Alaska, 194X

Deleteduserrc April 03, 2020 at 02:41 2325 views 4 comments

A few years back, at a thrift store, I found a collection of cartoons ('windblown and dripping') by a handful of army guys who were stationed in Alaska in the early 1940s. It sort of feels like everyone is stationed in Alaska in the 1940s, these days, so here are some of my favorites.
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Comments (4)

Noble Dust April 03, 2020 at 04:35 #398755 0 likes

:up:

ssu April 03, 2020 at 12:46 #398852 0 likes

The reality of the Aluetian campaign comes through very well in the cartoons. People forget that Alaska was the state that Japan actually invaded. The harsh climate and the lack of strategic importance meant that the fighting wasn't at the scale as in the South Pacific, but it was gruesome still. That ugly side wasn't fit for a cartoon, which is intended to make people smile.

Notice the tractor, the soldiers and the mud drawn in Reply to csalisbury's last picture and in the picture below:

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Nobeernolife April 03, 2020 at 12:55 #398854 0 likes

Quoting ssu

The reality of the Aluetian campaign comes through very well in the cartoons. People forget that Alaska was the state that Japan actually invaded.

My understanding was that by the time the Americans invaded, the Japanese had actually left, so the Americans ended up shooting at all sorts of imaginary things and each other.

ssu April 03, 2020 at 13:06 #398857 0 likes

Quoting Nobeernolife

My understanding was that by the time the Americans invaded, the Japanese had actually left, so the Americans ended up shooting at all sorts of imaginary things and each other.

Your understanding is wrong. You are referring to the invasion of Kiska island. There were battles, like the fight for Attu Island.

The Battle of Attu, which took place on 11–30 May 1943, was a battle fought between forces of the United States, aided by Canadian reconnaissance and fighter-bomber support, and Japan on Attu Island off the coast of the Territory of Alaska as part of the Aleutian Islands Campaign during the American Theater and the Pacific Theater. It was the only land battle of World War II fought on American soil.

The more than two-week battle ended when most of the Japanese defenders were killed in brutal hand-to-hand combat after a final banzai charge broke through American lines.

But if only a few die, like 1400 American KIA and 4000 Japanese KIA, who'll remember it when there is mass carnage in other places? Numbers make the difference.