Jap Dirty Dozen in Aust WWII

[Melvin Loh]

I remember hearing on local radio more than 10 yrs ago now, during the 50th anniversary celebrations of the bombing of Darwin, that apparently the Japs were considering training and secretly deploying a commando group comprised of their worst criminals, to land in northern Aust and cause as much havoc as possible. Such a Jap 'Dirty Dozen' never actually happened OTL, but WI the Japs actually had done so- perhaps landing a few different groups along the NT, WA and north Qld coasts ? How badly affected would Aust civilian morale have been at the notion of armed psychopathic Japanese military conviocts loose on our shores ready to kill, maim, rape and destroy ? How much of a challenge would've been posed to the Aust armed forces to hunt down and destroy such a covert sabotage outfit ? The most similar example I can think of relates to the attempted prison break at the Cowra prison camp in NSW in 1944, when a few hundred Jap POWs rushed the guards and broke out of the camp, but all either committed suicide or were recaptured by nearby soldiers and local cops and armed civilians.

[Mike Collins]

At the time of the Darwin Raid the best Australian Army Divisions were in Africa. OTL, the Darwin raid freaked out the Australians and they badgered the UK into releasing most of them for service at home. By 1943, Australian participation in the European Theater was negligible.

What if the Japanese landed raiding parties? Dont see much difference. The Australian defenses were stripped at that time, but not so much that they would be unable to dispose of a handful of Japanese. End result would be no Australians fighting in Europe rather than a handful.

[Dunash]

Japanese rape in Oz? Most Aussie sheilas are a full 12" taller than the average Jap! And they can pack a wallop! It would take the whole dozen to hold one down!