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A studio portrait of author Michael Veitch.
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Program: The forgotten men who fought and died in the wild jungles of Borneo

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At the very end of World War Two, Australian soldiers were sent into the jungles of Borneo to dislodge the occupying Japanese Forces.

It was one of the largest amphibious landings of the whole war, and what followed was months of brutal fighting on an island that was both a hell and a paradise.

The operation was called Operation Oboe, and it was one of the most successful military campaigns Australia has ever been a part of.

But the men who fought there were never celebrated upon their return home.

They were forgotten amid all the questioning of whether all the fighting and dying on Borneo needed to happen in the first place.

Author Michael Veitch happened upon this forgotten story of Australians at war in the most unlikely of circumstances involving a trivia night and a grumpy older man.

Further information

Borneo: The Last Campaign - Australia's brilliant, controversial end to World War Two is published by Hachette.

Image Details

War, Prisoners of War, War Victims, World War II, War Crimes, History
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