[naturalman1975]

Who were Z Special Unit?

For 30 years members of the World War II commando unit were sworn to secrecy

Their heroism during the war was unacknowledged

Over the course of the war MV Krait sank more shipping than any other ship

Only the military's top brass knew of the unit's existence

17 Z Special Unit graves are at Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore

*****

(Speaking as a military historian, I will correct this quoted information from the article - MV Krait sank more enemy shipping than any other Australian ship - the way this was written, it could be interpreted as a claim to a world record).

The article also may give the impression that all of this was secret until now - most of it was, in fact, declassified during the 1960s and 1970s, but many of the men involved still refused to talk about it because their original orders told them they would never be allowed to do so.

I also feel it important to make it clear that Z Special Unit was a multinational force - mostly Australian, but it also had British, Dutch (including Dutch East Indies - Indonesians), New Zealand, and Timorese members, and the US Navy provided covert insertions from submarines on a number of occasions as well.

[yarddog]

There really was something exceptional about our WWII fighting men. Some combination of personal strength, courage and durability came together about that time.

It wasn’t just our soldiers either. Our enemies were also both fierce and brilliant.

[onyx]

PHOTO: Members of Z Special Unit at their base at East Arm, near Darwin. (Australian War Memorial P03924.002)

Dr Connor said one of the most famous examples was an operation involving a ship called the Krait, where soldiers had to go behind Japanese lines by boat.
"It was an old battered wooden ship, so no-one would suspect this ship as it was sailing in towards Singapore."

Australian Z Special Unit commando operatives on board the MV Krait during World War II.


Group portrait of British and Australian Army, Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy members of Z Special Unit on Morotai in September 1945.


Mervyn Fox, who served in WWII with the elite commando squad Z Special Unit, paid a visit to the unit's East Arm base.

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God bless these brave men and God hold dear the ones who never came home.





Twenty-three former Z unit members from Australia will attend the ceremony on August 1, as well as 18 widows.


But the Z Special Unit also had recruits from New Zealand, and eight families are travelling from there.


Dr Helliwell said she was still searching for more.

[packrat35]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Krait

[Chode]

Attack Force Z, well done... WELL DONE INDEED!

[Oztrich Boy]

The article also may give the impression that all of this was secret until now - most of it was, in fact, declassified during the 1960s and 1970s,

Hard to keep it a secret after they made Krait a war memorial in 1964 and put this plaque on it.