A STUDY GUIDE BY ROBERT LEWIS
http://www.metromagazine.com.au
ISBN: 978-1-74295-473-8 http://www.theeducationshop.com.au OVERVIEW
Australia’s Secret Heroes is an outstanding edu- cational resource to help students develop empa - thy with the real-life veterans. Once students have explored the experience of the Z Special men, they will be able to understand far more deeply the nature of the war for individual soldiers and nurses, and this will make their study of World War Two much richer, more personal and meaningful.
Australia’s Secret Heroes (Robert Wilkins, 2014, 3 x 52-min- In a gripping and emotional journey, we hear from a Z Spe- ute documentary series) tells the story of Z Special Unit, cial veteran who under torture gave up information leading a remarkable group of men who were plucked from the to the capture of one of the descendant’s forefathers; ex- Australian military in World War Two, trained in explosives, perience moving accounts of some of the men’s last days camouflage, silent killing and torture – and then sent on before being executed; and see the use of equipment used incredibly perilous undercover operations in Asia. by Z Special, including the specially recreated Sleeping Beauty – a James Bond-like one-man motorised submers- At the time of the White Australia policy, the unit actively ible canoe. recruited soldiers of Asian heritage so they could blend in and help train native guerilla resistance movements. Then, in the final episode, two of the descendants travel to Borneo to hear firsthand about the involvement of one of For years, the Z Special operatives were sworn to secrecy. their forefathers in headhunting. But now the veterans, some speaking publicly for the first time, relive their remarkable wartime exploits.
In a unique ‘living history’ approach, Australia’s Secret Heroes also takes six descendants of the men who did it for real to give them a taste of what their forefathers went through. SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
Over the course of the series, the modern-day ‘recruits’ witness torture techniques, and hear firsthand about some of the most ingenious and dangerous covert operations ever undertaken.
2 CURRICULUM APPLICABILITY Australia’s Secret Heroes is an excellent resource for use with senior students (Years 10–12) in:
• History: Year 10, Depth Study 1: World War Two – Students investigate wartime experiences through a study of World War Two in depth. This includes a study of the causes, events, outcome and broader impact of the conflict as an episode in world history, and the nature of Australia’s involvement. It includes the expe- riences of Australians during World War Two (such as Prisoners of War (POWs), the Battle of Britain, Kokoda, the Fall of Singapore).
• English: The theme of War.
• Media: Documentary film form.
Teachers should note that parts of Episode Two show torture techniques (and specifically waterboarding) and Episode Three shows historical images of severed heads. You may not want your students to see these. SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
3 BEFORE WATCHING THE FILM
Here is a photograph of a group of Australian soldiers from 3 This description tells us nothing about the men. World War Two. Imagine that you could invite one of these men to your class to talk to you about their experiences. List ten 1 Describe the men. questions that you would want to ask.
2 Do they seem special or ordinary to you? Explain your 4 Have the class share all the questions and select the ideas. ‘top ten’. List these.
In fact the men are all members of an Australian unit called 5 Now compare these with the questions listed on the Z Special Unit, formed during World War Two. It was a next page. If some of your questions are not answered, small, secret and specialised force. It carried out over add these to the list in the blank spaces provided. eighty special missions, mainly in Japanese-occupied areas to the north and north-west of Australia. History is about three key major things:
This particular group of men were all part of an operation • Finding out what happened (Knowledge) called Operation Jaywick. • Working out why it happened, and its impacts or con- Here is how that Operation is described by the Australian sequences (Understanding) War Memorial: • Developing an understanding of the people involved Operation Jaywick was one of the most daring and cel- (Empathy) ebrated special operations undertaken in World War II. In SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 September 1943, eleven Australian and three British army This series can help with all three, but especially empathy. and navy personnel raided Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour, sinking or badly damaging seven ships and, What was it like to be a member of Z Special unit and to against great odds, made it back to Australia. experience their type of war? You will be asked to fill in the answers to the questions as you view Australia’s Secret http://www.dva.gov.au/aboutDVA/publications/ Heroes. commemorative/jaywick/Pages/index.aspx 4 Key questions to ask to explore the experiences of World War Two Australian soldiers – in this case, the soldiers of Z Special Unit
Who were they? (background)
Why did they volunteer for the unit, and any operations?
What sort of skills did they need?
What was their training like?
How did they behave on operations?
What were their attitudes towards the war, the enemy, and what they were doing?
What dangers did they face?
What emotions did they feel?
What effects or impacts did they have on the war? SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
What effects or impacts did the war have on them?
5 EXPLORING IDEAS & ISSUES IN THE FILM
EPISODE 1
In 1942, with the Japanese invasion of Singapore, an Australian unit was formed to strike back at the enemy in a series of near-suicidal missions deep behind enemy lines. Now, in a unique ‘living history’ approach, six descendants of the men who did it for real are given a taste of the same tough training as their forefathers.
Episode 1 outlines the formation of Z Special Unit in the face of a possible Japanese invasion and the drive, in the midst of the White Australia policy, to recruit soldiers of Asian descent to fight behind the lines in Japanese-occupied countries like Timor, Papua New Guinea and Borneo.
The first training camp in 1942 was organised by Captain The Z Special speratives selected for the mission had to Ivan Lyon on the banks of Pittwater Bay, where the modern be physically fit but also prepared to fight the Japanese in training camp is pitched by the descendants of the Z Special hand-to-hand combat behind the lines, and so were rigor- operatives. They are first put through a series of physical ously trained in unarmed combat. tests, including running and swimming, to prepare them for their mission. Lyon was a Special Operations officer who The six modern recruits experience some of the same train- had escaped the invasion of Singapore and was determined ing using the now-declassified training manual and by one SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 to hit back at the Japanese. He had formulated a daring of the original unarmed combat instructors, the late Frank plan to sail to Singapore (thousands of kilometres behind Doyle, who was also the grandfather of one of the recruits, Japanese lines), paddle into the harbour in folding canoes Andy Doyle. The recruits are then taught how to set and and place limpet mines on several key Japanese ships. place magnetic limpet mines on boats, which have to be Operation Jaywick was a suicide mission in all but name. manually slid below the waterline to avoid detection.
6 JACK Z Special was a special unit staffed by special people for special operations.
DES We might have been illegal by some standard but then we didn’t exist.
NARRATOR And at a time of the White Australia policy, Z actively The episode culminates in the story of the original mis- recruits soldiers of Asian descent. sion to Singapore, codenamed Operation Jaywick, with the modern recruits gaining an understanding of what the PETER Z operatives went through with their own training mission. The very people who were most useful to Z were the One of the recruits, Danielle Sisson, had a Great Uncle in people who had been most marginalised in Australian Operation Jaywick and feels a strong connection to him society. by carrying out a similar exercise. They are instructed to paddle their folding canoes at night in almost total silence NARRATOR and place limpet mines on a wharf several kilometres away Using now declassified manuals, six young volunteers – will they be up to the task? will be put through a similar tough training program. All of them descended from the men who did it for real. Questions LUKE 1.1 What is your image of the nature of the fighting in World You find out that your Grandad was a badass. That War Two? he fought in a World War Two Special Ops Unit, was captured, was tortured. 1.2 Here is the transcript of the first one minute and forty- five seconds of Australia’s Secret Heroes: JIM It’s haunted me my whole life. MICK I pulled my thirty-eight out and I shot him through the DANIELLE head. My great uncle … I’ll always be proud of him and what he did for Australia. FRANK We had one purpose. Kill the enemy. TIAN SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 My grandfather … I think he sacrificed his soul for this NARRATOR country really. 1942. Australia sets up a unit of secret operatives to harass the Japanese in Asia. For decades their story NARRATOR couldn’t be told. They’re known as Z Special. They will follow in the footsteps of Australia’s Secret Heroes.
7 What aspects of war are being emphasised in this open- information from Australia’s Secret Heroes to create a short ing? How does this confirm or challenge your image of the summary of it, including such aspects as who was involved, nature of the fighting in World War Two? their mission, its significance, its dangers and requirements. Write it as an entry for a school textbook. 1.3 The first part of the episode is about training. What do we learn about Z Special unit from understanding its 1.7 Do you agree that it was a heroic and successful training? operation?
1.4 The modern descendants go through the same train- 1.8 Local people were blamed and punished by the ing. Does this help us understand more about the Z Special Japanese for the raid. Do you think the operation was de- people? Does it help the participants? spite the impact on the local people? Justify your view.
1.5 The special focus in this episode is on Andy Doyle and 1.9 Does your knowledge and understanding of Operation his grandfather, Frank. How does Andy’s exploration of his Jaywick change or confirm your original view of the nature grandfather’s history affect how he sees him? of World War Two?
1.6 The second half of the program is about Operation 1.10 Look back at your list of questions on page 5. Jaywick. You have seen some information from the Complete any answers that you can. Australian War Memorial summary above. Use the SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
8 The modern descendants of the original Z Special opera- tives are going through similar training to that undertaken by their forefathers on the banks of Pittwater Bay in New South Wales. Now they are given the chance to operate a Sleeping Beauty under the watchful eye of surviving Z Special member Norman Wallace, the last veteran from World War Two who trained on the machines. Enthusiast Chuck Anderson has built a life-sized replica of the canoes and the recruits’ trainers have trouble submerging the machine, just as Norman experienced in his original training EPISODE 2 camp. In order to breathe underwater whilst driving the canoes the recruits are trained in the ‘no-bubble’ breathing After the success of Operation Jaywick in 1943, with Z equipment known as a ‘rebreather’, which would allow the Special’s daring raid on Singapore Harbour in folding Z Men to approach Singapore with complete stealth. canoes lead by Captain Ivan Lyon, the organisation is keen to return to Singapore with an even larger party and destroy The second episode also features the story of Jim Ellwood, more shipping. But this time the plan is to go in completely a Z operative sent to Japanese occupied Timor to help unseen using an extraordinary invention emerging from the form a resistance group. He was captured and tortured by Special Operations Executive in London – The ‘Sleeping the Japanese and, for the first time in public, talks candidly Beauty’. and harrowingly about his experience. Jim was almost broken when the Japanese discovered his cypher’s code- Straight out of James Bond, the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ is a book and forced him to send back messages to Australia one-man motorised submersible canoe. Lyon’s plan is to to send other parties to Timor. More parties duly arrived, ship the canoes close enough to Singapore, paddle into the fell into the Japanese trap and were captured and tortured. harbour and, when the time is right, to submerge their ves- Among them was Jack Cashman, whose grandson Luke SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 sels in order to place limpet mines on the hulls of Japanese is amongst the recruits. Luke learns for the first time the ships with complete stealth. It’s an audacious plan as the story of his grandfather’s capture from Jim and the shock- Sleeping Beauties have never been properly tested or used ing techniques used by the Japanese to obtain information in a conflict. from the Z Men.
9 Operation Rimau to Singapore under the leadership of Questions Ivan Lyon had a similarly disastrous outcome. They were spotted and all either shot or beheaded, many – including TIMOR Danielle Sissons’ Great Uncle Bob Page – enduring torture before their eventual demise. 2.1 Much of the first part of this episode is about the ‘Sleeping Beauties’ – which were never used. What do you In a powerful and heart-wrenching scene, Danielle reads a think the emphasis on the Sleeping Beauties helps us to letter written by one of Bob Page’s Japanese interpreters, understand about the Z Specials? who had formed a deep connection to Bob and couldn’t bear to witness his execution. 2.2 Part of the program is about the failure of the operation in Timor. Use the information from Australia’s Secret Heroes to create a short summary of it, including such aspects as who was involved, their mission, its significance, its dangers and requirements. Write it as an entry for a school textbook.
2.3 What do you learn about the nature of the war from Jim Ellwood’s experiences? How does that compare with your original image of the nature of World War Two?
2.4 Jim says: ‘I failed the test’. Do you agree?
2.5 Jim feels guilt. Do you think he should? SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
2.6 Who does the program blame for the death of the men in Timor?
2.7 Should these people be identified? Why or why not?
10 2.8 Have the soldiers who are victims of the war in Timor fourteen – and the commandos would be delivered to been looked after by Australia? the area by submarine where they would seize a small fishing boat, rather than sailing in one from Australia. 2.9 Does our society have a special obligation to these people? The men and their fifteen submersibles left Garden Island naval base near Perth on 11 September 1944 2.10 Japan did not agree to the Geneva Conventions aboard the British submarine HMS Porpoise. The regarding allowable conduct in war. Was it justified for the submarine could only go a certain distance into enemy Japanese to use torture against their Australian prisoners? waters in safety, so to overcome the SBs’ limit of a Prepare an argument for AND against this question. Which 50-kilometre range the plan was to capture a fishing do you think is the stronger argument? Why? vessel, load all the equipment aboard it, and approach Singapore Harbour unsuspected. 2.11 Should ex-servicemen be expected to ‘forgive and forget’ the behavior of Japanese soldiers towards them and On 28 September the Porpoise stopped an Indonesian their mates? Should later generations? Explain your views. junk, the Mustika. The commandos took over the boat, and the nine Malay crewmen were taken aboard the OPERATION RIMAU submarine to be taken to Fremantle. (They were impris- oned for a time, then returned to Malaya after the war.) We know that Operation Rimau failed and that all the Z Specials involved were killed or captured. The film gives The plan was for the ship to sail close to Singapore, little information about Rimau, other than the training in the then the commandos would carry out their raid, and Sleeping Beauties. Read the following additional informa- return to a rendezvous with the Porpoise on the night tion about Rimau and answer the questions that follow. of 7/8 November at their base on Merapas Island. If the submarine failed to make contact with them then Inspired by the success of Operation Jaywick, it would stay in the area, returning to the designated Z Special Unit soon started preparing for Operation point every night until 8 December. Rimau. ‘Rimau’ is the Malay word for ‘tiger’, and the name was chosen for the large multicoloured tiger The commandos now went through the same proce- head tattooed on the chest of the leader, Lieutenant dures that had helped make Jaywick successful – limit- Colonel Ivan Lyon (who had also led the Jaywick raid.) ing the numbers of men visible on deck, staining their skins brown, wearing sarongs. The Mustika, however, The aim of Operation Rimau, like that of Operation had no engine, so the commandos were now at the Jaywick, was to destroy shipping in Singapore harbour mercy of the winds. SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 by limpet mines. But there the similarities ended. The means of delivery of the mines would be by spe- On 10 October, just sixty minutes before the Rimau cial one-man motorised submersible canoes (called raid was due to begin, the crew of a coastal patrol boat ‘Sleeping Beauties’, or SBs); there were far more men spotted the Mustika. Something made them suspicious involved – twenty-three, as opposed to Jaywick’s and they approached the boat. One of the Australian
11 commandos aboard panicked and started firing at the the island and was attacked by the commandos. Two approaching patrol boat. Three of the crew were killed, of the Rimaus were killed in combat on the island, while but two escaped – and would obviously report the the remainder now split into two groups and went to incident. different islands. At least one of the groups, comprising ten of the men, was in place to meet the submarine on The Rimau commandos now destroyed the Mustika 7 November – but it did not appear, as its captain had and most of the supplies and equipment, and split up, instead chosen to hunt for enemy shipping in the area. to make their way back by canoes to the rendezvous point. However, it is possible that at least one group A third element in the developing tragedy was the role did penetrate Singapore Harbour and set off a series of of one of the Z Special Unit officers, Major Chapman, explosions on the night of 10 October, destroying three aboard the Tantalus. Chapman’s task was to provide ships. the detailed knowledge of the raid and the rendezvous point to the submarine commander. He was in effect A series of events that would lead to the death of the the Rimau representative on the rescue party. He did commandos now started to unfold. not argue with the submarine commander and insist that he kept to the rescue arrangements. The first was the interception in Australia of a Japanese coded message reporting on the activity of about When the submarine did reach the area on 21 twenty commandos in the attack area. However, if the November, Chapman was worried by the surf, and Australians had responded, it would have shown that tracked the canoe around the island to calmer waters. the Allies had broken the Japanese secret codes, lead- He and another commando, Corporal Croton, now had ing them to create a new code – and eliminating a great a difficult trek to the set position. Chapman, panick- Allied advantage. So the appointed rescue submarine ing in the tense situation, wanted to head back to was not told of the sudden urgency of the situation. the submarine, but Croton drew his pistol and forced Chapman on. When they finally reached the designated The second concerned the rescue submarine, HMS meeting point after dawn on the next morning, they Tantalus. The orders to the commander of the subma- found evidence of commandos having been there. rine, Lieutenant Commander Hugh Mackenzie, were to Chapman saw some local people, but did not try to go to the rescue rendezvous area of Merapas Island on question them about what might have happened. Nor SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 7 November, and to remain there until 7 December if did he try to persuade Mackenzie to stay in the area necessary. and be available for survivors each night – as he had been ordered. Instead, the submarine headed off on On 4 November, eighteen of the group were together a hunt again, and did not return. Nor did any of the on Merapas Island. A small Japanese force landed on officials in Australia who knew that the Rimaus were in
12 trouble try to contact the submarine and order them to dysentery. Food consisted of a starvation diet of 500 remain in the area for any survivors. grams of rice per day, less for prisoners on the sick list.
Once the 7 December final deadline passed, the sur- The prisoners’ best hope now became the state of the vivors realised that they would not be rescued. They war – Japan was clearly being defeated everywhere now tried to make their way south by ‘island-hopping’ and it was only time before they would have to surren- along the three thousand kilometres of enemy-held der or be defeated in the home islands of Japan itself. territory between Singapore and Australia. Over the next two weeks most were captured, killed in firefights, On 3 July 1945, the men were put on trial for ‘perfidy or drowned trying to move between islands, The last and espionage’ and found guilty. commando was captured in March. On 7 July they were executed. The Japanese record The official Japanese record claims that the captured stresses the ‘honour’ bestowed on the men by being Rimau commandos were now treated well out of re- beheaded – witnesses, however, later gave evidence spect for their brave resistance to capture. The authors that the executions were brutal and horribly mangled. of the most recent detailed study of the situation claim It took guards more than half an hour to execute the that is a lie. The men, they say, were brutally tortured ten men, and one of the guards had required ‘two or – several had now died of untreated disease, bashing three’ blows each time to complete the beheading. and torture, and possibly as a result of medical experi- The bodies were dumped in three unmarked graves, ments. The others lived on in a situation in which jailers with nothing left to identify the men. A month later the regularly beat them, where their cells were crawling Americans dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, with vermin and contaminated with filth. Disease was and on 9 August on Nagasaki, and on 15 August the rampant, with cases of beriberi, scabies, malaria and Japanese surrendered.
Seventeen of the Rimaus are now in graves at Kranji War Cemetery, in Singapore.
The men were:
Killed in action or died during the raid: Executed and buried at Kranji:
Lt Col Ivan Lyon + Lt W. Carey +
Lt Cmdr D. Davidson + Able Seaman W. Falls +
Lt. B. Reymond Corporal R. Fletcher
Lt. H. Ross Sergeant Gooley
Sub Lt J. Riggs Lance Corporal J. Hardy
WO J. Willersdorf Major R. Ingleton
Sgt C. Cameron Captain R. Page +
Cpl A. Campbell Lieutenant A. Sargent
Cpl C. Craft Corporal C. Stewart
Able Seaman F. Marsh + WOII A. Warren
Able Seaman A. Huston +
L/Cpl H. Pace
Pte D. Warne SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
(+ Denotes they were also members of the Jaywick raid)
Studies magazine 2/2003, Ryebuck Media
13 2.12 Use the information from Australia’s Secret Heroes and 2.18 Do you agree with his action? the account above to create a short summary of Operation Rimau, including such aspects as who was involved, their 2.19 The government did not allow the men to give evi- mission, its significance, its dangers and requirements. dence after the war about the Timor torture and executions, Write it as an entry for a school textbook. either to maintain secrecy about the Z Special unit, or to protect the people responsible. Do you agree with this deci- 2.13 Why did the Rimau operation fail? sion?
2.14 The film refers to a ‘failure of command’. What does 2.20 The special focus in this episode is on Danielle Sisson this mean? and her great uncle Bob Page, and Luke Thomas and his grandfather Jack Cashman. How does the young people’s 2.15 Who does the additional reading suggest caused the exploration of their relatives’ history affect how they see the failure? men?
2.16 Imagine that you had to face the dilemma in wartime 2.21 Does your knowledge and understanding of the Timor of saving a group of men in a way that would reveal that operation and Operation Rimau change or confirm your you are secretly intercepting the enemy’s messages. If they original view of the nature of World War Two? find this out they will change their codes and you will not be able to oppose their forces as effectively. What would you 2.22 Look back at your list of questions on page 5. SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 do? Complete any answers that you can.
2.17 The film shows Danielle hearing for the first time the account of her great uncle’s fate. Why was Bob Page executed?
14 EPISODE 3 Muschu channel, meeting up with an Australian patrol and freedom. Operation Copper was an eight-man mission to Mushu Island off New Guinea that went disastrously wrong. Only In Pittwater, the modern recruits recreate a similar mission one man survived to tell the tale – Mick Dennis, who is to Operation Copper, leaving Cato alone and cut off from featured in this episode, and survived ten days in the jungle his group. Cato’s great uncle, Alan Gubbay, was killed on with the Japanese hunting him down. the original mission.
Meanwhile, in Borneo, Z’s policy of recruiting operatives In Borneo, the Japanese controlled the coasts but due to of Asian origin pays dividends as they are parachuted into the inhospitable terrain and largely hostile local population the jungles of the country to form resistance armies against they had left the interior alone. Z Special parachuted in the Japanese, encouraging local tribesmen to re-adopt the operatives with the specific instruction of training the local traditional practice of headhunting against the enemy. tribesmen to fight the Japanese. Among them were Tian and Brenden’s grandfathers, both recruited because of their In the modern day training camp, the six descendants Asian heritage and ability to blend in with the locals. Tian’s are trained in jungle warfare, the art of camouflage and grandfather became known as Tommy the Headhunter concealment. because of his willingness to take Japanese heads in order to collect a bounty offered by a British officer. Operation Copper came about because by 1945 the Allies had liberated large parts of New Guinea – now Papua Tian and Brenden both travel to Borneo to retrace their New Guinea – but off the north-eastern coast the enemy grandfather’s footsteps. Brenden’s grandfather Jack Wong had built a defensive stronghold on the island of Muschu. Sue received a Distinguished Conduct Medal for brazenly Z Special sent in an eight-man reconnaissance team by entering a train station under Japanese control disguised folding canoes to survey Japanese gun positions and, if as a Chinese worker and demanding to know troop move- possible, capture some prisoners for interrogation. But the ments from the stationmaster, whose family he threatened. mission went immediately awry – as they battled to get their canoes through the strong surf, their radios and torches Tian’s journey culminates in an emotional meeting with became waterlogged and they had no way of contacting Yudan Dawar, a local tribesman who fought alongside his the boat that had dropped them. Mick Dennis is the only grandfather but never heard from him again after the war, surviving veteran from the mission. Undeterred, the party not knowing if he had lived or had children. Tian’s arrival is ambushed a Japanese position and took two prisoners for emotional and living proof that he survived. interrogation, but when one refused to move, Mick was SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 forced to execute him, something that has haunted him his The series finishes with final reflections from the veterans whole life. When their group was ambushed Mick found and the modern recruits themselves. The veterans reflect himself alone and cut off from his comrades, who were later on war and its affect on them, and the recruits reflect on executed. Mick shot as many enemies as he could from his their experiences during the series, with many of them feel- concealed positions and then managed to swim across the ing a much stronger attachment to their relatives as a result.
15 Questions 3.8 Teh Soen Hin’s grandson, Tian, says his grandfather ‘sacrificed his soul’ for Australia. Do you agree? 3.1 What aspects of training are identified here? 3.9 Do you agree that Teh Soen Hin seems to have been 3.2 Mick Dennis calls himself a murderer. Do you agree with treated badly by Australia? him? 3.10 What is the revelation about Jack Wong Sue that he 3.3 He also describes every bullet he shot as being ‘full of will not talk about? hate’. Does this surprise you? Explain your views. 3.11 Do you think it was justified? Explain your view. 3.4 Do you agree that Mick Dennis and the men on Operation Copper are heroes? 3.12 Teh Soen Hin and Jack Wong Sue were both part of a brutal operation. Should we be ‘proud and thankful’ for Operation Semut their efforts? Explain your view, taking into account the nature of the war at the time. 3.5 Describe this operation. 3.13 Does your knowledge and understanding of the SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 3.6 How did this group of Z Specials wage this war? Operation Copper and Operation Semut change or confirm your original view of the nature of World War Two? 3.7 One of their tactics was to use and encourage head- hunting. Was this justified? 3.14 Look back at your list of questions on page 5. Complete any answers that you can.
16 Reflections NORMAN
The film ends with three sets of reflections – by the his- It’s one of those events that should be remembered torians, by some of the soldiers interviewed, and by the because it’s an event that should not happen. Anger’s relatives. not the answer. For me to go on saying I hate the Japanese, it’s stupid. I certainly don’t. 1 The historians JIM
ALAN POWELL It’s a dreadful way to go about solving a problem. When I die I may be the last one standing who has got When you look at Z Special as a whole, the main any firsthand knowledge of what took place. impact they had was in Borneo, but it’s only a relatively small proportion who were dropped behind enemy JACK lines – but some of them would have seen things that they would not ever forget. Z Special Unit was a special unit staffed by special people for special operations and I insist on that word PETER STANLEY … special.
The point about Z is it’s a very small unit but they liber- MICK ate vast stretches of Borneo. But the war wasn’t won by special operations and we need to keep it in per- Mateship is a wonderful thing and that’s what you had spective and to understand that what Z did was make a lot of in the Army. They were good mates. the war winnable, not to win the war itself. DES FOSTER 1 From what you have learned about Z Special unit and its operations, do you think these seem to be fair and I think youth craves adventure and I think probably that adequate assessments? was the real motivation for lots and lots of people my age. I’m just embarrassed how trivial my little contribu- 2 The soldiers tion was.
NORMAN HENRY FAWKES I had some wonderful mates. I lost a lot of mates whilst The people themselves would be proud of us and be I was in Z Unit. In some respects a lot of them were thankful for us for what we did. But most of the popula- very unique and some of the things that some of those tion, they don’t even know we went to war. people did were truly amazing. SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
JACK TREDREA 2 How would you summarise these soldiers’ reflections? What are the main things they are saying about their None of our unit told their wives or anything about it. role in the war and its significance and impacts? They just told them they’d been doing special work in the jungles. The first time the wives knew anything was thirty years after the war. 17 3 The young people It’s strengthened the connection that I now feel that I have with my grandfather. ANDY BRENDEN Growing up, Japan was the enemy. I heard about some terrible things during the war but you know, the past I wish my grandfather was alive so I could tell him that is the past. We’re two and three generations removed I have grown a much larger respect for the Diggers and from that time and you can’t harbour any animosity for himself as well. But I know he’s listening right now. against the present generation. A lot of good men were He’s always with me. lost in the process. They were heroes in my eyes. Truly courageous men.
CATO
I’m really proud that I’ve done this. I really wanted to tell Alan’s story in a genuine way that he could be remembered for what he was, which was a very brave young man who contributed his life to the war effort. SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
LUKE
Finding out more about what my grandfather went through was pretty, pretty special.
18 DANIELLE 5 Write your summary of Z Unit for a history textbook.
This has brought me closer to Bob. I’m very proud 6 Would you agree that these men were ‘special’? that I’m related to him and that I got to do this and see Explain your views. how things would’ve been for him and learn a bit more about him as a person. 7 Are these men part of the ‘Anzac Tradition’? Explain your views. TIAN 8 There are several memorials to Z Special unit in various I’m extremely proud. I think he sacrificed his soul for parts of Australia. Imagine that you have been commis- this country really and it would have taken a lot from sioned to create a public memorial to the unit, to be in him. So I just hope he went to the end knowing that a special public space. Brainstorm to create a set of he’d done the right thing. messages, images and symbols that you might use in the memorial. You could get ideas by researching some 3 What have been the main impacts of learning about examples of modern war and other memorials. their relatives on these young people?
4 You SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
4 What would you now say you have learned about World War Two from your study of some of the men of Z Special unit?
19 FILM STUDY
Is Australia’s Secret Heroes a good documentary film?
A documentary film uses a variety of elements and strategies to have an impact.
1 Consider the way the following elements are used in Australia’s Secret Heroes. Use your own viewing of the film and the additional information that follows to summarise your ideas.
Fill page, boxes of equal size to write in.
Aspect Comments
Structure of the film
Narration and script
Music
Use of the six descendants
Use of historical film
Use of documents SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 Use of historical images
20 Aspect Comments
Use of veterans
Use of historians
Use of reconstructions of events
Editing
Lighting
Sound
Cinematography
Maps and special effects
Use of colour, and of black and white SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
Any other features that you notice
21 Additional information our instructors who were ex-Special Forces, they told him that he had done what every solider in his position would Daniel Brown, Series Producer, Q&A have done, he had endured as much as any man could take under torture. I watched him at a distance and as he was Q: What was the inspiration behind this documentary? How hearing this he grew straighter and prouder. He said that did it come about? over the past seventy years various psychologists had told him the same thing but he had never believed it, but com- A: We stumbled across the story of the Z Special Unit as ing from them it meant the world. To have been in some part of another series. We were really intrigued and when way responsible for relieving the psychological burden on we dug deeper we were blown away by how remarkable Jim made making the film worthwhile. their history was and how little had been done on it. Q: What would your ideal viewer response to the doco be? Q: Did you encounter any challenges in making this docu- mentary and, if so, how did you overcome them? A: I think appreciation for what these men went through and also reminding people of the horrors of war and the A: We were breaking new ground in this country as to how legacy it leaves. we were attempting to tell the story through living his- tory. Making sure the various elements of the show gelled Q: Did you learn anything through making this documen- together in a coherent and entertaining fashion was difficult tary, about either yourself or your subjects? but really rewarding when it came together. Finding and then filming with very elderly members of a remote tribe in A: What I hope the film does, and it’s certainly what I took Borneo and getting all the relevant clearances was quite away from it, is the cost of war to the individual; it person- tricky, as was building a submersible canoe in a short alised the experience and it becomes all the more visceral space of time. It was a huge project and it came together for it. very quickly as we were racing against the clock due to the age of our veterans, three of whom have subsequently Q: Who was the target audience you had in mind when passed away. We probably couldn’t have made this film making this documentary? now, it was that time-sensitive. A: I think anybody interested in Australian Military history Q: Any other production anecdotes/stories? will love this show, anybody who likes history will like this show but there are personal and very emotional journeys A: I think the mind-blowing elements of this story are the embedded in this series and there are elements of Who Do exploits of the veterans and how humble they all were. You Think You Are? within it so hopefully those people will SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 They had James Bond-esque experiences and they dis- like it too. cussed them as though they were everyday events. One of my favourite moments was seeing Jim Ellwood, who had 2 Do you think Australia’s Secret Heroes is a good docu- told his story about being captured and tortured for the first mentary that achieves its aims? Write a review that time in public to us. When he visited the set he spoke with expresses your opinions.
22 This study guide was produced by ATOM. (© ATOM 2014) ISBN: 978-1-74295-473-8 [email protected] For information on SCREEN EDUCATION magazine, or to download other study guides for assessment, visit