Borneo is an island in the South China Sea. By the middle of the 20th century the island, much of it thick jungle, was divided between Britain and the Netherlands.

The island was invaded by the Japanese Army on 16th December 1941. Defended by only a battalion of Punjabi infantry it was quickly captured by Japan.

The Australian 1st Corps under Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead began making landings on the island on 30th April 1945. It was quickly captured and while developing Borneo as a base for an invasion of Singapore the Japanese government announced it had surrendered.