Operation Rimau: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{Multiple issues|

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}}{{Infobox military conflict

{{Underlinked|date=September 2015}}

}}{{Self-contradictory|about=how many man were captured, how many were killed in action, how many died of disease|date=May 2016}}{{Infobox military conflict

|conflict=Operation Rimau

|partof=the [[Japanese occupation of Singapore]] during [[World War II]]

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|caption=

|date=10–16 October 1944

|place=[[Singapore]] Harbour; Riau, [[Indonesia]]

|result=Japanese victory

|combatant1={{flag|Empire of Japan}}

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|strength2=23 commandos<br>1 [[Junk (ship)|junk]]

|casualties1=3 ships sunk

|casualties2=1 junk scuttled<br>1312 killed<br>10 executed<br>1 died in custody prior to execution

|}}

'''Operation Rimau''' was an attack on [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] shipping in [[Singapore]] Harbour, carried out by an [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] [[commando]] unit [[Z Special Unit]], during [[World War II]] using Hoehn military MKIII [[folboat]]s. It was a follow-up to the successful ''[[Operation Jaywick]]'', which had taken place in 1943, and ''Rimau'', a shortened version of the word Harimau (which is [[Malay language|Malay]] for tiger). It was again led by Lieutenant Colonel [[Ivan Lyon]] of the Gordon Highlanders.

Originally part of a much larger operation called ''[[Operation Hornbill (World War Two)|Operation Hornbill]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ozatwar.com/sigint/hornbill.htm |title=Operations Hornbill, Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD) |publisher=Ozatwar.com |date= |accessdate=6 September 2015}}</ref> the aim of Rimau was to sink Japanese shipping by paddling the folboats in the dark and placing [[Naval mine#Limpet mines|limpet mines]] on ships. It was originally intended that motorised semi-submersible canoes, known as "[[Sleeping Beauty (canoe)|Sleeping Beauties]]", would be used to gain access to the harbour, however, they resorted to folboats. ThirteenAfter menthe raiding party's discovery by local Japanese occupation authorities, a total of twelve men (including raid commander Lyon,) were killed during battles at a number of island locations. One man died of his wounds whilst in captivity. The remaining ten{{Contradiction inline|date=Julycommandos 2016}}were captured commandosby the Japanese, transported to Singapore and were tried with [[perfidy]] and espionage in a Japanese court and executed on 7 July 1945.<ref name="Success and failure in the port of Singapore—Z Special Unit and the Jaywick and Rimau raids">{{citation|title = Success and failure in the port of Singapore—Z Special Unit and the Jaywick and Rimau raids|url = http://www.anzacday.org.au/education/activities/z_special/pdf/z_force.pdf|publisher = ANZAC Day}}</ref><ref name="Rimau Historic Marker">{{citation|title = Rimau Historic Marker|url = http://lynettesilver.com/investigations/rimau-historic-marker/|publisher = Lynette Ramsay Silver OAM}}</ref>

==Planning==

After the success of the earlier Operation Jaywick mission in 1943, Ivan Lyon started preparing for Operation Rimau. 'Rimau' is the Malay word for 'tiger' and Lyon had a large multi-coloured tiger head tattooed on his chest.

The mission consisted of 2223 men with an additional two performing the duties of "conducting officers".

The plan was to:

*deliver commandoes to enemy waters via submarine with 15 one-man, motorised submersible canoes known as "Sleeping Beauties" (SBs) (these could be used on the surface or travel semi-submerged, with the operator’s head above the water or fully submerged similar to a small submarine, the operator using artificial breathing apparatus similar to modern [[Scuba diving]] equipment);

*travel to the uninhabited [[Merapas Island]] in [[Indonesia]] which they would use as a base and place enough supplies for three months;

*have the commandoes capture a small local fishing boat;

*sail the boat towards [[Singapore]] Harbour undetected, disguising the commandos as locals;

*reach the Bay of Kepala Jernih (in the [[Tambelan Archipeligo]]) late on 9 October 1944 for 24 hours to allow an officer to carry out a reconnaissance from Pulau Subar ("[[Sisters'_Islands]]");

*the officer was to spend the time observing targets and later rendezvous with the junk to participate in the attack;

*two canoes would travel north to the vicinity of Labon Island to secure a hide for the junk and for another canoe to proceed to Subar;

*after darkness, the crew was to move the junk to an attack base at Labon

*using the ‘Sleeping"Sleeping Beauties’Beauties", the party was to attach limpet mines to Japanese ships, sink thirty of them, damage another thirty, and escape to their base on [[Merapas Island]] by paddling their way back in two-man [[Folding kayak|folboats (collapsible canoes)]], seventy miles to the east of [[Singapore]];

*return to a rendezvous with the submarine on 7/8 November 1944 at [[Merapas Island]];

*if the submarine failed to make contact with them it would stay in the area, returning to the designated point every night until 8 December 1944.

The main differences from [[Operation Jaywick]] were:

*delivering mines by special one-man motorised submersible canoes (called ‘Sleeping Beauties’, or SBs);

*a larger operational team (2423 as opposed to 14);

*capturing a boat rather than sailing in one from [[Australia]];

*the boat captured did not have an engine.

The members of the team were:

*Corporal Archie Campbell,

*Sergeant Colin Cameron – Maintenance Technician;

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*Able Seaman Andrew Huston,

*Major Reginald Ingleton, RM;

*Lieutenant Colonel [[Ivan Lyon]]*;

*Able Seaman Frederick Marsh*;

*Corporal Hugo Pace – Infantry and Maintenance;

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==Operation==

Lyon and his men left their base in [[Garden_Island_(Western_Australia)|Garden Island]] in [[Western Australia]] aboard the British submarine [[HMS Porpoise (N14)|HMS ''Porpoise'']] on 11 September 1944.

The submarine reached the island of [[Merapas Island|Merapas]] off the coast of [[Pulau Bintan]] on 23 September 1944. Although the island was believed to be uninhabited, a periscope reconnaissance the following day spotted three Malays beside a canoe on the beach.

To ensure that their stores would remain undiscovered by the natives, one of the officers from the ''Porpoise'', Lieutenant Walter Carey, remained on Merapas as a guard.

The rest of the party stayed in the ''Porpoise'' which moved off on the evening of 24 September 1944 to capture a native boat. It followed Karimato Strait along the Borneo coast.

===Capture of Mustika===

On the afternoon 28 September 1944 the ''Porpoise'' stopped a [[junk (ship)|junk]] from [[Ketapang]] named the ''Mustika'' off the west coast of [[Borneo]] near [[Pontianak, Indonesia|Pontianak]]. Seven commandoes of boarded the boat and nine Malay crew were taken aboard the submarine.

Twelve minutes later, ''Porpoise'' submerged with both vessels making their way back west towards a forward operational base at [[Pedjantan Island]].

Over the next two nights, 29–30 September 1944, the Rimau commandoes, the SBs, folboats and other stores were transferred from Porpoise to Mustika.

Once completed on 1 October 1944 the second conducting officer, Major Walter Chapman and Mustika's Malayan crew returned to [[Australia]] in HMS Porpoise. (The Malay crew would be transported to [[Fremantle]] where they stayed for the rest of the war.)

''Porpoise'' arrived safely back in Fremantle on 11 October 1944. On 15 October 1944, Chapman, along with Corporal Ronald Croton, embarked in the submarine [[HMS_Tantalus_(P318)|''HMS Tantalus'']] under the command of Lt Commander Hugh Mackenzie. This submarine was conducting an offensive patrol in the [[South China Sea]] and was due to rendezvous with the Rimau party on 8 November 1944.

===Return to Merapas Island===

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The ''Mustika'' arrived at Merapas on 4 October 1944. It appears Lyon decided to divide the party into two groups: 19 commandoes to take part in the raid, while four men would be left behind. These were meant to be Carey, Warren, Craft and Cameron or Pace.

The ''Mustika'' then headed towards [[Singapore]] Harbour, reaching the vicinity of the harbour on or around 6 October 1944. It was thought to have been off the west coast of [[Pulau Batam]]. Pulau Laban is located at a distance of 11 miles from [[Keppel Harbour]] and was the intended forward point from which the attack was to be launched.

===Contact with Japanese===

On 10 October 1944, two hours before sunset and an hour before the raid was to commence, disaster struck. A coastal Malay Police patrol boat, the ''Hei Ho'', challenged the ''Mustika'' near Kasoe Island and Samboe Island. (The Japanese had increased surveillance of the area since Operation Jaywick.) It is unclear why the patrol boat approached the ''Mustika'' – various theories offered included: the ship flew the wrong flag; it was a suspicious size; the sailors were identified as white men, and not Malays.

Shots were fired between the vessels – it was later deduced one of the Australian commandos aboard panicked and started firing at the approaching patrol boat. Some of the patrol boat crew were killed but at least one escaped and managed to get back to report the incident.

Lyon knew the patrol boat would go forseek help from Japanese occupation authorities and decided to abort the mission. He scuttled up the junk and the Sleeping Beauties (which were top secret weapons at the time), andwith explosive charges. He ordered his men to divide into four groups and make their way back to Merapas by use of the folboats that they had stored on ''Mustika''. The groups were led by Lyon, Davidson, Page and Ross respectively.

===Attack on Singapore Harbour===

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They are believed to have sunk three ships with limpet mines, although evidence confirming this is limited.

The Singapore Garrison of the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] did unleash a punitive force of at least 100 soldiers led by Major Hajime Fujita including army, navy and native police to find the commandoes.

===Initial Flight===

It is probable that some of the folboat parties stopped on the headland of north-western Batam and left. Batam had been used during ‘Jaywick’ as a hiding place by Davidson in 1943. .

On 14 October 1944 some commandos were reported as being on Pankgil Island (thought now to most likely be Page's group). Japanese soldiers were sent to the island but did not find them.

===Battle of Soreh Island===

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===Tapai Island===

The wounded Davidson and Campbell made it by folboat to Tapai Island on 16 October 1944. Both men died there, either from their wounds or committing suicide by cyanide capsule.

===Merapas Island===

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The orders to the commander of the rescue submarine, HMS Tantalus, Lieutenant Commander Hugh Mackenzie, were to go to the rescue rendezvous area of

Merapas Island on 7 November 1944, and to remain there until 7 December 1944 if necessary.

The ''Tantalus'' left Australia on 15 October 1944. The orders of the captain stated:

<blockquote>The Commanding Officer HMS Tantalus is responsible for the safety of the submarine which is to be his first consideration and has discretion to cancel or postpone the operation at any time.... Subject to patrol requirements HMS Tantalus will leave her patrol at dark on 7 November and proceed to the vicinity of Merapas Island.... In the event of the pick up party and the RIMAU party failing to keep the rendezvous for the embarkation, the greatest caution is to be exercised by Tantalus, who should not hesitate to abandon the operation if contact is not re-established, or if he has some reason to suspect that the operation is compromised.<ref>Report on Attempted Pickup of ‘RIMAU’ Party by HMS ‘TANTALUS’, Appendix 1, Operation Order No. 44, Major WW Chapman 12/12/1944. File [Lower South China Sea, Singapore -] RIMAU Reports Copy 1, NAA Item Number A3269, E4/C.</ref></blockquote>

On 7 November 1944 ten of the Rimau commandos were in place to meet the rescue submarine but it did not appear, as Mackenzie had instead chosen to hunt for enemy shipping in the area. He made this decision in consultation with Major Chapman, Z Special Unit's contact on the submarine. Tantalus' main objective was offensive action against the Japanese and the orders to the Rimau party were that they might expect to be picked up at any time within a month of the initial rendezvous date.

On 21 November 1944 the submarine reached Merapas Island. Chapman and another commando, Corporal Croton, were worried about the surf and tracked their landing canoe around the island to calmer waters, away from the set position at 0200. Chapman wanted to head back to the submarine but Croton drew his pistol and forced Chapman on.

Croton and Chapman arrived at the designated meeting point after dawn on 22 November 1944. They found some evidence of the commandos having been there – the beginnings of a large lean-to shelter in a clearing at the top of a hill, away from the original base site; empty rations tins; half-cooked food on 'Commando Cookers'; fires seemingly kicked out; a few pieces of silver foil; empty cigarette cartons. They did not question local people about what happened.

Croton and Chapman returned to the submarine. Chapman and Mackenzie agreed that the operation had likely been a failure and that no purpose could be served in returning to Merapas, contrary to what had been planned.

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===Attempted Escape===

Once the 7 December 1944 final deadline passed, the survivors realised that they would not be rescued. They attempted to make their way home the three thousand kilometre distance to Australia.

Over two weeks all the men were either captured, killed in firefights or drowned.

Two men, Willersdorf and Pace were captured on 17 January 1945 on [[Romang]] Island, [[Indonesia]], some 350-400 miles from Australia after a journey of approximately 2000 miles by folbot. Willersdorf died of his wounds in Japanese captivity in [[Dili]], [[East Timor]] in March 1945. Pace died of starvation several months later in June 1945 in the same facility. Both were buried on a hill approximately 200m from the prison facility.

The last commando was captured in March.

Warne was able to evade Japanese patrols until March 1945 but was captured after a bout of delirium brought on by fever. He was taken to [[Surabaya]] under the control of the Naval Police and interrogated so brutally he died of untreated wounds one month later.

===Capture and Execution===

[[File:Operation Rimau memorial outside Kranji War Memorial September 2015.jpg|thumb|The memorial to Operation Rimau outside the entrance to the Kranji War Memorial]]

In all, eleven members of the contingent were captured. They wereand brought to Singapore and held at Outram Road Prison in Singapore. One commando, Marsh, died of malaria. During the imprisonment the men were tortured and starvedprovided starvation rations similar to those provided to other prisoners in the facility.

On 3 July 1945, they were put on trial for perfidy and espionage,. They were found guilty and sentenced to death.

Official Japanese records state that the ten men were [[Decapitation#Japan|beheaded]] at [[Passir Panjang]] on 7 July 1945 – barely a month before the war came to an end. Later evidence stated it took guards more than half an hour to execute the men, sometimes requiring two or three blows to complete beheading.

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The bodies were dumped in three unmarked graves.

SeventeenNineteen of the Rimau commandos, including Lyon, are buried at [[Kranji War Memorial]] in [[Singapore]]. The bodies of two men (Riggs and Cameron) were discovered on [[Merapas Island]] in 1993 with the help of locals present on the island at the time of their death & transferred to Singapore for burial in August 1994.

==Notes==

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*[http://www.rendcombian.org.uk/pdfnews/1998.pdf In Memoriam: Major Reginald “Otto” M. INGLETON]

*[https://static.awm.gov.au/images/collection/pdf/RCDIG1070721--1-.pdf Chapter in Rimau in Official History of World War Two]

*[http://abmm.org/operation-rimau-what-went-wrong-pt1/ Operation Rimau: What Went Wrong (Part One)] at Australian Bunker Military Museum

*[http://abmm.org/operation-rimau-what-went-wrong-pt2/ Operation Rimau: What Went Wrong (Part Two)] at Australian Bunker Military Museum

*[http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12733278.Two_heroes_to_be_honoured_over_war_raid_on_Japanese/ Two heroes to be honoured over war raid on Japanese (From Herald Scotland)]

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