February 25, 2020 • 28 mins
With all the airmen stricken with malaria, and food and supplies exhausted, survival seems unlikely for the men of the RAAF rear party. When a Timorese villager loyal to the Japanese delivers a letter to Flight Lieutenant Bryan Rofe demanding his surrender, the airmen must confront the truth that they may never make it home. And then hope is rekindled in the form of an unlikely, high-risk rescue attempt.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
The following episode contains violent themes and occasional
strong language.
Listener discretion is advised.
The date is April 13th, 1942.
A group of Australian airmen under the command
of my grandfather, Flight Lieutenant Brian Rofe, have
been trapped behind lines for over seven weeks.
(00:22):
Three men have died, two from malaria and
undernourishment, the other was bitten by a snake.
After four weeks encamped at the village of
Kapsali in remote northwest Timor, the airmen have
relocated to a village called Tuakau.
The village is situated on a beach they
believe is firm enough to support the landing
of an aircraft to rescue them.
(00:43):
With a Japanese patrol closing in on their
position, Brian has led his men into the
jungle to hide from the patrol.
Unbeknownst to Brian and his men, an American
submarine, the USS Sea Raven, has attempted to
locate the party.
After failing to make contact with the Australians,
Sea Raven has aborted the mission.
(01:07):
I'm Tom Trumbull and this is Trapped.
The story of one of the greatest escapes
of the Pacific War.
Naval and air forces launched an unprovoked attack.
A state of war exists between Australia and
Japan.
(01:33):
Chapter 5.
The light out to sea.
Somewhere in the hills above Tuakau, the party's
senior electrical wireless mechanic, Corporal Ron Bell, is
convinced there's been a mix-up with the
request of listening times.
Before they left Tuakau, Ron signalled Darwin about
the enemy patrol and that the rear party
(01:54):
would go radio silent.
Direction-finding technology could only detect transmissions, which
means they could still receive messages without risk
of being located.
So Ron advised Darwin the two times he
would be listening for signals each day.
Coincidentally, Darwin sent a message at the exact
same moment, suggesting two different listening times.
(02:14):
The situation was never clarified.
I understand what you're saying, but there's no
way I'm going to put you on two
listening watches.
Ron voices his concern to Brian, suggesting they
turn on the receiver at the listening times
Darwin originally suggested.
Brian disagrees.
Listening four times a day will run down
the batteries.
(02:36):
Brian assumes Darwin will give precedence to the
listening times he suggested because they are in
peril.
It's a staggering assumption, but then Brian is
not thinking clearly.
His mind is on Corporal Roy Andrews.
All right, Andrews, on your bloody feet.
You aren't fooling anyone.
Roy has undergone as big a physical transformation
(02:56):
as anyone.
His thick neck, round shoulders and broad chest
is whittled away to skin and bones.
The sharp-tongued jokester who nonchalantly smokes cigarettes
through a bombing raid is gone.
Nearly two months in the jungle has melted
away Roy's soul.
In Brian's view, Roy's problems are all in
his head.
Physically, he's no more sick or weak than
(03:17):
the rest of them.
He needs to toughen up.
Brian lowers himself to within inches of Roy's
face.
Come on, Andrews.
You've got your parents, your brothers and sisters,
all your friends at home.
Don't throw in the towel.
Fight.
Fight hard.
Keep trying like the rest of us.
Roy doesn't move.
(03:38):
Brian strikes him across the face with an
open hand.
He grabs his shirt and starts shaking him,
ordering him not to give up.
Roy keeps his eyes shut the whole time,
never uttering so much as a groan.
You're gutless.
The tirade draws everyone's attention, including leading aircraftman
Len Burke.
He's the one that Brian Rafe shook, trying
to get some fight into him.
(03:59):
He meant well.
It didn't look good, but he meant well,
certainly.
And it doesn't work.
Hours later, Roy Andrews dies.
Outwardly, Roy's death infuriates Brian.
Andrews was perhaps the most amazing case.
He lay down and quitted.
(04:21):
He had nothing at all the matter with
him.
Inwardly, it's a different story.
Brian creeps into the jungle.
He lowers himself down behind a tree, buries
his face in his hands and weeps.
Roy's death leads to the most profound moment
(04:41):
of desolation for the young leader.
Living with men, watching them die in the
name of a cause which they don't fully
understand, knowing a fear so intense that left
one physically impossible to move or reason, only
to feel violently like vomiting.
(05:01):
As Brian weeps, a new sound emerges.
The sound of numerous aircraft over Copang Bay.
The Japanese are preparing to be raided.
The island of Timor appears on the horizon
as a dark blue smudge through flight lieutenant
(05:22):
Harold Cookie Cook's cockpit window.
To his right, flying officer Roger Blanchard pilots
another Hudson, the two closing in on Copang
Bay.
Down on Timor, Cookie knows his good mate
Brian Rofe is still stranded.
Before the war, Cookie would take Brian up
in his Hudson, one time letting him take
(05:43):
the wheel mid-flight.
Like everyone stationed at RAF station Darwin, Cookie
has been closely following the plight of Brian
and his men.
Cookie even volunteered to land his Hudson on
the beach near the village of Tuakau.
The request was denied.
Cookie is on a different mission.
Reconnaissance has reported a build-up of ships
(06:04):
in the bay, and despite the risks in
launching a daytime raid, this is a golden
chance to hit the enemy hard.
50 kilometres from the target, Cookie drops down
to 8,000 feet and starts scanning the
horizon.
No sign of fighters.
The air is clear of flak.
Once they reach the southwestern edge of Copang,
(06:25):
a ship comes into view.
She's a monster.
I did a low power glide approaching from
the protection of a cloud bank, towards an
eight to ten thousand tonne vessel.
It was anchored.
From his position behind a cloud, Cookie eases
back on the throttle.
The world whites out.
Vapor and moisture streak the windows.
He opens the bomb bay doors.
(06:46):
In a final stomach-lifting lurch, they clear
the cloud.
Cookie's hands grip the wheel.
Three Zeros are circling over the bay.
The moment the Zero pilots see Cookie's Hudson,
they loop around behind him and prepare to
attack.
I realised I didn't have enough time to
get to cloud cover before the enemy reached
me, so I decided to do my approach
run over the target.
(07:08):
Two fighters close in fast on his starboard
wing.
Cookie's got Sergeant Bert Hurl up top in
the dorsal turret, Pilot Officer Vivian Leathead manning
the guns fixed to the nose of the
Hudson, and gutsiest of all, Sergeant Doug Witham
on the wind-down ventral gun, lying stomach
first on a ramp that extends underneath the
underbelly of the Hudson.
(07:28):
A leather belt is all that keeps Witham
from plummeting to his death.
All three men send a continuous stream of
lead at Zero zipping around the Hudson.
Cookie brings the Hudson down to 800 feet.
The air sings with machine gun bullets.
He checks his approach, and then hits the
release button, laying down four 250 pound bombs.
(07:53):
Two orbs of fire turn to black smoke
on the deck of the anchored ship.
Cookie scores a direct hit.
There's no time to celebrate.
I went down almost to water level and
try to avoid tactics.
The three zeros followed, and we soon began
to be badly shot up despite very heavy
fire from my two gunners and my second
pilot.
(08:14):
Pain explodes down Cookie's right arm.
A cannon shell has burst inside the cockpit.
Cookie looks up and sees Blanchard in the
other Hudson about 3,000 feet away, locked
in a scrap with a Zero.
There would be no help from his wingman.
It's the last time Cookie will ever see
his friend.
From up front, Leathead has just sent a
(08:34):
burst of bullets into a fighter.
The air gunners had both seen the Zero
fall to the sea in flames, but the
celebrations are short-lived.
A Zero punches holes in the Hudson.
Bullets rip up the instrument panel.
An instant later, a cannon shell is sent
into the turret, blowing Hurl's hand off.
Down below on the ventral gun, shrapnel from
(08:54):
the explosion enters Witham's cheek and lodges beneath
the muscles of his chin, knocking him unconscious.
The plane goes into a crawling yaw as
the sputtering propeller clutches at the air.
Smoke starts gushing from the starboard engine, and
Cookie turns the Hudson towards the northern beach
of Copang Bay.
A fighter sends a burst into the port
engine, setting it on fire.
(09:17):
We were then between 50 and 100 feet
above the water.
There was nothing else to do but pull
both throttles back and flop onto the water.
Cookie shouts down to Leathead to get out
of the nose and prepare the men for
crash landing.
Leathead races back.
With one hand, he unclips the belt, keeping
the unconscious Witham from falling to his death,
and with the other, he pulls the gunner
(09:38):
back to safety.
As he winds up the ventral gun ramp,
the Hudson starts porpoising.
They're on the northern side of the bay,
less than 100 yards from the shore.
It's a good spot to ditch.
Japanese shipping is mainly confined to an area
adjacent to Copang on the southern side of
the bay.
If they survive the crash, they'll at least
have some time to make it to the
(09:59):
beach before patrol boats start turning up.
Cookie prepares his plane for crash landing.
They've landed in about three feet of water.
Seawater has extinguished the flames from the port
engine.
The Zeros approach, preparing to strafe.
(10:28):
Inside a room in the reconstructed timber buildings
of the Penfoe aerodrome, Lieutenant Yamabe Masao sits
at a desk, sharpening the blade of his
sword.
Before him sits a bottle of sake and
two glasses.
Earlier in the day, Yamabe had sent word
among personnel working on the aerodrome.
(11:00):
Yamabe invites survivors of the 9th Special Construction
Unit, whose transport was bombed by the enemy
aircraft.
Over 100 soldiers of the unit were killed
in the attack.
Since the first raids over Copang Bay, suspicion
runs deep that enemy aircraft are acting on
intelligence supplied from somewhere in Dutch Timor.
It's too much of a coincidence that every
(11:21):
raid takes place in perfect weather, at times
when large Japanese ships are anchored in the
bay.
Seven Dutch civilians were arrested at random overnight
and accused of radioing intelligence to the enemy.
There's no radio equipment to tie the seven
Dutch prisoners to such activity, but Yamabe doesn't
care, because this execution isn't about justice, it's
(11:42):
about boosting morale.
A Japanese officer enters the room.
This is Chief Surgeon Ogirima of the Japanese
Navy.
Yamabe tells him to sit and offers him
sake.
As they drink, the two men discuss the
planned execution of the Dutch civilians.
Yamabe says he has something special in mind
(12:04):
to boost the spirits of the surviving soldiers
of the construction unit whose comrades were killed
in the attack.
Yamabe asks the surgeon the best way to
paralyse a man with his sword, because he
wants the surgeon to perform a live autopsy.
As the surgeon explains how to sever a
man's spinal column without immediately killing him, a
part of Yamabe's mind turns to the hunt
(12:26):
for the real enemy spies still in hiding.
The Timorese, loyal to the Japanese occupiers, had
reported that enemy soldiers are hiding in the
jungles near the north coast.
A patrol sent to the region failed to
find any sign of them, but Yamabe is
convinced they're still there, still signalling intelligence and
still calling in the air raids.
(12:48):
Yamabe resolves that after the execution, he will
order his soldiers back into the region to
track down the spies.
But this time, there won't be just one
patrol, there will be three, and they will
each comprise 100 soldiers.
(13:09):
At dawn on April the 16th, three days
after Roy Andrews dies, the chief of Tuakau
returns with good news.
The chief had told the Japanese the Australians
went in a different direction.
The enemy patrol has gone.
Brian thanks the chief and leads the party
back to the beach.
(13:29):
Despite the enemy patrol having cleared off, Brian
is reluctant to send a signal to Darwin.
On a hunch, Ron listens in at the
time Darwin had originally suggested.
The receiver lights up at once.
Ron jots the signal down and hands it
to Brian.
Have long signal which must be acknowledged by
you.
Shall transmit it when contact established with you.
(13:51):
It is urgent that you establish contact with
us.
Ron sends receipt of the signal and then
moments later notes down the response.
US submarine will be close inshore 1.4
miles south of Point Kourouz for five nights,
commencing April 13th at 1300.
When sea conditions permit, we'll attempt rescue.
(14:13):
The submarine will use a blinker tube to
transmit SR at two-minute intervals as a
recognition signal.
Your proper answer will be a flashlight or
fire exhibited for periods of 30 seconds.
Acknowledge.
Sea Raven will be sitting off the coast
for two more nights.
All they have to do is light a
fire at the appointed hour and they are
(14:34):
saved.
It all seems so simple.
Later that day, the chief of Tuakau hands
Brian a letter.
To the Australian and Dutch officers and soldiers.
The war is over.
The Dutch East Indies fell in our hand
in succession.
(14:55):
All allied forces surrendered to us without any
conditions.
They are enjoying life and are waiting for
you, being supplied with bread, meat and fresh
vegetables.
Your movement and present location are reported to
us through Raja's.
(15:17):
If you continue fighting against us, there is
no way but to conquer you.
So come to us with this information and
await for the return of peace with your
friends.
Japanese Army.
In addition to handing over the letter demanding
their surrender, the chief tells Brian that a
(15:39):
patrol has been dispatched for Tuakau.
They will arrive in three days, maybe sooner.
Brian and his men can only hope that
the Sea Raven is ready to pick them
up tonight.
That's when they hear it.
The fittest men sit bolt upright, looking to
each other for an explanation.
(16:00):
Brian takes a head count, 31 men all
accounted for.
That shout, an Australian bush call used to
pinpoint a person's location, is not coming from
any of Brian's men.
Someone else is trying to entice them out
of hiding.
Brian retrieves his sidearm while the crack shots
pull out their rifles.
Brian is the first to see movement, two
(16:21):
shapes crashing through the shrubs.
He extends his arm and looks down the
flute cylinder of his revolver, catching sight of
two pilot's caps.
Hold fire!
Hold fire!
What the hell are you doing here?
Revolver pointed at the ground, adrenaline seeping out
(16:41):
of his paws.
Brian thinks he is hallucinating.
Brian hadn't seen Cookie since being posted to
Darwin seven months ago, and now here he
is, stepping out of the jungle like an
image in a fever dream.
The two men shake hands.
Cookie fills him in on the bombing run
and the dogfight over Kopang Bay, and tells
him what happened after the forced landing on
(17:02):
the water.
We crash-alighted about one mile west of
the village of Pariti, in about three feet
of water at practically low tide.
The Zeros circled round us a couple of
times, but didn't molest us again.
I believe they thought we were dead.
Timorese villagers launched wooden craft into the water
and rescued Cookie and his three crewmen.
But Cookie's air gunners, Sergeants Witham and Hurl,
(17:25):
were in bad shape.
It was obvious that the two sergeants could
not be moved, so I arranged with the
natives to care for them until the Japanese
came, as medical treatment was their urgent requirement.
It wasn't unreasonable for Cookie to assume that
the Japanese would provide medical care to the
air gunners.
Japanese brutality towards Allied prisoners of war wasn't
confirmed until later.
(17:46):
From Brian's perspective, Cookie showing up is a
good omen.
Cookie and Leathead are in excellent condition compared
to Brian's men, and could be useful during
their escape.
The arrival of Cookie on the Friday at
lunchtime came as a tremendous surprise, and at
last I could see that Ace of Trumps
being played, and everything fitting into a perfect
plan.
(18:11):
At night, over the hill at Kopang Bay,
RAF Hudsons are raining bombs down on the
enemy.
Tracers light up the sky, while the deep
boom of bombs and ACAC sings out across
the sea.
On the beach, the airmen have built a
large wall of stone out of rocks to
shield the bonfire from the view of the
jungle.
A bonfire on the beach will draw attention.
(18:33):
At nine o'clock, the group gathers about
the fire squinting beyond the whitecaps.
Sea Raven surfaces about two kilometres off the
coast of Tuakau, into the cacophony of the
bombing raid on Kopang.
Lieutenant Commander Hiram Cassidy estimates 25 anti-aircraft
(18:53):
guns firing almost continuously.
At the rendezvous point, Cassidy observes seven horsemen,
plus three pack horses and four men afoot.
He's too far away to confirm beyond doubt
that these are the Australian airmen.
He also sees something troubling.
Observed blinking lights on Cape Kouros.
Those lights belong to the Japanese patrol, about
(19:16):
10 kilometres north of the stranded airmen.
Cassidy passes word for the Wherry crew to
assemble topside.
Once again, Ensign George Cook and Petty Officers
Joseph McGreevy and Leonard Markison will crew the
Wherry.
As McGreevy points out, they are all relieved
to be called up onto the deck to
get things underway.
Submerged, we went through our routine duties through
(19:38):
the rest of the day.
Tension was something we could almost touch.
Surfacing that night, we were informed that the
rescue was still in order.
It takes an hour to pull the Wherry
from the submarine's superstructure.
Cassidy has men on the deck gun and
machine gunners standing by.
Forty minutes before the appointed hour, someone spots
(19:59):
something.
A dark shape moving up behind them.
Cassidy turns around.
He's back now to the island.
Moonlight catches the phosphorescent wake of a Japanese
vessel bearing northward on Sea Raven's beam.
Sighted unidentified ship three miles west of Kouros,
point on northerly course, speed 10 knots.
(20:20):
Cassidy thinks fast.
Deck gun, stay ready.
Forward and aft torpedo, battle stations.
Make ready the tubes forward and tubes aft.
Range.
Give me a range dammit.
Ten men are topside and a Wherry is
sitting unsecured on deck.
Diving is not an option.
From up top, he relays coordinates to the
chief of the boat in the control room,
(20:41):
pointing the bow of the submarine directly at
the enemy vessel.
Maneuvering left full rudder.
Ahead one third.
All stop.
Stand by torpedo.
If he swings about, give him the full
salvo.
Attacking the ship is an absolute last resort.
The moment the torpedoes are in the water,
the rescue attempt is off.
Every Japanese boat patrolling the Savu Sea would
(21:03):
be on the hunt in minutes.
But the enemy ship holds her northerly course.
Stand down torpedo.
Deck gun.
Eventually disappearing behind Cape Kouros.
Cassidy turns Sea Raven around so she sits
parallel to the shore.
The hour is upon them.
Cassidy trains his binoculars shoreward.
(21:29):
Brian gives the word to his men to
flash torchlight seawards.
There's no breeze, only the sound of the
surf.
But nobody listens to the surf.
They are listening to the clock in their
heads, counting down from 30.
When the count is over, Brian orders the
torches switched off.
And that's when they see it.
Here's Len Burke recalling that moment.
(21:50):
We flash this light out to sea.
Up comes signal.
SR. I was the only one that could
read it because I'd been trained in visual
morse in the army, not in the air
force.
And there was hope.
So the signal went on the surf.
Let go of the whole lot of visual
morse code.
Fortunately that I had the training, I was
(22:11):
able to read it.
I spelt a few words out.
Maneuvering.
Maneuvering.
Contact later, a few other words.
Brian orders Ron to signal Darwin, confirming that
contact has been made with the American submarine.
Halfway through his signal, Ron finds himself on
(22:32):
a dead key.
The batteries are flat.
Ron finds a large stick and destroys the
radio before burying it.
Lower away, Joe.
Hey, Johnny, Johnny, keep us out of those
waves.
Ensign George Cook steers the Wherry towards the
light on the shore and anchors about 200
meters off the beach.
(22:52):
He sweeps his torch around the boat, searching
for dorsal fins.
There's no sign of sharks lurking beneath the
boat.
With the long line fastened to his wrist,
Cook dives into the sea.
Cook slides off the back of two large
waves before bodysurfing all the way up to
the sand.
The current pushes him some distance south of
(23:14):
the airmen.
The Australians have their torches trained towards the
Wherry.
Cook shines his light straight at them.
The Australian torches turn towards him.
Cook shields his eyes and makes his way
up the beach.
When the airmen all come into view, Cook
realises the enormity of the task ahead.
Those men have been on the beach for
a while, had hideous jungle sores on their
(23:35):
legs and arms, and only one was free
from malaria.
Some were so weak they had difficulty in
standing.
Brian approaches with his hand extended.
Others stand, looking at the healthy American with
a mixture of awe, reverence and gratitude.
They file past, reaching out, grabbing Cook's hand
(23:56):
or shoulder.
Brian's team or his guide, George, rushes up
to Brian while the leader talks with Cook.
George tells Brian that a Japanese patrol has
landed at the other end of Kopang Bay
and have walked over the cape towards the
airmen's location.
(24:16):
The Japanese are converging on the airmen from
points to the south and east.
At last report, the southern patrol are 15
kilometres away from the airmen.
Here's the deal.
We got enough space to hold 18 men
and that includes the three of us.
Cook tells Brian the weary is only big
enough to take half the group.
The hour is late.
(24:37):
The chances of making two boat trips before
sunrise are slim.
With the Japanese certain to arrive the next
day, remaining on Timor for one more night
means certain death.
In a circumstance where the chances of success
are not guaranteed, then the cold calculating ways
of the military demand that those with the
greatest chance of survival are given precedence.
(25:00):
Brian starts calling out the names of men
he figures are strong enough to swim through
the waves on their own steam.
Those lucky few who are named breathe a
sigh of relief, all except Flying Officer Arthur
Cole.
Arthur strongly objects to being selected, insisting he
(25:20):
remain until the end, but Brian overrules him.
Arthur, you're going too.
Malaria free and relatively strong, Arthur could make
the swim.
Besides, Brian wants his most senior officer to
tell the story if he doesn't make it
back.
There's one spot left on the weary.
Outside the circle, Len Burke looks down at
(25:42):
his feet.
Yeah, he's all crowded around Brian, just in
shorts and a shirt.
Then he comes in, I could take one
more.
How far can you swim, young Burke?
(26:02):
Can you swim over 300 yards through those
waves?
I said, yes sir, I can.
So I was the last one picked on
the first night, the rest will do what
we're doing.
Len races towards the sea, following the others
as they wade in.
Before he jumps in, he turns around and
(26:24):
takes one last look at those remaining behind.
Nobody responds to his encouraging wave, so he
grabs his nose and plunges into the sea.
The moment that the first boatload of Australians
are helped onto the deck of the Sea
Raven, a few hours before sunrise, Cassidy sends
(26:44):
a signal on the blinker gun to those
left on the beach.
There won't be enough time to get the
rest of the airmen off Timor tonight.
Sea Raven will return the following night to
pick them up.
Brian picks up his torch and flashes a
quick signal in reply.
Okay, Yank.
He looks to his left, he sees the
twinkling lights of the patrol in the distance.
(27:07):
They'll reach Tuakau by noon, probably sooner.
Brian orders his men off the beach and
then goes looking for George, his Timorese guide,
to explore options.
But George is gone.
Brian doesn't begrudge George for leaving them.
He has a family to consider.
But in leaving the airmen, George is effectively
(27:27):
telling Brian that there is nowhere left to
hide.
The game of cat and mouse is over.
The end is near.
Next time on Trapped.
Surfaced an observed air raid on Kopang.
(27:50):
This one seemed to be about twice the
size of last night's raid.
Ropey, what the bloody hell are you doing?
Come on, let's go.
They're coming.
Watch that anchor.
It's slipping.
Going in.
Cookie, get over here.
Quick, get it over.
Come on, give it everything.
We're nearly there.
Keep paddling.
Keep bloody paddling.
(28:12):
He wouldn't leave us.
He stayed behind.
He didn't have to, but he did.
He got everyone on board before he left.
He was a good lady, I know that
about him.
Trapped was written and produced by Tom Trumbull
(28:38):
with Sam Loy, James Milsom and Ryan Pemberton
for the Australian War Memorial.
The following episode contains violent themes and occasional
strong language.
Listener discretion is advised.
The date is April 13th, 1942.
A group of Australian airmen under the command
of my grandfather, Flight Lieutenant Brian Rofe, have
been trapped behind lines for over seven weeks.
(00:22):
Three men have died, two from malaria and
undernourishment, the other was bitten by a snake.
After four weeks encamped at the village of
Kapsali in remote northwest Timor, the airmen have
relocated to a village called Tuakau.
The village is situated on a beach they
believe is firm enough to support the landing
of an aircraft to rescue them.
(00:43):
With a Japanese patrol closing in on their
position, Brian has led his men into the
jungle to hide from the patrol.
Unbeknownst to Brian and his men, an American
submarine, the USS Sea Raven, has attempted to
locate the party.
After failing to make contact with the Australians,
Sea Raven has aborted the mission.
(01:07):
I'm Tom Trumbull and this is Trapped.
The story of one of the greatest escapes
of the Pacific War.
Naval and air forces launched an unprovoked attack.
A state of war exists between Australia and
Japan.
(01:33):
Chapter 5.
The light out to sea.
Somewhere in the hills above Tuakau, the party's
senior electrical wireless mechanic, Corporal Ron Bell, is
convinced there's been a mix-up with the
request of listening times.
Before they left Tuakau, Ron signalled Darwin about
the enemy patrol and that the rear party
(01:54):
would go radio silent.
Direction-finding technology could only detect transmissions, which
means they could still receive messages without risk
of being located.
So Ron advised Darwin the two times he
would be listening for signals each day.
Coincidentally, Darwin sent a message at the exact
same moment, suggesting two different listening times.
(02:14):
The situation was never clarified.
I understand what you're saying, but there's no
way I'm going to put you on two
listening watches.
Ron voices his concern to Brian, suggesting they
turn on the receiver at the listening times
Darwin originally suggested.
Brian disagrees.
Listening four times a day will run down
the batteries.
(02:36):
Brian assumes Darwin will give precedence to the
listening times he suggested because they are in
peril.
It's a staggering assumption, but then Brian is
not thinking clearly.
His mind is on Corporal Roy Andrews.
All right, Andrews, on your bloody feet.
You aren't fooling anyone.
Roy has undergone as big a physical transformation
(02:56):
as anyone.
His thick neck, round shoulders and broad chest
is whittled away to skin and bones.
The sharp-tongued jokester who nonchalantly smokes cigarettes
through a bombing raid is gone.
Nearly two months in the jungle has melted
away Roy's soul.
In Brian's view, Roy's problems are all in
his head.
Physically, he's no more sick or weak than
(03:17):
the rest of them.
He needs to toughen up.
Brian lowers himself to within inches of Roy's
face.
Come on, Andrews.
You've got your parents, your brothers and sisters,
all your friends at home.
Don't throw in the towel.
Fight.
Fight hard.
Keep trying like the rest of us.
Roy doesn't move.
(03:38):
Brian strikes him across the face with an
open hand.
He grabs his shirt and starts shaking him,
ordering him not to give up.
Roy keeps his eyes shut the whole time,
never uttering so much as a groan.
You're gutless.
The tirade draws everyone's attention, including leading aircraftman
Len Burke.
He's the one that Brian Rafe shook, trying
to get some fight into him.
(03:59):
He meant well.
It didn't look good, but he meant well,
certainly.
And it doesn't work.
Hours later, Roy Andrews dies.
Outwardly, Roy's death infuriates Brian.
Andrews was perhaps the most amazing case.
He lay down and quitted.
(04:21):
He had nothing at all the matter with
him.
Inwardly, it's a different story.
Brian creeps into the jungle.
He lowers himself down behind a tree, buries
his face in his hands and weeps.
Roy's death leads to the most profound moment
(04:41):
of desolation for the young leader.
Living with men, watching them die in the
name of a cause which they don't fully
understand, knowing a fear so intense that left
one physically impossible to move or reason, only
to feel violently like vomiting.
(05:01):
As Brian weeps, a new sound emerges.
The sound of numerous aircraft over Copang Bay.
The Japanese are preparing to be raided.
The island of Timor appears on the horizon
as a dark blue smudge through flight lieutenant
(05:22):
Harold Cookie Cook's cockpit window.
To his right, flying officer Roger Blanchard pilots
another Hudson, the two closing in on Copang
Bay.
Down on Timor, Cookie knows his good mate
Brian Rofe is still stranded.
Before the war, Cookie would take Brian up
in his Hudson, one time letting him take
(05:43):
the wheel mid-flight.
Like everyone stationed at RAF station Darwin, Cookie
has been closely following the plight of Brian
and his men.
Cookie even volunteered to land his Hudson on
the beach near the village of Tuakau.
The request was denied.
Cookie is on a different mission.
Reconnaissance has reported a build-up of ships
(06:04):
in the bay, and despite the risks in
launching a daytime raid, this is a golden
chance to hit the enemy hard.
50 kilometres from the target, Cookie drops down
to 8,000 feet and starts scanning the
horizon.
No sign of fighters.
The air is clear of flak.
Once they reach the southwestern edge of Copang,
(06:25):
a ship comes into view.
She's a monster.
I did a low power glide approaching from
the protection of a cloud bank, towards an
eight to ten thousand tonne vessel.
It was anchored.
From his position behind a cloud, Cookie eases
back on the throttle.
The world whites out.
Vapor and moisture streak the windows.
He opens the bomb bay doors.
(06:46):
In a final stomach-lifting lurch, they clear
the cloud.
Cookie's hands grip the wheel.
Three Zeros are circling over the bay.
The moment the Zero pilots see Cookie's Hudson,
they loop around behind him and prepare to
attack.
I realised I didn't have enough time to
get to cloud cover before the enemy reached
me, so I decided to do my approach
run over the target.
(07:08):
Two fighters close in fast on his starboard
wing.
Cookie's got Sergeant Bert Hurl up top in
the dorsal turret, Pilot Officer Vivian Leathead manning
the guns fixed to the nose of the
Hudson, and gutsiest of all, Sergeant Doug Witham
on the wind-down ventral gun, lying stomach
first on a ramp that extends underneath the
underbelly of the Hudson.
(07:28):
A leather belt is all that keeps Witham
from plummeting to his death.
All three men send a continuous stream of
lead at Zero zipping around the Hudson.
Cookie brings the Hudson down to 800 feet.
The air sings with machine gun bullets.
He checks his approach, and then hits the
release button, laying down four 250 pound bombs.
(07:53):
Two orbs of fire turn to black smoke
on the deck of the anchored ship.
Cookie scores a direct hit.
There's no time to celebrate.
I went down almost to water level and
try to avoid tactics.
The three zeros followed, and we soon began
to be badly shot up despite very heavy
fire from my two gunners and my second
pilot.
(08:14):
Pain explodes down Cookie's right arm.
A cannon shell has burst inside the cockpit.
Cookie looks up and sees Blanchard in the
other Hudson about 3,000 feet away, locked
in a scrap with a Zero.
There would be no help from his wingman.
It's the last time Cookie will ever see
his friend.
From up front, Leathead has just sent a
(08:34):
burst of bullets into a fighter.
The air gunners had both seen the Zero
fall to the sea in flames, but the
celebrations are short-lived.
A Zero punches holes in the Hudson.
Bullets rip up the instrument panel.
An instant later, a cannon shell is sent
into the turret, blowing Hurl's hand off.
Down below on the ventral gun, shrapnel from
(08:54):
the explosion enters Witham's cheek and lodges beneath
the muscles of his chin, knocking him unconscious.
The plane goes into a crawling yaw as
the sputtering propeller clutches at the air.
Smoke starts gushing from the starboard engine, and
Cookie turns the Hudson towards the northern beach
of Copang Bay.
A fighter sends a burst into the port
engine, setting it on fire.
(09:17):
We were then between 50 and 100 feet
above the water.
There was nothing else to do but pull
both throttles back and flop onto the water.
Cookie shouts down to Leathead to get out
of the nose and prepare the men for
crash landing.
Leathead races back.
With one hand, he unclips the belt, keeping
the unconscious Witham from falling to his death,
and with the other, he pulls the gunner
(09:38):
back to safety.
As he winds up the ventral gun ramp,
the Hudson starts porpoising.
They're on the northern side of the bay,
less than 100 yards from the shore.
It's a good spot to ditch.
Japanese shipping is mainly confined to an area
adjacent to Copang on the southern side of
the bay.
If they survive the crash, they'll at least
have some time to make it to the
(09:59):
beach before patrol boats start turning up.
Cookie prepares his plane for crash landing.
They've landed in about three feet of water.
Seawater has extinguished the flames from the port
engine.
The Zeros approach, preparing to strafe.
(10:28):
Inside a room in the reconstructed timber buildings
of the Penfoe aerodrome, Lieutenant Yamabe Masao sits
at a desk, sharpening the blade of his
sword.
Before him sits a bottle of sake and
two glasses.
Earlier in the day, Yamabe had sent word
among personnel working on the aerodrome.
(11:00):
Yamabe invites survivors of the 9th Special Construction
Unit, whose transport was bombed by the enemy
aircraft.
Over 100 soldiers of the unit were killed
in the attack.
Since the first raids over Copang Bay, suspicion
runs deep that enemy aircraft are acting on
intelligence supplied from somewhere in Dutch Timor.
It's too much of a coincidence that every
(11:21):
raid takes place in perfect weather, at times
when large Japanese ships are anchored in the
bay.
Seven Dutch civilians were arrested at random overnight
and accused of radioing intelligence to the enemy.
There's no radio equipment to tie the seven
Dutch prisoners to such activity, but Yamabe doesn't
care, because this execution isn't about justice, it's
(11:42):
about boosting morale.
A Japanese officer enters the room.
This is Chief Surgeon Ogirima of the Japanese
Navy.
Yamabe tells him to sit and offers him
sake.
As they drink, the two men discuss the
planned execution of the Dutch civilians.
Yamabe says he has something special in mind
(12:04):
to boost the spirits of the surviving soldiers
of the construction unit whose comrades were killed
in the attack.
Yamabe asks the surgeon the best way to
paralyse a man with his sword, because he
wants the surgeon to perform a live autopsy.
As the surgeon explains how to sever a
man's spinal column without immediately killing him, a
part of Yamabe's mind turns to the hunt
(12:26):
for the real enemy spies still in hiding.
The Timorese, loyal to the Japanese occupiers, had
reported that enemy soldiers are hiding in the
jungles near the north coast.
A patrol sent to the region failed to
find any sign of them, but Yamabe is
convinced they're still there, still signalling intelligence and
still calling in the air raids.
(12:48):
Yamabe resolves that after the execution, he will
order his soldiers back into the region to
track down the spies.
But this time, there won't be just one
patrol, there will be three, and they will
each comprise 100 soldiers.
(13:09):
At dawn on April the 16th, three days
after Roy Andrews dies, the chief of Tuakau
returns with good news.
The chief had told the Japanese the Australians
went in a different direction.
The enemy patrol has gone.
Brian thanks the chief and leads the party
back to the beach.
(13:29):
Despite the enemy patrol having cleared off, Brian
is reluctant to send a signal to Darwin.
On a hunch, Ron listens in at the
time Darwin had originally suggested.
The receiver lights up at once.
Ron jots the signal down and hands it
to Brian.
Have long signal which must be acknowledged by
you.
Shall transmit it when contact established with you.
(13:51):
It is urgent that you establish contact with
us.
Ron sends receipt of the signal and then
moments later notes down the response.
US submarine will be close inshore 1.4
miles south of Point Kourouz for five nights,
commencing April 13th at 1300.
When sea conditions permit, we'll attempt rescue.
(14:13):
The submarine will use a blinker tube to
transmit SR at two-minute intervals as a
recognition signal.
Your proper answer will be a flashlight or
fire exhibited for periods of 30 seconds.
Acknowledge.
Sea Raven will be sitting off the coast
for two more nights.
All they have to do is light a
fire at the appointed hour and they are
(14:34):
saved.
It all seems so simple.
Later that day, the chief of Tuakau hands
Brian a letter.
To the Australian and Dutch officers and soldiers.
The war is over.
The Dutch East Indies fell in our hand
in succession.
(14:55):
All allied forces surrendered to us without any
conditions.
They are enjoying life and are waiting for
you, being supplied with bread, meat and fresh
vegetables.
Your movement and present location are reported to
us through Raja's.
(15:17):
If you continue fighting against us, there is
no way but to conquer you.
So come to us with this information and
await for the return of peace with your
friends.
Japanese Army.
In addition to handing over the letter demanding
their surrender, the chief tells Brian that a
(15:39):
patrol has been dispatched for Tuakau.
They will arrive in three days, maybe sooner.
Brian and his men can only hope that
the Sea Raven is ready to pick them
up tonight.
That's when they hear it.
The fittest men sit bolt upright, looking to
each other for an explanation.
(16:00):
Brian takes a head count, 31 men all
accounted for.
That shout, an Australian bush call used to
pinpoint a person's location, is not coming from
any of Brian's men.
Someone else is trying to entice them out
of hiding.
Brian retrieves his sidearm while the crack shots
pull out their rifles.
Brian is the first to see movement, two
(16:21):
shapes crashing through the shrubs.
He extends his arm and looks down the
flute cylinder of his revolver, catching sight of
two pilot's caps.
Hold fire!
Hold fire!
What the hell are you doing here?
Revolver pointed at the ground, adrenaline seeping out
(16:41):
of his paws.
Brian thinks he is hallucinating.
Brian hadn't seen Cookie since being posted to
Darwin seven months ago, and now here he
is, stepping out of the jungle like an
image in a fever dream.
The two men shake hands.
Cookie fills him in on the bombing run
and the dogfight over Kopang Bay, and tells
him what happened after the forced landing on
(17:02):
the water.
We crash-alighted about one mile west of
the village of Pariti, in about three feet
of water at practically low tide.
The Zeros circled round us a couple of
times, but didn't molest us again.
I believe they thought we were dead.
Timorese villagers launched wooden craft into the water
and rescued Cookie and his three crewmen.
But Cookie's air gunners, Sergeants Witham and Hurl,
(17:25):
were in bad shape.
It was obvious that the two sergeants could
not be moved, so I arranged with the
natives to care for them until the Japanese
came, as medical treatment was their urgent requirement.
It wasn't unreasonable for Cookie to assume that
the Japanese would provide medical care to the
air gunners.
Japanese brutality towards Allied prisoners of war wasn't
confirmed until later.
(17:46):
From Brian's perspective, Cookie showing up is a
good omen.
Cookie and Leathead are in excellent condition compared
to Brian's men, and could be useful during
their escape.
The arrival of Cookie on the Friday at
lunchtime came as a tremendous surprise, and at
last I could see that Ace of Trumps
being played, and everything fitting into a perfect
plan.
(18:11):
At night, over the hill at Kopang Bay,
RAF Hudsons are raining bombs down on the
enemy.
Tracers light up the sky, while the deep
boom of bombs and ACAC sings out across
the sea.
On the beach, the airmen have built a
large wall of stone out of rocks to
shield the bonfire from the view of the
jungle.
A bonfire on the beach will draw attention.
(18:33):
At nine o'clock, the group gathers about
the fire squinting beyond the whitecaps.
Sea Raven surfaces about two kilometres off the
coast of Tuakau, into the cacophony of the
bombing raid on Kopang.
Lieutenant Commander Hiram Cassidy estimates 25 anti-aircraft
(18:53):
guns firing almost continuously.
At the rendezvous point, Cassidy observes seven horsemen,
plus three pack horses and four men afoot.
He's too far away to confirm beyond doubt
that these are the Australian airmen.
He also sees something troubling.
Observed blinking lights on Cape Kouros.
Those lights belong to the Japanese patrol, about
(19:16):
10 kilometres north of the stranded airmen.
Cassidy passes word for the Wherry crew to
assemble topside.
Once again, Ensign George Cook and Petty Officers
Joseph McGreevy and Leonard Markison will crew the
Wherry.
As McGreevy points out, they are all relieved
to be called up onto the deck to
get things underway.
Submerged, we went through our routine duties through
(19:38):
the rest of the day.
Tension was something we could almost touch.
Surfacing that night, we were informed that the
rescue was still in order.
It takes an hour to pull the Wherry
from the submarine's superstructure.
Cassidy has men on the deck gun and
machine gunners standing by.
Forty minutes before the appointed hour, someone spots
(19:59):
something.
A dark shape moving up behind them.
Cassidy turns around.
He's back now to the island.
Moonlight catches the phosphorescent wake of a Japanese
vessel bearing northward on Sea Raven's beam.
Sighted unidentified ship three miles west of Kouros,
point on northerly course, speed 10 knots.
(20:20):
Cassidy thinks fast.
Deck gun, stay ready.
Forward and aft torpedo, battle stations.
Make ready the tubes forward and tubes aft.
Range.
Give me a range dammit.
Ten men are topside and a Wherry is
sitting unsecured on deck.
Diving is not an option.
From up top, he relays coordinates to the
chief of the boat in the control room,
(20:41):
pointing the bow of the submarine directly at
the enemy vessel.
Maneuvering left full rudder.
Ahead one third.
All stop.
Stand by torpedo.
If he swings about, give him the full
salvo.
Attacking the ship is an absolute last resort.
The moment the torpedoes are in the water,
the rescue attempt is off.
Every Japanese boat patrolling the Savu Sea would
(21:03):
be on the hunt in minutes.
But the enemy ship holds her northerly course.
Stand down torpedo.
Deck gun.
Eventually disappearing behind Cape Kouros.
Cassidy turns Sea Raven around so she sits
parallel to the shore.
The hour is upon them.
Cassidy trains his binoculars shoreward.
(21:29):
Brian gives the word to his men to
flash torchlight seawards.
There's no breeze, only the sound of the
surf.
But nobody listens to the surf.
They are listening to the clock in their
heads, counting down from 30.
When the count is over, Brian orders the
torches switched off.
And that's when they see it.
Here's Len Burke recalling that moment.
(21:50):
We flash this light out to sea.
Up comes signal.
SR. I was the only one that could
read it because I'd been trained in visual
morse in the army, not in the air
force.
And there was hope.
So the signal went on the surf.
Let go of the whole lot of visual
morse code.
Fortunately that I had the training, I was
(22:11):
able to read it.
I spelt a few words out.
Maneuvering.
Maneuvering.
Contact later, a few other words.
Brian orders Ron to signal Darwin, confirming that
contact has been made with the American submarine.
Halfway through his signal, Ron finds himself on
(22:32):
a dead key.
The batteries are flat.
Ron finds a large stick and destroys the
radio before burying it.
Lower away, Joe.
Hey, Johnny, Johnny, keep us out of those
waves.
Ensign George Cook steers the Wherry towards the
light on the shore and anchors about 200
meters off the beach.
(22:52):
He sweeps his torch around the boat, searching
for dorsal fins.
There's no sign of sharks lurking beneath the
boat.
With the long line fastened to his wrist,
Cook dives into the sea.
Cook slides off the back of two large
waves before bodysurfing all the way up to
the sand.
The current pushes him some distance south of
(23:14):
the airmen.
The Australians have their torches trained towards the
Wherry.
Cook shines his light straight at them.
The Australian torches turn towards him.
Cook shields his eyes and makes his way
up the beach.
When the airmen all come into view, Cook
realises the enormity of the task ahead.
Those men have been on the beach for
a while, had hideous jungle sores on their
(23:35):
legs and arms, and only one was free
from malaria.
Some were so weak they had difficulty in
standing.
Brian approaches with his hand extended.
Others stand, looking at the healthy American with
a mixture of awe, reverence and gratitude.
They file past, reaching out, grabbing Cook's hand
(23:56):
or shoulder.
Brian's team or his guide, George, rushes up
to Brian while the leader talks with Cook.
George tells Brian that a Japanese patrol has
landed at the other end of Kopang Bay
and have walked over the cape towards the
airmen's location.
(24:16):
The Japanese are converging on the airmen from
points to the south and east.
At last report, the southern patrol are 15
kilometres away from the airmen.
Here's the deal.
We got enough space to hold 18 men
and that includes the three of us.
Cook tells Brian the weary is only big
enough to take half the group.
The hour is late.
(24:37):
The chances of making two boat trips before
sunrise are slim.
With the Japanese certain to arrive the next
day, remaining on Timor for one more night
means certain death.
In a circumstance where the chances of success
are not guaranteed, then the cold calculating ways
of the military demand that those with the
greatest chance of survival are given precedence.
(25:00):
Brian starts calling out the names of men
he figures are strong enough to swim through
the waves on their own steam.
Those lucky few who are named breathe a
sigh of relief, all except Flying Officer Arthur
Cole.
Arthur strongly objects to being selected, insisting he
(25:20):
remain until the end, but Brian overrules him.
Arthur, you're going too.
Malaria free and relatively strong, Arthur could make
the swim.
Besides, Brian wants his most senior officer to
tell the story if he doesn't make it
back.
There's one spot left on the weary.
Outside the circle, Len Burke looks down at
(25:42):
his feet.
Yeah, he's all crowded around Brian, just in
shorts and a shirt.
Then he comes in, I could take one
more.
How far can you swim, young Burke?
(26:02):
Can you swim over 300 yards through those
waves?
I said, yes sir, I can.
So I was the last one picked on
the first night, the rest will do what
we're doing.
Len races towards the sea, following the others
as they wade in.
Before he jumps in, he turns around and
(26:24):
takes one last look at those remaining behind.
Nobody responds to his encouraging wave, so he
grabs his nose and plunges into the sea.
The moment that the first boatload of Australians
are helped onto the deck of the Sea
Raven, a few hours before sunrise, Cassidy sends
(26:44):
a signal on the blinker gun to those
left on the beach.
There won't be enough time to get the
rest of the airmen off Timor tonight.
Sea Raven will return the following night to
pick them up.
Brian picks up his torch and flashes a
quick signal in reply.
Okay, Yank.
He looks to his left, he sees the
twinkling lights of the patrol in the distance.
(27:07):
They'll reach Tuakau by noon, probably sooner.
Brian orders his men off the beach and
then goes looking for George, his Timorese guide,
to explore options.
But George is gone.
Brian doesn't begrudge George for leaving them.
He has a family to consider.
But in leaving the airmen, George is effectively
(27:27):
telling Brian that there is nowhere left to
hide.
The game of cat and mouse is over.
The end is near.
Next time on Trapped.
Surfaced an observed air raid on Kopang.
(27:50):
This one seemed to be about twice the
size of last night's raid.
Ropey, what the bloody hell are you doing?
Come on, let's go.
They're coming.
Watch that anchor.
It's slipping.
Going in.
Cookie, get over here.
Quick, get it over.
Come on, give it everything.
We're nearly there.
Keep paddling.
Keep bloody paddling.
(28:12):
He wouldn't leave us.
He stayed behind.
He didn't have to, but he did.
He got everyone on board before he left.
He was a good lady, I know that
about him.
Trapped was written and produced by Tom Trumbull
(28:38):
with Sam Loy, James Milsom and Ryan Pemberton
for the Australian War Memorial.
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