What next? After attacking Dutch Harbor and occupying two islands, where would the Japanese War machine turn up next?
The men who went north to build the Alaska Highway in 1942, left the rolling catastrophe of War with Japan behind. struggled to keep up with news of the war. But everyone understood one thing. The Japanese attacked wherever and whenever they pleased.
Soldiers the length of the Highway nervously wondered whether they might be next. And the attack and occupation put their nervous bosses on edge too. Strict new rules and security measures sprouted all over Canada and Alaska.
Link to another story “Mortal Enemies”
Milton Duesenberg, a civilian contractor trying desperately hard to get his men and machines to Alaska, travelled north in June through Prince Rupert, British Columbia, he encountered black outs, air alarms, patrol boats all along the coast.
From his diary entry on June 9, “Prince Rupert had an air alarm today. I was ordered off the streets by MP’s. The planes were identified as friendly.” He took ship north and on June 12, between Ketchikan and Skagway they passed a “…US patrol boat and they trained the cannon on us but didn’t shoot thank heavens.”
Milton’s brother, Warren, in Fairbanks on July 8, noted in his diary, “War conditions much worse than people think. Army has complete control of all shipping. Eight bombers landed in here today. Planes are bringing back wounded from Dutch Harbor.”
Sears construction, assigned to build a second dock at Valdez, worked under the watchful eye of Army “lookouts in jeeps on the mountains behind Valdez. The jeeps were equipped with red lights which could be flashed on and off to warn the civilians to douse their lights and turn off the machinery.”
when we were told about the Japanese in Alaska on our vacation, it seemed like it was glossed over. Not of much consequence. Thank you for the real story
It was definitely of consequence. And there’s stool more to the story. I ha a couple more episodes.