The WW2 Battle that Completely Crossed the Line
3,715Unable to resist such a tantalizing target, a massive Allied fleet assembled in the pre-dawn darkness of June 29, 1945. Their objective was Borneo's oil reserves - the final lifeline sustaining Japan's desperate war machine.
Naval artillery thundered across the water, the concussive blasts echoing through the hulls of nine tank landing ships as they lurched toward shore. Inside, Australian soldiers from the 7th Division gripped their weapons, their knuckles white.
But, suddenly, still 1,300 yards from the beach, Lieutenant Colonel Phillips raised his binoculars and froze. The blood drained from his face. The men around him hesitated, sensing something terribly wrong. Phillips stared again through the lenses, his hand trembling slightly as he scanned the unfamiliar coastline.
What he saw through those binoculars forced an immediate, desperate change to their entire battle plan - something no amount of intelligence or preparation had anticipated.
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