World War II was the most brutal and grand war in human history, during which countless brave and fearless soldiers and legendary stories emerged. But in the magnificent war, there are also some ironic episodes. Today, we are going to talk about one of the most embarrassing and reluctant battles encountered by the U.S. military during World War II - the Kiska Island landing.
In 1942, in order to distract the attention of the American army, the Japanese army launched a feint attack on the Aleutian Islands and successfully occupied Kiska Island. This move immediately alarmed the American military, who decided to launch a large-scale landing battle in order to regain control of Kiska Island.
To this end, the US military carefully planned, mobilized more than 5,000 elite troops, equipped with advanced warships, artillery and other equipment, and prepared to take Kiska Island in one fell swoop. Just when the American troops were confidently preparing to attack, they thought they would face a group of stubborn Japanese troops, so they were ready for a bloody battle.
However, it encountered an unexpected and embarrassing situation. It turned out that the Japanese army, after learning that the American army was about to launch a landing battle, decided to evacuate Kiska Island in order to avoid greater losses. The Japanese troops took advantage of the fog to withdraw quietly, and also deliberately planted a large number of mines and mines near the landing line to stop the attack of the American troops.
Because the island was foggy at that time, it was impossible to see two or three meters ahead, and the US military did not detect these hidden killing planes. When they were marching forward and preparing to land in one fell swoop, they were fiercely attacked by mines and mines carefully arranged by the Japanese army. For a time, the U.S. military was in chaos and suffered heavy casualties. In just a few hours, 300 U.S. soldiers were killed and 198 were missing.
And that's not all. When the U.S. troops finally landed on the island with difficulty, they found that the island was empty, not even a shadow of a Japanese soldier was seen, and there was not a single corpse. It turned out that the Japanese had already evacuated the island before the American attack. And what was left on the island were only three dogs, as the "defenders" of the Japanese army, and some infectious disease signs deliberately left by the Japanese army in an attempt to scare the American army.
The three dogs wandered leisurely around the island, unconcerned about the arrival of American troops, as if to mock them. When the U.S. military saw these infectious disease brands, they immediately panicked, for fear that they would be infected with some terrible disease. So they started to get vaccinated and carried out emergency epidemic prevention measures. But after some tossing, they found out that these signs were just pranks by the Japanese army, and there was no virus at all.
In addition to being frightened, the US military also felt very angry and humiliated. They didn't expect to pay such a heavy price for dealing with a few dogs. This battle was undoubtedly a huge blow and humiliation for the US military.
They thought they could easily retake Kiska Island, but they didn't expect to end up being a laughing stock in the eyes of others. This battle, which was ridiculed as the "largest actual combat landing exercise," became a humiliating battle that the US military did not want to mention.
Looking back on this battle, we can't help but think about the lessons learned. First, intelligence errors are an important reason for the embarrassing situation of the US military. If the U.S. military could have grasped the information on the withdrawal of Japanese troops in advance, it might have been able to avoid unnecessary losses and embarrassment. Second, overconfidence and underestimation of the enemy also led to the defeat of the US military.
They may think that their strength is enough to easily defeat the Japanese army, but they ignore the uncertainty and risk of war, after all, the Japanese army is not tired of deceit, and the Japanese army still has a hand in this regard.
The Kiska Island Landing was a ridiculous battle of World War II. It reminds us to keep a clear head and a cautious attitude in war, to attach importance to intelligence gathering and analysis, and to avoid paying a heavy price for intelligence mistakes.