Having been a secret unit it’s no surprise that Z Force exploits remain little known, underappreciated and sometimes misunderstood. That remains true to this day, making it important to acknowledge their many achievements on behalf of our war effort. Z Force Special Unit was set up to combat Japanese incursions in South East Asia. Consisting mostly of Aussies, the Unit also included British, Dutch, New Zealand, Timorese and Indonesian members. Specialists in reconnaissance and sabotage, Z Force completed 81 operations in the south-west Pacific zone including: Scorpion, Jaywick, Rimau, Binatung, Copper, Semut, Agus, Python, Opossum and Platypus. They were essential to Australia’s increasingly urgent efforts to prevent Japanese invasion - with islands immediately north already taken. The Unit breached enemy lines by parachute and midget submarine ‘diving canoes’ enabling spying, sabotage, guerrilla attacks, actions against Japanese shipping (in Singapore Harbour!) and more. The highly specialised training of operatives became models for later units and remains essential to modern undercover operations. The extremely high-risk work of Z Force Special Unit took out thousands of enemy troops but at huge cost: over eighty operatives lost their lives, many after capture and torture. The odds against them had always been unthinkably huge, especially as, working in small teams, their tasks included gathering and inspiring local guerrillas, finding sabotage targets and carrying out highly hazardous reconnaissance missions right under alert enemy eyes. But in true ANZAC tradition, no matter how high the dangers, they still maintained the highest standards of courage and mateship - with typical larrikin humour. Theirs was an amazing achievement on all levels and we are proud to help celebrate it with this exclusive 50mm Silver Commemorative Coin. Typically fine in detail, it features a bold gold inlay of the Z Force emblem, operatives in action, a list of their missions and the circumference legend: Out of conflict Comradeship is Born. Truer words were never spoken.