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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ005122S
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00:25 Here among the bustling crowds and the high-rise buildings
00:29 that the wharfs of Sydney's Darling Harbor near the 00:33 distinguished HMB Endeavor replica, 00:36 the destroyer HMA's Vampire and a submarine HMAs Onslaught 00:41 bobs an unassuming old wooden Japanese fishing boat at its 00:46 mooring beside the Australian National Maritime Museum 00:50 but don't be deceived by its lowly and unassuming appearance. 00:56 The humble MB Krait played a major role in one of 01:01 World War II's most daring and successful commander raids. 01:05 It was code-named Operation Jaywick, the boats crew of ZED 01:11 Special Force Operatives sailed undetected through thousands of 01:15 kilometers of enemy waters to launch a raid on the Japanese 01:20 Occupied Singapore Harbor in 1943. 01:24 It was the longest-range seaborne raid ever undertaken 01:28 in the history of war. 01:30 After the British surrendered Singapore to the Japanese 01:34 in 1942, many fled on boats and ships of all sizes. 01:39 Amid the chaos Australian Bill Reynolds salvaged a little 01:45 Japanese fishing boat named The Kafukuryu Maru. 01:48 As he rescued civilians from some islands it became clear 01:53 that unlike some other vessels the Kafukuryu Maru was not being 01:58 targeted by enemy aircraft or nearby Naval vessels. 02:02 During that rescue work, Mr. Reynolds came across a 02:06 British special operative Ivan Lyle who became very 02:10 interested in the little Japanese fishing boat. 02:13 They realized that if you can get people out of Singapore 02:17 in that boat, then you can also get people back in on it. 02:22 Join me as we investigate how 14 men successfully 02:28 sunk seven Japanese warships and destroyed 39,000 tons 02:33 of enemy shipping in one of the most daring Covert Operations 02:37 in military history and find out more about another battle 02:42 the greatest battle of all that is going on in our world 02:46 today and how it affects each one of us. 03:00 The port of Singapore is the hub of almost incessant activity 03:05 drawing trade from around the globe to this small but 03:10 formidable city-state. 03:12 The Singapore Harbor has a rich heritage dating back to the 03:16 13th century when it functioned as the only southern port 03:21 in the strait of Malacca facilitating trade throughout 03:25 the region. In 1818 Sir Stanford Raffles sailed to Malacca 03:31 and established a British Trading Post in Singapore. 03:35 It was at this point that this strategically located city 03:40 was turned into a British Colony and a small settlement was 03:45 established there. Over 100 years later when World War II 03:50 kicked off in Europe on the 1st of September 1939 03:55 Singapore was a firmly established British Colony. 03:59 Then, out of the blue on the 7th of December 1941 04:05 Japan decided to enter the arena by launching a surprise 04:10 offensive against the allied forces. 04:12 The Japanese offensive began with a brutal attack on 04:16 Pearl Harbor at 7:48 a.m. in Hawaiian time on the 7th of 04:21 of December 1941. Over 300 Japanese aircraft began bombing 04:28 and strafing the US Naval Base The attack was over in just 04:34 19 minutes but the results were devastating. 04:37 In total over 2,400 Americans were killed and over 1,000 04:43 were wounded. The Japanese managed to destroy and damage 04:48 nearly 20 American Naval vessels including eight battleships 04:53 and over 300 airplanes. 04:55 The formidable US fleet docked at Pearl Harbor was devastating 05:01 but Japan was far from done from her offensive, 05:05 within seven hours Japan launched attacks against 05:10 the Philippians and Guam which were both US-held territories 05:14 and Borneo, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong 05:18 which were a part of the British Empire. 05:20 Allied forces rallied to counter the attack but the Japanese 05:25 despite the fact that they were outnumbered began to advance 05:29 down the Malayan Peninsula pushing back allied defenses. 05:34 The allied forces were worried about losing Singapore 05:38 which at the time was a significant anchor point 05:41 for the American, British, Dutch, Australian Command. 05:45 The first allied joint command of the war in addition to this 05:50 Singapore's strategic location meant that it was the only 05:55 shipping link between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. 05:59 Losing this stronghold would set the allied forces 06:03 back significantly. 06:05 As the fighting intensified and casualties mounted 06:09 allied troops were forced to fall back leaving the leisure 06:13 to the Japanese. Desperate to protect Singapore they 06:18 sabotaged the causeway between Johor and Singapore hoping to 06:23 fend off the advancing Japanese. Incapacitating the causeway 06:29 stalled the Japanese for a week, then under the cover 06:33 of night on the 8th of February Japanese troops began 06:38 crossing Johor Straight. 06:39 After an hour long battle the Japanese began pushing through 06:44 allied lines. By the night of the 14th of February 06:48 allied supplies were diminishing and their situation was getting 06:52 desperate. The allies opted to surrender and a car with 06:57 the Union Jack flattering beside a white flag cautiously 07:02 approached enemy lines, shortly after 5:00 p.m. on the 15th of 07:06 of February 1942, the allies surrendered Singapore 07:11 and the Japanese hoisted the flag of the rising sun 07:14 over the cafe building which at the time was the tallest 07:19 building in Singapore. 07:20 Singapore became a Japanese stronghold commandeering 07:25 the strategic shipping lines and placing thousands of British 07:30 and Australian soldiers in the brutal Changi Prison. 07:34 In the midst of the Japanese invasion was Bill Reynolds 07:38 an Australian who found himself among the allied fighters 07:42 defending the land, Reynolds was a retired World War I 07:47 Royal Naval Veteran who had spent much of his time working 07:51 in Southeast Asia. Reynolds spotted an unused Japanese 07:56 fishing boat the Kafukuryu Maru docked in Singapore, 08:00 quickly Reynolds made her seaworthy enough to sail her 08:04 away from the invasion. In the midst of the chaos of the 08:08 invasion and evacuation Reynolds met Ivan Lyon. 08:12 Now Lyon was a British Army Captain who had formerly 08:17 worked for MI-6, the British Intelligence Service. 08:20 Reynolds and Lyon realized that while many other escaping 08:25 vessels had been captured or sunk, vessels like the 08:29 Kafukuryu Maru which was nothing more than a six-meter or 20-foot 08:34 wood Japanese fishing boat had managed to make it out of the 08:38 fray unscathed. This led them both to believe that it was 08:43 possible to use a similar boat if not the same one 08:46 to return to Singapore and attack the Japanese forces. 08:51 They enlisted the help of the commander and chief of 08:55 the British Forces in India and the Far East, 08:59 General Archibald Wavell. Wavell insisted that the attack 09:04 be launched from Australia arguing that the Japanese 09:08 were patrolling the waters West of Singapore expecting 09:12 an attack from that direction and that they would never dream 09:16 of an attack from the east. 09:18 The mission was code-named Operation Jaywick 09:22 and plans were soon underway Reynolds boat was renamed Krait 09:27 after a small but deadly Asian Snake and shipped to Sydney 09:32 aboard a Royal Navy Freighter. 09:34 A few months after the Japanese Occupation of Singapore 09:38 the Allied Intelligence Bureau created Zed Special Force 09:43 it was a secret operations unit that went on special operation 09:48 missions behind enemy lines in Southeast Asia. 09:52 It was made up of volunteers of all branches of the Allied Forces 09:57 and came under the direct command of General Douglas 10:01 McArthur. Operation Jay wick the brainchild of Lyon and 10:07 Reynolds would be executed by Zed Special Unit Operatives 10:11 and conjointly run by the British Special Operations Executive 10:16 and the Royal Australian Navy. After receiving the green Light 10:21 for Operation Jay wick, Lyon began recruiting and training 10:25 the perfect team for the job. His first recruit was 10:30 Donald Davidson, a tough Naval Lieutenant who had worked in 10:34 Singapore for many years and who agreed to come on board 10:38 as second in command. 10:40 Davidson and Lyon soon began visiting naval bases 10:45 and recruited an initial draft of 17 eager young Australian 10:50 sailors who had put up their hands to be part of an 10:54 unspecified Special Services Mission. 10:57 The commander training regime was brutal as the men learned 11:04 how to fight, kill, wreak havoc, and survive. 11:08 The men lost all sense of night and day, sometimes when 11:13 they were sound asleep after a rigorous day's training 11:16 they were woken at 2 a.m. for a 35-kilometer run over 11:21 sand dunes. The initial group of seventeen was reduced to 11 11:26 at the end of six weeks training and the men were sent to 11:30 Remote Refuge Bay here just North of Sydney on the 11:35 Hawk bury River, when they arrived, they found a small 11:40 sandy stoop of beach strewn with their gear. 11:43 They had to haul all of it, tents, food, cooking supplies 11:48 and sleeping gear up a sheer sandstone cliff where they 11:53 set up camp on top. They were informed that their training 11:57 would begin at the crack of dawn and continue until 10 p.m. 12:02 at night. The men would train to navigate on land and water 12:07 by day and night, read maps and charts and successfully 12:11 camaflouge themselves and their gear. 12:14 Then one day a pair of two men collapsible canoes were 12:20 brought to the camp. The collapsible canoes soon became 12:24 the central focus of their training and with each passing 12:28 day, the men were pushed to paddle further and further 12:31 in the canoes until finally they set out on their first 12:36 long-distance mission. 12:37 They paddled their canoes along the coastal ways and waterways 12:41 linking Tuggerahl Lake and Lake Macquarie 12:44 and carrying their canoes over land between the lakes. 12:48 After three months of training Captain Lyon gathered the men 12:53 together and informed them that only five of them would be 12:58 deployed for the final mission. These five men who had formed 13:02 the core group of Operation Jay Wick were between the ages 13:07 of 18 and 23. The five men were taken aboard the Krait 13:13 from Refuge Bay. 13:15 Today a plaque attached to one of the sandstone rocks at 13:19 Refuge Bay Beach commemorates the events. It reads... 13:46 The MV Krait sailed from Refuge Bay, up the east coast 13:51 of Australia to Cairns where the crew were joined by 13:55 other crew members before their final deployment for 13:59 Operation Jaywick from Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia. 14:03 However, they still didn't know what the operation entailed. 14:08 On the 2nd of September the Krait slipped quietly out of 14:14 the American submarine base at Exmouth Gulf and chartered 14:18 a course toward Lombok Indonesia. The next day 14:22 on the 3rd of September, the crew gathered on the deck 14:26 where Captain Lyon gave them their mission. 14:29 They were told that they would be sabotaging Japanese vessels 14:34 at anchor in the Singapore Harbor. 14:36 The men recognized that the mission was almost impossible 14:41 and potentially suicidal, but they were still willing to try. 14:46 Lyon began to take down the components of the mission 14:50 informing them that they would infiltrate the harbor using 14:54 the canoes with the Olympic mines that they carried 14:57 on board, Lyon then assigned the crew their specific tasks. 15:02 They would be divided into two parties, six men who would 15:08 make up the raiding party paddling into the harbor 15:11 to plant the mines and the remaining eight would stay 15:14 on board the Krait navigating it among the islands around 15:18 Singapore before meeting their raiding party at their 15:22 on the randevu point. 15:23 On the 5th of September as the boat motored northwards 15:28 the men applied dye to their skins. The dye was meant to 15:32 to stain their skin dark brown making them look more Asian 15:37 than European from a distance. 15:39 The dye wasn't a very effective camouflage up close 15:44 but from a distance, it worked to make them look like a 15:48 group of Indonesian fishermen in Japanese-controlled territory. 15:52 To complete the disguise, the men dyed their hair black 15:57 and wore sarongs, then on the 6th of September the men 16:02 raised a worn Japanese flag, they were now ready to sail 16:07 behind enemy lines. 16:09 Over the next three weeks the little fishing boat navigated 16:14 strong tides, rough seas and raging tropical storms 16:19 out in the open ocean. The men were constantly under strain 16:24 for fear of being caught by patrolling Japanese ships 16:28 as they searched for a forward and a return base. 16:32 They decided that the final randevu point for operation 16:37 Jaywick was Pompong Island a small uninhabited coral reef 16:42 Island in the Celebi Sea. 16:45 After navigating the islands around the Indonesian 16:49 Archipelago, the crew decided on Pandjang Island as a 16:54 canoe base for their mission. They landed a Pandjang Island 16:58 in the dead on night and anchored close to a small beach. 17:02 They managed to get themselves and their gear ashore 17:06 as quickly and as quietly as possible. 17:09 Captain Lyon was the last to leave the Krait and as he left, 17:14 he told the remaining crew on board that they were to 17:17 take the boat and return to Australia if the raiding party 17:21 didn't make it back to the rendezvous point on 17:24 Pompong Island. 17:25 Meanwhile on Panjang Island the raiders set up camp 17:31 and began preparing for the mission ahead. 17:34 They set up their three canoes and loaded supplies on board 17:39 including the limpit lines they would need for the mission. 17:43 Finally, in the dead of night the men got into their black 17:48 waterproof suits and smeared their faces with black dye 17:52 they then began their long canoe trip towards Singapore. 17:57 They paddled for hours before pulling their canoes ashore 18:02 on a small island where they could rest and wait for 18:06 nightfall. Then at nightfall they made their way back 18:11 into the ocean and began paddling once more. 18:14 On the 22nd of September they arrived at Donges Island 18:19 which they had chosen as their forward attack base. 18:22 From here they would launch out on the final leg of their 18:28 mission. On the night of the 26th of September, 1943 18:33 the men finally set off in their fall boats to paddle 18:37 the last 13 kilometers or eight miles for Singapore Harbor. 18:42 The men were camouflaged to prevent detection but didn't 18:47 quell their fears. When they entered the harbor it was 18:52 well-lit and bustling with activity, the men noticed 18:55 the Japanese soldiers patrolling the docks and then working on 19:00 vessels that were anchored there. 19:01 Staying in the shadows the three teams carefully navigated 19:07 their way alongside the big ships berth in the harbor. 19:10 Quietly they pulled up to the ships and took out their 19:15 limpet mines that they had brought with them. 19:17 Each two-man team had a total of nine limpet mines in their 19:22 possession with they were to attach to the hulls of the ships 19:26 anchored in the harbor. 19:28 Carefully, they attached the magnetic mines to the hulls 19:33 of seven ships and then turned around and hightailed it out of 19:37 the harbor. They paddled hard to reach their hideout on 19:41 Dongjis Island and arrived just before 5 a.m. on the 27th 19:47 of September. The mines had been set to detonate 19:51 at around 5 a.m. and the men had just enough time to 19:56 drag their canoes ashore before they heard the loud explosions 20:01 in the distance. At 5:15 a.m. a series of timed explosions 20:07 rocked the Singapore Harbor. The occupying Japanese forces 20:11 was stunned and they watched seven of their vessels burst 20:15 in the port, either sinking, destroyed, or damaged by the 20:20 blasts. The unexpected attack left the Japanese forces 20:25 reeling with shock. In total the six-man team managed to 20:32 damage or sink seven warships and 39,000 tons of Japanese 20:37 shipping. The offensive Operation Jaywick was a 20:42 resounding success and served to establish Zed Special Unit 20:47 as a formidable player in the realm of Covert Special Forces 20:52 Operations. 20:54 After months and months of training, weeks of traveling, 20:58 and hours and hours of frenzied paddling the men were elated 21:04 to realize that their mission against all odds had been 21:08 a resounding success. The team was able to make it 21:12 to Pompong Island where they were picked up by the Krait. 21:16 The entire crew made it safely back to Australia without 21:21 a scratch on them or their little fishing boat. 21:24 It was a moment of exhilarating victory. 21:28 The story of Operation Jaywick is a remarkable account of 21:33 courage and fortitude. The men of Operation Jaywick 21:37 were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for freedom 21:42 and the allies and their efforts were rewarded with success. 21:46 Operation Jaywick is a reminder that we're all involved in a 21:51 battle, the battle of life and in many ways the story of 21:57 Operation Jaywick echoes the story of the greatest battle 22:01 this universe has ever seen. 22:03 The last book of the Bible Revelation gives us an insight 22:09 into this battle and helps us to understand what is at stake. 22:13 Revelation Chapter 12:7 tells us... 22:25 The Bible describes a great cosmic conflict, 22:29 a great controversy between Christ and Satan that began 22:34 in heaven. Revelation 12 goes on to describe the outcome 22:39 of this conflict in verse 9. 22:56 The Bible tells us that Satan or Lucifer as he was known 23:01 was cast out of heaven to planet earth. Genesis 3 sheds more light 23:08 on what happened next as Satan plots to deceive Adam and Eve 23:13 and enlist them both in his war against God. 23:17 He does this by tempting them to blatantly disregard God's Word 23:22 to rebel against God. God had given guidelines and 23:28 principles to Adam and Eve advising them how to maximize 23:33 their fulfillment and happiness and plainly laid out the 23:36 consequences of disobedience to them. 23:40 Satan contradicted God, he told them that God was lying 23:45 to them and that by obeying God they would fail to reach their 23:50 potential of immortality. 23:52 Buying into Satan's lies Adam and Eve chose rebellion 23:58 against God in the hope that they would be able to attain 24:03 a higher state of being. Sadly by doing this they fell far 24:07 short of God's original plans for them and lost the freedom 24:12 and happiness God had intended for them. 24:14 In choosing to buy into Satan's lies Adam and Eve placed our 24:20 planet at the very center of the Great Controversy between 24:25 Christ and Satan and each of us as we go about our daily lives 24:31 find ourselves pitched into the center of this conflict. 24:34 We live in a battle zone mired in conflict in the midst of a 24:41 tug of war between the Word of God and the wiles of Satan. 24:45 A battle between the principles of God's law of self-sacrificing 24:51 love and Satan's ideals of selfishness and hate. 24:56 Like the men of Operation Jaywick we find ourselves as it were 25:02 on a small boat in a vast ocean sailing deep into enemy territory 25:07 vulnerable to imitate attack and like the men of Operation 25:12 Jaywick we need to prepare ourselves to do battle. 25:16 We need to arm ourselves with the weapons that are needed 25:20 in spiritual warfare, the Word of God, faith, and prayer. 25:26 The Word of God gives us a clear purpose and mission 25:31 clear instructions on how to engage the enemy and win the 25:35 battle. Prayer gives us a life line to our heavenly 25:39 Command Center where we can always be sure to find a 25:44 never-failing supply of heavenly strength to meet every 25:47 circumstance. And faith anchors us in the assurance of God's 25:53 saving grace helping us to stay afloat even in the midst 25:58 in the worst storms of life. 26:00 There is no safety for us in this war zone we find ourselves 26:05 in outside of Jesus, it is only through Jesus through the cross 26:11 through the certainty of His Word, the power of prayer, 26:15 and the steadfast anchor of faith in Him that we can safely 26:19 navigate our way safely out from behind enemy lines. 26:24 If you would like to find out more about the Cosmic Conflict 26:29 raging in our world today, if you would like to choose to 26:33 align yourself with God in this war-zone, 26:36 and find hope, peace, and happiness, then I'd like to 26:40 recommend a free gift we have for all our Incredible Journey 26:44 viewers today. It's the amazing book 26:48 The Great Controversy. This book will share with you 26:51 how the history of the world has been predicted in the Bible 26:56 and what the future holds. I guarantee there are no costs 27:01 or obligations whatsoever. 27:03 So, make the most of this wonderful opportunity 27:07 to receive the free gift we have for you today. 27:11 Phone or text 0436.333.555 in Australia or 020.422.2042 in 27:21 New Zealand, or visit our web site at TIJ.tv or simply scan 27:27 the QR Code on your screen and we'll send you today's 27:31 free offer totally free of charge and with no obligation. 27:35 Write to us a GPO Box 274 Sydney NSW 2001, Australia 27:42 or PO Box 76673 Manukau Auckland 2241 New Zealand 27:49 don't delay call or text us now. 27:52 Dear Heavenly Father, We thank you for your love 27:57 and constant protection and for the markers of history 28:00 you give us in the Bible. There is a battle going on 28:04 in this world and we want to be prepared for the final 28:08 outcome. We ask You to lead us and guide us and bring us safely 28:13 through the challenges of life. In Jesus' name, we pray... 28:18 Amen |
Revised 2023-12-12