The Battle of Milne Bay, also known as Operation RE by the Japanese, was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II from 25 August to 7 September 1942. Japanese naval troops, known as Kaigun Rikusentai, attacked the Allied airfields at Milne Bay that had been established on the eastern tip of New Guinea. The Japanese miscalculated the size of the garrison and initially landed a force roughly equivalent in size to one battalion on 25 August. Meanwhile the Allies, forewarned by intelligence from Ultra, had heavily reinforced the garrison. Despite suffering a significant setback at the outset, when part of the invasion force had its landing craft destroyed by Allied aircraft as they attempted to land on the coast behind the Australian defenders, the Japanese quickly pushed inland and began their advance towards the airfields. Heavy fighting followed as they came up against Australian Militia and the veteran Second Australian Imperial Force units. Allied air superiority helped tip the balance. Finding themselves outnumbered, lacking supplies and suffering heavy casualties, the Japanese were compelled to withdraw their forces. The battle is considered to be the first in the Pacific campaign in which Allied troops decisively defeated Japanese land forces.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Milne_Bay
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1346:
Hundred Years' War: English forces established the military supremacy of the English longbow over the French combination of crossbow and armoured knights at the Battle of Crécy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cr%C3%A9cy
1748:
The first Lutheran denomination in North America, the Pennsylvania Ministerium, was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Ministerium
1810:
Juan José Castelli ordered the execution of Santiago de Liniers, during the Argentine War of Independence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago_de_Liniers,_1st_Count_of_Buenos_Aires
1883:
The largest explosion in human history took place when an eruption destroyed the volcanic island of Krakatoa (pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1883_eruption_of_Krakatoa
1968:
The U.S. Democratic Party's National Convention began at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, sparking four days of clashes between anti–Vietnam War protesters and police. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Democratic_National_Convention
1977:
The National Assembly of Quebec declared French to be the only official language of Quebec. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_of_the_French_Language
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
paradigm shift: A radical change in thinking from an accepted point of view to a new one, necessitated when new scientific discoveries produce anomalies in the current paradigm. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/paradigm_shift
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
The true definition of a snob is one who craves for what separates men rather than for what unites them. --John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Buchan,_1st_Baron_Tweedsmuir