Attu: North American Battleground of World War II--
By looking at Attu: North American Battleground of World War II, students better understand why an isolated battle on a remote island in Alaska alarmed the nation. Those interested in learning more will find that the Internet offers a variety of interesting materials.
National Park Service
Aleutian World War II National Historic Area is a unit of the National Park System. The park's web pages focus on various aspects of the Aleutian experience during World War II. Included are biographies of key American and Japanese figures, chronologies, and historical photos. Also included are links to the histories of the Unangan peoples (commonly called Aleuts) and the Aleutian Islands.
American Memorial Park
American Memorial Park, a unit of the National Park System in Saipan, the largest island in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, commemorates those that gave their lives in the Marianas Campaign of World War II. Dedicated in 1995 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Invasion of Saipan, the memorial includes the names of the over 5,000 soldiers that gave their lives. Included on the park's web page is a virtual World War II Museum.
Florida State University
The Institute on World War II and the Human Experience has a tremendous online archive of newspapers, photographs, letters, cartoons, ration cards, and more that help detail the history of Americans in World War II. The program is also gathering oral histories of veterans, their spouses, and others related to the defense industry.
World War II Veterans
The World War II U.S. Veterans Web pages contain information and services for veterans of World War II. Created by Dick Berry, a World War II Navy Veteran, and his son, the site has information regarding the proposed World War II U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum, a veterans forum, as well as World War II and 1940s memorabilia. The site also features various links that may be of interest such as The Veterans Administration and The Official U.S. Military Reunion Site.
Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms
This National Register of Historic Places' on-line travel itinerary provides information on more than 100 historic places listed in the National Register associated with history of aviation. Numerous sites featured on the itinerary are associated with military aviation, including Attu Battlefield and U.S. Army and Navy Airfields on Attu. Also included are essays on the Idea of Flight, the Wright Brothers, Aviation Pioneers, Modern Aviation, Air Power, and Space.
Library of Congress: American Memory Collection
American Memory is a gateway to rich primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. The site offers more than 7 million digital items from more than 100 historical collections. Use the search engine to find primary sources for World War II, the Aleutian Islands, Attu, and other related subjects.
Alaska State Government
For information about the history of Alaska, the state government has compiled a chronological history from Vitus Bering's exploration of the North Pacific in 1725, to the invasion of the Aleutian Islands, to the economic and political news of 1993.
For Further Reading
Students (or educators) wishing to learn more
about the Battle of Attu may want to read:
Stan Cohen, The Forgotten War, vols.
1 and 2 (Missoula, Mont.: Pictorial Histories Publishing
Co., 1981 and 1988); John Cloe, The Aleutian Warriors
(Missoula, Mont.: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co.,
1990); and Jim Reardon's fictionalized but informative
Castners Cutthroats, Saga of the Alaska Scouts
(Prescott, Ariz.: Wolfe Publishing, 1990). Personal
accounts may also be found in The Capture of Attu,
Tales of World War II in Alaska (Anchorage: Alaska
Northwest Publishing Co., 1984).