Following the Japanese landing at Kiska and Attu, Aleutian Islands, Brown was tasked with the command of Task force for the capture of Attu. He landed on Attu on D-Day, May 11, 1943, and began advance inland. The progress of his men was slow due to many machine gun nests and sniper fire and Brown requested additional naval bombardment support and more reinforcements. Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid, Commander of the North Pacific Force, who held overall command of the operation, feared of Japanese submarines, which attacked his vessels few days earlier. Brown continued requesting reinforcements and large quantities of engineering and road building equipment, but Kinkaid questioned the request and the lack of any positive indications of a speedy breakthrough persuaded him that Brown was bogged down.