S01E05 - Timor - The August Push

Welcome to the fourth episode of the Australian War history podcast. In this episode, we look at the hallowed corridors of the Australian War Memorial there is a section that is focussed on Winnie the War Winner. This makeshift piece of equipment was central to the Double Red Diamonds' ongoing survival on Timor. For two months after the Japanese invasion on February 19, 1942, Australia believed that the troops on Timor had been overcome by the Japanese juggernaut pushing south. Australian technicians/soldiers on Timor had been working on an apparatus that would establish contact with the mainland. This episode deals with this amazing story of Australian ingenuity and improvisation. As well, the Japanese were searching for a panacea to alleviate the difficulties dealing with these problematic Australians. They were looked upon as phantoms because of their propensity to inflict maximum damage and then disappear into the Timorese jungle. The Japanese thought their saviour would be the Singapore Tiger. Their hopes proved to be illusory.

Some of the books we use to cross-check facts:

All the Bull's Men

A History of the 2nd Independent Company and 2/2 Commando Squadron