Operation Whiting

It ran in conjunction with Operation Locust,[1] and resulted in the capture and execution of Leonard Siffleet in October 1943, producing one of the most famous photographs of the war.

Its aim was to establish a coast-watching station in the hills above Hollandia in Dutch New Guinea, recently occupied by the Japanese.

On 24 October 1943, around 15:00, Siffleet and two fellow prisoners were marched to Aitape Beach to a pre-dug hole in the sand.

Kneeling before a crowd of Japanese and New Guinean onlookers and wearing blindfolds, the three prisoners were beheaded and buried.

A photo of Sergeant Leonard G. Siffleet of M Special Unit being beheaded by a Japanese soldier, Yasuno Chikao, on 24 October 1943 shows him holding a sword over a haggard looking prisoner.

Sergeant Leonard Siffleet 's execution in Aitape , 1943
A photograph found on the body of a dead Japanese soldier showing Private (Pte) Reharin, member of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) Forces wearing a blindfold about to be beheaded with a sword by Yunome Kunio