Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-08-22
Kiska Occupation Removes Japs
From Last Footho|d in A|eutians;
Landing Troops Find Enemy Gone
Foe Driven Off by
Heavy Air and
Sea Assaults
BY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY.

olSClncIlVe page IN the MS
tory of the war between the
United States and Japan was
written yesterday when the Navy
announced the seizure of Kiska
Island without resistance.
When American and Canadian
troops landed under the protection
of naval task force commanded
by Vice Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid
last Sunday, the japanese had dis
appeared. They were driven off, ap-
parently, by crushing blows of LOG
aerial bombings and Is heavy bonn
bardments from surface vessels of
naval task force during the first
IA days of August.
They were there as late as Friday,
the 18th, when they made feeble
reply to an attack by American
planes.
Reoccupation of Kiska removed
the japanese from their last known
foothold in the Aleutians.
This is the first time since Pearl
Harbor that the japanese have
given up any territory without stub
born and fanatical resistance, such
as prevailed during the hopping up
on Attu.
2s-Day Period of Silence.
Yesterdays announcement of the
occupation of the island, without re-
sistance, came after 23-day period
OF silence by the Navy which had
been issuing regular reports of the
attacks up to July 81. The seven
day delay in making the announce
ment was attributed by naval
spokesman to the desire to unload
the ships of the personnel. supplies
and equipment of the occupation
force before letting the japanese
know what was going on.
There was no information as to
how the Japanese got away, but in
view of the fact that one of their
installations there since they occu-
pied the island was submarine
base, it was presumed that they
moved out their troops by submarine
to transports lying well off shore.
This they could well do, under cover
of the heavy fogs which constantly
hang over the area, making recon-
Nuisance difficult and at times i'm
possible.
The constantly enshrouding fogs
also might explain why the invad-
ing forces did not know that the
Japs had left the island, as they
had every reason to believe that
they remained from the fact that
at periods both the surface bonn
hardments and aerial attacks were
returned by the enemy guns.
Delay Explained.
"Since the air and surface bonn
bardments in the latter part of
July had apparently destroyed Jap
anese radio equipment on Kiska,"
the Navy said in officially explain
ing the delay in the announcement,
"the assumption was that they
were not in communication with
the homeland. Consequently, no
release of Allied operations against
Kiska has been made since July
81, as it would have conveyed in
formation to the enemy which he
otherwise would not have had. This
particularly applied to the period
during which the transports were
in areas exposed to enemy sub
marine attacks and while they were
unloading"
The Navy reported that no Japa-
nese were found on the island. and
as this report covers a week of
actual occupation, it is believed that
the landing forces had made
thorough hopping up search of the
area from Reynard Cove southwark
to Gertrude Cove on the east coast
Of the island This area generally
included the territory in which the
(See KISKA, Page A-4)