Силы "Воробей" на Тиморе во время Второй мировой войны.

Allied formation deployed to Timor during World War II

Sparrow Force was a detachment based on the 2/40th Australian Infantry Battalion and other Dutch, British, US and Australian 8th Division units during World War II. The force was formed to defend the island of Timor from invasion by the Empire of Japan. It formed the main part of the Allied units in the Battle of Timor. The force began deploying in late 1941, and following Japan's entry into the war, it was drawn into the fighting in response to the Japanese invasion of Portuguese and Dutch Timor in February 1942. After heavy fighting around Irekum, the main element of the force – the 2/40th – were forced to surrender on 23 February 1942; however, elements of the force, specifically commandos from the 2/2nd Independent Company, supported by the local population, continued a guerilla campaign and inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese until August, when the Japanese launched a counter offensive. Despite reinforcements from the 2/4th Independent Company arriving in September 1942, the Japanese offensive eventually resulted in the withdrawal of Allied troops over the period December 1942 to January 1943, with the commandos being withdrawn by sea. Sparrow Force personnel who were captured during the fighting were sent to Japanese labour camps across Southeast Asia, and between 1942 and 1945, many died in captivity.

In December 1941, due to concerns about a Japanese invasion, the Dutch requested that Australian forces be sent to both Koepang and Ambon under provisions that had been agreed to in a conference at Singapore earlier in the year. That plan, entitled "Plans for the employment of naval and air forces of the associated powers in the eastern theatre in the event of war with Japan" (Plenaps), had already resulted in the disposition of forces, including some U. S. fleet movements, as early as November 1941. Initially, Australian plans were to send forces only to Koepang with the resulting order to embark the force at Darwin, designated "Sparrow," on 7 December 1941 using the transport and the armed cruiser HMAS Westralia, which were available in the port. The decision to exclude Ambon was quickly changed with 1,090 troops designated "Gull Force" sent to Ambon from Darwin on 14 December using three Dutch merchant ships. In January 1942, the Allied forces on Timor became a key link in the so called "Malay Barrier", defended by the short lived American British Dutch Australian Command under the overall command of General Sir Archibald Wavell. Additional Australian support staff arrived at Kupang on 12 February, including Brigadier William Veale, who had been made the Allied commanding officer on Timor. By this time, many members of Sparrow Force—most of whom were unprepared for tropical conditions—were suffering from malaria and other illnesses. The airfield at Penfui in Dutch Timor also became a key air link between Australia and American forces fighting in the Philippines under General Douglas MacArthur. Penfui came under attack from Japanese aircraft on 26 and 30 January 1942, but the raids were hampered by the British anti aircraft gunners and, to a lesser degree, by P 40 fighters of the 33rd Pursuit Squadron, United States Army Air Forces, 11 of which were based in Darwin.

The majority of Sparrow Force personnel were from the 2/40th Infantry Battalion, which had been formed in Tasmania and was part of the 23rd Australian Infantry Brigade. The force was initially commanded by Lieutenant Colonel William Leggatt, although later command was taken over by Brigadier William Veale before being passed on to Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Spence. A commando unit—the 2/2nd Independent Company (recruited mostly in Western Australia)—was also part of Sparrow Force. With the other forces from the 23rd Brigade, it shared contingents from 18 Anti Tank Battery, the 2/12th Field Ambulance, 23rd Brigade Signals and the 2/11th Field Company. Zealandia departed Darwin on the morning of 10 December 1941 with 957 troops escorted by HMAS Westralia with another 445 troops reaching Koepang on 12 December. Rabaul fell to the Japanese on 23 January, followed by Ambon on 3 February, and both Gull Force and Lark Force were destroyed. Sparrow Force was reinforced on 16 February 1942 with 189 British anti aircraft gunners, from A & C Troops of the 79th Light Anti Aircraft Battery of the Royal Artillery, most of whom were veterans of the Battle of Britain. They were attacked by Japanese bombers as their ship anchored at Tenau. Later that day, an Allied convoy carrying reinforcements and supplies to Kupang—escorted by the heavy cruiser Houston, the destroyer Peary, and the sloops and —came under intense Japanese air attack and was forced to return to Darwin without landing. Sparrow Force could not be reinforced further and as the Japanese moved to complete their envelopment of the Netherlands East Indies, Timor was seemingly the next logical target. The 2/40th and most Sparrow Force units were based at Penfui Airfield, outside the capital of Netherlands Timor, Kupang. The 2/2nd Independent Company was based across the border, at Dili in Portuguese Timor.

On the night of 19/20 February 1942, a force of 1,518 troops from the Imperial Japanese Army's 228th Regimental Group, which formed part of the 38th Division, XVI Army, under the command of Colonel Sadashichi Doi, began landing in Dili. Initially, the Japanese ships were mistaken for vessels carrying Portuguese reinforcements, and the Allies were caught by surprise. Nevertheless, they were well prepared, and the garrison began an orderly withdrawal, covered by the 18 strong Australian commando No. 2 Section stationed at the airfield. According to Australian accounts of the resistance to the Japanese landings at Dili, the commandos killed an estimated 200 Japanese in the first hours of the battle, although the Japanese army recorded its casualties as including only seven men. Native accounts of the landings support the Australian claims, however. Another group of Australian commandos, No. 7 Section, was less fortunate, driving into a Japanese roadblock by chance. According to Brad Manera of the Australian War Memorial, despite surrendering, all but one of their number were executed by the Japanese. Outnumbered, the surviving Australians then withdrew to the south and to the east, into the mountainous interior. Van Straten and 200 Dutch East Indies troops headed southwest toward the border.

On the same night, Allied forces in Dutch Timor also came under extremely intense air attacks, which had already caused the small RAAF force to be withdrawn to Australia. The bombing was followed up by the landing of the main body of the 228th Regimental Group—two battalions totalling around 4,000 men—on the undefended southwest side of the island, at the Paha River. Five Type 94 tankettes were landed to support the Japanese infantry, and the force advanced north, cutting off the Dutch positions in the west and attacking the 2/40th Battalion positions at Penfui. A Japanese company thrust north east to Usua, aiming to cut off the Allied retreat. In response Sparrow Force HQ was immediately moved further east, towards Champlong. Japanese marine paratroopers, from the 3rd Yokosuka Special Naval Landing Force, near Usua, east of Kupang. By the morning of 23 February Sparrow Force had been engaged from the rear by the main Japanese force once again. With his men low on ammunition, out of food and water, weary from little sleep, and hopelessly outnumbered, Leggatt surrendered at Irekum on 23 February. Both forces were bombed by Japanese aircraft in two waves at 10:00 am and 10:10 am and more men from both sides were killed. More Japanese then landed at Koepang, which brought their numbers up to about 22,000 in Dutch West Timor. The 2/40th Battalion had suffered 84 killed and 132 wounded in the fighting, while more than twice that number would die as prisoners of war during the next two and a half years. The 2/2nd Independent Company was specially trained for commando style, stay behind operations and it had its own engineers and signalers, although it lacked heavy weapons and vehicles. The commandos were hidden throughout the mountains of Portuguese Timor, and they commenced raids against the Japanese, assisted by Timorese guides, native carriers and mountain ponies. Doi sent the Australian honorary consul, David Ross, also the local Qantas agent, to find the commandos and pass on a demand to surrender. Spence responded: "Surrender? Surrender be fucked!" Ross gave the commandos information on the disposition of Japanese forces and also provided a note in Portuguese, stating that anyone supplying them would be later reimbursed by the Australian government.

"Force intact. Still fighting. Badly need boots, quinine, money, and Tommy gun ammunition." In early March, Veale and Van Straten's forces linked up with the 2/2nd Company. Included in this group were several specialist electrical engineers. Captain George Parker, Signaller Keith Richards, Corporal John Donovan, Signaller Jack Loveless, and Sergeant Jack Sargeant built a radio out of recycled parts, which they called "Winnie the War Winner", and re established contact with Darwin. On 24 May, Veale and Van Straten were evacuated from the south east coast by an RAAF Catalina and Spence was appointed commanding officer, after being promoted to lieutenant colonel. On 27 May, Royal Australian Navy (RAN) launches successfully completed the first supply and evacuation missions to Timor. Meanwhile, Doi once again sent Ross with a message, complimenting Sparrow Force on its campaign so far, and again asking that it surrender. The Japanese commander drew a parallel with the efforts of Afrikaner commandos of the Second Boer War and said that he realised it would take a force 10 times that of the Allies to win. Nevertheless, Doi said he was receiving reinforcements, and would eventually assemble the necessary units. This time Ross did not return to Dili, and he was evacuated to Australia on 16 July. Their goal was to outnumber the commandos by 100 to 1. The Japanese estimated Sparrow Force to be battalion strength in East Timor. Tsuchihashi then launched a major counter offensive in an attempt to push the Australians into a corner on the south coast of the island. Strong Japanese columns moved south—two from Dili and one from Manatuto on the northeast coast. Another moved eastward from Dutch Timor to attack Dutch positions in the central south of the island. The offensive ended on 19 August when the main Japanese force was withdrawn to Rabaul, but not before they secured the central town of Maubisse and the southern port of Beco. The Japanese were also recruiting significant numbers of Timorese civilians, who provided intelligence on Allied movements. On 27 September, the Japanese mounted a thrust from Dili towards the wreck of Voyager, but without any significant success. They departed Darwin on 6 November on HMAS Castlemaine, a Bathurst class corvette and disembarked the following evening, at Betano.

By the end of 1942, the chances of the Allies re taking Timor were remote, as there were now 12,000 Japanese troops on the island and the commandos were coming into increasing contact with the enemy. The Australian chiefs of staff estimated that it would take at least three Allied divisions, with strong air and naval support to recapture the island. On 9, 15 and 18 December, the remainder of the original Sparrow Force—except for a few officers—was evacuated with Portuguese civilians to Darwin, by the Dutch destroyer under the command of captain WJ Kruys. Meanwhile, in the first week of January the decision was made to withdraw Lancer Force. On the night of 9/10 January 1943, the bulk of the 2/4th and 50 Portuguese were evacuated by the destroyer A small intelligence team known as S Force was left behind, but its presence was soon detected by the Japanese. With the remnants of Lancer Force, S Force made its way to the eastern tip of Timor, where the Australian British Z Special Unit was also operating. They were evacuated by the American submarine Gudgeon on 10 February. Overall, while the campaign on Timor had little strategic value, the Australian commandos had prevented an entire Japanese division from being used in the earlier phases of the New Guinea campaign Regardless, this success came at a high price and included the deaths of between 40,000 and 70,000 Timorese and Portuguese civilians during the Japanese occupation. Total Allied casualties included around 450 killed, while more the 2,000 Japanese were believed to have died in the fighting. Ultimately, Japanese forces remained in control of Timor until their surrender in August 1945, following the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On 27 September, a Portuguese naval and military force of more than 2,000 troops arrived to an impressive ceremony of welcome by the Timorese people. These troops included three engineering companies along with substantial supplies of food and construction materials for the reconstruction of Timor.

Lieutenant Colonel W. W. Leggatt 2/40 Infantry Battalion Captain B. J. Callinan 2/2 Independent Company Captain Geoffrey G. Laidlaw 2/2 Independent Company Major Alexander Spence 2/2 Independent Company

Captain B. J. Callinan 2/2 Independent Company Lieutenant C. F. G. McKenzie 2/2 Independent Company Captain N. P. Maddern 2/40 Infantry Battalion Lieutenant A. H. Samuelson 79th Light Anti Aircraft Battery Lieutenant R. G. Williams 2/40 Infantry Battalion

Corporal J. H. Armstrong 2/40 Infantry Battalion Private J. W. Poynton 2/2 Independent Company

Lance Corporal H. A. Bailey 2/1 Fortress Signals Signalman R. H. Fraser 2/1 Fortress Signals Warrant Officer R. G. Hay 2/40 Infantry Battalion Sapper K. W. Hickey 2/1 Fortress Company Sapper M. C. Livingstone 2/1 Fortress Company Private J. K. Powell 2/40 Infantry Battalion

Sergeant A. Adams 2/12 Field Ambulance RAAMC Major R. A. Campbell 2/40 Infantry Battalion Sergeant E. J. Cawthorn 2/1 Fortress Signals Lance Corporal K. Connors 2/40 Infantry Battalion Corporal L. J. Coon 2/12 Field Ambulance RAAMC Lieutenant G. F. Stronach No.2 Section, 2/11 Field Company RAE Sergeant R. J. Couch No.2 Section, 2/11 Field Company RAE Private C. Deane 2/12th Field Ambulance RAAMC Captain D. W. Gillies 2/12 Field Ambulance RAAMC Lieutenant B. H. Gordon 2/40 Infantry Battalion Captain A. Hamilton 2/1 Fortress Signals Corporal W. Imlach 2/40 Infantry Battalion Captain N. H. Johnston 2/40 Infantry Battalion Lance Corporal T. N. Kay 2/1 Fortress Company Sergeant M. A. Kerkham 2/40 Infantry Battalion Corporal B. E. Martin Sergeant R. W. Martin 2/40 Infantry Battalion Warrant Officer A. H. McInnes 2/40 Infantry Battalion Sergeant H. R. Mercer 2/12 Field Ambulance RAAMC Captain L. O. S. Poidevin 2/12 Field Ambulance RAAMC Captain N. H. Roff 2/40 Infantry Battalion Major R. H. Stevens 2/12 Field Ambulance RAAMC Captain R. R. Baldwin (twice) 2/2 Independent Company Captain B. J. Callinan 2/2 Independent Company Corporal K. S. Curran 2/2 Independent Company Lance Sergeant J. R. Denman 2/2 Independent Company Lieutenant D. St. A. Dexter 2/2 Independent Company Captain C. R. Dunkley 2/2 Independent Company Lance Corporal R. E. Ewan 2/2 Independent Company Lance Corporal J. F. Fowler 2/2 Independent Company Corporal J. T. Haire 2/2 Independent Company Corporal E. Hodgson 2/2 Independent Company Private W. I. Holley 2/2 Independent Company Lance Corporal R. Johnson 2/2 Independent Company Private J. Keenahan 2/2 Independent Company Lance Corporal B. C. Langridge 2/2 Independent Company Corporal E. Loud 2/2 Independent Company Private M. L. Loveless 2/2 Independent Company Private C. R. Martin 2/2 Independent Company Lance Sergeant H. J. Morgan 2/2 Independent Company Captain T. G. Nisbet 2/2 Independent Company Lance Sergeant J. S. O’Brien 2/2 Independent Company Private R. N. Parry 2/2 Independent Company Sergeant F. A. Press 2/2 Independent Company Lieutenant J. A. Rose 2/2 Independent Company Private N. D. Scott 2/2 Independent Company Corporal J. Servante 2/2 Independent Company Signaller M. A. M. Smith 2/2 Independent Company Corporal G. A. Stanley 2/2 Independent Company Captain D. K. Turton 2/2 Independent Company Corporal A. H. K. Wray 2/2 Independent Company

Lieutenant C. F. G. McKenzie 2/2 Independent Company Private J. W. Poynton 2/2 Independent Company