Editing Battle of Midway (section)

===Aleutian invasion===
{{Main|Aleutian Islands campaign}}
To obtain support from the IJA for the Midway operation, the IJN agreed to support their [[Aleutian Islands campaign|invasion of the United States]] through the [[Aleutian Islands]] of [[Attu Island|Attu]] and [[Kiska]], part of the [[Territory of Alaska|Alaska Territory]]. The IJA occupied these islands to place the Japanese home islands out of range of U.S. land-based bombers in Alaska. Most Americans feared that the occupied islands would be used as bases for Japanese bombers to attack strategic targets and population centers along the [[West Coast of the United States|U.S. West Coast]].

The Japanese operations in the Aleutians (Operation AL) removed yet more ships that could otherwise have augmented the force striking Midway. Whereas many earlier historical accounts considered [[Aleutian_Islands_campaign#Japanese_attack|the Aleutians operation]] as a feint to draw American forces away, according to the original Japanese battle plan, AL was intended to be launched simultaneously with the attack on Midway. A one-day delay in the sailing of Nagumo's task force resulted in Operation AL beginning a day before the Midway attack.<ref>{{Harvnb|Parshall|Tully|2005|pp=43–45}}, derived from ''Senshi Sōsho'', pp. 119–121.</ref>