At the beginning of June 1942, in the wake of the enormous Japanese struggle to bring a conclusive victory in the Pacific War, the Imperial Japanese Navy commenced Operation 'AL' (AL 作戦, AL Sakusen). Among the objectives of this bold plan, was the 2nd Kidō Butai carrier-borne strike on the American military base at Dutch Harbor and seizing part of the United States territory, namely the western part of the Aleutian Archipelago in the North Pacific. Operation 'AL', elaborated by the Navy General Staff (軍令部, Gunreibu), was a response to a gamble by the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet (連合艦隊, Rengō Kantai) to seek a decisive naval battle in the Central Pacific near Midway. Senior naval staff, being reluctant about Admiral Yamamoto's plan of putting on-edge the Nippon Kaigun's main striking potential, desired to secure the northern approach of the home islands and prevent the potential US-Soviet military cooperation against Japan. By conquering two islands in the Aleutians, Attu
