The Divisional Cavalry Regiment, New Zealand's first armoured unit, was formed in September 1939 after the country entered the Second World War. After being sent to Egypt with the 2nd New Zealand Division, the regiment deployed to Greece as part of W Force, the British contingent sent to defend the country from Nazi Germany in March 1941. The regiment was scattered during the retreat from Greece; most of it ended up in Crete, but had to evacuate in May after a German paratroop attack. Its men fought in Operation Crusader and spent a brief interlude in Syria before engaging in the First Battle of El Alamein, equipped with four recaptured Stuart tanks (pictured). They fought again in the Second Battle of El Alamein, at El Agheila, and at the Mareth Line. After the German retreat from Tunisia, they were sent to Italy with the division in September, and fought in the Italian Campaign. In October 1944, the regiment was reorganized into an infantry battalion, fighting until the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. In March 1946 they arrived in Japan as a regiment of J Force, the New Zealand contribution to the occupation. The regiment was disbanded in September 1947. Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divisional_Cavalry_Regiment_(New_Zealand)> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1739: War of Jenkins' Ear: A British naval force captured the settlement of Portobello in the Spanish Main (modern Panama). <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Porto_Bello> 1845: Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata: The Argentine Confederation were defeated in the Battle of Vuelta de Obligado, but the losses ultimately made the United Kingdom and France give up the blockade. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vuelta_de_Obligado> 1917: First World War: The Battle of Cambrai began with British forces having initial success over Germany's Hindenburg Line. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cambrai_(1917)> 1947: Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King George VI of the United Kingdom, married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten (both pictured), who was given the title Duke of Edinburgh. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Philip,_Duke_of_Edinburgh> 1994: In accordance with the Lusaka Protocol, the Angolan government signed a ceasefire with UNITA rebels in a failed attempt to end the Angolan Civil War. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusaka_Protocol> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: countrify: (transitive) To make rural or rustic. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/countrify> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:   Let's dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.   --Robert F. Kennedy <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy>