a
rocky island located within the Aleutian Islands of southwest
Alaska that separate the
Bering Sea in the
north from the Pacific Ocean in the
south. The Aleutian Islands are characterized by
high winds, heavy rainfall and persistent
fog. They were however strategically important during
World War II (1939-1945) and were fought over by the Japanese and the United
States. In 1942 the Japanese invaded and captured Attu; however, the
following year, the US regained the island after nineteen days of fighting.