Title: The men who came out of the ground : a gripping account of Australia's first commando campaign : Timor 1942 /
Authors: Cleary, Paul, 1964-
Publisher: Hachette Australia,
Year: 2010
Subjects: World War, 1939-1945 Underground movements Timor-Leste.; World War, 1939-1945 Campaigns Timor-Leste.; World War, 1939-1945 Participation, Australian.; World War, 1939-1945 Participation, Dutch.; Indonesia History
Abstract: "It was early 1942 ... The seemingly all-conquering Japanese military forces had rolled over south-east Asia ... Only a few hundred [Australian] men remained in Timor. These soldiers, the 2/2 Australian Independent Company - Sparrow Force - were all that stood between Japanese forces and Papua New Guinea. A Special Forces unit set up to fight a different kind of war, many were bushmen and crack shots, and all were trained to fight behind enemy lines. Mobilising the support of the locals, the 2/2 Company avoided pitched battles, instead picking just the right time to strike ... Always greatly outnumbered but relentless in their harassing campaign of skirmishes and ambuishes, Sparrow Force tied down thousands of Japanese in a fierce guerilla war - not just matching them but beating them"--Publisher's description.