The
Battle of Timor occurred in
Portuguese Timor and
Dutch Timor during the Second World War.
Japanese forces invaded the island on 20 February 1942 and were resisted by a small, under-equipped force of
Allied military personnel—known as
Sparrow Force—predominantly from Australia, United Kingdom, and the
Netherlands East Indies. Following a brief but stout resistance, the Japanese succeeded in forcing the surrender of the bulk of the Allied force after three days of fighting, although several hundred Australian commandos continued to wage an unconventional raiding campaign. They were resupplied by aircraft and vessels, based mostly in
Darwin, Australia, about to the southeast, across the
Timor Sea. During the subsequent fighting the Japanese suffered heavy casualties, but they were eventually able to contain the Australians.