Invasion Rabaul

by Bruce Gamble

  Chapter 11—Escape: The Laurabada

  Dawson’s early struggles: AWM 54 (607/9/3).

  “a wonderfully eloquent gift”: Selby, p. 111.

  “Morale gradually deteriorated”: AWM 54 (608/5/3).

  “With one exception”: ibid.

  “From where I lay on the floor”: Selby, pp. 150–51.

  “There were some deaths”: Palmer, AWM 54 (608/5/3).

  “every stone and tree”: Selby, p. 149.

  Struggle of Hannah, Hart, and Taylor: Taylor diary, p. 14.

  “had very kind faces” and details relating to Hart’s broken leg: ibid., p. 15.

  Hart’s recovery (footnote), including “spot on”: Harry, correspondence with author.

  “It was all a diversion”: Harry, “New Britain 1941/42,” p. 23.

  “jerked them into line”: ibid., p. 22.

  “Send all men”: Selby, p. 180.

  “brittle sticks”: Selby, p. 184.

  “near to weeping”: ibid., p 187.

  “black torrents”: ibid., p. 193.

  “My last memory of New Britain”: Bloomfield, p. 58

  Figgis, Harry, and the “mystery tin”: Figgis, author’s interview.

  Dawson’s escape and trek on New Guinea: AWM 54 (607/9/3).

  Death of Pvt. Dowse: Harry, correspondence with author.

  Chapter 12—Outcry

  “The Public Guardian”: Smith’s Weekly, May 16, 1942, p. 1.

  Reunion of Perkins, Taylor, and Webster at Tol: Harry, correspondence with author.

  Chapter 13—Inside the Fortress

  “Japanese soldiers fanned out”: Stone, p. 123.

  “I was left to work on board the ship”: AWM 3DRL/4005.

  Construction of buildings and output of sawmills: United States Strategic Bombing Survey (Pacific), p. 15.

  “On every vacant piece of land”: Thomas, Pacific Islands Yearbook, 1950, p. 31.

  “The days… were filled”: ibid.

  Arrival of Duranbah and experiences of POWs: Hutchinson-Smith, pp. 7–11.

  Profiles of Japanese camp personnel: ibid., pp. 11–12.

  Working parties, food, and cigarette racket: ibid., pp. 16–17.

  “They work hard with little rest”: AWM 55 (12/140).

  “Beating, bashing, and bludgeoning”: Hutchinson-Smith, p. 20.

  “Matsui came out”: ibid., p. 21.

  “Sergeant Ozaki and others”: AWM 55 (12/40).

  “Colonel Scanlan was interrogated”: ibid.

  “We just ignored him”: L. Johnson, author’s interview.

  “Drunken Japs”: Bowman, p. 65.

  “an appearance of sublime self-confidence”: White, quoted in Stone, p. 259.

  “Guide to Soldiers in the South Seas”: copy by Hisaeda, AWM 3DRL/4005.

  Showa swords and beheading: Cook, et al., pp. 40–43.

  Torture and execution of Capt. Gray, including “in order to study”: Bowman, p. 70.

  “prisoners and coolies” and details of POW encampments: AWM 55 (12/40).

  Organization and names of brothels in Rabaul: AWM 54 (208/2/4).

  “We had never dreamt”: quoted in Park.

  “One morning after breakfast”: Bowman, p. 67.

  “The cathedral had already been desecrated”: ibid., p. 68.

  Death of Pvt. French: Cox, p. 108.

  Capt. Fraser and musicians, ibid., pp. 108–109.

  “The sake flowed freely”: Hutchinson-Smith, p. 36.

  “The Japanese never lost an opportunity”: quoted in Stone, p. 273.

  Chapter 14—Cruel Fates

  Details of first B-17 raid: Salaker, p. 145; Steinbinder diary.

  “3 enemy planes”: Hisaeda, AWM 3DRL/4005.

  “In March, giant planes appeared”: Bowman, p. 80.

  Torture of female prisoners: Stone, p. 263.

  “little monkeys”: L. Johnson, author’s interview.

  Contents of POW letters home, and “instead of a bomb”: Cox, pp. 111–112.

  Attack on the Komaki Maru: GP-22-HI; Cundall, correspondence with author.

  “An enemy plane was shot down”: AWM 55 (12/140).

  “looked to be out of control”: Bowman, p. 81.

  “They must all be very happy”: quoted in Intelligence Bulletin Vol. I, No. 6, Section II, p. 19.

  “That night at muster”: Hutchinson-Smith, p. 19.

  Details of Tencho-setsu: Osaka Mainichi, April 29, 1942, p. 1.

  “Still terribly meager” and “too busy to be bothered”: Hutchinson-Smith, p. 33.

  Profile of Capt. Mizusaki: ibid.

  “making better progress than expected”: Japanese monograph No. 45.

  “A sleek Jap aircraft carrier” and “Day of the Armada”: Bowman, p. 82.

  “Japanese take Moresby”: ibid., p.83.

  “a battered and dirty replica”: ibid.

  “by radio telegraphy and fires”: B5563/2 (1911).

  “all sorts of silly reports”: statement of Capt. S. Arnoly, AIF, August 11, 1949.

  Character traits of Alfred Harvey: Arnoly (see preceding note) described Harvey as “a bit queer.” Also, C. O. Harry, in correspondence, referred to Harvey as an “odd bod.”

  “dispose of them by shooting” and details of Harvey family trial and execution: B5563 (CA 3055).

  “I remember hearing”: B5563/2 (2249).

  Details of USS Sturgeon’s fourth war patrol, including quotes by Lt. Cdr. Wright: SS187/A12–1, Serial 06, USS Sturgeon war diary.

  “slightly wounded and scorched”: Hutchinson-Smith, p. 19.

  POW stockade conditions and health situation, including “foul in the extreme”: ibid., p. 40.

  “There is no food left”: AWM 55 (12/140).

  Fortifications and weapons: Naval Analysis Division, United States Strategic Bombing Survey (Pacific), pp. 13–14.

  “for the transportation of supplies” and statistics of Imperial Navy shipping: Japanese Monograph No. 24, p. 9.

  “so much empty camp chatter” and details of prisoner exodus: Hutchinson-Smith, p. 42.

  Specifications of Montevideo Maru: Cundall, correspondence with author.

  Observations of Takamura: AWM 55 (12/140).

  Montevideo Maru’s voyage and conditions: Cundall, correspondence with author.

  Details of torpedo attack and related quotes by Wright and Nimitz: SS187/A12–1, Serial 06.

  Details of the sinking: Cundall, correspondence with author, which includes the full text of the loss report issued by the OSK line.

  Chapter 15—The Long Wait

  Deck tennis platform, and “an ear bashing”: Hutchinson-Smith, p. 44.

  Civilian help, foraging for food: ibid., p. 45.

  “Please, just call me Michael” and other quotes attributed to Capt. Mizusaki: Bowman, p. 88.

  “Come on, girls”: ibid., p. 91.

  “Ladies, welcome”: ibid., p. 92.

  “like an orchestra conductor”: Hutchinson-Smith, p. 47.

  “pretty bad shape”: ibid.

  “Navy men say”: AWM 55 (12/140).

  “On July 11 we heard”: Thomas, Pacific Islands Year Book, 1950, p. 31.

  Ship’s crew discrepancies and survival accounts: AWM 54 (779/1/1); AWM 54 (779/1/26A).

  “The party was absolutely defenseless”: quoted in Stone, p. 275.

  “starved, fatigued and near death”: Extract from OSK report, via Cundall.

  Details of Yokohama Yacht Club, and “Damned good Aussie wool”: Hutchinson-Smith, p. 54.

  POW life in Japan: all quotes and details regarding the imprisonment of Lark Force officers are drawn from the Hutchinson-Smith manuscript unless otherwise noted.

  Omamori charms: Tagaya, correspondence with author.

  Personalities of Komatsu and “Basher”: Bowman, pp. 140–142.

  Conditions at Totsuka, including “We were so weak”: ibid., pp. 151–158.

  “Night after night”: Angell, “The Forgotten Prisoners of Rabaul.”
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  “Flames were caught”: Bowman, p. 187.

  “turned-up wings”: ibid., p. 183.

  Rumors of “big bomb” and Emperor Hirohito’s surrender address: ibid., p. 199.

  “Well, if you haven’t anything else to do”: Hutchinson-Smith, p. 283.

  “When we got back to Sydney”: L. Johnson, author’s interview.

  Findings of Maj. H. S. Williams: AWM 54 (779/1/1).

  Investigation in Japan: Hon. E. E. Ward, October 5, 1945.

  “IT IS WITH DEEP REGRET”: Sample telegram in C. Johnson, p. 148.

  “As we stand here today”: Hodges, Australian War Memorial presentation, July 1, 2002.

  Epilogue

  Hellship statistics: Michno, pp. 309–317.

  Details of relative positions of Montevideo Maru and USS Sturgeon: OSK report via Cundall; SS187/A12–1, Serial 06.

  “When I got up on deck” and other quotes from Seaman Yamaji: Australian Broadcasting Company, “Silence Broken” transcript.

  “It implies to me”: Cundall, correspondence with author.

  “Information of the loss”: quoted in AWM 54 (779/1/1).

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  Books

  Aplin, Douglas. Rabaul 1942. Melbourne: The 2/22nd Battalion AIF, Lark Force Association, 1980.

  Bloomfield, David. Rabaul Diary: Escaping Captivity in 1942. Loftus, N.S.W.: Australian Military History Publications, 2001.

  Bowman, Alice. Not Now Tomorrow. Bangalow, N.S.W.: Daisy Press, 1996.

  Campbell, Ian. A History of the Pacific Islands. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1989.

  Cook, Haruka, and Theodore Cook. Japan at War: An Oral History. New York: The New Press, 1992.

  Cox, Lindsay. Brave and True: From Blue to Khaki—The Story of the 2122nd Battalion Band. Melbourne: Salvation Army Archives and Museum, 2003.

  Craven, Wesley, and John Cate. The Army Air Forces in World War II: Plans & Early Operations, January 1939 to August 1942. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1948.

  Ewing, Steve, and John Lundstrom. Fateful Rendezvous: The Life of Butch O’Hare. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1997.

  Feldt, Eric. The Coastwatchers. New York: Bantam, 1979.

  Gillison, Douglas. Royal Australian Air Force, 1939–1942 (Series 3, Vol. I, Australia in the War of 1939–1945). Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1962.

  Hasluck, Paul. The Government and the People (Series 4, Vol. 1, Australia in the War of 1939–1945). Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1952.

  Hata, Ikuhiko, and Yasuho Izawa. Japanese Naval Aces and Fighter Units in World War II. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1989.

  Johnson, Carl. Little Hell: The Story of the 2122nd Battalion and Lark Force. Blackburn, Vic.: Histoiy House, 2004.

  Johnson, R.W. and N.A. Threlfall. Volcano Town: The 1937–43 Rabaul Eruptions. Bathurst, N.S.W.: Robert Brown & Associates, 1985.

  Johnson, Stanley. Queen of the Flattops. New York: Dutton, 1942.

  Lundstrom, John. The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1984.

  Manchester, William. American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880–1964. Boston: Little, Brown, 1978.

  Michno, Gregory F. Death on the Hell Ships: Prisoners at Sea in the Pacific War. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2001.

  Minty, A. E. Black Cats. Point Cook, Vic.: RAAF Museum, 2001.

  Murphy, John. The Book of Pidgin English. Brisbane: W. R. Smith & Paterson, 1943.

  Prados, John. Combined Fleet Decoded. New York: Random House, 1995.

  Reeson, Margaret. Whereabouts Unknown. Sutherland, NSW: Albatross, 1993.

  Salaker, Gene. Fortress Against the Sun: The B-17 Flying Fortress in the Pacific. Conshohocken, Pa.: Combined Publishing, 2001.

  Selby, David. Hell and High Fever. Sydney: Currawong, 1956.

  Special Services Division, Army Service Forces. Pocket Guide to Australia. Washington: War Department, 1943.

  Stone, Peter. Hostages to Freedom: The Fall of Rabaul. Maryborough, Vic.: Australian Print Group, 1995.

  Wigmore, Lionel. The Japanese Thrust (Series 1, Vol. IV, Australia in the War of 1939–1945). Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1957.

  CD-ROMS

  Dunn, Peter. Australia @ War. Runcorn, QLD, 2006.

  Military Bulletins

  Informational Bulletin No. 9. Care of Personnel in the Wet Tropics. Headquarters, Army Air Forces, January 25, 1944.

  Intelligence Bulletin Vol. I, No. 1, Section III. Food. War Department, Military Intelligence Division, September 1942.

  Intelligence Bulletin Vol. I, No. 5, Section III. The Individual Soldier. War Department. Military Intelligence Division, January 1943.

  Intelligence Bulletin Vol. I, No. 6, Section II. Extracts From Diaries. War Department, Military Intelligence Division, February 1943.

  Intelligence Bulletin Vol. I, No. 10, Section II. Notes on Boats and Ships in Amphibious Operations. War Department, Military Intelligence Division, June 1943.

  Intelligence Bulletin Vol. II, No. 5, Section I. Enemy Bayonet Technique. War Department, Military Intelligence Division, January 1944.

  Intelligence Bulletin Vol. II, No. 9, Section IX. Japanese Explanation of “Duty” and “Spirit.” War Department, Military Intelligence Division, May 1944.

  Intelligence Bulletin Vol. Ill, No. 5. The Imperial Rescript. War Department, Military Intelligence Division. January 1945.

  Print Articles

  Miyake, Toshio. “The Capture of Kawieng.” Osaka Mainichi & The Tokyo

  Nichi Nichi, February 10, 1942, p. 3.

  Thomas, Gordon. “In Rabaul, Under the Japs.” Pacific Islands Yearbook, 1950. Sydney: Pacific Publications, 1950.

  Thomson, J. P. “The Islands of the Pacific.” National Geographic, December 1921, pp. 550–559.

  World Wide Web Articles

  Angell, Barbara. “Brave Women Pages: The Forgotten Prisoners of Rabaul.” http://www.angellpro.com.au/rabaul.htm.

  Australian Broadcasting Company. “Silence Broken on Australia’s Worst Maritime Disaster.” http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2003/s961016.htm.

  Australia-Japan Research Project. “Army Operations in the South Pacific

  Area: Papua Campaigns, 1942–1943. Chapter 1: Offensive Against Rabaul and Key Surrounding Areas. (Translation by Dr. Steven Bullard of Senshi Sosho: Minami Taiheiyo Rikugun Sakusen, 1: Poto Moresubi-Gashima Shoko Sakusen [War History Series: South Pacific Area Army Operations, Vol. 1: Port Moresby-Guadalcanal First Campaigns]. Tokyo: Asagumo Shinbunsha, 1968.) http://ajrp.awm.gov.au/ajrp/ajrp2.nsf.

  Johnson, H. “The 2001 Christmas Luncheon Commemorating the 60th Anniversary Reunion of PNG Evacuees.” Extract from Una Voce, March 2002. http://www.pngaa.net/Articles/articles_JohnsonH_Xmas_2001.htm.

  Kawamoto, Minoru. “Some Moments In The Barracks Of A Japanese Army Recruit.” http://www.star-games.com/exhibits/barracks.html.

  “Lost Lives: The Second World War and the Peoples of New Guinea,” www.jje.info/lostlives/people/moorerkp.html.

  Miller, Rod. “The Montevideo Maru.” http://www.montevideomaru.info/.

  Park, Okryon. “Stories from the Comfort Women.” http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/event/jeonshin/ (note: accessed in 2003/2004; now defunct).

  Unpublished Manuscripts and Collections

  Cook, William: Untitled. Narrative of the Tol massacre and escape from New Britain. 2/22nd Battalion, Lark Force Association, North Balwyn, N.S.W., undated.

  Harry, C. O. “New Britain 1941/42.” 2/22nd Battalion, Lark Force Association, North Balwyn, N.S.W., circa 2000.

  Hutchinson-Smith, David. “Guests of the Emperor.” AWM Private Collections, #MSS 1534, Australian War Memorial.

  Lyons, Frank. Untitled. Excerpts from the 1944 Webb Commission’s report on Japanese atrocities. 2/22nd Battalion, Lark Force Association, North Balwyn, N.S.W., circa 1980.

  Pearson, Percy. “2/22nd Battalion Diary.” 2/22nd Battalion, Lark Force Association, North Balwyn, N.S.W.
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  Steinbinder, John. Untitled. Personal diary from December 1941 to December 1942. Author’s collection.

  Taylor, Archibald. Untitled. Extracts from personal diary. 2/22nd Battalion, Lark Force Association, North Balwyn, N.S.W., undated.

  Official Documents—Australian

  AWM 54 (81/4/194): RAAF Operations report compiled by S/L W.D. Brookes, February 24, 1942.

  AWM 54 (607/7/1): AIF report compiled by Maj. P.E. Figgis, circa 1942.

  AWM 54 (607/8/2): AIF report by Lt. Col. H.H. Carr, Capt. D.F. Field, Capt. E.S. Appel, Lt. A.R. Tolmer & Lt. J.G. Donaldson, March 1942.

  AWM 54 (607/9/3): AIF account of escape by Lt. B. Dawson, circa 1942.

  AWM 54 (607/9/5): Rabaul account of escape by Sergeant D. F. Ferguson, circa 1942.

  AWM 54 (608/5/3): AIF report and medical extract by Maj. E. C. Palmer, August 22, 1942.

  AWM 54 (779/1/1): Report from Maj. H.S. Williams regarding the sinking of Montevideo Maru, material dated October 6, and November 6, 1945.

  AWM 54 (779/1/26A): American and Japanese accounts of the sinking of Montevideo Maru.

  AWM 60 (259): Untitled. Collected statements in response to Court of Inquiry.

  AWM 68 (3DRL 8052/108): Minutes, War Cabinet meeting, Melbourne, October 15, 1941.

  AWM 113 (MH 1/121, Part 1): Official inquiry into the Japanese landings at Rabaul, with attached summary by R.W. Robson, editor of “Pacific Islands Monthly.”

  B5563/2 (1911): Prisoner of War Information Bureau: Sworn Testimony of Shojiro Mizusaki, Tokyo, circa 1949 (National Archives of Australia).

  B5563/2 (2249): Prisoner of War Information Bureau: Sworn Testimony of Minoru Yoshimura, Tokyo, circa 1949 (National Archives of Australia).

  Cablegram 154, Prime Minister’s Department to Australian Minister, Washington, December 15, 1941 (National Archives of Australia).

  MP729/6 (16/401/493): Cable 152, Chief of Naval Staff, Prime Minister’s Department to Australian Minister (Naval Attache), Washington, D.C., December 12, 1941 (National Archives of Australia).

  Minutes, Parliamentary Debates, Canberra, Vol. 185, October 5, 1945 (National Archives of Australia).

  Official Documents—Japanese

  AWM 3DRL/4005: Diary of Akiyoshi Hisaeda, March 10, 1941 to November 16, 1942.

  AWM 54 (208/2/4): ATIS translations of miscellaneous captured documents.

  AWM 54 (423/4/158): ATIS Enemy Publications, Detailed Battle Report No. 2 (Rabaul Occupation Operations), June 2, 1943.