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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The definitive work on the Pacific war in and around Rabaul.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Hostages to freedom: The fall of Rabaul
This book is not out of print. A remrkable book, it is neither complimentary to the Japanese military, nor to Canberra politicians. It tells of atrocities and bureaucratic bungling that left over one thousand Australians dead, and the lives of many American airmen. In many respects it is a proud book, highlighting the incredible feats of nearly fourteen hundred soldiers left to defend the indefensible against the might of the Japanese war machine. Abandoned by the Australian command against an inevitable invasion, they fought and ran. The inhospitable New Britain jungle took its toll - the Japanese did the rest. At Tol Plantation, over 150 Australians were lined up and slaughtered. Many more were captured and sent to Japan as prisoners of war. Most did not make it - an American submarine saw to that. Of the original garrison of some 1400 men, only four hundred would return to Australia. During three and a half years of Japanese occupation, hundreds of kilometres of tunnels were dug from the volcanic soil surrounding Rabaul. The Japanese burrowed in whilst American Flying Fortress bombers and Australian Beauforts bombed the harbour into useless isolation in Operation Cartwheel. Many US flyers were rescued by Australian coastwatchers. Rabaul was hell in paradise. Peace came for the interned missionaries, the remaining prisoners of war, the Tolai natives and indeed the Japanese themselves in September 1945. Many of the original residents would never return. Rabaul and its magnificent harbour were a shambles. On the seabed lay fifty ships. Those in shallow water became easy prey to Australian and Japanese salvage operators seeking non-ferrous metals. The definitive work on the Pacific war in Rabaul, from its pre-war history, through to Japanese invasion and occupation, US bombing and airmen rescues, the native peoples, and the final surrender and salvage.
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