Colonial History of World War II
With the fall of France in W.W. II. the French side of the Condominium were, from the Vichy point of view, technically at war with the other half - Britain. However in this year of 1940, the French population of the New Hebrides immediately declared their support for General De Gaul's Free French Forces. In fact they were the first of France's Pacific colonies to do so. Perhaps for the only time in the life of the Condominium, the French and British were not at complete odds with one other.
With France under German rule, the French Ambassador was placed in a difficult position with no support structure in terms of a properly functioning French government. But concerns over such matters were overshadowed by the fast approaching Japanese forces.
In early 1942, the Japanese reached the nearby Solomon Islands and the New Hebridean's lived in real fear that they would be next. The Americans, however, arrived first, totally unannounced, in May 1942.
It is a sight that can only be imagined; to wake up and glance out in the dawn light to the vast expanse of Mele Bay - filled with warships. A good number of the Vila population fled into the hills in the belief that the Japanese had arrived. It took some time to convince everyone otherwise, but the stealthy nature of the American arrival was imperative in its defensive strategy against the the seemingly unbeatable Japanese.
Being inherently rather brash, and being at war, the Americans simply Took Over. They built an entire infrastructure to support their introduced military population and the necessary equipment to wage a counter offensive. They brought in tens of thousands of tons of machinery, built barracks and hospitals, a road around the entire island, airstrips and wharves, all with the totally efficient lightening speed typical of the Seabees and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, albeit in a desperate need to push back the Japanese. Regardless of the reasons, it left the foot shuffling beurocracies of France and Britain in shame for all they had not done for the islands.
In Espiritu Santo, 100,000 troops arrived in short order, doubling the population of the country almost overnight. And throughout the islands an interesting social phenomena took place. Indigenous New Hebrideans were astounded at the apparent equality with which black and white military personnel were treated. And when these New Hebridean natives went to work for the Americans, they received respect and wages far in excess to anything they had ever experienced before. The typically generous Americans would also look at the native New Hebridean living conditions and give them clothes and beds, ice boxes and furniture, - all requisitioned from the PX.
The early 1940's were Halcyon years for the native New Hebrideans. Vanuatu was attacked only once by a Japanese plane (that was shot down), resulting in but one casualty on Santo - Besse the cow. Thus they never experienced the horrors of Japanese occupied New Guinea or Solomon Islands. They saw only fair treatment, better living conditions, modern medical aid, economic growth and a vast expansion of facilities, many of which are still in use with only minimal upgrading, fifty six years later.
Three years later and the end of the war, the Americans left as swiftly as they arrived. The lend lease policy that had funded the war effort, meant the American economy could not sustain the influx of returning goods. Thus, the Americans suggested to the Condominium Government they might like to purchase plant equipment, bulldozers and modern workshop machinery, cranes and trucks, office equipment and, well, everything, for a price of only seven cents in the dollar on the real value of the goods.
Typically, the Condominium foot shuffled and hedged and finally replied that, since the Americans were going to leave it behind anyway, why should the Condominium pay for it? The disgusted response was to bulldoze every movable object into the ocean. This wanton discard contributed to the already proliferating Cargo Cults throughout the islands, and the growing resentment of native New Hebridean's to Condominium rule.
There are places around Efate Island where divers will find much of this discarded war materiel, but the most famous of all is a place called Million Dollar Point in Espiritu Santo.
The postwar Condominium authorities were left with a legacy of, from their perspective, overpaid, over ambitious New Hebridean natives. Today, many ni-Vanuatu recall how the authorities came into their homes and took what the Americans had given their fathers; clothes, furniture and such precious treasures as ice boxes and radios. Britain and France were left in tatters at the end of the War. They had little enough to rebuild their own nations and economies, to be concerned over the needs of distant Pacific outposts and thus the New Hebridean economy staggered along under its hopelessly inadequate dual political system. But a spark had been lit and it would not die. By the 1960's it was ready to ignite.
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