[14] 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. The Portuguese were also being pressured to assist the Japanese, and at least 26 Portuguese civilians were killed in the first six months of the occupation, including local officials and a Catholic priest. The 1,100 strong Sparrow Force in West Timor fought a spirited defence, inflicted heavy Japanese casualties and all but wiped out the paratroops. This suggestion was ultimately adopted. [17], In August, the Japanese 48th Division—commanded by Lieutenant General Yuitsu Tsuchihashi—began arriving from the Philippines and garrisoned Kupang, Dili and Malacca, relieving the Ito detachment. Additional Australian support staff arrived at Kupang on 12 February, including Brigadier William Veale, who had been made the Allied commanding officer on Timor. [16] Forty Australian commandos were killed during this phase of the fighting, while 1,500 Japanese were believed to have died. During the subsequent fighting the Japanese suffered heavy casualties, but they were eventually able to contain the Australians. [6], Sparrow Force was initially commanded by Lieutenant Colonel William Leggatt, and included the 2/40th Battalion, a commando unit—the 2nd Independent Company—under Major Alexander Spence, and a battery of coastal artillery.

The offensive ended on 19 August when the main Japanese force was withdrawn to Rabaul, but not before they secured the central town of Maubisse and the southern port of Beco. [16] Tsuchihashi then launched a major counter-offensive in an attempt to push the Australians into a corner on the south coast of the island. The Portuguese military force sailed from Lourenço Marques, Mozambique, heading for Timor on 28 January 1942,[9] aboard the transport ship João Belo, escorted by the aviso NRP Gonçalves Zarco. [8], Up to this point, the government of Portugal had declined to co-operate with the Allies, relying on its claim of neutrality and plans to send an 800-strong force from Mozambique to defend the territory in the event of any Japanese invasion. 2 Section stationed at the airfield.

"Battle for Timor" Topic. [4] By May, Australian aircraft were dropping supplies to the commandos and their allies.

Three months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese occupation of south-east Asia reached its southern limit with the invasion of Timor on 20 February 1942. After years of government declarations … There were in total around 1,400 men.

[2][5] The force reinforced Royal Netherlands East Indies Army troops under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Nico van Straten, including the Timor and Dependencies Garrison Battalion, a company from the VIII Infantry Battalion, a reserve infantry company, a machine-gun platoon from the XIII Infantry Battalion and an artillery battery. It occupies the eastern half of the island of Timor, the small nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and the enclave of Ambeno. By late-1941, the island of Timor was divided politically between two colonial powers: the Portuguese in the east with a capital at Dili, and the Dutch in the west with an administrative centre at Kupang. A Japanese force had also been sent against Dili, the Portuguese capital, where it faced only limited resistance, but, importantly, forstalled the planned arrival of Portuguese troops between 19 and 20 February. 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE FOR TIMOR. 2 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). On 5 September 1945, the Japanese commanding officer met Portuguese Governor Manuel de Abreu Ferreira de Carvalho, effectively returning power to him and placing the Japanese forces under Portuguese authority. [7][12] 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. Nevertheless, they were well-prepared, and the garrison began an orderly withdrawal, covered by the 18-strong Australian Commando No. On the night of 30 November -1 December, the Royal Australian Navy mounted a major operation to land fresh Dutch troops at Betano, while evacuating 190 Dutch soldiers and 150 Portuguese civilians. Because of this requirement and the overall Allied strategy of recapturing areas to the east, in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, Blamey recommended that the campaign in Timor should be sustained for as long as possible, but not expanded. They were also able to arrange for stores to be dropped and successive groups of commandos landed. The Portuguese departed East Timor in August 1975, and Indonesian troops soon began infiltrating the border from Indonesian West Timor. Indonesian dictator Suharto, who had ordered the 1975 invasion, was ousted from power in 1998, and East Timorese renewed their calls for independence. [3][4], Meanwhile, Rabaul fell to the Japanese on 23 January, followed by Ambon on 3 February, and both Gull Force and Lark Force were destroyed. [17] Strong Japanese columns moved south—two from Dili and one from Manatuto on the northeast coast. It was during the landing of the 2/4th Independent Company at Betano on 23 September 1942 that HMAS Voyager went fast aground and was attacked by Japanese aircraft. Around this time the 2/2nd received reinforcements from Australia in the form of the 2/4th Independent Company; Australian troops on the island now numbered about 700. This time Ross did not return to Dili, and he was evacuated to Australia on 16 July. [3][4], Meanwhile, Rabaul fell to the Japanese on 23 January, followed by Ambon on 3 February, and both Gull Force and Lark Force were destroyed. On 24 June, the Japanese formally complained to Lisbon but did not take any action against Ferreira de Carvalho. [3][4], Meanwhile, Rabaul fell to the Japanese on 23 January, followed by Ambon on 3 February, and both Gull Force and Lark Force were destroyed. After four days of heavy fighting, Sparrow Force surrendered due to Japanese air superiority and armoured support as well as a lack of ammunition and food. As a result, an entire Japanese division was tied up on Timor for more than six months, preventing its deployment elsewhere. Despite surrendering, according to military historian Brad Manera all but one were massacred by the Japanese. Expecting Portuguese reinforcements, the Australians withheld their fire until the Japanese were recognised by the forward position. [14], 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[16] while at the same time inflicting a disproportionate level of casualties on them. [1] Total Allied casualties included around 450 killed, while more than 2,000 Japanese are estimated to have died in the fighting. This was part of a strategy of seeking to defend forward airfields and also involved deploying "Lark Force" at Rabaul and "Gull Force" at Ambon.

Despite surrendering, according to military historian Brad Manera all but one were massacred by the Japanese. [citation needed], Ultimately, Japanese forces remained in control of Timor until their surrender in August 1945, following the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In contrast to those in Java, Ambon or Rabaul, Australian operations in Timor had been far more successful, even if it was also largely a token effort in the face of overwhelming Japanese strength. This time Ross did not return to Dili, and he was evacuated to Australia on 16 July. Van Straten and 200 Dutch East Indies troops headed southwest toward the border.