Sidney Viele was born on November 23, 1923, in Glen Falls, Warren County, New York. He was a private in the 32nd Infantry and the 7th Infantry Bayonet Division. In the Battle of Attu, the 7th Infantry had been successfully pushing through Attu Island to Chicagof Harbor before eventually ending up on Engineer Hill. While defending the hill, Colonel Yamasaki’s banzai charge caught the 7th Infantry off-guard on the morning of May 29, 1943. Sidney Viele was an essential part of defending the artillery stationed on Engineer Hill. Sidney Viele tragically died fighting against the banzai charge, but he gave his life in a defense critical to retaking Attu Island. If Colonel Yamasaki had been successful in stealing American artillery, it would have certainly prolonged an already bloody battle and led to many more American deaths.

	The mission to retake Attu began after the Japanese occupied the island on June 7, 1942. Because Alaska was at the bottom of the priority list in a massive American war effort, for about a year, the American response to the occupation was limited to harassing the Japanese with a few dozen planes. On May 11, 1943, American forces landed on the island. The battle to reclaim Attu was mostly successful, but it all culminated on the morning of May 29, 1943, when Colonel Yamasaki launched a surprise banzai charge with his remaining men. At 3 am, Company B of the 32nd Infantry was ordered back to headquarters to receive breakfast, leaving a small number of men to guard the artillery on Engineer Hill. Subsequently, the Japanese launched their attack. While caught off guard, many American soldiers retreated to stronger positions at Fish Hook and Buffalo Hills. Very few soldiers remained behind and brutal hand-to-hand combat began. Unfortunately, Sidney Viele, only nineteen at the time, died in the brutal defense effort. Even though he was not fortunate enough to leave Attu Island alive, his contributions to defending the American artillery were crucial to ending the Battle of Attu with a swift American victory. Had he and the other men in the 7th infantry not been successful in fending off the Japanese, the battle would have continued, putting many more Americans at risk. 

Sidney B. Viele Jr, Engineer Hill, and the Battle of Attu

On May 11, 1943, the 7th U.S. Infantry Division landed on the island of Attu, Alaska, to reclaim it from the Japanese Imperial Army. Among these soldiers was a nineteen-year-old man named Sidney B. Viele Jr. 
Born on November 23, 1923, in Glen Falls, New York, Sidney was 5’ 11,” weighed 152 pounds, and had a dark complexion, brown hair, and blue eyes according to his draft card. After moving to Stoughton, Massachusetts, Viele enlisted in June 1942, joining the 7th Infantry bayonet unit. Unfortunately, on May 29 of the following year, Sidney tragically died fighting in the Battle of Engineer Hill at Attu. However, his sacrifice was not in vain. Sidney B. Viele and the 7th U.S. Infantry Division were fundamental to the Battle of Attu and the United States’s Alaskan war effort. Viele sacrificed his life to win the critical conflict of Engineer Hill, weakening Japanese military forces and allowing for advancements toward major naval victory.
	Beginning on May 11, 1943, Sidney’s 7th Infantry spent two weeks working their way across Attu to reclaim it from the June 1942 Japanese invasion. The Japanese attacked in small groups, and the over-waist-deep snow, below-freezing temperatures, and high casualties left the 7th Infantry with only 800 able-bodied men by the time they occupied the three key hills of Chichagof Valley (Fish Hook, Buffalo, and Engineer) on the evening of May 28. However, at three-thirty the following morning, a thousand Japanese soldiers charged toward Engineer Hill in what Japanese radio described as a “gallant offensive,” smashing through American infantry units and destroying communication devices. Japanese Colonel Yamasaki hoped to break through the hill and reach Massacre Bay, claiming American supplies and waiting for reinforcements. But Sidney’s 7th Infantry fought bravely and, after many casualties, emerged victorious in defeating Yamasaki and ending the Battle of Attu. Engineer Hill was the bloodiest engagement at Attu: 549 Americans died, including Sidney B. Viele. Nonetheless, Viele and his unit succeeded. One newspaper from May 30 reported that the “enemy force was annihilated” and sighted the victory as “the first American soil to be regained by our forces in this war after seizure by the enemy,” marking it as a critical turning point in the U.S.’s efforts in its Aleutian campaign. Furthermore, their loss at Attu forced the Japanese to redistribute their forces in the Pacific, allowing the U.S. to make significant gains in the Solomon Islands. Ultimately, Sidney B. Viele Jr’s death represented a major U.S. Alaskan victory and a true feat of bravery. He was a hero not to be forgotten. 

SIDNEY VIELE JR

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