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How to Use the Images

 

Inquiry Question

Historical Context

Map

Readings

Drawing 1
Photos 1-3
Photo 6

Activities

Table of
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Visual Evidence

Photo 4: Seventh Infantry Division troops landing at Massacre Bay, Attu, May 1943. [Photo 1] with link to larger version of photo.
(Courtesy Elmendorf Air Force Base History Office, Alaska)
Japanese defenses were hidden above the fog line.

Photo 5: American troops sending supplies to the front lines during the battle for Attu Island, May 1943. [Photo 2] with link to larger version of photo.
(Courtesy Elmendorf Air Force Base History Office, Alaska)
Even where the terrain was flat, the soggy tundra could not support heavy vehicles.

Questions for Photos 4 & 5

1. Examine both photos carefully. What observations can you make about the terrain on Attu?

2. How did Attu's terrain hinder the American troops' effort to regain the island?

3. Study Photo 1. How safe do you think landing troops at Massacre Bay was? Why? What obstacles did they face?

4. Examine Photo 2. Why was it so hard to move supplies on the island?

* The photos on this screen have a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a high quality version of Photo 4 and Photo 5, but be aware that each file will take as much as 35 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.

 

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