How Japanese forces wiped out an ancient Alaskan tribe in one 1942 raid

Attu Villagers Taken as Japanese War Prisoners

On the remote island of Attu in Alaska’s Aleutian chain, two memorials mark one of World War II’s most forgotten tragedies.

The Lost Village memorial at Chichagof Harbor honors the Unangax̂ people who lived there for thousands of years.

In June 1942, Japanese forces invaded Attu and captured all 42 villagers, making them the only American civilians taken as prisoners of war during World War II.

This is the story of how an ancient way of life ended in a Japanese prison camp, and why these remote memorials matter more than most Americans realize.

These Aleuts Kept Ancient Traditions Alive at America’s Westernmost Point

In the 1930s, about 40 Unangax̂ (Aleut) people lived in Attu village, keeping their 3,000-year-old sea culture alive at the westernmost spot in America.

They stayed in small, cold homes around Chichagof Harbor and spoke their own Attuan form of Unangam Tunuu.

They spent their days catching fish, hunting, and gathering special grasses that women wove into famous baskets with detailed patterns.

The village came together at their Russian Orthodox church, mixing old beliefs with Christianity they picked up from Russians in the 1700s.

Japanese Forces Stormed Ashore Without Warning in 1942

On June 7, 1942, Japanese troops landed on Attu Island with no warning. Major Matsutoshi Hosumi led 1,140 soldiers who quickly took over the remote Alaskan spot.

They rounded up all 42 Aleut villagers plus two white Americans, Charles Foster Jones, the 63-year-old teacher, and his wife Etta.

The Japanese shot Charles after he broke his radio to keep it from them.

This marked the first time foreign troops took American soil since the British came during the War of 1812, though few Americans knew about it then.

Villagers Lived in Limbo While America Remained Unaware

For three months, Japanese troops got along well with the Attuans. They let the locals keep fishing and hunting, which helped them store salmon and other foods.

Meanwhile, American forces at Dutch Harbor and nearby islands didn’t know what happened to the villagers.

The U.S. government openly admitted they lost track of the Attu people.

The island sat just 650 miles from a Japanese naval base at Paramushiro, making it worth taking for Japan.

The Long Boat Ride to Enemy Territory Began Their Ordeal

In winter 1942, Japanese soldiers forced the 42 Attuans onto a navy ship heading to Japan. One villager died during the rough trip across the North Pacific to Hokkaido.

The other 41 Attuans ended up in a prison camp near Otaru, while Etta Jones went to the Bund Hotel in Yokohama with Australian prisoners.

These Alaska Natives became America’s only civilian prisoners of war during World War II, something most Americans still don’t know today.

Hard Labor and Hunger Broke Down Their Health

The Attuans found themselves locked in a house in Otaru.

Guards made them work long shifts in a nearby rock mine in harsh conditions their bodies couldn’t handle.

TB spread through the group while hunger and beriberi made them weaker. At first, they ate the salmon and other food they brought from Attu.

Their health dropped so fast that between 10 and 15 Attuans stayed in the hospital at any time, too sick to work in the mines.

Death Claimed More Than a Third of the Villagers

Sixteen of the 42 Attu villagers died while stuck in Japan. Helena Pagano’s great-grandfather, the last Native chief of Attu Island, starved to death in the camp.

Disease, poor medical care, and severe hunger killed nearly 40% of the original group.
As the war dragged on, food got scarcer, making their health worse.

Meanwhile, Etta Jones moved between several places, including the Yokohama Yacht Club and Totsuka Hospital, away from the Aleut prisoners.

American Troops Fought a Bloody Battle to Reclaim the Island

On May 11, 1943, American forces started Operation Landcrab to take back Attu Island. The fight lasted 19 brutal days with soldiers battling in freezing rain, fog, and snow.

The cost was huge: 549 American soldiers died and over 1,200 got hurt. Japanese losses hit harder, with 2,351 soldiers killed and only 28 captured.

Many Japanese troops fought to death or killed themselves instead of giving up. American bombs had already destroyed Attu village before ground troops arrived.

Freedom Came With News Their Homes No Longer Existed

The war ended in August 1945, freeing Etta Jones and the 26 Attu villagers who lived.

They came back to the United States after three years as prisoners, only to hear shocking news: they couldn’t go home.

American military officials decided fixing the destroyed village on remote Attu Island would cost too much.

The U.S. government, which earlier claimed they didn’t know what happened to the villagers, now told the survivors they must live somewhere else.

The Scattered Survivors Watched Their Culture Fade Away

The government moved the survivors to Atka Island, about 200 miles from their home. Many Attuan families split up, with some kids sent to orphanages.

This forced split broke what was left of their community, language, and traditions. The unique Attuan form of Unangam Tunuu, spoken nowhere else, died out.

Many children and grandchildren now live far from Alaska, cut off from their old home and customs.

Money Couldn’t Make Up for What They Lost

In 1951, Japan offered survivors $4,000 yearly for three years.

Helena Pagano’s grandmother turned down the money, seeing it as an insult compared to their suffering and lost culture.

The U.S. government later passed the Aleut Restitution Act in 1988, trying to pay survivors for how they were treated during the war.

On June 17, 2017, the U.S. Government formally said sorry for locking up the Unangan people during the war. The last former Attu captive died in 2023.

Descendants Return to Touch Their Ancestral Soil

On June 7, 2012, the 70th anniversary of the invasion, Senator Lisa Murkowski dedicated a memorial to Attu Village and its people.

In 2017, eleven descendants went back to their ancestors’ homeland, where they gathered the same grass their grandmothers once used for basket weaving.

That same year, surviving residents and their families held an Attu Reunion in Anchorage to share memories and strengthen connections.

Recent calls for justice include requests for a cultural center and environmental cleanup of military waste.

Today, Attu Island stands completely uninhabited, the largest empty island.

Visiting Attu, A Lost Village of the Aleutians

Visiting Attu Island means seeing where Japanese forces captured the only American civilians taken as POWs during WWII.

You’ll need permits from both Fish and Wildlife Service and Coast Guard before booking a multi-day boat charter from Adak Island—a 900-mile journey.

The island has been empty since 2010 when the Coast Guard left. Be careful as unexploded bombs remain in some areas.

You can explore WWII battlefield ruins with Japanese anti-aircraft guns and American plane wreckage across the island.

Remember the Attu village site belongs to the Aleut Corporation, not the federal refuge.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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