ISSUE 14 : Jan/Feb - 1979 - Australian Defence Force Journal

THE SURVEILLANCE OF NORTHERN AUSTRALIA 27ment is made now on some aspects of these.The surveillance of the coast based upon theemployment of small self-contained patrols andthe performance of 'medium reconnaissance inlimited war', which is what the scouting andreconnaissance patrols for the GOC NT Force,to guard his flanks and to warn him, were allabout, have been discussed.The task of the collection of intelligence onthe location and movement of the enemy forces,has been said by Stanner to have involved fiveseparate screens. These screens were —• The off shore and river fleet of NAOUvessels.• The forward observation posts, at suchplaces as Cape Dussejour and BlunderBay on the Cambridge Gulf and on theVictoria River, Roper River and in theNormanton-Burketown area and by thecoastwatch around Darwin.• By the mounted roving patrols moving inall the coastal regions between the observationposts.• The Headquarters of each of the threefield companies, located on the RoperRiver, in the Ivanhoe-Ord River area andin Queensland, together with the Headquartersof the twelve platoons making upthe three field companies.• The pedal radio sets on the cattle stations,linked in via the Flying Doctor Network,together with the sets on the missionstations.All the information received from thesescreens was fed through the signals networkalready described to UHQ NAOU and thenceto HO NT Force.The task of providing ad hoc teams forspecial missions was acceptable. Indeed theformation of the Darwin Coastwatch Platoonin 1943 was an ad hoc party for a specialmission and its HQ and outlying coastwatcherposts around Darwin were rapidly put intoaction when NT Force received intelligence ofthe added threat at that time. On anotheroccasion a special mounted detachment wasraised from HQ Company to demonstrate its'ground clearing' ability in an NT Forceexercise.The reconnaissance of, the seizing initiallyand the marking of landing and dropping zoneswas a task, which had the enemy landed, theNAOU could have performed upon request.(Australian War Memorial Neg. 5H429)Lt Chapman, the Signals Officer with radio equipmentin pack saddles.Action to Harass, Disrupt, Ambush the EnemyThis has been given a separate heading,although it should be dealt with under the'Comments on Unit Tasks'. An effort hasalready been made to emphasize the realconcept which Stanner had when he inventedthe Observer Unit in early 1942—that the unitwould act as 'bush shadows' and cling to andhang onto the enemy, whatever he did andwherever he went and report on him and keepon reporting on him no matter what.Having again emphasized that and havingindicated the restraints on active limited offensive/defensiveoperations, it is clear that, froma guerrilla viewpoint, on the occasion presentingitself, harassment, disruption and the ambushof the enemy could well have been taskseffectively carried out. So far as ambush of theenemy goes, certain areas were actually considered,such as the Jasper Gorge, which lieson the way between Timber Creek and VictoriaRiver Downs.Unit Support, Its Resupply and Medical CareRcsupply and unit maintenance were effectedby the unit by its own vessels, trucks and packhorses.Elements in the far out bush wereexpected to live 'off the land', which meantshooting wild fowl, catching fish and killing