brigade (Canada), landed on opposite shores of Kiska.

Gunshots, largely friendly fire, killed 24. Due to a Japanese stray mine, the USS Abner Road lost a large chunk of its stern. The blast killed 71. 47 troops went missing during the two-day stay on the island, and presumably also died from friendly fire. Four other troops had also been killed by landmines or other traps.