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Hachette Military Collection
Ambon: The truth about one of the most brutal POW camps in World War II and the triumph of the Aussie spirit
Survival, heroism, courage and mateship in Ambon - a place of nightmares.
In February, 1942, Ambon, an Indonesian island north of Darwin, fell to the Japanese army and the Allied forces defending it were captured. Over a thousand of these soldiers were Australian. By the end of the war, just one-third of them had survived and Ambon became a place of nightmares, one of the most notorious of all POW camps the war had seen.
Many of the men captured were massacred, and of those who initially survived, many later succumbed to the sadistic brutality of the Japanese guards. Starvation also took a fearful toll, and then there were the medical 'experiments'. It was a place almost without hope for those who held on, made worse by the fact that the savagery inflicted on them wasn't limited to their captors but also came from their own. One soldier described their hopelessness towards the end with the bleak words: 'The men knew they were dying.'
Yet astoundingly there were survivors and in Ambon they speak of not just the horrors, but the bravery, endurance and mateship that got them through an ordeal almost impossible to imagine.
The story of Ambon is one of both the depravity and the triumph of the human spirit; it is also one that's not been widely told. Until now.
In February, 1942, Ambon, an Indonesian island north of Darwin, fell to the Japanese army and the Allied forces defending it were captured. Over a thousand of these soldiers were Australian. By the end of the war, just one-third of them had survived and Ambon became a place of nightmares, one of the most notorious of all POW camps the war had seen.
Many of the men captured were massacred, and of those who initially survived, many later succumbed to the sadistic brutality of the Japanese guards. Starvation also took a fearful toll, and then there were the medical 'experiments'. It was a place almost without hope for those who held on, made worse by the fact that the savagery inflicted on them wasn't limited to their captors but also came from their own. One soldier described their hopelessness towards the end with the bleak words: 'The men knew they were dying.'
Yet astoundingly there were survivors and in Ambon they speak of not just the horrors, but the bravery, endurance and mateship that got them through an ordeal almost impossible to imagine.
The story of Ambon is one of both the depravity and the triumph of the human spirit; it is also one that's not been widely told. Until now.
- GenresWorld War IIHistory
411 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 29, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 2, 2016
I visited the Ambon war memorial in 1995, as part of a visit to my wife's paternal relatives there. The experience was extremely moving. The silence of the cemetery contrasted with the loudness of tropical hustle and bustle, whilst the manicured lawns and graves dramatically juxtaposed the tired dilapidation of the surrounding villages. And so many graves, sadly, bore the text 'greater love hath no man...' despite their identity simply marked unknown. On top of this, there were so many graves, making the experience overwhelming.
I was therefore glad to have the opportunity to read this book and understand the story behind those who had sacrificed much, some their very lives. There is much that reads like Gallipoli - a poorly planned mission leading to the death and suffering of Australian troops, with many episodes of individual heroism that in this case are largely untold. This book sets the scene behind the mission, how Australian troops were defeated and then imprisoned in a brutal prisoner-of-war camp for the remainder of the war (1942-1945).
The story has tense issues, not always speaking in past tense, and frequently referring to future events 'but little did they know that the worst was yet to come....' - ok once or twice but annoying when repetitive. There was also a mixture of formal grammar with jarring sentence constructions.
But the story is a moving one. I felt a tear from both happiness and sadness I think, when the account of Hiroshima was described, signaling the end of the POW suffering, but at a huge price. The suffering of the Australians who went to Ambon was immense. Death was almost a mercy. Whilst the willingness of the Japanese to inflict the pain or let it happen through illness, nearly impossible to comprehend. The Australian soldiers are not given the hero status attributed to ANZACs - clearly many struggled to suppress self interest in the extreme circumstances. I expected the ambonese locals to receive a more complimentary account, however, it appears that some of them also acted selfishly. This honesty is refreshing I think, amidst the tendency to whitewash our soldiers for the sake of untainted nostalgia. May our world never see war and suffering on this scale ever again, anywhere.
I was therefore glad to have the opportunity to read this book and understand the story behind those who had sacrificed much, some their very lives. There is much that reads like Gallipoli - a poorly planned mission leading to the death and suffering of Australian troops, with many episodes of individual heroism that in this case are largely untold. This book sets the scene behind the mission, how Australian troops were defeated and then imprisoned in a brutal prisoner-of-war camp for the remainder of the war (1942-1945).
The story has tense issues, not always speaking in past tense, and frequently referring to future events 'but little did they know that the worst was yet to come....' - ok once or twice but annoying when repetitive. There was also a mixture of formal grammar with jarring sentence constructions.
But the story is a moving one. I felt a tear from both happiness and sadness I think, when the account of Hiroshima was described, signaling the end of the POW suffering, but at a huge price. The suffering of the Australians who went to Ambon was immense. Death was almost a mercy. Whilst the willingness of the Japanese to inflict the pain or let it happen through illness, nearly impossible to comprehend. The Australian soldiers are not given the hero status attributed to ANZACs - clearly many struggled to suppress self interest in the extreme circumstances. I expected the ambonese locals to receive a more complimentary account, however, it appears that some of them also acted selfishly. This honesty is refreshing I think, amidst the tendency to whitewash our soldiers for the sake of untainted nostalgia. May our world never see war and suffering on this scale ever again, anywhere.
January 29, 2019
Incredible story of suvival
I had a uncle who was with Gull Force on Ambon. He was lucky enough to come home.He joined they army,but his mum was'nt to happy about, because he was too young. Hope everybody that reads this book enjoys it just like i did
I had a uncle who was with Gull Force on Ambon. He was lucky enough to come home.He joined they army,but his mum was'nt to happy about, because he was too young. Hope everybody that reads this book enjoys it just like i did
April 15, 2022
The story of Gulf Force is one of poor military decisions sending them to Ambon in the first place with little chance of success, poor leadership once they got there and later in captivity, incredible brutality and hunger as POWs, and a general feeling they were the forgotten men. The various stories of brutality, massacre, escape, capture, torture, starvation and despair makes sad but interesting reading. Just not sure the writing was as good as Gulf Force deserved.
October 14, 2014
Very descriptive and detailed account of the atrocities meted out to Australian, Dutch and American POWs on the island of Ambon by their Japanese captors. It also details the stupidity of the ADF in its planning for war in the Pacific. Worth a read for those interested in Australian History.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews