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CORRECTION ON KISKA CASUALTIES (See

CORRECTION ON KISKA CASUALTIES

(See story yesterday). A quick clarification to the reporting on the Kiska Operation in 1943, which is the only precedent we could find for Canadian soldiers operating in a U.S.-led force before yesterday: in fact four Canadians were killed on Kiska, and four others wounded out of some 6,300 involved (not 5,000 as reported; I forgot the Canadians in the 1st SSF). The Japanese had, of course, abandoned the island before they landed: all the casualties were in friendly fire incidents (It's not recorded fire by whom; The American friendly fire toll in the operation was much higher.) Let's hope our two armies do better this time out. For more info, read The Thousand-Mile War: World War 2 in Alaska and the Aleutians, by Brian Garfield.

NB: The Canadian commander in Kiska was First War hero Maj. Gen. George Pearkes, VC, who had been sacked as 1st Canadian Division commander in England a year before by Montgomery (Whether for age or intelligence is unclear.) Old soldiers never die, I suppose...