Shortly after the United States entered World War 2, both the United States and the Empire of Japan realized the importance of Alaska as a possible staging area and airfield. Japan, in fact, considered it a crucial conquest so that further air attacks could be made on the West Coast of the United States. With that in mind the Japanese Imperial Army took control of the island of Kiska in early May, 1943, and shortly after that took control of the island of Attu.

In response, the United States 7^th Infantry Division made amphibious landings on Attu in an attempt to re-take the island but they immediately met heavy resistance from a well-entrenched Japanese army. Heavy naval bombardments followed but those failed to remove the Japanese so a prolonged combat situation ensued.

For nineteen days the battle continued in Arctic weather until finally, on May 29^th, without hope of being rescued, Colonel Yamasaki led his remaining troops in a banzai charge. With momentum and surprise on their side the Japanese actually broke through the U.S. front line positions but they were eventually killed in terrible hand-to-hand combat and the Battle of Attu came to an end.

Final count on casualties found the United States had lost 549 soldiers with an additional 1,000 wounded while the Japanese had 2,850 men killed and 29 prisoners taken alive. By July 28, 1943 the Japanese had evacuated their garrison on the island of Kiska, ending the Aleutian Islands campaign of World War 2.

One other note about attacks on United States soil during World War II: There were several naval bombardments of Oregon and California during World War 2 but as the years go by and the better-known battles continue to receive most of the notice these little-known battles on U.S. soil are all but forgotten. The bombardments caused little damage and certainly no lives were lost (except for a couple cows during one attack) and the Japanese eventually found that these attacks were serving no purpose so they ended them.

The rarely talked about Battle of Attu is a fascinating footnote to the American effort during World War 2, and one that we at HiTech Creations always love to discuss. We wouldn’t be surprised if one day in the near future one of our Special Events focused on Attu. It is our love of history and our attention to detail regarding these battles that has made Aces High the number one combat flight simulator in the world, one that flight sim gamers rave about online. Try our World War 2 Flight Simulator and fly the skies with Aces High.

A feature that we don’t talk enough about is the Ranks and Statistics link. Go to http://www.hitechcreations.com/component/option,com_ahscore/Itemid,223/view,pilotranks/ and you can enter your ID number and find out how you rank as a pilot or as a squad. In addition there are updated statistics there that will please the most avid of gamers.

This is a great feature that lets you know how you are doing against the best flight sim gamers in the world. At HiTech Creations we know that Aces High isn’t just about the game, although we consider it to be the best combat flight simulator on the market; it is also about the dedication of staff and volunteers who go out of their way to give you the best support features you will find on any World War 2 Flight Simulator.

Would you like a few reasons why you should play Aces High, the number one World War 2 Flight Simulator? Feast your eyes on these reasons:

• Scenarios
• Extreme Air Racing
• King of the Hill
• Friday Squad Operations
• Snapshots
• Sunday European Campaign
• This Day in World War 2

Those are just the special events that we offer monthly to our gamers, a chance to test their skills against the best flight sim gamers in the world. Do you have what it takes to compete? There is only one way to find out: sign up today and fly the Aces High skies!

At the commencement of World War 2, Darwin, Australia was a quiet port city of approximately 5,000 inhabitants; hardly what one would call a strategic military city. But by February 19, 1942 Darwin was being looked at closely as an important naval port and airbase and there were approximately 15,000 Allied military personnel there at that time.

Using the same element of surprise that served them so well at Pearl Harbor, Japan launched two waves of planes on the morning of February 19^th, totally 242 planes, towards Darwin in what would be the first of over 100 air raids against that Australian city. More bombs were dropped during that air raid than were dropped at Pearl Harbor and it was a devastating testament to the Japanese ability to attack swiftly and silently.

The Darwin attack was a complete success for the Japanese and it delivered a massive psychological blow to Australia in the early stages of World War II. Approximately 300 people were killed; most of the aircraft were destroyed and ten ships sunk and another 25 damaged. By comparison Japan only lost one airman and at most lost ten aircraft in what could only be construed as a major victory.

But setting aside the loss of life and devastation to the aircraft, the air raids of Darwin paralyzed an entire country. Australia simply did not have the industrial might to recover from this totally surprising attack and they knew it. Unlike the United States after Pearl Harbor, Australia did not have the ability to crank up the war machine and make Japan pay for their transgressions. The citizens of Australia were, in fact, sitting ducks and they knew it, and in the ensuing years they fought in the Allied Forces as if their very lives depended on it, because, quite frankly, they did.

At HiTech Creations we are fascinated by the individual battles of World War Two. Few out there have even heard of the air raids of Darwin and yet they were very real to the people of Australia and are remembered by survivors with as much clarity as those who survived a much more devastating attack at Pearl Harbor. It is, in fact, our fascination with all things World War 2 that led us to make Aces High and to commit to making just one flight sim and thus putting all our efforts into that combat flight simulator. We think our commitment to making only one game is apparent in the realism and attention to detail, and we are sure that once you try our World War 2 Flight Simulator that you will agree.