Resisting Japanese Occupation: Malaya 1943-45

Force 136 was a small unit that operated as part of the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) in the Far East during World War II. Its primary mission mandate was behind-the-lines training of local populations in anti-Japanese guerrilla warfare. The secondary focus was on intelligence gathering, sabotage and subterfuge against the Imperial Japanese Forces.

This presentation highlights how operational aspects of little-known Force 136, in what has often been deemed the ‘scratch’ end of SOE wartime operations, depended heavily on a combination of successful multinational operational teams and patronage of their in-country hosts for their success.

• Bio - Kate Reid Smith

Kate Reid Smith is a former military intelligence officer now military intelligence historian. A polymath graduate including from Oxford and the Australian National Universities, her specialised research focus is uncovering, investigating and bringing to light hidden Southeast Asian World War Two military and intelligence history.

Kate has published various articles, including most recently “January 1944: Imperial Japan’s ‘Naval Invasion’ of Western Australia” (Naval Historical Review, March 2022). Her latest book review is of Semut: The Untold Story of a Secret Australian Operation in WWII Borneo by Christine Helliwell (forthcoming Australian History Association).