Visit Gertrude Cove, Kiska Island, Alaska

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Remains of infrastructure from Japanese encampment exists above Gertrude Cove, Kiska Island. The mainstay of Japanese heavy anti-aircraft defense was the 75mm Type 88 guns, extensively used by both the Japanese Navy and Army throughout the South-East Asian and Pacific theatres of war. Capable of a rate of fire of 20 rounds per minute, these manually operated guns fired both high explosive and time-fuzed shells with an effective ceiling of 22,000 feet. Batteries of four guns each covered the main approaches to Kiska Harbor, being sited on South Head, North Head, just above the main camp and in central northern Kiska. Two additional batteries protected the Army garrison at Gertrude Cove. The guns were supported by five outriggers which could be rapidly collapsed to a one-axle trailer for rapid re-siting. Indeed, on neighboring Attu the Japanese defenders used these 75mm guns very effectively in combat against U.S. ground soldiers.

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