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{{Use dmy dates|date=
{{EngvarB|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox military unit
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| image_size = 150px
| alt =
| caption = Patch of the [[South East Asia Command|Allied South East Asia Command]]<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Rodriguez|first=Jeremiah|date=2017-11-10|title=Chinese-Canadian WWII Veterans From Secret Force 136 Honoured in Documentary|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/11/09/chinese-canadian-veterans-force-136_a_23272071/
| start_date = {{start date and age|1941}}<br />(as ''India Mission'')<br />{{start date and age|1942}}<br />(as ''GSI(k)'')<br />{{start date and age|1944}}<br />(as ''Force 136'')
| disbanded = {{end date and age|1946}}
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'''Force 136''' was a [[Far East|far eastern]] branch of the British [[World War II]] [[Intelligence agency|intelligence organisation]], the [[Special Operations Executive]] (SOE). Originally set up in 1941 as the '''India Mission''' with the cover name of '''GSI'''('''k'''), it absorbed what was left of SOE's Oriental Mission in April 1942. The man in overall charge for the duration of its existence was [[Colin Hercules Mackenzie|Colin Mackenzie]].
The organisation was established to encourage and supply indigenous resistance movements in enemy-occupied territory, and occasionally mount clandestine sabotage operations. Force 136 operated in the regions of the [[South-East Asian Theatre of World War II]] which were occupied by [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] from 1941 to 1945: [[Japanese occupation of Burma|Burma]], [[Japanese occupation of Malaya|Malaya]], [[Second Sino-Japanese War|China]], [[Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies|Sumatra]], [[Thailand in World War II|Siam]], and [[French Indochina in World War II|French Indochina]] (FIC).<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Force 136 Historic Marker {{!}} Lim Bo Seng's Burial Site |url=http://roots.sg/content/places/historic-sites/force-136 |website=
Although the top command of Force 136 were British officers and civilians, most of those it trained and employed as agents were indigenous to the regions in which they operated. Burmese, Indians and Chinese were trained as agents for missions in Burma, for example. British and other European officers and NCOs went behind the lines to train resistance movements. Former colonial officials and men who had worked in these countries for various companies knew the local languages, the peoples and the land and so became invaluable to SOE. Most famous amongst these officers are [[Freddie Spencer Chapman]] in Malaya and [[Hugh Seagrim]] in Burma.
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A second mission was set up in India by another former businessman, [[Colin Hercules Mackenzie|Colin Mackenzie]] of [[Coats plc|J. and P. Coats]], a clothing manufacturer. Mackenzie's '''India Mission''' originally operated from [[Meerut]] in North West India. Its location was governed by the fear that the Germans might overrun the Middle East and the Caucasus, in which case resistance movements would be established in [[Afghanistan]], [[Iran|Persia]] and [[Iraq]]. When this threat was removed late in 1942 after the battles of [[Battle of Stalingrad|Stalingrad]] and [[Second Battle of El Alamein|El Alamein]], the focus was switched to South East Asia.
The India Mission's first cover name was '''GS I(k)''', which made it appear to be a record-keeping branch of [[
In 1946, Force 136 was wound up, along with the rest of SOE.
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|A
|[[Myanmar|Burma]] and [[French Indochina]]
|[[Yangon|Rangoon]], Burma<ref>{{Cite web|last=Duckett|first=Richard (Dr.)|date=2016-10-31|title=The Men of SOE Burma|url=https://soeinburma.wordpress.com/the-men-of-soe-burma/
|-
|B
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== Training ==
Force 136 agents received commando/special forces training from the British Military. The training course lasted for three months and included skills such as stalking, silent killing, demolition, jungle patrolling and survival, wireless operations, espionage, parachuting, interpretation and silent swimming.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=S'pore, Taiwan honour Sabah commandos|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/read/1948/s-pore-taiwan-honour-sabah-commandos/|last=Thien|first=David|date=2016-03-19|website=[[Daily Express (Malaysia)|Daily Express]]|access-date=2020-05-21}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Force 136|url=https://www.ccmms.ca/features/the-story-of-force-136/|website=Chinese Canadian Military Museum Society|date=4 April 2016
Known training centres for Force 136 agents were:<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" />
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In isolation, the Communists formed the [[Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army]] (MPAJA). Their first arms and equipment were either donated by STS 101 before they were overrun or recovered from the battlefields or abandoned British Army depots. The MPAJA formed rigidly disciplined camps and units in the forest, supplied with food by networks of contacts among displaced Chinese labourers and "squatters" on marginal land. Chapman had remained in Malaya after Singapore fell, but had no radio or means of contacting Allied forces elsewhere. Nevertheless, the MPAJA still regarded Chapman as the official British authority, and [[Chin Peng]] was appointed as a liaison officer with Chapman.<ref>Bayly and Harper, p.262</ref>
In 1942, Singaporean World War II hero [[Lim Bo Seng]] had returned to Malaya from Calcutta and recruited some agents who had made their way to India by 1943. His second-in-command was CPT Tham Sien Yen.<ref>https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/oral_history_interviews/record-details/e635253f-115d-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad</ref> Force 136 attempted to regain contact with Chapman in Operation Gustavus, by infiltrating parties which included Lim Bo Seng and former STS 101 members [[John Davis (SOE agent)|John Davis]] and Richard Broome by sea into the area near [[Pangkor Island]]. Their radio was unable to contact Force 136 HQ in Ceylon and the MPAJA contacts on Pangkor Island were betrayed to the Japanese.
In February 1945, the radio brought in by ''Gustavus'' was finally made to work. Chapman was able to visit Force 136 HQ in Kandy and report. By this time, Force 136 had substantial resources, and in the few months before the end of the war, they were able to send 2,000 weapons to the MPAJA and no less than 300 liaison personnel. About half of these were British who had worked or lived in Malaya before the war, the others were Chinese who had made their own way to India or who had been taken there by Force 136 for training. With these resources, the MPAJA was built up to become a substantial guerilla army with about 7,000 fighters.<ref>Bayly and Harper, p.453</ref> However, Japan surrendered before it had a chance to stage a major uprising.
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====Malay resistance forces====
Three local Malay resistance forces were established by Force 136 after they reached Malaya. Each force was assisted by British Liaison Officers (LOs) and agents from SOE. All the agents were from the [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malay ethnic group]] who were working or studying overseas before World War II.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Wan Teh|first=Wan Hashim|date=1996|title=Peranan orang Melayu dalam Gerakan Anti-Jepun|url=http://www.ukm.my/jebat/v2/?cont=v&item=1|journal=Jebat: Malaysian Journal of History, Politics and Strategic Studies|language=ms|publisher=School of History, Politics & Strategic Studies, The National University of Malaysia|volume=24|pages=101–108|access-date=30 March 2019|archive-date=30 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330170205/http://www.ukm.my/jebat/v2/?cont=v&item=1|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Reminiscences of Insurrection: Malaysia's Battle against Terrorism 1960|last=Hanif Ghows|first=Mohd Azzam, Lt Col (Rtd)|publisher=Penerbitan Wangsa Zam|year=2014|isbn=9789671112205|location=Kuala Lumpur}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title=Location Scouting in archive footage of the immediate events following the Japanese surrender in 1945 (Part 3 – The Decoration Ceremony)|url=https://sgfilmhunter.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/location-scouting-in-archive-footage-of-the-immediate-events-following-the-japanese-surrender-in-1945-part-3-the-decoration-ceremony/|last=sgfilmlocations|date=2012-12-19|website=THE HUNTER
;Ulu Perak
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;Terengganu
A team of three agents, including [[Ibrahim Ismail (general)|Ibrahim Ismail]], parachuted into the western coast of [[Terengganu]], as part of Operation Oatmeal. They failed in their mission after being betrayed, and were later captured by the Japanese.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/special-forces-obituaries/8284728/Tun-Ibrahim-Ismail.html|title=Tun Ibrahim Ismail|date=2011-01-26|work=[[The Daily
===China===
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====Indian National Army====
Another force operating under Japanese command in Burma was the [[Indian National Army]], a force composed of former [[prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] captured by the Japanese at [[Battle of Singapore|Singapore]] and some [[Tamil people|Tamils]] living in [[British Malaya|Malaya]]. However, Force 136 was prevented from working with anyone in the Indian National Army, regardless of their intentions. The policy towards the INA was formed and administered by the [[
====Field Operations====
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Discretionary attacks on isolated Japanese groups were permitted (no prisoners to be taken), as was the destruction of supply dumps. One particular Gurkha officer under whom James Gow operated was Major William Lindon-Travers, later to become [[Bill Travers]], the well-known actor of ''[[Born Free]]'' fame.
===
{{unreferenced section|date=May 2023}}
In June 1943, chief-in-command Lee Chung-chun had a bilateral agreement between the [[Korean Liberation Army|Korean Independence Army]] and Britain, with Chief Intelligence Officer Mackenzie, Commander-in-Chief, British Forces Southeast Asia.
The following are the terms of the agreement:
① The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea will dispatch a task force of the Liberation Army to the British army under the leadership to cooperate with the United Kingdom and against Imperial Japan.
② The number of operation dispatchers shall be set to 10 to 25, with the captain wearing the same military uniform as the British army and using the name KNALU. ※ The Korean National Army Liaison Unit (KNALU).
③ This maneuvering includes enemy document translation and propaganda against Japan.
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* '''[[David Smiley]]''' – British special forces and intelligence officer. He fought in the Middle East with the [[Royal Horse Guards]] and later with the [[Somaliland Camel Corps]] before joining [[No. 52 Commando]]. He was then recruited by SOE and performed several operations with SOE in the Middle East. Smiley was transferred to Force 136 for missions to rescue [[prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] (POW) from behind enemy lines. He was parachuted into Siam (now [[Thailand]]) with a team from Force 136. He went to [[French Indochina]] by land, where he and the team rescued {{Interlanguage link|Jean Le Morillon|fr|Jean Le Morillon|WD=}}, a French Force 136 agent. Smiley and Morillon later rescued more POW from French Indochina and brought them back to Siam. He was injured when a briefcase fitted with an incendiary device (as a booby trap, or to incinerate compromising documents) exploded prematurely.<ref>Bailey (2008), pp. 325-326</ref> He was appointed with the [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] for his POW rescue operations. Highly praised in France for his involvement in rescuing Morillon and other French POW in French Indochina. Became a writer after leaving the Army.
* '''[[Chin Phui Kong]]''' – A [[Borneo|Bornean]] student studying in China before WWII, recruited by SOE for Force 136 for his tri-lingual talents; English, Malay and Chinese. Received commando, parachute and demolition training in India. Parachuted into [[Bidor]] near the [[Cameron Highlands District|Cameron Highlands]] to train MPAJA guerrillas. He resumed his study in Marine biology after WWII. Later become Director of the Department of Fisheries Sabah, a renowned ichthyologist and author of [[Books of authority|authoritative books]].<ref name=":2" /> Several fish species have been named after him (e.g. ''[[Betta chini]]'', ''[[Osteochilus chini]]'' and ''[[Neogastromyzon]] chini'').
* '''[[Douglas Jung]]''' – A [[Canadian Army]] officer during WWII. Among the 150 [[Asian Canadians|Asian-Canadians]] recruited into Force 136 to become agents as part of Operation Oblivion, in which agents were parachuted into the [[South West Pacific theatre of World War II|South West Pacific]]. Jung received commando training at Commando Bay, [[Okanagan Lake]], and parachute training in Australia.<ref name=":3" /> After ''Oblivion'' was cancelled, he and other Asian-Canadians Force 136 agents were attached to [[Special Operations Australia]] and deployed to [[British Borneo]] and [[New Guinea]] to carry out [[search and rescue]] missions. He resumed his study in law after WWII. Elected as [[Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Vancouver Centre]], the first ever in the [[House of Commons of Canada]] from a minority ethnicity.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biography of Captain Douglas Jung SOA|url=https://www.burmastar.org.uk/stories/captain-douglas-jung/|last=Chong|first=W.|website=[[Burma Star Association]]
* '''[[Freddie Spencer Chapman]]''' – A British Army officer who stayed behind enemy lines after the Japanese occupied Malaya. Originally stationed in Australia before joining the Special Training School 101 (STS 101), a guerrilla warfare school in Singapore. He remained in Malaya for two years before he made contact with two Force 136 agents, John Davis and Richard Broome. Chapman and the other two agents continued to sabotage the Japanese occupation forces in Malaya for a year before escaping from Malaya via submarines in April 1945.<ref>{{Cite web|title=To Hell and Back Again: The Epic Adventures of British Commando Freddy Spencer Chapman|url=https://coffeeordie.com/freddy-spencer-chapman/|last=Fratus|first=Matt|date=2019-05-10|website=Coffee or Die Magazine
* [[Ibrahim Ismail (general)|'''Ibrahim Ismail''']] – A [[Royal Johor Military Force|Johor Military Force]] (JMF) [[officer cadet]] who was studying in [[Indian Military Academy]] before the Japanese invasion of Malaya. Commissioned into the [[British Indian Army]] and recruited to Force 136. Parachuted into the western coast of [[Terengganu]] as part of Operation Oatmeal with another two agents. His team was betrayed and captured by the Japanese. He agreed to become a [[double agent]] for the Japanese after being tortured for a month, but managed to tell Force 136 HQ about the situation. Effectively became a [[Double agent#Triple agent|triple agent]] and gave false information about [[Operation Zipper]] to the Japanese forces. For his [[wikt:cunningness|cunningness]] and deception, Ismail was appointed to [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] by the British. Continued to serve with JMF after the war and later transferred to the Malay Regiment (now known as the [[Royal Malay Regiment]]) in 1951. He was appointed the 5th [[Chief of Defence Forces (Malaysia)]] in 1970.<ref name=":0" />
* '''{{Interlanguage link|Jean Deuve|fr|Jean Deuve|WD=}}''' – A French Army intelligence officer working for SOE during WWII. Parachuted into Laos as part of Force 136. Later made Head of SDECE. Became a writer after retiring from the SDECE.
* '''{{Interlanguage link|Jean Le Morillon|fr|Jean Le Morillon|WD=}}''' – A [[French Navy]] sailor before WWII. Joined [[Free France|Free French Forces]] after the [[Fall of France]] in WWII and was later assigned to the Free French Secret Service. Attached to Force 136, and received commando and parachute training in India. Parachuted into French Indochina. Captured by ''[[Kenpeitai]]'' in April 1945 following the March coup, but rescued by [[David Smiley]] six months later. Resumed his agent activities by rescuing prisoners of war from detention camps in French Indochina and bringing them back to neutral Siam. He managed to rescue 40 women, 50 children and 10 nuns who were French citizens stranded in French Indochina after the Japanese invasion. He remained in Indo-China as an agent after WWII ended and only returned to Paris after retiring. His life, both as an agent and prisoner of war are documented in French magazines and television.
* '''[[Jean Sassi]]''' – A French Army intelligence officer and paratrooper during Operation Jedburgh. Attached to Force 136 and parachuted into Laos in June 1945 following the March coup. Later made Commander of the [[11e régiment parachutiste de choc|11th Shock Parachutist Regiment]] (''11<sup>e</sup> choc'').
* '''[[John Davis (SOE agent)|John Davis]]''' – A Malayan Police (now known as the [[Royal Malaysia Police]]) intelligence officer before WWII. Commander of Operation Gustavus, inserted into Malaya via Dutch Submarine [[HNLMS O 24]]. Later made Head of Malayan Force 136 agents and Commander of the [[Ferret Force]]. Became a writer and general-secretary of [[Kent County Council]] Social Services after retiring from military.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2006-11-17|title=John Davis
* '''[[Lim Bo Seng]]''' – A celebrated war hero of Singapore. Escaped from Singapore at the beginning of the Japanese invasion of Malaya and joined SOE in India. Part of Operation Gustavus, inserted into Malaya via Dutch Submarine. Captured by the ''Kenpeitai'' and died in prison in 1944.
* '''Richard Broome''' – A British Army intelligence officer. Part of Operation Gustavus, inserted into Malaya via Dutch Submarine. Later absorbed by Ferret Force. Became a writer after retiring from military.
* '''[[Tan Chong Tee]]''' – A Singaporean national [[badminton]] player turned agent. Escaped from Singapore at the beginning of the Japanese invasion of Malaya and joined SOE in India. Part of Operation Gustavus, captured in 1944 and released after WWII ended. Continued to play badminton for [[Singapore national badminton team]]. Died in 2012 at the age of 96.
* '''Tham Sien Yen''' – A Malayan Chinese resistance hero who was an officer in Operation Gustavus.<ref>https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/image-detail?cmsuuid=c8b17175-6892-4789-82f1-031546ad516d</ref> Assumed command of the operation after Lim Bo Seng was captured by the Kempeitei. He represented Force 136 at the Allied victory parade in London.<ref>https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/photographs/record-details/9eb7c379-1162-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad</ref> After the war, he retired from active service and married Tan Toh Yen,<ref>https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/photographs/record-details/9e4a20c7-1162-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad</ref> the eldest daughter of a rubber plantation magnate in Ipoh, Perak. He started a literary newspaper with the funds given to him by the British Government and became a successful businessman in Singapore with 4 children. He died in 2003 at the age of 85.<ref>https://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2003/10/01/world-war-ii-resistance-hero--tham-dies</ref> His war diary and memorabilia were donated to the war museum at the Former Ford Factory in Singapore.<ref>https://www.singaporememories.gov.sg/Improve/Activity?taskId=5023&collectionId=16&itemId=1453</ref><ref>https://www.singaporememories.gov.sg/Improve/Activity?taskId=5023&collectionId=16&itemId=1518</ref> His daughter You Jin was awarded a Cultural Medallion.
* '''[[Tunku Osman]]''' – A Malayan student studying in England before WWII. Joined British Army's [[Reconnaissance Corps]] after the Japanese invasion of Malaya. Transferred to Force 136 and received commando and parachute training in India. Part of Operation Fighter, parachuted into Malaya from a B-24 Liberator. Continued to serve with [[Malaysian Army]] after WWII and later appointed as the 3rd [[Chief of Defence Forces (Malaysia)]] in 1964.
* [[Walter Fletcher (politician)|'''Walter Fletcher''']] – A British businessman turned agent. Part of Operation Remorse, sent into China to smuggle rubber products, foreign currency, diamonds and machinery out of Japanese occupied-Malaya and French Indochina. Elected as Member of Parliament for [[Bury (UK Parliament constituency)|Bury]] in [[Lancashire]] after WWII.
* '''{{Interlanguage link|William Frank Harding Ansell (zoologist)|lt=William Frank Harding Ansell|de|William Frank Harding Ansell}}''' – A British Army officer fought in the Burma campaign while served in the [[3rd Gorkha Rifles|3rd Gurkha Rifles]]. Attached to Force 136 after being promoted to the rank of Captain. Educated to be a teacher, he became interested in [[zoology]] while fighting in Burma. Became a renowned zoologist after the war including receiving [[Doctor of Philosophy]] in zoologist in 1960. Wrote several books about mammals and has five species named after him (e.g. [[Ansell's mole-rat]]).
* Lt. Douglas Browning,{{
* 'Edward Cairney' (
== Legacy ==
=== Force 136 Camp, Pekan, Pahang ===
On 27 October 2011, the late [[Sultan of Pahang]], [[Ahmad Shah of Pahang|Sultan Ahmad Shah]] named a new [[Malaysian Army]] military camp in [[Pekan, Pahang]], Malaysia as ''Kem Force 136'' ('Force 136 Camp'). The camp serves as the headquarters for the 505th Battalion, [[Rejimen Askar Wataniah|Territorial Army Regiment]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Perasmian Kem Force 136, Pekan, Pahang|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaRlJ_SQGX8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/XaRlJ_SQGX8 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|last=Azahari, Nursyahidah, Nurbaiti, Liyana|date=2011-11-18|
=== Commando Bay, Okanagan Lake, Canada ===
A bay on [[Okanagan Lake]] in [[British Columbia]], Canada, where the first batch of [[Asian Canadians|Asian Canadian]] Force 136 members received commando training. In 2014, the Canadian government renamed the bay ''Commando Bay'' and designated it as a historical site. There is a war [[memorial]] placard there.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Commando Bay gets historical recognition|url=http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/news/article_eeade62c-c6bb-11e5-ac0d-e7720be93653.html|date=2016-01-29|website=Daily Courier
== In popular culture ==
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== External links ==
* [http://www.myfareast.org/SingaporeMemorials/force136.html Far East entry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051026122021/http://www.myfareast.org/SingaporeMemorials/force136.html |date=26 October 2005 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050308214558/http://www.burmastar.org.uk/force_136.htm Burma Star entry]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070814061819/http://www.m.a.christie.btinternet.co.uk/ Mission Scapula entry]
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