Ocean Island Defence Force

The Ocean Island Defence Force was a British-led colonial military volunteer detachment of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands formed during World War II on Ocean Island (now Banaba Island) in the Central Pacific.[1] It was created to defend the island against an expected Japanese invasion.[2] Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the force was converted into an armed, compulsory military unit, with virtually all European residents not providing infrastructure services being conscripted into the force. It operated in tandem with the Australian Army's Ocean Island Force, drawn from B Company, 31st/51st Battalion.[3] In 1942, much of the force was reconstituted into the broader Gilbert and Ellice Islands Defence Force.[4][5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://www.banaban.com/post/ocean-island-defence-force
  2. ↑ "Ocean Island Defence Force". Banaban Voice. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  3. ↑ "Forces: H Force and Ocean Island Force (November 1941 - March 1942)" (PDF). Australian War Memorial. Australian Military Forces Headquarters. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  4. ↑ "Gilbert Islands Defence Force". British Badge Forum. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  5. ↑ https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/militarianz/ocean-island-defence-force-gilbert-island-df-t2576.html
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