Operation Opossum: Difference between revisions
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|result=Australian success |
|result=Australian success |
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|combatant1={{flag|Empire of Japan}} |
|combatant1={{flag|Empire of Japan}} |
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|combatant2={{flag|Australia}} |
|combatant2={{flag|Australia}}<br> {{flagicon image|In nizam.svg}} [[Sultanate of Ternate]] |
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|commander1= |
|commander1= |
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|commander2=George Bosworth<br>Dick Perry |
|commander2={{flag|Australia}} George Bosworth<br> {{flag|Australia}} Dick Perry<br> {{flagicon image|In nizam.svg}} [[Muhammad Jabir of Ternate|Sultan Muhammad Jabir Syah]] |
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|units1= |
|units1= |
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|units2=[[Z Special Unit]] |
|units2=[[Z Special Unit]] |
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|strength1=Unknown |
|strength1=Unknown |
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|strength2=13 men |
|strength2=13 men |
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|casualties1=All |
|casualties1=All |
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|casualties2=1 killed |
|casualties2=1 killed |
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|}} |
|}} |
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'''Operation Opossum''' was a [[World War II]] raid undertaken by Australia's [[Z Special Unit]] in 1945 on the island of [[Ternate]] near Borneo to rescue the [[Ternate Sultanate|Sultan of Ternate]], |
'''Operation Opossum''' was a [[World War II]] raid undertaken by Australia's [[Z Special Unit]] in 1945 on the island of [[Ternate]] near Borneo to rescue the [[Ternate Sultanate|Sultan of Ternate]], [[Muhammad Jabir of Ternate|Muhammad Jabir Syah]].<ref name="article">{{cite journal |last=Smith |first=Kevin |title=Operation Opossum: The Raiding Party to Rescue the Sultan of Ternate, 1945 |journal=Sabretache |volume= 53 |issue= 4, Dec |year=2012 |pages=48–54 |issn=0048-8933}}</ref> |
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==Operation== |
==Operation== |
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[[File:Iskandar Muhammad Djabir Sjah.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Sultan Muhammad Jabir Shah in 1930]] |
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The island of Ternate had been occupied by Japan since 1942. The Sultan sent several islanders to Australian |
The island of Ternate had been occupied by Japan since 1942. The Sultan sent several islanders to Australian Army headquarters on [[Morotai Island]] asking to be rescued. The Dutch were enthusiastic about the mission.<ref name="article"/> |
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The mission was authorised by General [[Douglas MacArthur]] who was worried about the Sultan's life. The Sultan had been sympathetic to the Allied cause. |
The mission had been requested by the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration who was, according to Dick Horton "embarrassed that the Sultan...had been captured by the Japanese ... and was being held hostage in his own castle".<ref name=Horton148>{{cite book |last=Horton |first=Dick |title=Ring of Fire: Australian Guerrilla Operations Against the Japanese in World War II |year=1983 |publisher=MacMillan |location=South Melbourne |isbn=0-333-35615-2|pages=148–149}}</ref> The mission was authorised by General [[Douglas MacArthur]] who was worried about the Sultan's life and his wives. The Sultan had been sympathetic to the Allied cause.{{Cn|date=June 2019}} |
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| ⚫ | The Allied contingent consisted of eight Australians from [[Z Special Unit]], and three Dutch officers and a Timorese corporal.<ref name=article/> The mission left Morotai on 8 April 1945 aboard two Australian crewed US Navy patrol boats and landed on the northern coast of Hiri Island,<ref name=article/> two kilometres north of Ternate.{{Cn|date=June 2019}} They went to the coastal village of Kulaba after a six-hour trek. Members of the unit rescued the Sultan along with his two wives, eight children and retinue of courtiers and relatives.{{Cn|date=June 2019}} |
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Z Special Unit sent a contingent of 13, mostly Australians and two Indonesian recruits from [[West Timor]] and [[North Sulawesi]]. There were also some Dutch officers. |
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| ⚫ | Several boatloads of Japanese soldiers arrived the next day resulting in a shooting fight which resulted in the death of three Japanese and Australian officer Lieutenant George Bosworth.<ref>[http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=A&veteranId=752785 George Bosworth's service record] accessed 15 September 2013</ref> Warrant Officer Dick Perry assumed command and attacked the remaining Japanese who were all killed.<ref name=article/> |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | The sultan and his family were taken to Morotai by [[PT boat]] where the Sultan spoke with MacArthur. They were then settled in the Queensland town of [[Wacol, Queensland|Wacol]] until the end of the war.<ref name="smh">{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/world/the-untold-story-how-z-force-saved-the-sultan-20100423-tj7q.html |author=Allard, Tom & Lindsay Murdoch |title=The Untold Story: How Z Force Saved the Sultan |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |date=24 April 2010 |access-date=14 September 2013}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | Several boatloads of Japanese soldiers arrived the next day resulting in a shooting fight which resulted in the death of three Japanese and Australian officer Lieutenant George Bosworth.<ref>[http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=A&veteranId=752785 George Bosworth's service record] accessed 15 September 2013</ref> Warrant Officer Dick Perry assumed command and attacked the remaining Japanese who were all killed. |
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| ⚫ | The sultan and his family were taken to Morotai by [[PT boat]] where the Sultan spoke with MacArthur. They were then settled in the Queensland town of [[Wacol, Queensland|Wacol]] until the end of the war.<ref name="smh">{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/world/the-untold-story-how-z-force-saved-the-sultan-20100423-tj7q.html |author=Allard, Tom & Lindsay Murdoch |title=The Untold Story: How Z Force Saved the Sultan |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |date=24 April 2010 | |
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==Legacy== |
==Legacy== |
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The mission reportedly inspired the film ''[[Attack Force Z]]'' (1981), even though the plot of that movie was very different from the facts of Opossum.<ref name="sue">{{cite news |author=Johnson, Sue |title=After 37 years and 10 beheadings, Operation Rimau Explodes Again |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |date=27 March 1982 |page=41}}</ref> |
The mission reportedly inspired the film ''[[Attack Force Z]]'' (1981), even though the plot of that movie was very different from the facts of Opossum.<ref name="sue">{{cite news |author=Johnson, Sue |title=After 37 years and 10 beheadings, Operation Rimau Explodes Again |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |date=27 March 1982 |page=41}}</ref> |
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==External== |
==External== |
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*[http://zspecial.wpengine.com/project-opossum/ Operation Opossum] at Z Special Unit |
* [http://zspecial.wpengine.com/project-opossum/ Operation Opossum] at Z Special Unit |
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* {{cite web|url=https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=235327&S=1&R=0|website=National Archives of Australia|title=The Official History of the Operations and Administration of] Special Operations - Australia [(SOA), also known as the Inter-Allied Services Department (ISD) and Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD)] Volume 2 - Part IV|page=15}} |
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{{British Commando raids of the Second World War}} |
{{British Commando raids of the Second World War}} |
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{{Australian Commando raids of the Second World War}} |
{{Australian Commando raids of the Second World War}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Opossum, Project}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Opossum, Project}} |
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[[Category:Conflicts in 1945]] |
[[Category:Conflicts in 1945|Opposum]] |
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[[Category:1945 in Indonesia]] |
[[Category:1945 in Indonesia]] |
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[[Category:Special forces of Australia]] |
[[Category:Special forces of Australia]] |
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[[Category:Battles of World War II involving Australia]] |
[[Category:Battles of World War II involving Australia|Opposum]] |
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[[Category:World War II British Commando raids]] |
[[Category:World War II British Commando raids|Opposum]] |
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[[Category:Military operations of World War II involving Australia|Opposum]] |
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Latest revision as of 15:35, 20 November 2021
| Operation Opossum | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Japanese occupation of British Borneo during World War II | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Empire of Japan |
 Australia Sultanate of Ternate | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Australia George Bosworth Australia Dick Perry Sultan Muhammad Jabir Syah | |||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Z Special Unit | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 13 men | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| All | 1 killed | ||||||
Operation Opossum was a World War II raid undertaken by Australia's Z Special Unit in 1945 on the island of Ternate near Borneo to rescue the Sultan of Ternate, Muhammad Jabir Syah.[1]
Operation
[edit]
The island of Ternate had been occupied by Japan since 1942. The Sultan sent several islanders to Australian Army headquarters on Morotai Island asking to be rescued. The Dutch were enthusiastic about the mission.[1]
The mission had been requested by the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration who was, according to Dick Horton "embarrassed that the Sultan...had been captured by the Japanese ... and was being held hostage in his own castle".[2] The mission was authorised by General Douglas MacArthur who was worried about the Sultan's life and his wives. The Sultan had been sympathetic to the Allied cause.[citation needed]
The Allied contingent consisted of eight Australians from Z Special Unit, and three Dutch officers and a Timorese corporal.[1] The mission left Morotai on 8 April 1945 aboard two Australian crewed US Navy patrol boats and landed on the northern coast of Hiri Island,[1] two kilometres north of Ternate.[citation needed] They went to the coastal village of Kulaba after a six-hour trek. Members of the unit rescued the Sultan along with his two wives, eight children and retinue of courtiers and relatives.[citation needed]
Several boatloads of Japanese soldiers arrived the next day resulting in a shooting fight which resulted in the death of three Japanese and Australian officer Lieutenant George Bosworth.[3] Warrant Officer Dick Perry assumed command and attacked the remaining Japanese who were all killed.[1]
The sultan and his family were taken to Morotai by PT boat where the Sultan spoke with MacArthur. They were then settled in the Queensland town of Wacol until the end of the war.[4]
Legacy
[edit]The mission reportedly inspired the film Attack Force Z (1981), even though the plot of that movie was very different from the facts of Opossum.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Smith, Kevin (2012). "Operation Opossum: The Raiding Party to Rescue the Sultan of Ternate, 1945". Sabretache. 53 (4, Dec): 48–54. ISSN 0048-8933.
- ^ Horton, Dick (1983). Ring of Fire: Australian Guerrilla Operations Against the Japanese in World War II. South Melbourne: MacMillan. pp. 148–149. ISBN 0-333-35615-2.
- ^ George Bosworth's service record accessed 15 September 2013
- ^ Allard, Tom & Lindsay Murdoch (24 April 2010). "The Untold Story: How Z Force Saved the Sultan". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ^ Johnson, Sue (27 March 1982). "After 37 years and 10 beheadings, Operation Rimau Explodes Again". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 41.
External
[edit]- Operation Opossum at Z Special Unit
- "The Official History of the Operations and Administration of] Special Operations - Australia [(SOA), also known as the Inter-Allied Services Department (ISD) and Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD)] Volume 2 - Part IV". National Archives of Australia. p. 15.