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The Mamluks were driven out of Syria by the Ottoman Turks after the Battle of Marj Dabiq in 1516 . The Mamluk @-@ appointed amir al @-@ ʿarab , Mudlij ibn Zahir , a direct descendant of Hayar , was kept in his position by Ottoman sultan , Selim I , after the two met in the aftermath of Marj Dabiq . Mudlij acted as a l...
Ahmad died in 1615 and was succeeded by his son Shadid until he was killed by Zahir 's son , Mudlij II . The latter did not gain the imarat al @-@ ʿarab , however , and Shadid was replaced by Fayyad , who held the post until his death in 1618 . Afterward , Fayyad 's son Husayn was appointed but then Mudlij II was reco...
= = List of umara al @-@ ʿarab = =
= = = Ayyubid emirs = = =
= = = Mamluk emirs = = =
= = = Ottoman emirs = = =
= Battle of Sattelberg =
The Battle of Sattelberg took place between 17 and 25 November 1943 , during the Huon Peninsula campaign of the Second World War . Involving forces from Australia , the United States and Japan , the fighting centred on the Sattelberg mission station which was situated atop a hill about 900 metres ( 3 @,@ 000 ft ) abov...
= = Background = =
Following the fall of Lae in September 1943 , the Australians continued their advance north along the New Guinea coast towards the Huon Peninsula , with the aim of securing Finschhafen , where large scale air and naval facilities could be constructed for operations that were planned against New Britain . On 22 Septemb...
The landing was only lightly opposed , and the Australians began to advance south towards Katika where Japanese resistance was stronger , but was nevertheless overcome by the early afternoon . As the 20th Brigade advanced south towards their objective at Finschhafen , intelligence indicated that the Japanese were movi...
Following this , the 9th Division was tasked with advancing towards Sio , further around the coast on the northern side of the Huon Peninsula . The Japanese in the area around Finschhafen were growing in strength , however , as a large number of the 4 @,@ 000 to 5 @,@ 000 men that had garrisoned Finschhafen had manage...
= = Prelude = =
= = = Advance on Finschhafen = = =
During the advance on Finschhafen , a company from the 2 / 17th Battalion , which had been tasked with securing the beachhead and the flank , had been sent to Sattelberg but had been unable to occupy it due to the strength of the Japanese force already there . As captured orders had revealed Japanese plans to breakthr...
During this time , the Japanese were also planning an offensive . On 10 October , the Japanese 20th Division 's commander , Katagiri , arrived at Sattelberg having trekked overland from Sio . After taking over operational control of the forces there , on 12 October he issued orders for an attack to commence on 16 Octo...
The Australians had learned about Katagiri 's plans and as a result the 9th Division commander , Wootten , decided to put off his own offensive plans while the Japanese attack was dealt with . It came in the early hours of 17 October , and over the course of the following week heavy fighting ensued around Katika and J...
= = = Japanese preparations = = =
With the 79th Infantry Regiment having lost around 50 % of its strength and with ammunition and food running low ( by the end of the month , they had been reduced to quarter rations ) , the Japanese divisional commander , Katagiri , made the decision to call off the attack in order to pull back from Jivevaneng and Kat...
As a part of this plan , Katagiri decided that he would use the 80th Infantry Regiment to defend Sattelberg , while the 79th would concentrate in the Nongora area with the intention of launching a counter @-@ attack upon the Australian forces advancing from Katika , near the Song River on 25 November . Around Sattelbe...
The Japanese defenders were supported by the 4th Air Army , with fighter and bomber aircraft from the 6th and 7th Air Divisions flying close support missions against Australian artillery positions , carrying out bombing operations around the Finschhafen area , and dropping supplies by air around Sattelberg and Wareo t...
= = = Allied preparations = = =
Prior to the attack on Sattelberg , the Australians needed reinforcements . Although initially the Allied higher commanders were reluctant to provide these , on 25 October the Militia 4th Brigade was detached from the 5th Division and placed under the operational control of the 9th Division . These troops were subsequ...
Support for the 26th Brigade 's attack would be provided by divisional assets , including Matilda tanks from ' C ' Squadron , 1st Tank Battalion , whose presence the Australians took great lengths to keep secret , artillery from the 2 / 12th Field Regiment and later ( after it was found that the 25 @-@ pdrs could not ...
Supplies for the operation were landed by American landing craft from the 532nd Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment and brought forward using vehicles or carried by local porters . They were then " dumped " around Jivevaneng and Kumawa , where they could be distributed to individual battalions . However , the heavy rain ...
= = Battle = =
= = = Initial Australian attack = = =
On 17 November , fighting for the main position around Sattelberg commenced . The previous night , in order to prepare for the attack on the 2200 feature , the 2 / 48th Battalion captured Green Ridge , a small but important feature that dominated the Sattelberg road . The capture of the ridge secured a start line forw...
The terrain upon which the Australians advanced hampered their movement considerably . Consisting mainly of steep " razor @-@ back " ridges and thick jungle which restricted the tactics that Whitehead could employ , the 26th Brigade mainly employed infiltration tactics , advancing on " narrow fronts " using columns of...
Firing upon the Australians with machine @-@ guns , mortars and grenades , the Japanese defenders upon Coconut Ridge held up the advance . Throughout the rest of the day , the 2 / 48th Battalion undertook a series of flanking attacks in which at least 80 Japanese were killed , however by nightfall the Japanese still h...
The Japanese abandoned Coconut Ridge that night , while in the morning the Australians brought up three replacement tanks . At around 7 : 00 am , an Australian patrol scouted the ridge and an hour later a platoon attack was put in , confirming that the defenders had gone . As battlefield clearance operations got under...
That night , Wootten decided to take stock of the slow progress along the southern and central routes . Based on captured documents , Australian intelligence reports placed the number of Japanese troops around the mission at about 2 @,@ 000 men . These men were believed to be from the 80th Infantry Regiment , which th...
The following day , 19 November , the Australians came up against a series of prepared defences which further slowed their progress . Throughout the night the Japanese had dug a number of anti @-@ tank ditches , about 6 feet ( 1 @.@ 8 m ) wide and 4 feet ( 1 @.@ 2 m ) deep , which Australian engineers had to fill befo...
The fourth day of the assault , 20 November , brought no forward movement for the Australians at the 2 @,@ 200 feature as the 80th Infantry Regiment 's 2nd Battalion fought tenaciously to prevent the 2 / 24th from moving forward . Nevertheless , it was a different story for the Australians on the main road as the 3rd ...
= = = Japanese counter @-@ attack = = =
For the Japanese , the supply situation around Sattelberg was worsening . Although some supplies were successfully air dropped , the defenders were reduced to consuming only a third of the standard daily ration and Katagiri 's supply of artillery shells was very low , despite adherence to strict fire discipline . Give...
Wootten had predicted this , based upon documents that had been captured by the Australians , and Brigadier Selwyn Porter 's 24th Brigade had thoroughly prepared for the onslaught . The 79th Infantry Regiment crossed the Song River and attacked Scarlet Beach from the west , while the 2nd Battalion , 238th Infantry Reg...
= = = Australian attack resumed = = =
After being forced off Steeple Tree Hill , Miyake , commanding the main Japanese defensive unit , the 80th Infantry Regiment , decided to concentrate his defence upon the saddle at " Point 10 " which was positioned to the west of the 2 @,@ 200 feature , at Sattelberg itself and on the 3 @,@ 200 feature to the north @-...
Throughout 21 November , there was a lull in the battle as the Australians paused for resupply . However , by the end of the day Whitehead had made good his supply situation and the advance resumed the following day . In an effort to find the best possible route , the Australians sent out small reconnaissance patrols ...
Following the fall of Steeple Tree Hill , the Japanese were less inclined to engage the Australian forces , nevertheless the advance continued to be frustratingly slow for the Australian commanders . The terrain over which the final part of the advance was undertaken was particularly taxing on the troops involved . Ma...
Although he was being pressured by the divisional commander to increase the speed of the advance , Whitehead was said to be reasonably happy with the progress being made by the 2 / 48th along the central route , although he had misgivings about the performance of the 2 / 23rd on the left and the 2 / 24th on the right ...
On 23 November , Allied bombers attacked the fortress at Sattelberg , as well as defensive positions around Kumawa . The 2 / 48th , nearing their objective , cautiously began to probe the outer positions , while to the north , three companies from the 2 / 24th managed to reach the saddle that lay below the north @-@ e...
= = = Final assault = = =
By 24 November the Australians were within striking distance of the mission atop the summit . A reconnaissance patrol the previous evening had provided the Australian commander with the idea to send a company from the 2 / 48th over the Siki Creek and attack the mission from the south @-@ east up a steep escarpment tha...
During the morning , while a diversionary attack was made by the 2 / 23rd Battalion , and patrols from the 2 / 24th to the north attempted to break through , a company from the 2 / 48th , under the command of Captain Deane Hill , attempted to reach the summit at Sattelberg . Two platoons launched attacks during the ea...
After stopping about 100 yards ( 91 m ) from the summit , Derrick 's platoon continued to hold their position through the night . Elsewhere , the 2 / 24th Battalion reported that they were just below the crest of the 2 @,@ 200 feature , the last Japanese defensive position to the north , and that they would capture it...
The following morning , at first light , spurred on by the example provided by 11 Platoon , reinforcements from the 2 / 48th came up to complete the capture of Sattelberg . Just after dawn , a heavy artillery barrage was brought down on the summit by Australian artillery in preparation for the final attack . At 8 : 25...
Fifty minutes later , the lead elements of the 2 / 48th Battalion entered the main mission complex , which was found to be quite badly damaged . Finally , at 10 : 00 am , upon the insistence of the 2 / 48th Battalion 's commanding officer , Lieutenant Colonel Robert Ainslie , Derrick was given the honour of raising th...
= = Aftermath = =
During the fighting around Sattelberg , the Australians lost 49 men killed and a further 118 wounded . In the circumstances , this was considered to be light . Japanese casualties are unknown , but are believed to have been " heavy " : a large number of Japanese bodies were found during the advance on Sattelberg , whi...
Following the capture of Sattelberg on 25 November , the 26th Brigade continued to advance to the north . Further fighting ensued as they pushed on over difficult terrain to Wareo , where they arrived on 8 December . After the Australians took Wareo , the Japanese began to fall back to Sio , where subsequent fighting ...
For his actions during the final assault on the mission , Derrick was awarded the Victoria Cross — his nation 's highest military decoration . Derrick was the fourth soldier from the 2 / 48th Battalion to receive the award ; by the end of the hostilities the 2 / 48th had the distinction of being the most highly decora...
= Acquacotta =
Acquacotta ( pronounced [ ˌakkwaˈkɔtta ] ; Italian for " cooked water " ) is a broth @-@ based hot soup in Italian cuisine that was originally a peasant food . Its preparation and consumption dates back to ancient history , and it originated in the coastal area of named Maremma in southern Tuscany and northern Lazio ....
= = History = =
Acquacotta is a simple traditional dish originating in the coastal region of Italy known as Maremma , which spans the southern half of Tuscany 's coast and runs into northern Lazio . The word " acquacotta " means " cooked water " in the Italian language . It was originally a peasant food , and has been described as an...
Acquacotta was invented in part as a means to make stale , hardened bread edible . People that worked away from home for significant periods of time , such as woodcutters and shepherds , would bring bread and other foods with them ( such as pancetta and salt cod ) to hold them over . Acquacotta was prepared and used t...
A legend about acquacotta exists in relation to the concept of stone soup , which is generally based upon a premise of a poor traveler who arrived at a village having only a stone , but convinced the villagers to add ingredients to his stone soup , creating acquacotta ; variations of the legend exist .
= = = Ingredients = = =