14 Jan 2022

Top secret operation in WWII involved NZers

From Morning Report, 8:55 am on 14 January 2022

A top secret Second World War operation involving New Zealanders in Borneo hampering the occupying Japanese Army has finally been detailed in a book.

It's written by New Zealand-born, anthropologist, Christine Helliwell, who worked in Borneo for 40-years with the Dayak people.

She used this knowledge, plus the help of the few existing war records, to build a picture of Special Operations Australia, more popularly known as Z-Special Unit.

Her book, ''Semut'', tells the story of one particular special secret operation in March 1945.

Andrew McRae reports.