The Killer Bees

Australian Independent Companies and Commandos at War, 1942-1945

By Gregory Blake  
Published by Big Sky Publishing
RRP $29.99 in paperback | ISBN 9781923144118

This is book #5 in the Shot of History Series published by noted military history publisher Big Sky Publishing.

The Independent Companies and Commandos were a unique form of sub-unit within the Australian army during the Second World War.

They were units composed of an exceptional group of individuals with very special attributes and skills who thrived on the unconventional and doing things very much in their own way.

This book focuses on selected examples of their service—beginning with Timor, Wau, Kokoda and Buna in 1942 and ending with Bougainville during 1944-1945.

It seems that even setting up these units was something that occurred outside the regular Army command. Rather the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) played a key role, recruiting highly skilled operatives from within their own ranks to train Australian soldiers. Thus it was seen more as an intelligence operation than a military one.

In an extraordinary bungle, the training team, arriving fully equipped in Melbourne in November 1940, were arrested as German agents.

What evolved were independent companies and commandos using tactics and procedures unique to themselves. They became expert in the art of jungle warfare, contributing significantly to important Australian military campaigns from 1942 until 1945.

This history follows the story of some of these remarkable soldiers and units and the manner in which they fought the war against Japan, often executing plans ‘on the most nebulous information’.

Killer Bees was a term coined by Peter Pinney, who served both with an independent company and as a Commando.

His diary of his wartime experiences formed part of author Gregory Blake’s research for the book.

Extraordinarily, their success in various missions came, not because of acceptance by the Army in general, but in spite of it. Their legacy, however, lives on.