Missing Pieces: - Royal Australian Navy

92 Missing Pieces
the island in an effort to forestall the Japanese from taking advantage of Portuguese
neutrality. The Portuguese did not resist the Allies, but neither was their support
total. Between September 1941 and the Japanese attack, the British Government had
originated the plan, convinced the Dutch and Australian Governments to participate
— there were no British forces involved — and then disowned the idea as it became
aware of the outrage felt by the Portuguese at the proposal. 276 The plan surprised the
Australian consul in Dili, Mr. David Ross — an NID officer serving with Department of
External Affairs — but he had a significant role in its execution.
The Allies did not really believe that these relatively small forces could prevent
a Japanese landing, but they did hope to provide sufficient resistance to slow the
Japanese advance through the Malay Barrier. The topography of Portuguese (East)
Timor promised opportunities for this kind of warfare. In due course the Japanese did
invade Timor, on the night of 19 February 1942, landing at both Dili, the Portuguese
capital, and Kupang, and their troops and naval gunfire support quickly routed the
token Allied forces opposing them. The remnants of the Allied regular troops retreated
into the hinterland, where elements joined up with 2/2 Independent Company, while
the Japanese, needing their shock troops for further assaults in NEI, quickly reduced
their force levels to little more than garrisons.
Lack of communications with Australia prevented news of the situation in Timor being
conveyed to Allied authorities — GHQ had assumed that all resistance in Timor had
been overcome. However, this was corrected by amazing feats of self-reliance on the
part of the Independent Company, which managed to re-establish radio contact with
Australia on 20 April. Allied planners now realised that by supporting the soldiers
in East Timor they could achieve the aims of collecting intelligence on the Japanese,
directing bombing raids on the Japanese garrisons, and tying down the IJA. Accordingly,
GHQ SWPA issued orders on 19 June 1942 that the force on Timor was to be supported
until compelled to withdraw. 277 A system for re-equipment and resupply of the force,
plus the introduction of fresh troops and the evacuation of the sick, wounded and some
Portuguese citizens, was put in place, with the RAN responsible for most of the work.
Commanding the operation of these supply missions was the Naval Officer-in-Charge
(NOIC) Darwin, in late 1942 Commodore Cuthbert Pope, RN.
The means available were severely limited: Timor did not have a high priority, and
ships and aircraft suitable for the resupply missions were few. In time, 2/2 Independent
Company was being served by a combination of Catalina flights, stores drops by
Hudsons and landings and extractions by RAN ships. None of these was totally safe
from interdiction. The IJA maintained a fighter squadron at Dili, which was used not
only to attack the Allied positions but could and did intercept RAAF and USAAF supply
and bombing missions, and they had bombers based in the Moluccas to attack both
Sparrow Force and cooperating ships. The Japanese also flew regular surveillance