Attu Island

Attu is the westernmost island of Alaska’s Aleutian chain. It was the site of the 1943 Battle of Attu, fought between American and Japanese forces during World War II.

Battle of Attu: A 1943 battle in which U.S. forces retook Attu from Japanese troops after a costly campaign. Attu was the battlefield where American forces defeated the Japanese occupation.
Aleutian Islands: A volcanic island chain extending west from Alaska toward Russia across the North Pacific. Attu forms the chain’s western end.
Attuans in Japan: Aleut residents of Attu who were deported to Japan during World War II and held there until 1945. Japan’s occupation separated these residents from Attu and subjected them to forced wartime relocation.
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge: A U.S. wildlife refuge protecting islands and coastal waters across Alaska, including much of the Aleutian chain. Attu’s wildlife habitat falls within the refuge’s Aleutian holdings.
Japanese occupation of Attu: Japan’s military occupation of Attu Island from June 1942 until its defeat in May 1943. The occupation made Attu the only U.S. territory, apart from islands in the Aleutians, captured by Japan during World War II.
Aleut people: An Indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands and parts of the Alaska Peninsula, also known as Unangan. The Aleut people inhabited Attu for generations before wartime displacement.
Unangan relocation during World War II: The wartime removal of Aleut communities from the Aleutian Islands to internment camps in Alaska. Attu’s residents experienced deportation and internment as part of this wider policy.
Attu Station: A former U.S. Coast Guard LORAN station on Attu that closed in 2010. The station was a rare permanent modern settlement on the otherwise uninhabited island.
Massacre Bay: A bay on Attu Island where U.S. troops landed during the Battle of Attu in May 1943. The American landing at Massacre Bay began the campaign to retake Attu.
Attuans: The Aleut residents of Attu, whose community was removed during the Japanese occupation in 1942. Their wartime displacement ended the island’s long-established village life.

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