Early Censorship

There had been warnings. While the Allies had won in Africa and established substantial control in the Mediterranean, The Sydney Morning Herald of May 8 1943 reported increased Japanese submarine activity off the East Coast of Australia, whilst Japanese Aircraft continued air raids on Darwin

Japan’s Prime Minister, General Hideki Tojo said in Manila ‘That His Nation was ready to deliver the knockout blow to her enemies

“Massacre Order”

General Tomayuki Yamashita “The Tiger of Malaya” Order received from General Headquarters Japan

“Due to the fact that the Army is advancing fast and in order to preserve peace behind us, it is essential to massacre as many as possible who appear in any way to have anti Japanese feelings. This is not a private instruction; make a thorough job of it.”

Address to the Nation (Censored)

John Curtin Prime Minister described the sinking of Hospital Ship Centaur by Jap Sub I-27 as deliberate wanton and barbaric”

General Douglas McArthur expressed his revulsion but said “Allied strength was not so much of the body as the soul"

NSW Premier William McKell spoke of human savagery.

Words not much to offer a Nation with our backs to the wall and the imminent threat of Invasion by Japanese Forces the evacuation of thousands of women , children, civilians military personnell etc. from Singapore, Dutch Eaast Indies, New Guinea, Pacific Islands, Northern Australia , Darwin by Allied Merchant Navy ships ahead of the know Japanese heinous crime being committed.

MS Maetsuycker KPM

The KPM Shipping Co. Batavia Dutch East Indies was well established by the outbreak of World War 2 and had 140 ships in service ranging from small vessels on the Inter Island Trade, to the famed trio of passenger vessels Boissevain, Rhys and Tegelberg which operated the South Africa, Java/Japan route and the passenger ships NieuwHolland and Nieuw Zeeland to Australia and New Zealand. During the war the KPM lost a total of 98 ships 171,064 Gross Registered Tons. The KPM Dutch and Australian Merchant Navy Ships and crews had now become conscripted to the US Forces under Command of General Douglas MacArthur US Army SW Pacific

’KPM losses in life during the war are not available but a conservative estimate would be in excess of a thousand. The most tragic loss was that of the Rooseboom 28 February sunk Indian Ocean by Japanese submarine I-159 with the loss of over 500 souls.

The Sydney office operated the KPM ships carrying logistic supplies and military equipment to and from Australian ports during the New Guinea campaign Battle For Australia 1942/44.

Tasman and Maetsuycker left Sydney for New Guinea with the first American troops, which had arrived in Australia aboard Queen Elizabeth 1 prior to conversion as Hospital Ships.

Maetsuycker was at all times during the threat of invasion, her top priority duties were to ensure that she was fully provisioned and always, with enough water and bunker fuel on board to reach Panama evacuating Dutch personnell non-stop, in event of a Japanese invasion of Australia.

It must also be noted here that the Burns Philp Sydney Head Office, was also preparing to transfer operations to their London office. Such was the crisis situation that existed with the imminent threat of Japanese invasion, this and other measures were heavily censored to prevent panic of the general public during these critical early war years.

The four KPM Hospital ships Ophir and MelchoirTreub to operate in the Bombay area and Indian Ocean. Tasman and Maetsuycker to operate in the South West Pacific area. The largest and best known of Dutch Hospital ship was Oranje, but she belonged to “Nederland” (SMN).

Maetsuycker was a steel hulled motor cargo and passenger vessel, 4131 tons commissioned Amsterdam for KPM Line Batavia Dutch East Indies 1937

1942 Maetsuycker escaped ahead of the Japanese invasion with other vessels to Sydney Australia and commenced as a troop transport and logistic supply ship for the Australian and United States Army Transportation Corps (American Small Ships) these vessels sailed with Dutch Officers under the Dutch National Flag.

The Medical Staff were Army, replacement crew members were mainly Australian and Allied Merchant Seamen from the International Pool of Seamen.

1944 Maetsuycker was fitted out as a Hospital ship and served in this capacity in New Guinea and South West Pacific Campaign

Extract Appendix 2, CANF SWPA OP-PLAN 13-44. GHQ. Dated 21 September 1944.

Forces SW Pacific Area, Leyte Operation. Medical General Information

Para B. The Hospital ship Mercy will be made available to the South West Pacific Area at HOLLANDIA between 15^th and 25^th October. The Comfort, Tasman, and Maetsuycker, Hospital Ships, will also be available for casualty care.

Para C Each AHS except Tasman and Maetsuycker can evacuate approximately 500 stretcher patients. These two can each handle 250 stretcher patients. Each APH can evacuate approximately 200 stretcher and 500 ambulatory patients

APH Type Stretcher 150 Ambulatory 325

These two KPM ships operated from 1942 until 1947 Dutch Flagged and Officers with Australian and International replacement crews’ .throughout this most critical period in our National History.

1947 After refit she was passed to the Royal Interocean Lines (KJCPL) in Amsterdam renamed and sold to several owners and scrapped in 1974 at Kaohsiung, Taiwan

WW11 Combat Chronology April 1944

04/04/44

Fifth AF

50 plus B-24’s pound Wewak area. 12 P39’s hit villages, bridges and wooded areas along the coast from Cape Gourdon to Bogia

04/04/44

Thirteenth AF

12 P-40’s hit barges and hideouts in harbour. 10 B-25’s (rained out of Rabaul) bomb Buka A/F, 23 P-39’s hit Aitape area, and 11 P-40’s bomb Mamaregu hideout. Ground spt missions carried out by a variety of ftrs

Extract US Air force activity in the Aitape Wewak area from US Bases in Hollandia after General Douglas MacArthur and US Forces bypassed Aitape and moved on to Hollandia.

On May 11^th 1945 Australian troops liberated Wewak, A Japanese stronghold on the northern coast of New Guinea. The capture of Aitape /Wewak was fought mainly by the 6^th Division a major Japanese base headquarters of the XV111 Japanese Army comprising three Japanese Divisions 20^th, 41^st, and 51^st.

The Australian troops had taken over from the Americans content with holding action rather than all out offensive. The 2/6^th Cavalry Regiment a Commando unit began patrol east from Aitape supported by US planes from Hollandia

Due to the rapid advance of Australians and the lack of intelligence and liaison between allies and the identification on the ground their were many casualties of our forces by friendly fire

The two Dutch Hospital Ships Tasman and Maetsuycker were moored in the Aitape area at this juncture in time. The following incomplete Article (Date Unknown) is an extract from

HOSPITAL SHIP IN THE SOUTH WEST PACIFIC.

S/SGT CROCKER

The Hospital Ship “Maetsucker steamed northward on a mission which would take it deeper into the Southwest Pacific combat zone than any other hospital ship had ever travelled as it pushed toward Biak Island the newest battlefield in the Southwest Pacific Maetsuycker and Tasman rendezvoused en-route Biak at Aitape

Rivalry between these two Hospital Ships was a friendly one. They were the first to be used by the US Forces in the S.W.P.both were converted from Dutch steam packets registered in N E I. Tasman and Maetsuycker pioneered the lines of Water Evacuation of wounded in the SWP there were 20 other hospital ships assigned to this war theatre American flagged and manned

This job evacuation of battle casualties from the contested beaches has taken these two ships to every base Allied Forces have established along the road to Tokyo. The nature of the war demands all sick and wounded be evacuated by air or water

Here in this island to island war, the hospital ship travels in the very way of the task force as the latter strike out at new targets and establish new beachheads on enemy shores. The ships take the patients direct from action into the surroundings of a modern hospital afloat where medical treatment can be speedily administered.

Maetsuycker and Tasman were so near the scene of action at Aitape, Biak, and Hollandia evacuating wounded from the area while American planes bombed and strafed the area They evacuated allied wounded to intermediate base hospitals established in New Guinea. Although enjoying immunity from attack under provision of the Geneva Convention, they approach legitimate targets at their own risk. When taking patients aboard they remain a safe distance from other ships to not likely be struck by bombs or shells aimed at warships.

Surgeon General of the Army Maj. General Norman T Kirk declared that Hospitals Maetsuycker and Tasman were better adapted to tropical use than were ships converted in the US and that valuable lessons had been learned in water evacuation through experiences in operating these two ships.

As many as 326 patients have been carried at one time and on one single voyage 1000 patients were handled by shuttling them from the forward areas to medical installations in the rear and picking up patients for further evacuation.

THIS IS WHERE THIS DOCUMENT ENDS. THE FINAL PAGES HAVE BEEN LOST TO HISTORY.

Date Friday, May 24 @15:01:09

Topic Campaigns and History

RELEASED FOR PRESS PUBLICATION

S/SGT. CROCKER.