A ONE-MAN WAR

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 3284, 5 July 1943, Page 7

A ONE-MAN WAR

HEROIC PAPUAN WARRIOR FIGHTING THE JAPANESE STORY OF SERGEANT KATUE This is the. story of Sergenut Katue, squirt, broad-shouldered, well-muscled, coal black warrior of a Papuan force as told by G. 11. Johnston, war correspondent of the Melbourne Argus. Many of the native troops of this all-native unit have performed magnificently in the Papuan jungles since the Japanese landed. But none has a record comparable with that of fiercefaced Sergeant Katue, who put in more than two months’ patrolling in the mountain jungles. Stitched to the shoulders and sleeves of his stained khaki jacket was a mass of stripes, badges and regimental insignia taken from some of the 2G Japanese soldiers and marines whom the Papuan had shot dead. Outdoing Wild West Gunmen Gunmen of the Wild West cut a notch in their revolver butts to signify each victim. Katue merely cut oft their sergeants’ or corporals’ stripes, dr marines’ insignia, or .lieutenants’ badges, and stitched them on around his own three red sergeants’ stripes until his jacket outshone the uniform of a Patagonian grand admiral. When I spoke to him he grinned widely, showing an expanse of broken teeth, crimsoned by betel nut, and in pidgin English carefully explained the rank and fate of each former owner of each piece of enemy insignia. Several of his victims were privates, with no badges to take, although Katue macle it clear that he had tried to concentrate on the top men, and he shrugged his shoulders lugubriously as he explained why he didn’t have more' stripes on his already resplendent uniform.

“Some Japanese, he no good. He wear nothing worth taking.” So just to keep the record straight, Katue brought back a cloth cap, bearing the anchor, insignia of the Japanese marines, which one of his victims had been wearing. Katue is aged about 35, and before joining the Army in June, 1940, he had a Papua-wide reputation for valour as a police boy. On one occasion he swam a flooded river with a rope round his waist to save three white officers from certain death. He is believed to have saved the lives of more white men than any other native in the territory. Amazing Adventures Katue’s amazing saga of adventure against the Japanese began after the Japanese landed at Gona mission. It ended in Port Moresby 73 days later. He had been left by his patrol in a native village to recover from muscular pains brought on by mountain patrols. As he was resting he saw ten Japanese soldiers walking towards him. He was unable to raise his rifle to his shoulder, so he crawled from the village and hid in the scrub. He decided to wage a deadly and stealthy private jungle war on the Japanese. Picking up two native boys from his patrol he set out, and three days later three Japanese were seen riding bicycles. The two natives raised their rifles, but Katue restrain; ed them.

“If you miss, plenty trouble,” he said. “If Katue shoot, no miss!” And Katue promptly killed the three Japanese with three bullets.

Like a Black : Phantom The fighting black sergeant moved like a black phantom through the dripping jungle, recruiting men as he went, until eventually his little private army numbered 14. Next day they saw a Japanese soldier climbing an orange tree. Katue picked him off from long range with a bullet through the brain. The noise of the shot brought 16 Japanese running from a hut nearby. Katue’s men met them with withering fire. Four Japanese fell dead and the rest fled. Some time later they came to a storehouse filled with food. So to prevent it falling into Japanese hands, Katue burnt it to the ground. A party of six Japanese soldiers with two native guides came trotting along to investigate the fire. Katue shot and killed the eight of them. For more than a month the little native army patrolled the jungles organising the villagers to guard the bridges and vital points, training them to refuse to , give the Japanese co-operation in any way. On the ground before an Australian nos 1 Katue contemptuously tossed down a pile of captured Japanese onvd’’inmnt, including tommy-guns. In | his 73-day jungle war in miniature he

never had one man wounded o? e en sick. They lived entirely on native food and .travelled hunurefis of miles. “Me. go out again quick time," be said. “This time me bring h.mk stripes ef Japanese general!"