Hello everyone, and thank you once again for listening to the saga of World War II,

a Cassus Belly project. As always, if you have questions, comments, or corrections,

feel free to contact me at Cassisbelly guy at gmail.com. I always appreciate feedback from listeners,

and I try to be prompt in my replies. In this episode, we will finish the Aleutian Islands campaign.

That weird backburner campaign whose major engagements took place just as American troops were landing in the New Georgia archipelago and as Allied forces were descending on Sicily.

Though not as impactful as the Solomon's campaign or as star-studded as Operation Husky, the Aleutian's campaign was still a major commitment on the part of the U.S. military and worth discussing.

I also want to make a quick note about nomenclature.

In this episode, I'll be referring to Army infantry battalions a lot, so I want to make sure everyone is clear on how I refer to them.

Let's take the 1st Battalion 17th Infantry Regiment as an example.

Typically, in army terms,

regiments are referred to by their number and type, so the 17th Infantry is referring

to the 17th Infantry Regiment, kind of like how all Marine Regiments are just called Marines.

The battalion number is just referred to as first, second, or third, since battalions are

numbered within their regiment. Sometimes though, they're simply referred to by their number designation. So instead of saying

first of the 17th, I'll just say the 117 infantry, or simply 117. I know it's a bit inconsistent,

but that's also just the way people actually refer to units in the army. So who am I to change that?

Plus, it lets me have a little bit of variety

when referring to the same battalion over and over again.

Anyway, let's begin episode 46, Battle of the Backwater.

I have been astonished that Japan should in a single day have plunged into war against

the United States and the British Empire.

What kind of a people do they think we are?

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