In the face of a combined defense by Dutch and Australian troops, Japanese forces conquered the island and its strategic airfield in several days.

In the aftermath of the fighting, a major massacre of many Dutch and Australian prisoners of war by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) followed.

The key airport at Laha is in the west of the Hitu Peninsula, at the northern part of the island facing Ambon Bay.

Adm. Kyūji Kubo): - Transport Unit At the outbreak of war on 8 December 1941 Ambon was garrisoned by the 2,800-strong Molukken Brigade of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) garrison, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Kapitz and consisting of Indonesian colonial troops under European officers.

On the very day the Gull Force disembarked in Ambon, Roach raised concerns that mirrored those expressed by Lind.

Roach raised concerns about the lack of reconnaissance missions being conducted, medical equipment, anti-tank weapons and the absence of any field guns.

[17] On 6 January 1942, after Dutch and British territories to the north fell to Japan and a bombing run on Ambon by Japanese aircraft, Roach once again raised concerns with Army Headquarters and stated that his forces could hold out for no more than one day without reinforcements.

[18] This change in command caused significant problems as Scott had no prior knowledge of the situation in Ambon and was not acquainted with much of the Gull Force.

In the belief that the terrain on the south coast of Laitimor was too inhospitable for landings and that any attack was likely to be in the east, around the Bay of Baguala, the KNIL forces were concentrated at Paso near the isthmus, under Major H. H. L. Tieland.

However, Scott and the remainder of the Australian troops were concentrated in the western part of Laitimor Peninsula, in case of an attack from the Bay of Ambon.

Smaller Australian detachments were at: Latuhalat, near the south western tip of Laitimor and at Cape Batuanjut, just north of Eri.

Gull Force HQ and a strategic reserve, "D" Company, were located on a line from the Nona plateau to Amahusu beach, between Eri and the town of Ambon.

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) sent two flights, comprising 12 Lockheed Hudson Mk 2 light bombers, from No.

The U.S. Navy's Patrol Wing 10, with Consolidated PBY Catalinas, was based at the Halong seaplane station from 23 December.

The Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service (Marineluchtvaartdienst) flew patrols from Ambon/Halong; GVT 17 with Catalina flying boats continued from the start of war through 14 January, when it was ordered to Java.

[20] HNLMS Gouden Leeuw, a Royal Netherlands Navy minelayer, left Ambon in early January, after mining approaches to the island.

[23] Broers' aircraft was hit and caught fire, but he continued to attack until it became uncontrollable, at which point he abandoned the Buffalo, using his parachute and landed in the sea.

The naval aviation base at Halong was soon rendered unusable by Japanese air raids and was abandoned by the Dutch and U.S. navies in mid-January.

Batugong fell in the early hours of 31 January, enabling the Japanese to encircle the eastern flank of the Passo positions.

There was no immediate response from the Japanese, and – in a meeting with company commanders – Kapitz and Tieland ordered the Dutch troops to commence fighting.

Several Japanese attacks were launched simultaneously on 1 February: The Australian positions were also receiving large numbers of Dutch personnel fleeing from Paso.

After dawn on 2 February, the main Australian force on Nona plateau, commanded by Lieutenant Bill Jinkins, was in danger of encirclement.

Unable to ascertain the disposition of Lieutenant Colonel Scott's force, Jinkins decided to meet senior Japanese officers under truce at the town of Ambon.

A Japanese night attack in high grass near the beach, between two Allied positions, was beaten back by an Australian platoon.

However, at intervals for a fortnight after the surrender, IJN personnel chose more than 300 Australian and Dutch prisoners of war at random and summarily executed them, at or near Laha airfield.

Approximately 30 Australian soldiers, including Jinkins, escaped from Ambon, in the space of several weeks after the surrender, often by rowing prahus (canoes) to Seram.