During WWII, the Allies fought horrendous battles against Japan, first to repel its invading forces and then to oust its barbarous army. Thousands of troops died in Hong Kong, Singapore, Burma, Indo-China, Indonesia, the Philippines and elsewhere. In 1944, MacArthur launched a massive, 4-pronged attack, including one of the war's largest amphibious operations with 80,000 troops storming Jayapura. The movie 'The Thin Red Line' details a similar battle for Guadalcanal in the Solomons nearby. In the war cemetery in Ambon, Indonesia, over 2000 Australian, British, Dutch, Indian and other troops are buried. Many died in combat; others were POWs, starved or beaten to death.The gravestone for one 20-year old Australian simply reads:
He died that we might live.
Our son.
