New Zealand soldiers land at Vella Lavella to relieve
U.S. 35th Infantry Regiment on 17 September 1943
70 Years Ago—Sept.
20, 1943: At Auletta, Italy, US Fifth Army meets British Eighth Army advancing
from south. New Zealanders secure Vella Lavella in Solomon Islands. US War
Department puts all coastal observation posts down to alert status due to
declining invasion threat.
