Wikipedia:Today's featured article/September 15, 2014

The Battle of Morotai, part of the Pacific War, began on 15 September 1944, and continued until the end of the war in August 1945. The fighting started when United States and Australian forces landed on the south-west corner of Morotai, a small island in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), which the Allies needed as a base to support the liberation of the Philippines later that year. The invading forces greatly outnumbered the island's Japanese defenders, and secured their objectives in two weeks. Japanese reinforcements were landed on the island between September and November, but lacked the supplies needed to effectively attack the Allied defensive perimeter. Intermittent fighting continued until the end of the war, with the Japanese troops suffering heavy loss of life from disease and starvation. South-western Morotai was subsequently developed into a major Allied base, with facilities on the island being used to support landings in the Philippines and Borneo. Torpedo boats and aircraft based at Morotai also harassed Japanese positions in the NEI. Morotai remained an important logistical hub and command center until the Dutch reestablished their colonial rule in the NEI. (Full article...)

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