Fruit and Nuts PTO (id:#57940)

Heat of Battle (Tropic Thunder! ID: TT 6)   [next]   [previous]

Tarakan, east of Borneo, the Netherlands East Indies 1945-05-23 (0 others)

Overview:

Although the objectives of the oilfields and the airport were quickly taken, the bitter fighting to destroy the Japanese dragged on throughout May. The Japanese had retreated into the rugged interior of the island, where, from carefully constructed fortifications they contested every advance by the Australians. The Australians had total control of the air, and were able to call on air support, tanks and artillery. In the end it was only the infantry who could go in and dig out the stubborn defenders. The 2/48th Battalion had been tasked with clearing the enemy from the feature known as "Freda", but in a week of fighting had made little progress. late in the afternoon of the 22nd, an attack by two platoons from A Company, led by the redoubtable Lt. Derrick VC, DCM, cleared the Japanese from the area known as "Knoll 2", but losses had been heavy, and further progress that day was impossible. In the darkness, Derrick settled his men into their foxholes and awaited reinforcements, two sections from B Troop, 2/4th Commandos, under the command of an old friend, Lt. Bruce Stanford.

Defender: Australian (B Troop. 2/4th Commando Squadron, and A Company, 2/48th Battalion)  

Errata (source)