Portal:Military history of Australia/Units/October 9

The Coastwatchers were a group of Australian naval officers, native islanders and escaped prisoners of war whose task was to observe enemy movements and rescue stranded Allied servicemen in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. A group of approximately 400. All naval personnel who took part in Coastwatcher operations behind enemy lines were commissioned officers of the RANVR, to protect them in case of capture, although this was not always recognized by the Japanese military, which captured and executed several. Arthur Reginald Evans the most famous coastwatcher is credited with saving the life of future president John F. Kennedy when his boat sunk.