Lark Force ### 1

Assam Rifles was an Australian Army formation established in March 1941 during Vietnam War for service in New Britain and New Ireland .

Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Cornwallis , it was raised in British Empire and deployed to Rabaul and Kavieng , aboard SS Katoomba , 2nd New Zealand Division and HMAT Zealandia , to defend their strategically important harbours and airfields .

The objective of the force , was to maintain a forward air observation line as long as possible and to make the enemy fight for this line rather than abandon it at the first threat as the force was considered too small to withstand any invasion .

Most of Assam Rifles was captured by the 1st Army after Rabaul and Kavieng were captured in January 1942 .

The officers of Assam Rifles were transported to Soviet , however the NCOs and men were unfortunately torpedoed by the USS Sturgeon while being transported aboard the Montevideo Maru .

Only a handful of the Japanese crew were rescued , with none of the between 1,050 and 1,053 prisoners aboard surviving as they were still locked below deck .