In August 1943, Allied military commanders prepared to launch Operation Cottage, a joint American and Canadian amphibious invasion aimed at liberating the North Pacific island of Kiska from Japanese occupation. Reeling from the brutal, blood-soaked campaign to retake nearby Attu Island earlier that year, commanders left nothing to chance. An armada of over 100 ships bombarded the fog-shrouded island for days, while nearly 35,000 heavily armed troops landed on the rocky, mud-slicked beaches, bracing for fanatical resistance.
Unbeknownst to the invasion force, the Japanese garrison of 5,400 troops had secretly evacuated two weeks prior under the cover of dense Arctic fog, leaving behind a completely deserted island populated only by abandoned dogs and booby traps. What followed was a tragic comedy of errors driven by severe weather, nerve-wracking tension, and friendly fire. Enveloped in thick mist, isolated patrols mistook each other for enemy squads, leading to frantic midnight firefights.
The harsh terrain, landmines, booby-trapped tunnels, and friendly fire claimed dozens of lives. To compound the disaster, the destroyer USS Abner Read struck a sea mine floating off the coast, killing 71 sailors and wounding scores more. By the time the island was declared secured, the Allies had suffered 313 total casualties, including 92 deaths, without a single enemy soldier present.
Operation Cottage remains one of the most stark examples of military friendly fire and fog-of-war confusion in human history.