Operation Kingfisher

Operation Kingfisher

Author: Gary Followill

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2023-07-05

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 1922896691

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The chain of events that led to the death of over 2,500 Prisoners of War – one of Australia’s worst wartime tragedies – the cancellation of the rescue mission Operation Kingfisher. Finally, the true story of why the Sandakan POWs of World War II were not rescued despite a fully planned and resourced operation – including men, aircraft and naval vessels – all equipped to carry out the rescue mission. There have been several published theories on Operation Kingfisher which explore if the plan really existed, why it was cancelled and who was to blame for its cancellation. For the first time, Operation Kingfisher analyses the effects government policy and the relationships of Churchill, Roosevelt and Curtin had on the mission and its final outcome. Using recently released archival documents, the author uncovers the mistakes made by Allied governments and special forces in Borneo that triggered the Death Marches Number 2 and Number 3. It reveals the mistaken intelligence which caused the cancellation of the rescue mission of the POWs at the Sandakan POW camp – a decision that ultimately resulted in their deaths. Operation Kingfisher discloses the actual chain of events that led to the tragic sacrifice of all but six survivors of the Sandakan POW camp.


The Japanese Occupation of Borneo, 1941-45

The Japanese Occupation of Borneo, 1941-45

Author: Ooi Keat Gin

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-12-17

Total Pages: 291

ISBN-13: 113696309X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Japanese occupation of both British Borneo – Brunei, Sarawak and North Borneo – and Dutch Borneo in 1941 to 1945 is a much understudied subject. Of particular interest is the occupation of Dutch Borneo, governed by the Imperial Japanese Navy that had long-term plans for ‘permanent possession’. This book surveys Borneo under Western colonialism, examines pre-war Japanese interests in Borneo, and analyses the Japanese military invasion and occupation. It goes on to consider the nature of Japanese rule in Borneo, contrasting the different regimes of the Imperial Japanese Army, which ruled the north, and the Navy. A wide range of issues are discussed, including the incorporation of the economy in the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere and the effects of this on Borneo’s economy. The book also covers issues such as the relationship with the various indigenous inhabitants, with Islam and the Muslim community, and the Chinese, as well as topics of acculturation and propaganda, and major uprisings and mass executions. It examines the impact of the wartime conditions and policies on the local multiethnic peoples and their responses, providing an invaluable contribution to the greater understanding of the significance of the wartime Japanese occupation in the historical development of Borneo.


Hell on Earth

Hell on Earth

Author: Michele Cunningham

Publisher: Hachette Australia

Published: 2013-07-30

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 073362930X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The heart-rending story of the Australians brutally imprisoned in Sandakan, the Japanese POW camp in North Borneo, whose very name came to symbolise cruelty and ill-treatment. In mid-1942, after the fall of Singapore, almost three thousand Allied prisoners of war were taken by the Japanese from Changi to Sandakan. Of those, 2500 lost their lives. Men died at Sandakan and on the infamous death marches: they died from sickness and starvation, torture and appalling violence, or were killed by the guards as they were forced to keep moving along a seemingly never-ending track. Only six Australians survived the death marches, out of the thousand who left ... Michele Cunningham's father was one of those who survived Sandakan, and then Kuching. Through the mateship and common bond of the survivors, she has had access to their stories, and here she gives an account of these courageous men ? those who refused to break no matter how badly they were treated; and those brave men who didn't make it. And it is the story of the depths to which the Japanese sank. Hell on Earth is a remarkable story of bravery, brutality, mateship and survival.


Post-War Borneo, 1945-1950

Post-War Borneo, 1945-1950

Author: Ooi Keat Gin

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-05-29

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 1134058101

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book examines Borneo, both British Borneo – Brunei, Sarawak and North Borneo – and Dutch Borneo in the period 1945-1950. Borneo then was at the crossroads. Following the Japanese Occupation, the likely future status of the various Bornean territories was not at all clear, and the book discusses the various factions and powers, both local and international, who were contending for control in this period. It examines the effects of the Japanese surrender, the impact of the subsequent interregnum and Australian and British military administrations, the reassertion of Dutch control, the struggle for Indonesian independence, and movements for local autonomy, reassertion of ethnic rights, interests and identity. It charts developments throughout this volatile and uncertain period, up to the point at which the newly independent Republic of Indonesia emerged and a more settled period began.


Justice In Arms

Justice In Arms

Author: Australian Army Legal Corps

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2014-01-05

Total Pages: 479

ISBN-13: 1922132519

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Justice in Arms brings to life a fascinating and important element of Australia’s legal history — the role of Army legal officers in Australia and in expeditionary operations from the Boer War until 2000. This is a comprehensive and absorbing history which describes the dynamic interaction of institutional and political imperatives and the personalities who managed this interaction over the decades. It is populated by colourful characters and legal luminaries and demonstrates that military justice is rightly concerned with discipline and cohesiveness. Reflecting broader societal norms, it is also concerned with the rule of law and respect for the rights, liberties and fair treatment of those who serve in the armed forces. Justice in Arms describes the extraordinary contribution of Army legal officers to both the profession of arms and the development of the law, charting the evolving personal and structural relationships between Army legal officers and command dictated by the changing legal needs of the Army and the broader Australian Defence Force. Today Army legal officers apply, adapt and shape the law to meet evolving needs in peacetime and during armed conflict and peace operations, ensuring the legitimacy of military action and the maintenance of domestic and international support for national objectives.


Follies in America

Follies in America

Author: Kerry Dean Carso

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2021-08-15

Total Pages: 156

ISBN-13: 1501755951

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Follies in America examines historicized garden buildings, known as "follies," from the nation's founding through the American centennial celebration in 1876. In a period of increasing nationalism, follies—such as temples, summerhouses, towers, and ruins—brought a range of European architectural styles to the United States. By imprinting the land with symbols of European culture, landscape gardeners brought their idea of civilization to the American wilderness. Kerry Dean Carso's interdisciplinary approach in Follies in America examines both buildings and their counterparts in literature and art, demonstrating that follies provide a window into major themes in nineteenth-century American culture, including tensions between Jeffersonian agrarianism and urban life, the ascendancy of middle-class tourism, and gentility and social class aspirations.