Ambon: Gull Force Driven to the Sea

John Scott has commanded Gull Force for barely three weeks. An Australian lieutenant-colonel, he took charge of the contingent on 14 January 1942, replacing Leonard Roach, who had been removed for judging the Ambon position indefensible and demanding reinforcements. Scott thus inherits a garrison he hardly knows, scattered across an island he is only beginning to learn.

Around a thousand Australians and several hundred Dutch troops hold the island of Ambon, in the Moluccas, around Laha airfield and the bay. On 30 January, Japanese forces land in strength. Within days, air and naval power overwhelm the defenders; communications break down, units find themselves isolated and short of ammunition. The Dutch lay down their arms first, and the enemy pincer closes on the Australian positions falling back toward the coast.

On the morning of 3 February, Scott must decide for what remains of Gull Force. He can surrender to spare lives in a position that has become untenable; attempt a breakout through the island's mountainous interior; or disperse his men into small groups to wage guerrilla war in the jungle.