BY THE DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT

Japanese naval forces attacked American military outposts in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska Territory on June 3, 1942, ultimately occupying those positions and creating hardship for the Japanese troops left as an occupation force in an inhospitable environment, and enormous challenge for the Americans as they set about the task of eradicating the Japanese from the strategically important Aleutians.

Originally conceived as a diversionary action designed to draw American defenses away from the Midway operation by Japanese Imperial Navy planners, principal among them, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and his chief of staff, Admiral Matome Ugaki, the Alaska operation was the only success that was to accrue from what was to be otherwise an unmitigated disaster for Japanese naval forces. The Midway adventure has been generally recorded by historians as the beginning of the end for Japan’s aspirations of empire…the turning point. Nonetheless, because vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo, commander of Second Fleet, was successful at his task, the Aleutian diversion (and occupation)…the Japanese and the Americans were faced with the difficult task of dealing with one another on a part of the planet that arguably has the worst flying weather and generally most inhospitable conditions for military operations, anywhere. From a strategic standpoint, the “diversion” had an important practical aspect for the Japanese, for they occupied the westernmost islands in the chain, Kiska and Attu …ideal outposts for defending the northern approaches of the home islands from American attack.

American resolve prevailed, however, resulting in the invasion of Attu on May 11, 1943 in Operation Landcrab…a particularly vicious and prolonged event resulting in defeat for the some 2500 Japanese defenders (only 28 survived), paving the way for the very thing the Japanese had hoped to prevent: air attack on the home islands by the enemy. Japanese fears were largely unjustified, however, as attacking Japan from the north was impractical and not a part of the Allied strategy to defeat Japan…but still a convenient way to attack Japanese forces in the Kuriles and their shipping in this area.

The painting, “By the Dawn’s Early Light…” was executed to recall the sacrifice required of the U.S. Navy and USAAF pilots and aircrew in the Aleutian campaign and was inspired by the discovery of the wreckage of an American patrol bomber and remains of the crew on the Kamchatka Peninsula by Russians in 1962, but not reported to American authorities until 1999. This aircraft was a Lockheed PV-1 Ventura from U.S. Navy Patrol Squadron 139 (VP-139), lost on 25 March, 1944, on a night mission to the Kuriles. The painting depicts two VP-139 Venturas returning to Attu in the early morning light.

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