The Airmen and the Headhunters

World War II history, at least in my mind, tends to focus on the European theater.  Everyone talks about Hitler, the Nazis, the Germans, the Italians, the British, and the Russians.  For the U.S., though, World War II was a two-front war, and the Pacific theater was just as important and ultimately brought the war to a close for the U.S. with the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan.  Before those bombs were dropped, though, there were many events that unfolded, many of them full of heroism, daring, and brilliance, just as it was in Europe.  I also have a personal connection to the Pacific since that is where my maternal grandfather served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

The Airmen and the Headhunters: A True Story of Lost Soldiers, Heroic Tribesmen, and the Unlikeliest Rescue of World War II by Judith M. Heiman (ISBN: 978-0-15-101434-7) tells a fascinating story from the Pacific.  As the Allies tried to claw their way toward Japan, while a ground invasion was still a potential plan, territory in what is now Indonesia was of strategic importance to the belligerents.  Japan held what was then referred to as Borneo because of its oil reserves.  The Allies wanted to cut that off.  During a bombing mission against Japanese forces and industry in Borneo, a few U.S. planes were shot down.  The occupants of one met death, either in the wreck or at the hands of the Japanese.  Two other planes, though, had survivors who avoided capture.  While this was initially thanks mostly to good luck, later capture was avoided because of the efforts of the natives, some of whom were formerly formidable headhunting tribes.  The case of characters involved Malaysians, various highland jungle tribes, and the Americans.  Later, Australian forces joined made it to the jungle and helped the natives fight the Japanese and the Americans get home.  In the six months between the downed planes and the exfiltrations, though, the natives and the Malay helped the Americans avoid detection by the Japanese.  They provided the Americans with hiding places, food, and taught them some of their ways to help make survival in the jungle a little easier.  It wasn’t easy and involved sickness, insects, leeches, and injury, but the downed American soldiers eventually made it back home.  In fighting the Japanese and keeping them off the Americans’ trail, the natives brought back their age-old tradition of headhunting.  It might not have been exactly the same since it was revitalized out of necessity, but it served its purpose and aided in keeping the Japanese out of the interior jungles.

The book was really interesting.  I know almost nothing about Indonesia, Malaysia, and other island nations in Asia.  I had never heard about this particular bit of World War II history, but I am glad I did.  It was fascinating to read about the jungles, their many potential threats, and the native people who so willingly sacrificed for the well-being of the American soldiers, especially since they might have not been so excited about doing so given the sometimes harsh history of the Dutch in that part of the world.  Kind American missionaries who worked in the jungles mitigated some of the Dutch-induced problems, though, and even non-Christian natives respected the Western missionaries who had truly been good examples and good followers of Christ.  There was an element of adventure in the book and some excitement in the story as the Japanese came close to capturing the Americans a couple times.  Other than a quote from an old army song that included the F-word, the book was great and well worth reading for anyone interested in history.

 

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