Borneo: The Last Campaign

by Michael Veitch

From bestselling author Michael Veitch (Australia's Secret Army, Turning Point) comes the story of the brilliant, yet controversial campaign which ended Australia's involvement in World War II.

The Last Campaign tells the story of Operation OBOE, the massive, three-pronged assault on the vast Japanese-held island of Borneo in 1945. It was one of the largest amphibious invasions of the entire war, and a virtually all-Australian operation.

Over the final twelve weeks of World War Two, the 1st Australian Army Corps chased down and fought the remnants of the Japanese army over burning oil fields, up languid tropical rivers, along leech-ridden jungle tracks and across endless hills, valleys and ridges. Far from being the easy 'mopping-up' the men had been told to expect, Borneo turned out to be as savage as anything the Aussies had hitherto encountered in the Pacific, as the Japanese - despite the inevitability of their defeat - continued fighting with fanaticism, tenacity and shocking brutality.

Immensely complex but brilliantly planned, OBOE called for Australia's two most famous Infantry Divisions - the 7th and 9th - to storm ashore at three separate landing areas supported by US and Australian naval forces and local Dyak guerrilla fighters. Their objectives were to secure Borneo's oil facilities and liberate its long-suffering people.

Although now largely forgotten, as well as mired in the controversy that it had little effect on the overall outcome of the war, the skill, bravery and determination showed by the average Australian soldier on Borneo - many of whom were fighting their one and only battle of the war - is beyond question. OBOE involved more than 70,000 Australian military personnel, of which over 2000 became casualties, with nearly 600 killed. It was also where the two final Australian Victoria Crosses of the war were won, as well as literally dozens of other awards for bravery.

OBOE was superbly executed, achieved all of its objectives, and was the very last sustained Allied action of World War Two.

Drawing on a myriad of firsthand sources and interviews with the two last surviving veterans, The Last Campaign examines the lead-up, the landings and the campaign itself in never-before published detail.

Once again, Michael Veitch provides a compelling and fascinating account of a part of Australian war history that deserves to be recognised.

'Detailed, informed . . . Vivid . . . Veitch's account is an important act of retrieval' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Genres: History, War

371 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 26, 2025

About the author

Michael Veitch spent much of his youth writing and performing in television sketch comedy programs, before freelancing as a columnist and arts reviewer for newspapers and magazines. For four years he presented Sunday Arts, the national arts show on ABC television, and produced two books indulging his life-long interest in the aircraft of the Second World War, Flak and Fly. He lives in Hobart, where he presents ABC radio.

Books:
Hailing from a family of journalists, Veitch wrote Flak – True stories from the men who flew in World War II published in 2006 by Pan Macmillan and later, Fly: True stories of courage and adventure from the airmen of World War II published by Penguin Australia in August 2008. A third book, The Forgotten Islands, exploring the lesser-known islands of Bass Strait, was published by Penguin Australia in August 2011.

Further publications include a history of the CSIRO marine exploration vessel, Southern Surveyor will be released in late 2015 (CSIRO Publishing) and a further volume of Second World War airman stories, which will also be published late 2015 (Penguin Books).

Reviews

[Simon Mee · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a little bit of one damn thing after another, and the campaign would have benefited from more detailed maps, I am inclined to be generous on the basis of: -

(a) It comfortably qualifies as a forgotten campaign, especially considering the resources committed to it. Veitch can wear the cloak of novelty, rarely deployed for World War II books.
(b) Veitch does find the humanity in the combatants, and conveys that, while the Allies were the masters of amphibious warfare, the actual experience was not a comfortable one: One ship, the US Navy LST 637, swelled with 488 men for whom only two (saltwater) showers, twelve wash basins and six latrines had been provided. The deaths of Australians who has previously survived the widest range of campaigns of virtually any World War II soldier does lend a poignancy..
(c) Subject to my ignorance of the campaign as a while, Veitch does provide some good analysis without falling deeply into the gloomy hole that Max Hastings did with Australia’s contribution in Nemesis, other than possibly with the RAAF’s contribution. While Veitch demonstrates the case for invading Borneo was weak in terms of its stated perspective (securing oil the Allies did not need), it meant something:

. ‘The thing that gets me every now and again is the criticism that there was no need for the Australians to go into Borneo in any shape or form, and that it was just a waste of men’s lives. But on the other hand it was the only part of the war where we felt we had helped somebody other than ourselves.’

…even subject to the Dutch coming back in without much sense of shame:

The Australians reported masses of people living in ‘almost incredible filth’ Having been ‘herded’ into crowded huts on the edges of a swamp, the medical report described ‘a mass of writhing maggots’ and a stench described in spectacular understatement as ‘rather unpleasant.’ When the report was disseminated, the Dutch reacted furiously, and would never forgive the Australians for the humiliation. According to Peter Stanley, the incident caused ‘great strife’ and did nothing to foster relations between the allied nations. No longer would the Dutch assume Australia to be sympathetic to their goal of re-establishing their old East Indies empire.

How the historiography will hold up over time will be interesting, but Veitch shows a sense of empathy and understanding of the impact of Borneo at a higher level, notwithstanding its “strategic irrelevance.” Minor ratings discount to differentiate World War II books, but still very good.

[Carly Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never heard about the campaign until a recent trip to Borneo where I passed through the Australian war memorial in Sandakan. It was there I first learnt about this forgotten part of Australian history; the atrocities of the death marches and the POW camp and wanted to learn more. Although not touched on in this book, it was very informative, detailed and well researched on the Oboe campaign itself but felt a bit repetitive at times. (I hadn’t previously read this genre, nor am I likely to come back to the genre anytime soon)
I still felt curious about the relation or lack thereof to the Oboe campaign and Sandakan and with a bit of extra research I was able to close out the reason why I picked up an Australian war book in the first place.

[Justin Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptionally well crafted book that successfully delivers an interesting, informative, balanced, and detailed story that provides the strategic context, the activities of units, and the individual experiences of soldiers. The book manages to elicit emotion while being objective and unsensational when covering the heroism, savagery, mistakes, tragedies, and sacrifice of the campaign.

[John Sheridan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story of an almost forgotten campaign on Borneo in the last months of the Second World War in which Australians conducted a challenging and dangerous set of operations to destroy the Imperial Japanese forces in Borneo. Veitch has written a detailed history with many accounts of the actions of individual officers and men and how they contributed to the eventual victory. While there are those that might ponder the necessity of these battles, it is much easier to do so with the benefit of hindsight than it must have been at the time. Certainly, Veitch’s recording of the gratitude of the native peoples of Borneo for their liberation from the Japanese give the impression that it was not all unnecessary. Recommended.

[Sally O'wheel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found out recently that my dad went to Balikpapan in the last battle of WW2. It was the only overseas service he was involved in. He never spoke about the war and had a bitterness about it. He was very anti-American and anti-war. I never went to the Shrine in Melbourne or had any medals to wear on Anzac Day because he had never bothered to pick them up.

So this book about Borneo was very welcome. Unfortunately I am not a reader of military history and found the detailed descriptions of the various battles hard to read. Others of course would appreciated them and I did appreciate the level of research Michael Veitch had achieved.

I am not really any the wiser as to my father's involvement in Balikpapan. According to my sister, who has read his war memoirs, he says he spent his time studying for his matriculation English Literature exam and admiring the coral. Having read this book, this seems unlikely.

[Geoff Sheehan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Dad’s only overseas action was to Morotai and then Balikpappen right at the end of the War, even though he had served from 1942. He embarked at Mororai for Balikpappen on 30 July 1945 and was there until February 46. He was kept in the Army until later on in 1946, including a couple of months at Ingleburn.

He wouldn’t talk about his war experience until quite near the end of his life, and would never march on Anzac Day. Though he was a proud member of the RSL. He would never buy a Japanese car though he relented with electronics and for a camera when he retired from work. From the few things he did eventually tell me I could not blame him.

They truly were the Great Generation.

[Garrett Budwine · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an American, I knew nothing of this World War II campaign at the very end of the war. I found this book to be very interesting and informative. I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to have a complete understanding of the entire Pacific war.

The book is very easy reading and full of very interesting and sometimes tragic personal stories.

For the American reader, be aware that the author sometimes uses Australian slang and terminology that might be unknown to some. e.g. "Digger" - a soldier

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an important book about part of Australian history that receives too little attention. Not easy reading in that the topic involves dark topics but the author balances that well with human interest and tales of amazing heroism.
Highly recommended