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Z Special Unit: The Elite Allied World War II Guerrilla Force
Based on recently released wartime files, interviews with surviving veterans and previously unpublished private papers, this is the incredible story of the origins and operations of a wartime special forces unit that defied the odds.
Z Special Unit, one of the most intrepid but arguably the most unsung of Allied Special Forces of the Second World War waged a guerrilla war against Japan for two years in the south-west Pacific. On some of their 81 operations Z Special Unit slipped into enemy harbors in canoes and silently mined ships before vanishing into the night; on others they parachuted into the dense Borneo jungle to fight with headhunters against the Japanese and on one occasion they landed on an Indonesian island and smuggled out the pro-Allied sultan from under Japanese noses.
The Japanese weren't the only adversary that Z Special Unit encountered in the brutal terrain of the Pacific. In the mango swamps of Borneo and the dense jungle of Papua New Guinea they were faced with venomous snakes, man-eating crocodiles and deadly diseases. But it was the enemy soldiers who proved the most ruthless foe, beheading those Z Special Unit commandos who fell into their hands.
"Z was a different operation to anything else," recalls veteran Jack Tredrea. "You were never told what you were going to do. You weren't allowed to talk about what you were training for in case any of us were caught. You could have been tortured and divulged information.
Drawing on veteran interviews as well as operational reports and recently declassified SOE files, Gavin Mortimer explores the incredible history of this remarkable special forces unit and the remarkable band of commandoes that defied the odds.
Z Special Unit, one of the most intrepid but arguably the most unsung of Allied Special Forces of the Second World War waged a guerrilla war against Japan for two years in the south-west Pacific. On some of their 81 operations Z Special Unit slipped into enemy harbors in canoes and silently mined ships before vanishing into the night; on others they parachuted into the dense Borneo jungle to fight with headhunters against the Japanese and on one occasion they landed on an Indonesian island and smuggled out the pro-Allied sultan from under Japanese noses.
The Japanese weren't the only adversary that Z Special Unit encountered in the brutal terrain of the Pacific. In the mango swamps of Borneo and the dense jungle of Papua New Guinea they were faced with venomous snakes, man-eating crocodiles and deadly diseases. But it was the enemy soldiers who proved the most ruthless foe, beheading those Z Special Unit commandos who fell into their hands.
"Z was a different operation to anything else," recalls veteran Jack Tredrea. "You were never told what you were going to do. You weren't allowed to talk about what you were training for in case any of us were caught. You could have been tortured and divulged information.
Drawing on veteran interviews as well as operational reports and recently declassified SOE files, Gavin Mortimer explores the incredible history of this remarkable special forces unit and the remarkable band of commandoes that defied the odds.
- GenresHistory
240 pages, Hardcover
First published April 12, 2022
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About the author
Gavin Mortimer
64 books22 followersFor a detailed biography, to learn more about all the books I have written and to discover my forthcoming projects, please visit my website at the above link.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 21, 2022
Elite Guerilla Force
An exciting, breathtaking, story of a special force of Guerilla fighters under command of the British S.O.E. led by courageous men such as Ivan Lyon, Donald Davidson and Francis Chester among others.
This group's 81 operations took them from dangerous Pacific seas facing the fierce Japanese to the swamps of Borneo and the Jungles of New Guinea. They faced such perils as man eating crocodiles, venomous snakes, deadly tropical diseases and natives with poison darts. If caught by the enemy the Z troop soldiers often had their heads cut off.
Some of the more prominent attempted operations were Jaywick, Rimau, and Python. Jaywick was a success the other two not so much. In the Rimau operation it never took place and none of the operatives were recovered. Many operations were successful and other's were not. Men were captured, killed and lost but a few escaped.
I was interested in the metal submersible canoes they called "Black Beauties". In these canoes the operator used water bottles to breath and could place mines on the ships while underwater.
Another interesting story I found was when the Semut operation recruited the Dayaks who terrorized the Japanese with blow darts and cut off their heads if caught to fight with them against the Japanese. They offered the natives medical care and that insured their loyalty to the Z troop.
These were some of the most unlikely soldiers with great courage and fortitude who wished to win the war for the allies. The whole book was an interesting era in history and keep me reading which usually does not happen with a nonfiction book. It was a great read and I learned so much. I would recommend this book.
Thanks to Gavin Mortimer for researching and writing a great book, to Osprey Publishing for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me to read and review.
An exciting, breathtaking, story of a special force of Guerilla fighters under command of the British S.O.E. led by courageous men such as Ivan Lyon, Donald Davidson and Francis Chester among others.
This group's 81 operations took them from dangerous Pacific seas facing the fierce Japanese to the swamps of Borneo and the Jungles of New Guinea. They faced such perils as man eating crocodiles, venomous snakes, deadly tropical diseases and natives with poison darts. If caught by the enemy the Z troop soldiers often had their heads cut off.
Some of the more prominent attempted operations were Jaywick, Rimau, and Python. Jaywick was a success the other two not so much. In the Rimau operation it never took place and none of the operatives were recovered. Many operations were successful and other's were not. Men were captured, killed and lost but a few escaped.
I was interested in the metal submersible canoes they called "Black Beauties". In these canoes the operator used water bottles to breath and could place mines on the ships while underwater.
Another interesting story I found was when the Semut operation recruited the Dayaks who terrorized the Japanese with blow darts and cut off their heads if caught to fight with them against the Japanese. They offered the natives medical care and that insured their loyalty to the Z troop.
These were some of the most unlikely soldiers with great courage and fortitude who wished to win the war for the allies. The whole book was an interesting era in history and keep me reading which usually does not happen with a nonfiction book. It was a great read and I learned so much. I would recommend this book.
Thanks to Gavin Mortimer for researching and writing a great book, to Osprey Publishing for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me to read and review.
January 24, 2023
Z Special Unit answers the question what did the SOE do in the South Pacific theatre of WWII? The wonderful folks who tried to "set Europe ablaze" were also active against the Japanese with the Australians. All these operations were carried out under the Z Unit designation in the US/Australian hierarchy- allowing them to avoid too much interference from the American General MacArthur, who had theoretical hegemony over the region. Gavin Mortimer, a long time historian and author on Special Force topics explores some of the units operations, in particular two small craft raids on Singapore, one dazzlingly successful, one much less so, along with Guerilla liaison missions in Sarawak and Indonesia Mortimer is telling the story of the missions and the people involved, trying to give them the same respect so many European theatre escapades have garnered. It's a compelling and engaging book with a lot to offer that many will not have heard before.
As so often with these books, one is struck by the characters of the men who chose to go behind enemy lines. Capture by the Japanese was an awful option, as was getting lost or marooned on an island or deep in the jungle. And yet some amazing gentlemen took up the challenge- to get a chance to strike back after the Japanese onslaught. Mortimer gives us insight into a whole class of men of that era who seemed to thrive under adverse conditions . I was keenly engaged with with book from start to finish and enjoyed learning about a WWII front unknown to me before.
There are some adult themes and some graphic injury and torture passages, so this is a book for the Junior Reader over about 14/15 years. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast, a veritable cornucopia of ideas can come out of this read. The Gamer gets insight into special operations planning and ideas for RPG type mission games and small unit guerilla scenarios- some with blowpipes! The Modeler gets a few built and diorama ideas . The Military Enthusiast gets to learn about a whole facet of the war that seems largely unknown outside of Australia, and how those operations assisted the Allied war effort. It's a wonderful package in the typical Osprey tradition, with lots of maps, diagrams and pictures, helping to tell the story in a vibrant way.
As so often with these books, one is struck by the characters of the men who chose to go behind enemy lines. Capture by the Japanese was an awful option, as was getting lost or marooned on an island or deep in the jungle. And yet some amazing gentlemen took up the challenge- to get a chance to strike back after the Japanese onslaught. Mortimer gives us insight into a whole class of men of that era who seemed to thrive under adverse conditions . I was keenly engaged with with book from start to finish and enjoyed learning about a WWII front unknown to me before.
There are some adult themes and some graphic injury and torture passages, so this is a book for the Junior Reader over about 14/15 years. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast, a veritable cornucopia of ideas can come out of this read. The Gamer gets insight into special operations planning and ideas for RPG type mission games and small unit guerilla scenarios- some with blowpipes! The Modeler gets a few built and diorama ideas . The Military Enthusiast gets to learn about a whole facet of the war that seems largely unknown outside of Australia, and how those operations assisted the Allied war effort. It's a wonderful package in the typical Osprey tradition, with lots of maps, diagrams and pictures, helping to tell the story in a vibrant way.
February 3, 2022
I found this book to be informative with details of the Allied Special Forces Unit which revealed just how brutal war can be. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.
December 7, 2022
Great book!
Well written. Great photos. Z Force as an American I never knew of their missions for decades. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. R.I.P. Hero's!
Well written. Great photos. Z Force as an American I never knew of their missions for decades. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. R.I.P. Hero's!
August 1, 2022
Gavin Mortimer https://gavinmortimer.com is a historian and the author of more than 15 books. The book Z Special Unit: The Elite Allied World War II Guerrilla Force was published in 2022.
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. I categorize this book as G.
In this book Mortimer tells the story of the SOE in Australia during WWII. This Z Special Unit has not appeared often in the annals of WWII. For two years the unit’s teams made clandestine attacks on Japanese shipping by canoe. They were landed by boat or parachuted onto islands behind the lines to lead locals against the Japanese. Their lethal adversaries were not just the Japanese but the jungle itself. Many of their missions, both successful and unsuccessful, are described.
I enjoyed the 7 hours I spent reading this 361-page volume of WWII history. If you are interested in the Pacific Theater of Operations during WWII, particularly special operation units, you will enjoy this book. The chosen cover art is simple, but does depict the unit well. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. I categorize this book as G.
In this book Mortimer tells the story of the SOE in Australia during WWII. This Z Special Unit has not appeared often in the annals of WWII. For two years the unit’s teams made clandestine attacks on Japanese shipping by canoe. They were landed by boat or parachuted onto islands behind the lines to lead locals against the Japanese. Their lethal adversaries were not just the Japanese but the jungle itself. Many of their missions, both successful and unsuccessful, are described.
I enjoyed the 7 hours I spent reading this 361-page volume of WWII history. If you are interested in the Pacific Theater of Operations during WWII, particularly special operation units, you will enjoy this book. The chosen cover art is simple, but does depict the unit well. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews