Darkest Hour: The True Story of Lark Force at Rabaul - Australia's Worst Military Disaster of World War II

Description

At 2.30 am on January 23, 1942, the little-known tropical island of New Britain was the site of the Australian Army's darkest hour. Lark Force, 1,400 men and six nurses, the bulk of them from 2/22nd Infantry Battalion, had been deployed to fortify and defend Rabaul, the capital of Australia's mandated territories. The Japanese had other plans..

Lark Force of the Australian Army were deployed to guard the capital of New England, Rabul, against Japanese invasion. After reinforcing the island, a period of garrison duty was shattered when the Japanese attacked in overwhelming numbers on January 23, 1942. Finally told to evacuate the island, the Australian troops had no alternative but to flee into jungle to survive as best they could in the unforgiving territory. Of fifteen hundred men, only around 400 survived to be captured by Japanese forces, and 141 were summarily executed. Placed in a transport ship - the Montevideo Maru- bound for the Hainan islands, the survivors were bound for even more tragedy when the ship was torpedoed by an American submarine with the loss of a further 1000 Australian lives.

World War II," June 2007 "The author takes a grunt's-eye view of not just the battle, but its horrid aftermaths for POWs." WW2 Database "(online)," February 2007 "Exhaustively researched and descriptively written, Gamble's narrative of Darkest Hour" is rich in detail but yet still easy to read. Pick up a copy, settle into your favorite chair, and be careful not to get lost in the wild growth of the South Pacific jungles." "WWII History Magazine," May 2007 "For whatever reason, far too few books about Australia's participation in World War II make it to these shores. Had it not been for Bruce Gamble's remarkable history of Aussie courage at Rabaul, comparable at least with the American and Filipino doomed defense of Corregidor Island or the brave but futile U.S. stand at Wake Island, few Americans would know what went on there...Author Gamble pored over forgotten files and official reports and conducted interviews with the handful of surviviing veterans to craft this tragic, heroic story. A terrific tale about a little-known (to Americans) battle." World War II, " June 2007"The author takes a grunt's-eye view of not just the battle, but its horrid aftermaths for POWs." WW2 Database "(online), " February 2007"Exhaustively researched and descriptively written, Gamble's narrative of Darkest Hour" is rich in detail but yet still easy to read. Pick up a copy, settle into your favorite chair, and be careful not to get lost in the wild growth of the South Pacific jungles." WW2 Database(online), February 2007"Exhaustively researched and descriptively written, Gamble's narrative of Darkest Hour is rich in detail but yet still easy to read. Pick up a copy, settle into your favorite chair, and be careful not to get lost in the wild growth of the South Pacific jungles." World War II, June 2007"The author takes a grunt's-eye view of not just the battle, but its horrid aftermaths for POWs." World War II, June 2007 The author takes a grunt s-eye view of not just the battle, but its horrid aftermaths for POWs. " WW2 Database (online), February 2007 Exhaustively researched and descriptively written, Gamble's narrative of Darkest Hour is rich in detail but yet still easy to read. Pick up a copy, settle into your favorite chair, and be careful not to get lost in the wild growth of the South Pacific jungles. " World War II, June 2007"The author takes a grunt's-eye view of not just the battle, but its horrid aftermaths for POWs." WW2 Database (online), February 2007"Exhaustively researched and descriptively written, Gamble's narrative of Darkest Hour is rich in detail but yet still easy to read. Pick up a copy, settle into your favorite chair, and be careful not to get lost in the wild growth of the South Pacific jungles." WWII History Magazine, May 2007 "For whatever reason, far too few books about Australia's participation in World War II make it to these shores. Had it not been for Bruce Gamble's remarkable history of Aussie courage at Rabaul, comparable at least with the American and Filipino doomed defense of Corregidor Island or the brave but futile U.S. stand at Wake Island, few Americans would know what went on there...Author Gamble pored over forgotten files and official reports and conducted interviews with the handful of surviviing veterans to craft this tragic, heroic story. A terrific tale about a little-known (to Americans) battle." WWII History Magazine, May 2007"For whatever reason, far too few books about Australia's participation in World War II make it to these shores. Had it not been for Bruce Gamble's remarkable history of Aussie courage at Rabaul, comparable at least with the American and Filipino doomed defense of Corregidor Island or the brave but futile U.S. stand at Wake Island, few Americans would know what went on there...Author Gamble pored over forgotten files and official reports and conducted interviews with the handful of surviviing veterans to craft this tragic, heroic story. A terrific tale about a little-known (to Americans) battle." "WWII History Magazine", May 2007 "For whatever reason, far too few books about Australia's participation in World War II make it to these shores. Had it not been for Bruce Gamble's remarkable history of Aussie courage at Rabaul, comparable at least with the American and Filipino doomed defense of Corregidor Island or the brave but futile U.S. stand at Wake Island, few Americans would know what went on there...Author Gamble pored over forgotten files and official reports and conducted interviews with the handful of surviviing veterans to craft this tragic, heroic story. A terrific tale about a little-known (to Americans) battle." World War II," June 2007 " The author takes a grunt' s-eye view of not just the battle, but its horrid aftermaths for POWs." "WWII History Magazine," May 2007 " For whatever reason, far too few books about Australia's participation in World War II make it to these shores. Had it not been for Bruce Gamble's remarkable history of Aussie courage at Rabaul, comparable at least with the American and Filipino doomed defense of Corregidor Island or the brave but futile U.S. stand at Wake Island, few Americans would know what went on there...Author Gamble pored over forgotten files and official reports and conducted interviews with the handful of surviviing veterans to craft this tragic, heroic story. A terrific tale about a little-known (to Americans) battle." "WWII History Magazine," May 2007 " For whatever reason, far too few books about Australia's participation in World War II make it to these shores. Had it not been for Bruce Gamble's remarkable history of Aussie courage at Rabaul, comparable at least with the American and Filipino doomed defense of Corregidor Island or the brave but futile U.S. stand at Wake Island, few Americans would know what went on there...Author Gamble pored over forgotten files and official reports and conducted interviews with the handful of surviviing veterans to craft this tragic, heroic story. A terrific tale about a little-known (to Americans) battle." WW2 Database "(online)," February 2007 " Exhaustively researched and descriptively written, Gamble's narrative of Darkest Hour" is rich in detail but yet still easy to read. Pick up a copy, settle into your favorite chair, and be careful not to get lost in the wild growth of the South Pacific jungles."