‘You think your whole life is going to flash before your eyes but I couldn’t think of anything.’ In this week’s episode, we continue with the defence of the Dili Aerodrome, using 2/2 Independent Commando Company as a case study to examine a small Australian force going up against a large opposing military. Our guest – MAJ Guy Warnock – just returned from years in the Defence Cooperation Program (DCP) in Timor-Leste but this is not where his interest in the history of Timor first started. MAJ Warnock deployed to Timor as a Special Forces Operator from the Special Air Service Regiment in the first few months of INTERFET.

If you want to walk the ground of Sparrow Force, the 2/2 Commando Association of Australia (inc.), along with members of DCP-TL, have collaborated with a Timor-based adventure company to develop a Kokoda-style trek up through the mountains of Timor that follows some of the network of tracks used by the soldiers of the 2/2 and 2/4 Independent Companies and their Timorese comrades. 

It’s five gruelling days covering 96km with a walking tour of the battle for the Dili Aerodrome developed by MAJ Warnock on day one and finishing with a 1700m gain in the last 36 hours or so to reach the highest peak on the island of Timor - Mt Ramelau at just under 3,000m. 

Options also exist to visit the crash site of the RAAF No.200 Flight B24 Liberator A72-159 which crashed in the mountains above Dili on 17 May 1945 killing all 15 Australians on board, including five men from the Services Reconnaissance Department - AKA: ‘Z’ Special Unit and the wreckage of HMAS Voyager (I) on the south coast of Timor-Leste at Betano, which ran aground and was lost on 23 September 1942 as it attempted to evacuate elements of SPARROW Force and replace them with LANCER Force based on the 2/4 Independent Company.

Maddog Adventures

maddogadventures.com.au

La Rende! (No Surrender!) Trek

https://maddogadventures.com.au/adventures/la-rende-trek/

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