A Japanese attack at East and West Timor, despite Portugal’s official neutrality, was anticipated by the Allies. Soon after the start of the war, Sparrow Force, comprised mostly of Australian troops as well as some from the Dutch East Indies and Great Britain, occupied East and West Timor and began preparing defensive works.

To take and secure the colony, and most importantly its airfield at Penfui, the Japanese planned an amphibious assault supported by an ambitious paratrooper assault by the 1st and 3rd SNLF (Special Naval Landing Force) Battalions. The fight for West Timor resulted in a confused and bitterly fought battle that ultimately resulted in the destruction and capture of most of Sparrow Force, one of the largest and most tragic defeats in Australia’s military history.

The Japanese paratrooper force, however, was savaged in the fighting, with nearly half of their number killed, seriously wounded or missing. Those that survived were dispersed throughout the Pacific and never performed another combat jump in the war.