WAS A JAPANESE LANDING PARTY AMBUSHED
IN THE KIMBERLEY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA DURING WW2?

There have been reports of a Japanese landing party coming ashore in The Kimberley in Western Australia in about 1942 or 1943. They were supposedly ambushed early one morning whilst having breakfast by a platoon of Australian soldiers 

The story suggests that all of the Japanese were killed and the whole episode was hushed up. It was believed that they were Naval troops as their helmets and hats had anchor insignias on them.

Lindsay Peet, a military historian from Western Australia, suggested, that if there had in fact been a landing, as described above, perhaps the anchor symbol on their helmets and hats would suggest that at least some of them may have been Rikusentai or Special Naval Landing Forces (equivalent to US Marines). See the 'Handbook on Japanese military forces', Greenhill, London, 1991, chapter V. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Jim McMillan for his assistance with this home page.

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 17 July 2001

This page last updated 14 January 2020