Combat Narratives: The Aleutians Campaign – The Only World War II Invasion of U.S. Territory

In June of 1942, the Japanese invaded and seized two islands in the Aleutian chain off the coast of Alaska. The enemy may have been planning the subsequent conquest of all the islands in order to obtain access to Canada and our northwestern states. He may even have aimed at an immediate invasion of Alaska, only to be deterred by our victory at Midway. It is well known that the Japanese had long coveted Alaska and the Aleutians, and that many of their military leaders considered these poorly...