The Battle of Arawe was fought between Allied and Japanese forces during the New Britain Campaign of World War II. The battle was initiated by the Allies to divert Japanese attention away from the Cape Gloucester area of New Britain ahead of a major offensive there in late December 1943. A force built around the U.S. Army's 112th Cavalry Regimental Combat Team landed at Arawe on 15 December 1943 and rapidly overcame the area's small garrison. Japanese air units made large-scale raids against the Arawe area in the following days, and in late December elements of two Imperial Japanese Army battalions unsuccessfully counter-attacked the larger American force. In mid-January 1944 the 112th Cavalry Regimental Combat Team was reinforced with additional infantry and U.S. Marine Corps tanks, and launched a brief offensive that pushed the Japanese back. The Japanese units withdrew from the area towards the end of February as part of a general retreat from western New Britain. There is no consensus among historians on whether the Allied landing at Arawe was needed, with some arguing that it provided a useful diversion while others judge that it formed part of an unnecessary campaign.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arawe
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1256:
The Hashshashin stronghold at Alamut in present-day Iran was captured and destroyed by Hulagu Khan and the Mongols. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassins
1467:
Troops under Stephen III of Moldavia defeated the forces of Matthias Corvinus of Hungary in present-day Baia, Romania. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Baia
1939:
The American historical epic film Gone With the Wind (poster pictured), adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning novel of the same name, made its premiere in Atlanta, Georgia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gone_with_the_Wind_(film)
1973:
The American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its official list of mental disorders, the DSM-II. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnostic_and_Statistical_Manual_of_Mental_Disorders
1995:
The European Court of Justice handed down the Bosman ruling, allowing footballers in the European Union to freely transfer from one UEFA Federation to another at the end of their contracts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosman_ruling
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
mango: To remove the innards of, stuff (especially with spicy foods), seal and pickle or pour boiling vinegar over (a fruit). https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mango
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
 Belief has its structures, and its symbols change. Its tradition changes. All the relationships within these forms are inter- dependent. We look at the symbols, we hope to read them, we hope for sharing and communication. --Muriel Rukeyser https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Muriel_Rukeyser