Many visitors to our website have
requested we compile a bibliography of all the books
and videos
that we are aware of (or made aware of) that relate
to the Aleutians or to WWII in the Aleutians. The first two books one
should read include a definitive book written by Brian
Garfield, "The Thousand Mile War," and a
book I captured from e-Bay entitled "The
Capture of Attu" (I was first made aware of this book through Rene
Thibault, a WWII Attu Vet and contributor to this web site, who shared
with me his personal paperback copy obtained in the closing days of the
war). Each of the additional books provide insights from different
perspectives that when taken in their totality provide an excellent and
complete picture of life in the Aleutians before, during, and after WWII. If you have additional items relative to these events, please e-mail
your contribution, and I'll add them to the page.
Books
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Attu Boy by
Nick Golodoff, with Rachel Mason, Editor, 2012. Copies of this
book can be obtained by contacting Greg Dixon, Cultural Resource
Technician, Cultural Resources Team, Alaska Regional Office, at
(907) 644-3465. The National Park Service is pleased to make
available the story of a young boy's experiences as a Japanese
captive and intern during WWII, and of his resettlement in Atka
after the war. For those of us who'd wondered about life on Attu
just before WWII and during the initial Japanese invasion and
capture of Attu and its inhabitants, as well as their lives spent
in captivity in Japan during the war, this book is a must read! It
is replete with numerous black and white as well as color photos,
maps, and charts of Attu and its inhabitants of that time. Call or
write the contact info provided above for your copy today!
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The Thousand Mile War by Brian Garfield, 1995.
ISBN
0-912006-83-8. This is an updated version of
Brian's 1969 original, and is published through
the University of Alaskan Press, Fairbanks, AK.
There are great updates to the original in terms
of both printed material and pictures. Very well
done...a reference book for all when studying WWII
in the Aleutians. (Ref. George Smith) |
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The Capture of Attu...As told by the men who fought there Copyright 1944 by Infantry
Journal, Inc. (out of print...can find used
copies through Amazon.com) (Ref. Rene Thibault, George Smith) |
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The Capture of Attu...As told by the men who fought there compiled by
Mitchell, Tyng, and Drummond. ISBN 080329557X,
Paperback, 192 pages. Paperback, Bison
Books Corp. This is a reprint of the original (see above).
Find it on Amazon.com for $9.60 (current as of
6-10-2001). (Ref. George Smith) |
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Aleutian
Islands - The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War II by George L.
MacGarrigle, 1992. ISBN 0-16-035882-5. For sale by the U. S. Government
Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP,
Washington, DC 20402-9328. "World War II was the largest and most
violent armed conflict in the history of mankind. However, the half
century that now separates us from that conflict has exacted its toll on
our collective knowledge. While World War II continues to absorb the
interest of military scholars and historians, as well as its veterans, a
generation of Americans has grown to maturity largely unaware of the
political, social, and military implications of a war that, more than
any other, united us as a people with a common purpose. This brochure
was prepared in the U. S. Army Center of Military History by George L.
MacGarrigle. I hope this absorbing account of that period will enhance
your appreciation of American achievements during World War II." M. P.
W. Stone, Secretary of the Army. (USGPO: 1992 302-270 PIN:
068914-000. Ref. George Smith) |
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The True Story of Etta Jones, Alaska
Pioneer and Japanese POW by Mary Breu
ISBN-10: 0882408100, ISBN-13:
978-0882408101
Web Site:
http://www.lastlettersfromattu.com/default.asp
Etta Jones, my great-aunt, was the
first female Caucasian taken prisoner from American soil
by a foreign enemy since the War of 1812. The historical
incident took place in June, 1942, when the Japanese
invaded Attu, Alaska, the westernmost island in the
Aleutian Chain. Until now, the sequence of events
leading up to her capture as well as her experiences in
Japanese POW camps for thirty-nine months have never
been accurately documented. Hers is a story of
incredible bravery and courage when faced with
adversity. Mary Breu.
Cover photo from the book "Ichimai no
shashin o otte Aryushan o yuku" by Masami Sugiyama
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Harrowing Tales of American and
Japanese Pilots Who Fought in World War II's Arctic Air
Campaign by Ralph Wetterhan. ISBN-13:
978-0786713608
Through
meticulous research and unprecedented interviews with
Japanese and American combatants, award-winning author
Ralph Wetterhahn provides a breathtaking account of the
nose-to-tail air war between American and Japanese
flyers above the Bering Sea. Dubbed riders of the
“Empire Express,” American pilots stationed in the
Aleutians flew nine-hour missions, 1,500 miles
round-trip in subzero temperatures, to bomb Japanese
installations in the Kuril Islands. While on his ongoing
quest to give a full account of MIAs and POWs,
Wetterhahn investigated the crash sites of two Empire
Express planes found in the Soviet Far East in 2000 and
2001, and here re-creates their crews’ daunting
exploits. With unrivaled mastery of aviation, warfare,
and military forensic evidence, Wetterhahn rescues from
obscurity the final moments of U.S. Navy pilot Walt S.
Whitman, who made a forced landing with his crew on the
Kamchatka Peninsula. He also details the missions flown
by Japan’s pilots and the fate of Japanese captured by
the Soviets and interned in Siberia. This is a moving
testament to the impulse to account for all servicemen
left behind. (Amazon.com)
It is a great description of the US Navy Lockheed PV-1
Ventura bomber missions flown from Attu to bomb the
Kuril Islands and the 21st century discovery of one of
the downed bombers on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The plane
was also the subject of a PBS Nova episode which I have
yet to see.
NOVA | Last Flight of Bomber 31 | PBS
A
A picture of one of these planes is on my dad's website
http://andyk00.wix.com/15-tow-sq-11th-usaaf#!untitled/zoom/c1n0f/imagecf9
(Andy Kozlowski)
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Shortcut to Tokyo, The
Battle for the Aleutians, Corey Ford.
This was a welcome Christmas gift
to me from my wife this year (2010). A quick read as
there are only 141 pages to this book. It was published
in New York by Charles Scribner's Sons in 1943, selling
then for $1.75.
Ford details flights from then
not-identified islands (would be Umnak, Adak and
Amchitka) on their way to bomb Kiska...then held by the
Japanese. On a personal level, this book gets close to
the missions, the pilots and crews of the medium and
heavy bombers, the rescue aircraft, as well as the "pea
shooters," as they lived, flew, and fought in the
Aleutians up to 1943.
Additional chapters looks
back at visits by Ford to the Aleutians prior to the war
breaking out, a brief history of the Aleutians and the
Aleuts, and discusses suspicions the Aleuts harbored
about the many Japanese visits to the Aleutians just
prior to the outbreak of WWII, talks about Attu Chief
Mike, the sea otters, vegetation, and bird populations
of the Aleutians.
A quick look and comparison at
the end of the book into the lives of two men...one a
union factory worker in the USA building the planes, and
another look at an Aleutian AAF pilot flying bombers
made by him...and their mutual desires and hopes for
their families. Might bring a tear to your eyes. Book is
hard to find...I found one used copy on Amazon.com, who
referenced Abebooks. Worthwhile obtaining and reading!
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Center
of the Storm The Bombing of Dutch Harbor and the
Experience of Patrol Wing Four in the Aleutians, Summer 1942 by Jeff Dickrell. ISBN 1575100924. Available
from the Museum of the Aleutians Store in addition to other booksellers.
Call 907-581-5150 to get your copy from the Museum (Jeff donated the
whole package to the museum). Jeff Dickrell arrived in Unalaska, Alaska
in 1990 from Naperville, Illinois, to teach high school history.
Immersing himself in Aleutian history, especially the WW II era, he is a
board member of the Museum of the Aleutians and a researcher for the
National Park WW II Interpretive Center in Unalaska. An annual class
trip to Washington DC allowed him much access to the National
Archives Still Picture Division. In 1997 and 1999 the Patrol Wing Four
Association invited Jeff to their reunion where he had a chance to meet
with the many veterans he had been corresponding with for this book. He
continues to enjoy the friendships made there. Jeff has a B.A. in
history from Northern Illinois University. When not in front of a class
or his computer, he can usually be found paddling his kayak or hiking
the hills of Unalaska. |
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The Forgotten War by Stan Cohen, Library of
Congress Catalog Card no. 81-80570. This is a
four-volume set, and has pictures of the U.S.S. St. Mihiel,
John Fahey's ship seeing duty in the Aleutians!
(Ref. John Fahey)
Volume 1: ISBN 0-933126-13-1.
Volume 2: ISBN 0-933126-70-0
Volume 3: ISBN 0-929521-30-7
Volume 4: ISBN 0-929521-64-1
From Rene Thibault:
This is a pictorial history of WWII in Alaska
and Northwestern Canada. To quote in part from
the intro, "In most combat theaters of the
2nd World War the combatants had to fight only
each other. In Alaska and Northwestern Canada,
however, they also did battle with the weather,
the wilderness and boredom. This remote
territory was probably the war's least known and
least publicized combat zone. the books can be
bought at Amazon.com or can be ordered from the
author for $14.95 each at the following address:
Pictorial Histories Publishing Co. Inc, 713
South Third Street West, Missoula, MT
59801. If you can't find these books via
Amazon.com, here's the link to Pictorial Histories
Publishing homepage:
http://www.pictorialhistoriespublishing.com/stans4.htm |
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Men of the Invisible
War by Joe Kotvas
ISBN 978-1-937129-34-7
The
true story of a war (with sixty photographs) that was
kept from the American people, a war fought right in its
own backyard from June 1942 through September 1943.
It tells of how the governments of
both the United States and Japan tried to keep a part of
WWII secret and how it was years before citizens had any
idea it ever happened. It's a story of love, faith, and
hardships, suffering and dying...from a perspective seen
by both sides of the conflict.
www.kotvasbooks.com
jkotvas@aol.com
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They
Also Serve by Ian Wilson Beaton.
Published by Xlibris Corporation, 436 Walnut
St., Philadelphia, PA 19106. ISBN 0-7388-2391-0.
I am a WWII veteran who spent 25 months in the
Aleutian Islands (21 months on Shemya in the
Post Engineer), 11/43 to 7/45.
I was a clerk, truck driver and 20mm AA
gunner. My book is based on WWII research
and excerpts from 300 letters I wrote to my
family has just been published. You can read
about me and several chapters of my book on the
following web sites:
www.xlibris.com/IanWBeaton.html
www.xlibris.com/TheyAlsoServe.html
My book can be purchased from Barns and
Noble, Borders, amazon.com or from the
publisher. I think anyone who served in
the Aleutians during WWII would get a real kick
reading it. (Ref. Ian Beaton) (NOTE: I finished reading Ian's book
on the 7th of July, 2004. I can attest to the fact that regardless of
when you lived on Shemya, you will find a lot of common experiences with
Ian even to this very day! This book is a great read, describing
day-to-day life on the Shemya of WWII times. George Smith) |
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CIEL DE GUERRE N� 10 SEPT.-OCT.-NOV. 2006
Aleutians : the forgotten battle (part 1)
Who does remember today that during Word War 2, the Aleutians were an
advanced theatre of operations against Japan? As a diversionary move in
conjunction with their strike against Midway, the Japanese bombed Dutch
Harbor in June 1942 and landed troops on Kiska and Attu, the westernmost
islands of the Aleutians. The Japanese remained, primarily in a
defensive situation, to prevent any movement by American forces toward
Japan through the Aleutians chain. Aerial operations by Japan and by the
fighter and bomber units of 11th Air Force were often restricted by
severe weather. The 15 months of the campaign turned out to be a
struggle against nature rather than against rival enemy forces! The 11th
Air Force knew many losses, in most cases, caused by accidents. P-38s,
P39s, P-40s, B-24s, B-25s and B-26s led continuous attacks on Japanese
installations. In May 1943, American forces seized Attu after a bloody
battle. First step to the recapture of the Aleutians and to the raids
against the Northern Kuriles, the Japanese home islands. This subject
which remains unknown to many will be done in two parts in "Ciel de
Guerre" by Arnaud Prudhomme and St�phane Soulard. [Note: This quality
magazine is loaded with great photos, battle maps, drawings of aircraft
serving in the Aleutian Theater of War, tables of aircraft and related
information, along with personal stories...printed on heavy glossy
paper. While printed in French it is an excellent reference
source for those interested in Aleutian WWII history. You will find some
of this web site's photos and stories in this magazine. This magazine is
primarily available in Europe, but you can get a copy of your own
through PayPal. For more information, and to get a copy of this
magazine, click HERE.
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The Aleutian Warriors, A History of
the 11th Air Force & Fleet Air Wing 4 by John Haile Cloe. This is a
great reference book, filled with stories and
pictures of the war in the Aleutians. A "must have"
of 344 pages for every library! ISBN 0-929521-35-8,
list price $19.95 for the softbound copy.
(Ref. George Smith) |
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Birthplace of the Winds -
Storming Alaska's Islands of Fire and Ice by Jon Bowermaster.
Hardcover
(February 2001) National Geographic Society; ISBN:
0792275063 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.04 x 9.26 x
6.29. Currently $26.00 new or $13.90 used (6-30-01)
at Amazon.com. Review by Russell Marvin: "The book
is an account of a 25 day kayaking and
mountaineering expedition by the author and 3 of his
friends through the Islands of Four Mountains, a
group of Aleutian islands located about 150 miles
west of Dutch Harbor. In addition to a narrative of
his highly dangerous trip, Bowermaster gives a lot
of very interesting information on the life of the
original Aleut inhabitants of these islands. Good
reading for the armchair adventurer." |
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From Sailing Ships to Spitfires by Shirley
Walker. Paperback (ISBN 0888872879) or Hardcover (ISBN
0888872895),
the life and times of an
immigrant family, whose sons fought in the second World War. Available
from
Borealis Book Publishers. Includes a section on Canada's involvement
in the Aleutian theater during WWII. Click
HERE to read extract (PDF file). Also
see Shirley's web site by clicking
here. |
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The
Lockheed P-38 Lightning by Warren M. Bodie, Widewing publications.
Bob Freeman highly recommends this book for those interested in the P-38's
WW-II history in the Aleutians. |
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Silent Siege by Bert Weber. Bob Freeman
also recommends this book as well. Seems there are a series of books by
the same author, including "Silent Siege II," and "Silent Siege III." From
Amazon.com: "Silent Siege III : Japanese Attacks on North America in World
War II : Ships Sunk, Air Raids, Bombs Dropped, Civilians Killed :
Documentary |
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Walkie-Talkie Fanning Bees...Baseball Ambassadors
Visit WWII Combat Areas
by Prof. Tom Barthel. Tom has
written and published this book on baseball players who entertained troops
from the Aleutians to New Guinea during WWII. The 105 page book, a Barthel
imprint, is 8 1/2' X 11" and wire bound. To either order this book or to
find out more about it, go to Tom's web site by clicking
HERE |
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War
Comes To Alaska by Norman Edward Rourke
The Dutch Harbor Attack, June 3-4, 1942.
ISBN 1-57249-028-4
The Japanese attacked Dutch Harbor during the early hours of 3 June,
1942, and again in the afternoon of 4 June. These two attacks were but
small parts of a large overall plan to take the island of Midway, draw
the U.S. Pacific Naval Fleet into a decisive battle at sea, and to
occupy the outer islands of the Aleutian Chain. This book tells the
story of the Dutch Harbor attack from both the American and Japanese
points of view. Kept secret for morale and security reasons, the
Japanese attack and ultimate invasion of the Aleutians was off limits to
the American press.
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KISKA - The Japanese
Occupation of an Alaska Island
by Brendan Coyle
Published by University of Alaska
Press (Fairbanks), distributed by University of Chicago
Press, to be published September 2014. Brendan Coyle's upcoming new book records 51 days
in 2009 spent
camped on Kiska while surveying the island for
signs of the Japanese occupation.
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WAR ON OUR
DOORSTEP by Brendan
Coyle
ISBN: 1-894384-46-6. The first
enemy occupation of U.S. territory since the War of 1812
occurred when Japanese troops stormed the Aleutian
Islands in 1942. Bloody conflict raged through the
following years, as American and Canadian troops
defended the northern front.
As the war
continued, a Japanese airplane dropped bombs on Oregon,
while submarines lurked off Washington and British
Columbia. Using the westerly winds as an ally, Tokyo
directed a battalion of balloon-bombs that drifted to
North America's coast and randomly wreaked havoc. War on
our Doorstep presents the fascinating history of a war
largely hidden from the public as governments attempted
to avert panic from California to Alaska following the
bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Sixty years
later, the fascinating events of that era and their
impact on both the American and Canadian psyches remain
virtually unknown to much of the world. After conducting
decades of research and interviews with veterans on both
sides of the conflict, author Brendan Coyle reveals
details of the previously unknown campaign that included
attacks on Oregon, British Columbia, and
the harsh battles fought in Alaska. Coyle's captivating
240-page account includes over 110 photographs and maps,
which document the era and events.
�Brendan Coyle has done a magnificent
job in this comprehensive review of the
war on the West Coast. No other single
volume has so neatly tied together the
myriad stories of how the war affected
people in British Columbia, California,
Oregon, Washington, and Alaska.�
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� Jim Delgado, Executive
Director,
Vancouver Maritime Museum
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�The success of Coyle's text is the use of a
narrative time line. He connects the
fragmented records of military engagements
that ran up and down the Pacific Coast �
from California to Alaska � during the years
between the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the
destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the
world's first tactical nuclear weapons.�
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� Patrick Nagle, The Vancouver Sun
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The Lost Squadron
by David Hayes,
ISBN 0-7868-6048-0
Editorial Reviews
From
Booklist
In July_ 1942, two B-17s and six P-38s belly-landed
onto the Greenland icecap. Nowadays, except for one of the planes, they
are 250 feet under the cap's surface. The exception, now being restored to
flight worthiness, was excavated in 1992. The vintage plane world is all
agog about this resurrection, and this documentation verily meets every
demand for every detail of the expeditions that located and dug out the
Lightning fighter. Pictures galore, including insouciant snapshots of
their mishap taken in 1942 by the original pilots (all were safely
rescued), accent the winding chronicle of discovery and recovery. It
started with two Georgian aviators who in 1980 became fixated on finding
the planes, infected others with their enthusiasm, and then hauled off to
Greenland, ice augurs, ice-penetrating radars, and metal detectors in tow.
Author Hayes does this group proud and truthful (he doesn't flinch from
telling its infighting and animosities), and airplane aficionados will
examine every page, studded as the pages are with hundreds of color
photos. Gilbert Taylor
Ingram
A lavishly illustrated work records the amazing
reclamation of a fleet of American World War II warplanes buried in ice in
Greenland since the war and recovered by two amateur aviation enthusiasts.
35,000 first printing.
This book is currently out of print with limited availability
(28Dec02), but might be found on Amazon.com. This book was recommended by
Harry Higgins, WW-II P-38 Pilot
Extraordinaire.
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From Pearl Harbor to Calvary by
Gordon Prange
350 pages with numerous photos, $9.95
Mitsuo Fuchida was the career aviator who led the attack on Pearl
Harbor and participated in the most fiercest battles of the Pacific war.
A valuable record of major events, his life's story is also one of a man
swept along by his times. Reared in the vanished culture of early
twentieth-century Japan, war hero Fuchida returned home to become a
simple farmer. After a scandalous love affair came his remarkable
conversion to Christ and years of touring the world as an evangelist.
God's Samurai is a revealing, personal look at both the war and the
century from the Japanese perspective. Available from Amazon.com (see
link below). For additional information, click
HERE.
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Special Books about Special
People
These entries are from
Wendy Svarny-Hawthorne. We thank her immensely for
her contributions to our Bibliography page. These are
books about the Aleut and other tribal peoples of
Alaska.
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When the Wind Was a River: Aleut
Evacuation in World War II by Dean
Kohlhoff. Published by the University of Washington
Press in 1995, ISBN
0-295-97403-6. The late Professor Kohlhoff has
assigned his royalties from this publication to the
Aleut educational program of the Aleutian/Pribilof
Islands Association.
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Unangam Ungiikangin Kayux Tunusangin
* Unangam Uniikangis ama Tunuzangis * AleutTales and
Narratives, collected 1909-1910 by Waldemar
Jochelson, edited by Knut Bergsland and Moses L.
Dirks. Published by the Alaska Native Language
Center, College of Liberal Arts, University of
Alaska Fairbanks in 1990, ISBN1-55500-036-3. This is
a collection of wax cylinder recordings of
storytellers in the years stated that have been
carefully transcribed and translated by the editors
in both the Aleut language (Unangam Tunuu) and in
English. There is a lot of historical background
presented, and quite a few pictures.
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The Ethol�n Collection: The
ethnographic Alaskan collection of Adolf Ethol�n and
his contemporaries in the National Museum of
Finland, by Pirjo Varjola with contributions by
Julia P. Averkieva and Roza G. Liapunova. Published
by the National Board of Antiquities of Finland.
Sorry, there is no ISBN or other publication
information for this, but I've seen this book in a
lot of museums in the US. A little spendy, but it's
a beautifully photographed record of the collection
from all tribes in Alaska. The section on the Aleut
has some really nice examples of traditional
clothing, bentwood and other headgear, basket
weaving, and ivory carvings.
Videos/Film/Tape
7th Infantry Div. & Baptism of
Fire
available from Traditions Military Videos. An Army
Training Tape. Call 1-800-277-1977 or visit their
website at www.militaryvideo.com
Ref. Bob Watson Report from the
Aleutians a WWII
Documentary directed by John Huston. Film shot
mostly on Adak, with a ride-along on Kiska bombing
runs. This tape is available from United American
Video, P.O.Box 7563, Charlotte, NC 28217. Ref. Bob
Watson The Winds of War NBC Dateline, Shane Bishop
Producer. A story about two unlikely participants
engaged in the Battle for Attu. Click
HERE to visit NBC
web site. The Bloody Aleutians The History Channel. A broad
treatment of WWII in the Aleutians. Very well done
by Mediabridge Entertainment of Canada for the
Jones Entertainment Group (The History Channel),
produced by Eugene Birman for "The History
Channel." (See bottom of page for a special link to The History
Channel for this product.) Alaska
At War Through rare Japanese and American
film footage, you'll see the rugged, inhospitable
conditions under which this dramatic campaign was
fought and the heroism of U.S. and Japanese
soldiers in combat. Winner of the CINE Golden
Eagle Award for excellence. Approximately 60
minutes. Click
HERE
to visit Alaska Video Publishing's online store, where you can also find
other videos relating to Alaska. You can also call
them at 800-770-4545 to order videos direct.
The Cradle of Storms
Tells the story of a beautiful and raw land and its people who have
endured and survived wave after wave of invaders and a relentless,
unpredictable climate. The Aleutian Islands span the seas between
Alaska and Siberia, a desolate necklace of wind-stripped terrain,
ravaged by weather that has earned it the name "the cradle of the
storms." It is also home to a vast and impressive array of wildlife.
The first episode reveals the storm-lashed islands and the
9,000-year-old culture that was forever changed by fur-seeking
outsiders, first by Russians then later by Americans. The second
episode picks up the story of the native Aleuts as the violence of
World War II arrives on their islands. Even in the face of such
devastation, the Aleutian people endured and thrive today. Click
HERE
to go to the linked site.
http://www.ket.org/cgi-plex/schedule/series.pl?id=ALEC
My thanks to the folks who've
contributed these references. If you'd care to get in
touch with these fine folks, just click on their names
below:
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