Alaska: Difference between revisions

During [[World War II]], the [[Aleutian Islands Campaign]] focused on [[Attu Island|Attu]], [[Agattu]] and [[Kiska Island|Kiska]], all of which were occupied by the [[Empire of Japan]].{{efn|These three Aleutian outer islands are about {{convert|460|mi|km}} away from mainland USSR, {{convert|920|mi|km}} from mainland Alaska, {{convert|950|mi|km}} from Japan.}} During the Japanese occupation, an American civilian and two [[United States Navy]] personnel were killed at Attu and Kiska respectively, and nearly a total of 50 Aleut civilians and eight sailors were interned in Japan. About half of the Aleuts died during the period of internment.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cloe |first1=John Haile |title=Attu: the forgotten battle |date=2017 |publisher=United States National Park Service |isbn=978-0-9965837-3-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-t6J21RGruEC |access-date=November 5, 2019 |archive-date=March 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331025223/https://books.google.com/books?id=-t6J21RGruEC |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Unalaska]]/[[Dutch Harbor]] and [[Adak, Alaska|Adak]] became significant bases for the [[United States Army]], [[United States Army Air Forces]] and United States Navy. The United States [[Lend-Lease]] program involved flying American warplanes through Canada to [[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]] and then [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]]; Soviet pilots took possession of these aircraft, ferrying them to fight the German invasion of the [[Soviet Union]]. The construction of military bases contributed to the population growth of some Alaskan cities.