World War 2, Australia, MCGREGOR, 2/2 Commando Squadron, 1942

2/2 Commando Squadron (formerly the 2nd Independent Company) were Australia’s first commandos. They were among the first Australian soldiers to be trained in guerilla warfare, and the first to successfully practice it. When faced with Japan’s lightning thrust through Asia in early 1942, the 270 men of this company became the only unit to remain an integrated force and continue offensive action while all around them, 22,000 Australians were captured or killed.
The company engaged the Japanese in Portuguese Timor months before Australia’s main force in New Guinea successfully halted Japan’s drive on the Kokoda Track. The 10-month resistance in East Timor played a crucial role by tying up several thousand seasoned troops in the mountains of Timor while the battle for Kokoda was hanging in the balance.
After their epic campaign on Timor, the 2/2 was deployed to New Guinea where it took part in Australia’s campaign to drive the Japanese out of New Guinea and New Britain. A total of 610 men served in the Company, and of these 51 were killed during the war.