Memorial Day 2011-Remembering WW2's Forgotten Front
"Remembering WW2's Forgotten Front" - Aleutians/Kuriles Campaigns
Memorial Day is a very hallowed special holiday- established to remind us all to take the opportunity to solemnly salute & remember w/gratitude- all American military service personnel who put their lives on the line & sacrifice all, in order to protect our nation & preserve the freedoms we too-often take for granted.
As a proud Alaskan & veteran, I'm reminded today also of the great sacrifices made by many brave individuals who fought so valiantly while enduring great hardships during the real shooting war that took place in WW2 on Alaskan soil, in the air & at sea, during the Aleutian Islands Campaign + the Kurile Islands Campaign that followed against Japan's northern isles. It was a brutally-tough war front, where America & Canadian allied forces not only faced their Japanese opponents, but shared a mutual foe with their enemy- the extreme elemental weather conditions prevalent along the Aleutian Chain.
Here's a few air-combat related photo selections to share w/this sentiment:
Photos (L-R):
1- September 14, 1942 photo- taken on the approach to attack Japanese installations at Kiska Harbor, -on a 'good weather day'.
2-3 & 4- 8/19/43 photos: After defeating Japanese forces during the bloody battle to recapture Attu Island in May 1943, U.S. & Canadian allies focused retaking Kiska Island & invasion forces landed there 8/15/43 only to find it completely abandoned- under cover of fog, the Japanese evacutated the island on 7/28/43.
Amongst the ruin & rubble of war, they discovered the P-40 crash site of 18th Ftr. Sqdn pilot- F/O Joseph Levy, who was shot down by Kiska AA-fire 7/24/43 while making his bomb run on the Kiska runway under construction. The Japanese buried his body alongside the airstrip & as one of their last acts before leaving the island, they erected a cross grave marker to honor a fallen foe, and included a sign written in English cursive script that read:
"Sleeping here a brave air-hero who lost youth and happiness for this Mother land. July 25 (Signed-) Nippon Army"
5- 8/21/43 aerial photo of USN VP-43 PBY Catalina flying boat #04428 crash site on the slopes of Kiska Volcano. During the 6/14/42 Kiska bombing raid, Pilot Machinist- Leland L. Davis & his five crew members perished when they crashed while encountering fog during their bombing run.
6, 7 & 8- 10/4/92 photos of the 11th Air Force WW2 Memorial Wall at the USAF Academy-Colorado Springs, CO., honoring all the respective USAAF combat units which served during the Aleutians & Kuriles Campaigns, which was erected in 1990. B-26 Marauder pilot vet- Raiford Perry of Tyler, TX. proudly wears his original A-2 jacket while posing alongside the plaque of his unit- the 73rd Bombardment Sqdn (M).
9 & 10- June 1990- USN WW2 veterans of Fleet Air Wing-4 led by Adm. James S. Russell (in red plaid shirt) pose for pics aboard their Alaska cruise liner- M/V Island Princess during their stop in Ketchikan, Alaska.
Sincere heartfelt thanks go out to all our veterans past & present-today & always- God Bless each & every one of you!
DBD
Memorial Day is a very hallowed special holiday- established to remind us all to take the opportunity to solemnly salute & remember w/gratitude- all American military service personnel who put their lives on the line & sacrifice all, in order to protect our nation & preserve the freedoms we too-often take for granted.
As a proud Alaskan & veteran, I'm reminded today also of the great sacrifices made by many brave individuals who fought so valiantly while enduring great hardships during the real shooting war that took place in WW2 on Alaskan soil, in the air & at sea, during the Aleutian Islands Campaign + the Kurile Islands Campaign that followed against Japan's northern isles. It was a brutally-tough war front, where America & Canadian allied forces not only faced their Japanese opponents, but shared a mutual foe with their enemy- the extreme elemental weather conditions prevalent along the Aleutian Chain.
Here's a few air-combat related photo selections to share w/this sentiment:
Photos (L-R):
1- September 14, 1942 photo- taken on the approach to attack Japanese installations at Kiska Harbor, -on a 'good weather day'.
2-3 & 4- 8/19/43 photos: After defeating Japanese forces during the bloody battle to recapture Attu Island in May 1943, U.S. & Canadian allies focused retaking Kiska Island & invasion forces landed there 8/15/43 only to find it completely abandoned- under cover of fog, the Japanese evacutated the island on 7/28/43.
Amongst the ruin & rubble of war, they discovered the P-40 crash site of 18th Ftr. Sqdn pilot- F/O Joseph Levy, who was shot down by Kiska AA-fire 7/24/43 while making his bomb run on the Kiska runway under construction. The Japanese buried his body alongside the airstrip & as one of their last acts before leaving the island, they erected a cross grave marker to honor a fallen foe, and included a sign written in English cursive script that read:
"Sleeping here a brave air-hero who lost youth and happiness for this Mother land. July 25 (Signed-) Nippon Army"
5- 8/21/43 aerial photo of USN VP-43 PBY Catalina flying boat #04428 crash site on the slopes of Kiska Volcano. During the 6/14/42 Kiska bombing raid, Pilot Machinist- Leland L. Davis & his five crew members perished when they crashed while encountering fog during their bombing run.
6, 7 & 8- 10/4/92 photos of the 11th Air Force WW2 Memorial Wall at the USAF Academy-Colorado Springs, CO., honoring all the respective USAAF combat units which served during the Aleutians & Kuriles Campaigns, which was erected in 1990. B-26 Marauder pilot vet- Raiford Perry of Tyler, TX. proudly wears his original A-2 jacket while posing alongside the plaque of his unit- the 73rd Bombardment Sqdn (M).
9 & 10- June 1990- USN WW2 veterans of Fleet Air Wing-4 led by Adm. James S. Russell (in red plaid shirt) pose for pics aboard their Alaska cruise liner- M/V Island Princess during their stop in Ketchikan, Alaska.
Sincere heartfelt thanks go out to all our veterans past & present-today & always- God Bless each & every one of you!
DBD
Attached Files
so, the "drift" has been spun off to this 
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