On this day in 1945, soldiers from the Australian Imperial Force’s 24th Infantry Brigade, 9th Division landed on the small island of Labuan in Brunei Bay, northwest Borneo. The assault was part of a broader offensive against the Japanese in Borneo known as Operation Oboe.
In addition to the landing on Labuan, the 20th Infantry Brigade landed on the other side of the bay to liberate Brunei Darussalam. But Labuan was the more important objective and would be the scene of the hardest fighting.
The 2 landings in Brunei Bay were known as Oboe 6, which, despite the name, was one of 3 amphibious assaults made against Japanese-held areas in Borneo. The others were at Tarakan and Balikpapan.
Liberating Brunei Bay would enable the Allies to base ships and aircraft there that could support further offensives across the Pacific.
The 24th Brigade, charged with taking Labuan, greatly outnumbered the Japanese garrison stationed there. Lacking enough troops to defend the beaches, the garrison allowed the Australians to land unopposed, and after a short fight the 24th Brigade took the nearby town and airfield.
Knowing the Allies would attempt to take Labuan, the Japanese garrison had established a fortified stronghold well inland, which the Australians dubbed ‘the Pocket’. The 24th Brigade subjected the Pocket to 5 days of sustained artillery, naval and aerial bombardment. Most of the Japanese garrison was killed by the bombardment but the remainder had to be dislodged by infantry attacks supported by artillery, mortars and ‘Frog’ flame-throwing Matilda tanks. Though the Australians prevailed, the fighting was bitter, as attested by a signaller in the 2/12 Field Regiment:
We are held up by snipers again, I am writing this in a large, very muddy bomb crater. Every now and then there is a whine and pling as the sniper takes another shot. One of our [observation post] party was wounded in the groin this morning ... The rain is at least making things cool. Water is scarce and we are getting washing water from the craters.
It took 11 days to liberate Labuan. Unfortunately, most of the local people were made homeless by Allied aerial bombing and naval shelling that had taken place ahead of the landing. Australians remained on the island to get the airfield operational and help rebuild infrastructure. Labuan also became the site of a hospital for troops wounded in fighting in and around Brunei Bay.
Sadly, more than 110 Australians were killed and more than 200 wounded during Oboe 6.
Today, we honour all those who fought at the Battle of Labuan and Oboe 6 generally, and remember those who lost their lives.
Lest we forget.
Below: Matilda tanks of the 2/9th Armoured Regiment advance across Labuan Island on the day of the 9th Division's amphibious landings around the island's capital, Victoria (now Bandar Labuan) on 10 June 1945. AWM 108867
