Australian paratroops

In late 44 early 45 a misson codenamed operation kingfisher was proposed.1 australian parachute battalion were to jump in and liberate the 2500 prisoners at sandakan however due to wrangling with us high command over the avalibility of c-47 transport planes the misson never went ahead as a result only six prisoners survived the death march.There was also mention of aussie paras making a jump on changi to liberate the p.o.w.there.Recommeded reading Sandakan -a conspiricy of silence by lynette ramsey,from hell to eternity by peter firkins and Eagles alighting a history of 1 Australian parachute battalion by lofty dunn

 

wtid,

My father in law was a veteran of Tobruk and Milne Bay.

I was often invited to the Rats of Tobruk functions and ended up chating with him and his mates over a glass of cleansing ale.

The unit of one of his mates was designated to parachute onto the newly captured Nadzab airstrip in New Guinea.

They were given their kit, and loaded onto a C-47 and pushed out the door.

They had NO previous training, and had NEVER jumped before.


John.

 

Hey? Are you the same John39 that was posting over on the THC WWII Forum?

 

YES!




OJ

 

LOL Well welcome to the forums. There are a few of fellow poters from there here. . Im the ex Kaoschallenged/Shatteredknight99 from there LOL.

 

I have never heard of this, do you have any references at all, even to the Australian paratroopers?

 

SAme as what tomcat said never heard of it

 

Jumping out without any previous training? I think what you have been told was exaggerated.
They would've been taught and trained how to make a parachute landing at the very least, then sent to make their combat jump. Jumping without knowing how to execute a PLF could lead to a lot of injuries and make that unit combat ineffective even without firing a shot.
Don't get me wrong. Sometimes some of the tales told me from the war are exaggerated. And when I learn the real facts, the tale is even better or impressive.

 

Falcon Jun,

I can assure you that in the situation the story was related, the story teller would have been laughed out the front door if it was not believed or not known to be true by them. These blokes were ALL (except me) very experienced soldiers in desert and jungle and they could smell BS from mile away.

The unit was in fact an artillery unit sent in as soon as the strip had been secured.

You can believe what you wish of course.


OJ

 

I accept that. Since you mentioned that it was an artillery unit, I understand the context of the operation better now. Thanks for pointing that little info out, OJ.

 

Hey Tomcat and B17 i take my info from the book i mentioned eagles alighting as i own a copy and quoted from the book hope this helps

 

OZ try this. Nadzab drop in new guinea by american paratroops and 2/4 field regiment on september 17 1944 also a quote from Eagles Alighting by J.B Lofty Dunn Ahistory of 1 Australian parachute battalion published by their association in 1999 isbn 0 646 37323 4 kind regards Jason

 

1st Australian Parachute Battalion 1944

The First Australian Parachute Battalion (Army) had its beginning late in 1942, and was part, in its infancy, of the (RAAF) Royal Australian Paratroop Training Unit at Tocumal NSW, under the command of Wing Commander P Glasscock (RAAF). The Army Personnel were known as Group 244 R.A.A.F. Army (Z). The formation of the First Australian Parachute Battalion began at Tocumal NSW and continued at Richmond NSW and then at Schyville NSW, where the unit reached Battalion strength. It then moved to Mareeba on the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland, where it trained until the end of the war.
The majority of its members were seasoned soldiers, who had already served in other theatres of the war, and a considerable number had been decorated; there were no less than ten Military Crosses (MC) in the unit. Several members refused advancement in rank in their own units to become Paratroopers.
The unit never went into action but was represented by 195 Officers and other ranks at the surrender of Singapore in September 1945. While there, they were under the direct command of Lord Louis Mountbatten, who often visited the Australians in their billets for a chat.
All of the members of the Australian Parachute Battalion were volunteers and had to pass rigorous medical checks before acceptance. They had to qualify for the winged Insignia, and the "Red Beret" with a total of seven jumps during their training.
The Commanding Officer of the 1st Australian Parachute Battalion was Lt. Col. Sir John Overall, KT, CBE, MC & Bar.


1st Australian Parachute Battalion 1944 tunic


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Parachute_Battalion_(Australia)


The 1st Parachute Battalion was formed in early April 1943 at RAAF Base Richmond near Sydney. The Battalion was initially formed on a reduced scale of only two rifle companies, with its personnel being drawn from volunteers from other Army units. These volunteers completed their parachute training with 1st Parachute Training Unit before joining the Battalion. The battalion was based at Scheyville Farm, Scheyville, New South Wales between late 1943 and late 1944.
As Australia's first airborne combat battalion, the 1st Parachute Battalion required extensive training. In addition to training in airborne operations at Richmond, the Battalion also trained in jungle warfare at the Australian Army's tough training centre at Canungra in Queensland. A third rifle company was formed in October 1943.
Following company and battalion level exercises the 1st Parachute Battalion was declared ready for operations in May 1944 and moved to Mareeba airstrip in North Queensland. A fourth rifle company was formed in June 1944 and the Battalion was joined by the parachute qualified 1st Mountain Battery (equipped with short 25 Pounder guns) in September 1944.
In late 1944 the Battalion was alerted to begin preparations for operations in Borneo as part of the Borneo campaign (1945). As well as preparing for airborne operations, the battalion conducted amphibious training in late January and early February 1945 to prepare for a possible role in spearheading the amphibious landing at Balikpapan. The Battalion's role in this operation was cancelled due to a shortage of aircraft (the battalion required 30 to 60 C-47 transports).
The Battalion was also warned in early 1945 to prepare for a mission to rescue the Allied prisoners at Sandakan. This operation was, however, also cancelled due to a lack of aircraft and the prisoners were murdered in the Sandakan Death Marches.

Members of A Company, 1st Parachute Battalion during a training flight in 1944


Following the disappointment of not being deployed to Borneo the Battalion's morale appears to have collapsed with many soldiers requesting transfers to other infantry units. These requests were denied as the Battalion had been instructed to prepare to operate alongside British paratroopers in the liberation of Singapore later in 1945.
Following the Japanese surrender, the Battalion was ordered on 23 August to prepare to deploy to Singapore for garrison duties. While an advance party of 120 men arrived in Singapore on 9 September the remainder of the battalion remained in Australia and was disbanded later in 1945. The unit in Singapore contributed an honour guard to the main surrender ceremony and performed general garrison duties before returning to Australia in January 1946. Upon the unit's return the Australian 1st Parachute Battalion was disbanded at Sydney on 30 January 1946.

 

CHEERS Tomcat just thought the thread was left swinging after i replied to your query have you heard of Eagles Alighting a history of 1 australian parachute battalion it contains what you posted and a lot more

 

No I havn't but it sounds very interesting and informative.

 

I wasn't aware that the Sandakan situation was known at the time. Hell, anything that could have been done was well worth it. Lynette Ramsey's book is very good indeed.

And I've never heard of an Australian parachute group being formed.

 

Well see above posts

 

they were australian artillerymen jumped with there popgun in surport
of american's clearing a air strip ... somethink like that
krieg

 

THIS KINDA COVERS IT ALL