Operation Cottage
Part of theAleutian Islands campaign ofWorld War II
American troops landing on Kiska
Date August 15, 1943 Location Kiska,Aleutian Islands,Alaska, U.S. Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United States Canada	Japan (not present)
Commanders and leaders
Charles Corlett Harry W. Foster	Not present
Units involved
7th Infantry Division 4th Infantry Regiment 53rd Infantry Regiment 184th Infantry Regiment 10th Mountain Division 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment US Navy Task Group 16.22 6th Canadian Infantry Division 13th Canadian Infantry Brigade 1st Special Service Force	None present
Strength
34,000 5,300	Sea mines, mines, booby traps
Casualties and losses
92 killed[1] 221 wounded Landing forces: 32 killed[2] 100 wounded U.S Navy: 1 destroyer (USS Abner Read) heavily damaged 71 killed 47 wounded	None

Operation Cottage was a joint American-Canadian plan to complete therecapture of the Aleutian Islands from the Japanese. On August 15, 1943,Allied military forces landed onKiska Island, which had been occupied byJapanese forces since June 1942. However, the Japanese had secretly abandoned the island two weeks earlier, and so the Allied landings were unopposed. Allied forces suffered over 500 casualties in total during the operation from Japanese landmines and booby traps,friendly fire incidents, and vehicle accidents.^[1][3]

The Japanese under Captain Takeji Ono had landed on Kiska on June 6, 1942 with 500 troops ofSpecial Naval Landing Forces. Soon after arrival, they stormed a United Statesweather station, where they killed two and captured eightUnited States Navy officers. The captured officers were sent to Japan asprisoners of war. Another 2,000 Japanese troops arrived, landing inKiska Harbor. At this time, Rear AdmiralMonzo Akiyama headed the force on Kiska. In December 1942, additional anti-aircraft units, engineers, and a negligible number of reinforcement infantry arrived on the island. In the spring of 1943, control was transferred to Lt. GeneralKiichiro Higuchi.^{[citation needed]}

After the heavy casualties suffered atAttu Island, Japanese planners were expecting another costly operation. They realized the isolated Kiska Island was no longer defensible and planned for an evacuation.^{[citation needed]} Starting in late July, there were increasing signs of Japanese withdrawal. Aerial photograph analysts noticed that routine activities appeared to greatly diminish, and almost no movement could be detected in the harbor. Bomb damage appeared unrepaired, and aircrews reported greatly diminished anti-aircraft fire. On July 28, 1943, radio signals from Kiska ceased entirely.^{[citation needed]}

On August 15, 1943, the U.S.7th Infantry Division,87th Mountain Infantry Regiment of the10th Mountain Division and the13th Canadian Infantry Brigade from the6th Canadian Infantry Division, landed on opposite shores of Kiska. Canadian regiments landed included theCanadian Fusiliers; theWinnipeg Grenadiers; theRocky Mountain Rangers; and theSaint John Fusiliers. The invasion also involved the first combat deployment of theFirst Special Service Force, an elitespecial forces unit consisting of American and Canadiancommandos.^[3]

Both U.S. and Canadian forces mistook each other, after a Canadian soldier shot at U.S. lines believing they were Japanese, and afriendly fire incident occurred, which left 28 Americans and 4 Canadians dead, with 50 wounded on either side. Progress was also hampered by mines, timed bombs, accidental ammunition detonations, vehicle accidents and booby traps that caused further casualties.^[2] A stray Japanesesea mine caused theUSS Abner Read (DD-526) to lose a large chunk of its stern. The blast killed 71 and wounded 47 personnel.^[3]

The operation was detailed in a 1944 book,First Steps to Tokyo, by RCAF flight officerDavid Griffin.^[4][5]

• Friendly fire incidents of World War II

• Feinberg, Leonard (1992).Where the Williwaw Blows: The Aleutian Islands-World War II. Pilgrims' Process, Inc.ISBN 0-9710609-8-3.
• Garfield, BrianThe Thousand Mile War, Aurum Press, 1995ISBN 1-84513-019-7
• Goldstein, Donald M.; Katherine V. Dillon (1992).The Williwaw War: The Arkansas National Guard in the Aleutians in World War. Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA: University of Arkansas Press.ISBN 1-55728-242-0.
• Morison, Samuel Eliot (2001) [1951].Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls, June 1942-April 1944,vol. 7 ofHistory of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Champaign, Illinois, US: University of Illinois Press.ISBN 0-316-58305-7.
• Perras, Galen Roger (2003).Stepping Stones to Nowhere, The Aleutian Islands, Alaska, and American Military Strategy, 1867 - 1945. Vancouver British Columbia: University of British Columbia Press.ISBN 1-59114-836-7.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toAleutian Islands campaign.

• Logistics Problems on Attu by Robert E. Burks.
• Operation Cottage at canadiansoldiers.com
• Aleutian Islands Chronology
• Aleutian Islands War
• Red White Black & Blue - feature documentary about The Battle of Attu in the Aleutians during World War II
• Soldiers of the 184th Infantry, 7th ID in the Pacific, 1943-1945
• World War II Aleutian Islands: The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War IIArchived 2014-03-17 at theWayback Machine from theUnited States Army Center of Military History.
• "Kiska". Retrieved2018-03-11.
• A film clipALLIES TAKE KISKA ETC. (1943) is available for viewing at theInternet Archive

• Aleutian Islands campaign
• American theater of World War II
• Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
• Battles involving the United States
• Battles of World War II involving the United States
• Battles of World War II involving Canada
• Friendly fire incidents of World War II
• Amphibious operations of World War II
• August 1943 in North America
• Amphibious operations involving the United States
• Amphibious operations involving Canada
• Kiska

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