Aleutian WWII History Expeditions

New flyer pending.


NEXT TRIP is 2025.  Dates TBD 

While most World War II theaters of operation are well understood, very little is known about the Aleutian Campaign and the Kurils Island Operations that followed. 

These remote islands off the west coast of Alaska were the scene to the only carrier and land based bombing of North American targets in history, and the only time since the War of 1812 that a foreign power had occupied American soil on the continent.

Of the many military sites along the chain, five locations have been designated National Historic Landmarks and are part of the WWII National Historic Area or are designated Aleutian Islands WWII National Monuments managed by the National Park Service and the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. These sites include:
  • Adak Army Base & Naval Base, 
  • Fort Glenn Army Airfield and Naval Base on Umnak Island
  • Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base,  Fort Mears and Fort Schwatka
  • Attu Battlefield and U.S. Army and Naval Airfields
  • Japanese occupation sites on Kiska
  • B-24D Wreckage Site on Atka  

This historical tour offers a unique opportunity to visit these seldom seen places. They are not your typical well manicured Civil War and European battlefields, but sites that have retained their natural settings and artifacts of war; a living museum.  The tour also affords an opportunity to visit the exquisite beauty of the Aleutians islands, go ashore, and experience a part of the world that very few ever will- A trip of a lifetime!



HISTORY
 
The campaign began when the Japanese Imperial Navy bombed Dutch Harbor, Alaska June 3rd and 4th, 1942 and subsequently went ashore and occupied two of the westernmost Aleutian Islands, Kiska and Attu.   What followed was a 13 month offensive, primarily by air, to remove the Japanese from these remote islands.  Successfully in May 1943, after the second deadliest battles in all of the Pacific Theater; the Battle of Attu, Allies re-gained control and by August 1943 the first part of the campaign was over.  What started next was two years of US bombing missions from Attu, over the Japanese coastal island of Paramashuro in an effort to weaken the Japanese strong hold.  


AIR FIELDS
  1. Davis Army Air Field on Adak
  2. Kiska Army Air Field, Kiska Island
  3. Alexai Point Army Air Field, Attu Island
  4. Castco Cove Naval Air Field,  Attu Island
  5. Miller Army Air Field, Umnak Island
  6. Dutch Harbor Naval Air Field,  Unalaska Island 

OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST
  • Dozens of Japanese Guns
  • Japanese two man submarines
  • Ordnance
  • Sunken Japanese ships
  • Quonset huts, ammunition storage 
  • Underground bunkers and plot rooms
  • Foxholes, trenches
  • Abandon Cold War base
  • Very rare wild life
  • Volcanoes
  • Whales and other sea life
  • Incredible breathtaking scenery

ITINERARY

Trip 1-  begins in Anchorage on a flight to Adak on Alaska Airlines.  Once on the ground we tour the remains of a WWII and Cold War base.  From there we board the a marine vessel and head 500 miles west towards the islands of Attu and Kiska where we'll spend the next few weeks exploring on foot the war history of the islands and ending our trip in Dutch Harbor, Alaska

 

COST

$8,500 per person*.  
Includes all meals- and our chef is amazing, a one night stay in the Grand Aleutian Hotel,  all tours (excluding tips), and two airfares (Anchorage- Adak and Dutch Harbor- Anchorage). 
*Price is subject to change and will likely be higher as we are needing to find a new boat/Captian for the expedition.*  
**You will be responsible for getting yourself to and from Anchorage (ANC) at the beginning and end of the trip**

(Tip- Alaska Airline miles goes A LONG way up in the Aleutians so if you don't have the card yet- I HIGHLY recommend it. You can use your miles to get your own ticket to Adak or home from Dutch Harbor!!)



DATES

2025 WWII History Expeditions

Dates: June 2025   
For information of 2025 WWII Aleutian Island History Expeditions download the brochure here.





** NOTE- We will be going into a remote, seldom visited part of the United States.  It is an expedition not a luxury tour.  There are no major medical facilities west of Unalaska and no active airfields west of Adak.  It is a PHYSICAL trip.  We will be walking for many miles in mountainous unkempt territory with a good chance of inclement weather.  You must be amble and in good shape.**




FOR MORE DETAILS CONTACT 
Karen- kabel56@yahoo.com or
 Vicky at Valor Tours- www.valortours.com