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The Battle Of Nandi

As told to a special reporter of Spam on 25 December 1943

After the fall of Singapore and consequent Japanese encroachment to the east, it was evident that soon Fiji would be attacked. As weeks went by what was a possibility or a probability became a certainty, so that when news was finally received that Nandi was being bombed, it was received calmly and there were few visible signs of panic, it being night time. Before chronicling the splendid defence of the island, and the subsequent annihilation of the enemy, let us review the history of the battalion and see the reasons for our magnificent fight. First the battalion had had intensive training in jungle warfare, particularly route-marching, rifle drill, and digging and filling holes. Their commanders were men of experience and could erect double apron fences excellently. The troop's rations were chosen for the climate and the fighting fitness of these sunkissed, hatchet-faced Anzacs were everywhere apparent.

When the enemy attacked during the night of March 1942 a deadly fight was waged. Landings were made from Nauva to Mbau and the Japanese held the initial advantage of having a knowledge of what they were doing. At one spot they advanced through Lami to Chinaman's ridge, where of course they were perfectly at home and were dislodged from this stronghold only by an intrepid band who worked themselves into a frenzy with the juice of the malua vine and ousted them with a bayonet charge of several miles. At Suvavou a grand show was put up. One of the posts there actually had a field of fire and scores of the enemy were put out of action. Enemy grenades finally annihilated this post, it having no cover. Still, one can't have everything. One platoon in the early stages made a splendid job of defending the tomb of Isaac Roderigo Fernandez in the cemetery. This covered the approaches to the lunatic asylum, where battalion headquarters were set up. As with this platoon, the battle became split up into isolated fights between small groups and-those able to lose touch with their companies fought brilliantly.

Passchendale was re-enacted in the swamps of Vatawangga. There the enemy in his headlong rushes was forever tripping over sunken gunpits, barbed wire, and sandbags hidden carefully under the mud. In the Bilo area little resistance was put up by the Japs when they saw our soldiers jumping six to twelve feet in the air and those that did put up a fight were soon as dead as dodos. The main page 134battle developed as the invaders, pushing through Nausori from Mbau and totally ignoring the 29th Battalion (maybe they hadn't been told), were engaged by the 34th between the Tamavua Hospital and Sawani. The hospital itself (or near it) was bombed, the cads, sir, the cads, but our gallant men didn't flinch. It was afterwards generally conceded that the 34th took the brunt of the attack but that the enemy was beaten by superior, indeed revolutionary tactics. The decisive engagement was fought before lunch, the Anzacs straining their utmost to reach a decision as siesta time grew near.

An example of our deceptive tactics was the use of 25-pounder artillery as road blocks, some say anti-tank rifles, but the crews had disappeared, quashing that theory. At this time also the infantry was spread in tight bunches immediately behind the guns and hidden among them were the three-inch mortars. Directly behind the infantry were the machine-guns cutting a beaten zone through them, though the sacrifice of men was worth the results.

Div sigs had boldy advanced among the battalion lines in a body and were recruited as stretcher bearers in one instance. Battalion headquarters as they stood on the road watching the traffic put up a splendid fight. The second-in-command did fine work keeping up morale by going from one post to another—in a pig truck. So all day long the battle rolled among the mountains by the tropic sea. Finally the Japs were ousted by our tactics and fled back to their waiting transports, which were being engaged by the battle cruisers Veni, Vidi and Viti.

And so it ended. 'Twas a glorious victory.