ATTU BATTLE

Grey River Argus, 4 June 1943, Page 5

ATTU BATTLE

Many American Dead

12,000 ENEMY ON KISKA.

(Rec. 5.5) WASHINGTON, June 3. The U.S. Navy has not revealed the American casualties on Attu Island, but Senator Chandler told the Press that the conquest of the island has cost many American dead. He added that it looked like as if Kiska were next on the list. The Japanese have 12,000 men on Kiska, also an airfield and a submarine base. THE MOPPING UP. RUGBY, June 2. A United States Navy communique states: “Mopping up operations by the United States Army troops against isolated Japanese troops on Attu were continued. The Japanese casualties at Attu are estimated at 1500 killed and four captured. Liberators, Mitchells and Warhawks bombed and strafed Japanese positions at Kiska. Hits were scored on the runways at North Head and Gertrude Cove.”

A Navy snokesman said that the figure of enemy casualties was based on an actual count of bodies but that the total killed was possibly 50 or 100 per cent, greater, since it was unknown how many were killed by the naval shelling or how many were buried by their comrades. Thus the exact number of Japanese remaining on Attu could npt be estimated. The Japanese reported that their men numbered 3000 at the beginning of the campaign.