 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Posted: November 3rd, 2009
The Airmen and the Headhunters
In 1944, as war raged across the globe, an incredible drama unfolded in the remote jungles of Borneo. A U.S. bomber was hit by Japanese anti-aircraft fire, and as the plane went down, the surviving crew ejected and parachuted into the wilderness. Pursued by Japanese soldiers, they were taken in and protected by members of the Dayak tribe—the so-called “wild men of Borneo,” who were infamous for their grisly custom of hunting and smoking enemy heads. Months later, the airmen were found by an eccentric British Major, who arrived in the jungle to set up a guerilla army, and built a runway out of bamboo so rescue planes could pick up the stranded airmen. Harder to believe than a fictional Hollywood thriller, their true tale is one of courage, survival, and compassion from the most unlikely sources. Based on the book of the same title by Judith Heimann and featuring exclusive testimonies from the last surviving airman, veterans and Dayak heroes, dramatic on-location recreations, archival film footage, and never-before-seen photographs, THIRTEEN’s Secrets of the Dead series pieces together a thrilling jungle adventure in “The Airmen and the Headhunters,” premiering nationally on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). Actor Liev Schreiber (X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Taking Woodstock) narrates. Watch a preview: To view this site, you need to have Flash Player 9 “Not only is this a spectacular long-lost story of heroism, perseverance, and ingenuity, it also reveals a remarkable shift in perception for the downed airmen,” says Jared Lipworth, executive producer of Secrets of the Dead. “They went from fearing the ‘savage’ Dayaks to admiring them as compassionate and skilled saviors, and that’s a lesson we can still learn from today.” Mainly told by Dan Illerich, the last surviving airman; the original Dayaks who protected the Americans; and the Australian commandoes who helped get them out, the story transports viewers deep into the heart of Borneo at the height of the Second World War revealing fantastic tales of survival, bravery and ingenuity. The Dayaks, who hated the Japanese for occupying their country and killing their beloved missionaries, hid the Americans deep in the jungle. When the Japanese soldiers approached from the coast, the tribesmen used blowpipes and the banned practice of headhunting to stop their advances. They even set up an ambush using naked women as bait, and once the killing was over, invited the Americans to a rare headhunting feast. The clash of cultures didn’t stop there. Months after the airmen went down, they were found by British Major Tom Harrisson and his group of Australian commandoes, who had been tasked with setting up a guerilla army to attack the Japanese from the interior. Harrisson enlisted the Dayaks to fight, encouraged headhunting and the use of blowpipes against the Japanese, and concocted a daring plan to build a runway out of bamboo so that planes (and their very brave pilots) could land in the jungle and take the Americans home—which they eventually did. THIRTEEN’s Secrets of the Dead: The Airmen and the Headhunters is an Icon Films production for THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG, Channel 4 and National Geographic Channels International. Mark Radice is producer/director, and Harry Marshall and Laura Marshall are executive producers. At THIRTEEN, Jared Lipworth is executive producer. William R. Grant is executive-in-charge. |
Mumbai Massacre: Watch a Preview
Timed for broadcast on the first anniversary of the attacks, this episode brings viewers first-hand survivor accounts, closed-circuit footage of the chaos from within the hotels and actual words spoken by both victims and terrorists.
© 2009 Educational Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved. PBS Privacy Policy
I’ve read the book and this is an amazing story!
Lt.Col.Daniel Illerich (ret.) is my step-father and the story is truly amazing and to hear him tell it face to face is fantastic. An heroic effort by the Dyaks to save this aircrew from execution by the Japs.
Daniel,
Please tell your stepfather”Thank you” for his story and courage.His was the greatest generation.
Jamie Parkey
Where can we get this movie on DVD or VCD. Thanks.. a Dayak from Borneo.
http://jamesjg.com/ulu-krian-pioneers
I can’t wait to watch this tonight. I agree with Jamie they were the greatest generation young men now could learn what it means to have courage from your step-father.
Lt.Col. Illerich is my uncle. This thrilling and adventurous story has been a fabric of our family. His mother Dorothy (the original storyteller) would be so proud. Thank you PBS for sharing this with the nation. Uncle Dan, From a greatful American our family thanks you.
My husband’s uncle John Nelson, was one of the airmen in this story. A true hero and sadly passed a few years ago. I wish he could have seen this show and read the book.
Unless there is more than one story of an incident like this my uncle Ray Mazalan loved to tell the story of trading away his watch to the chief while pantomiming and and saying “No Nipponese!” There was nothing else about the story he was ever willing to share however. Brave man!
I am furious that KCET, my local PBS station, has decided to run POV instead of this thrilling story of heroism and cross cultural partnership.
my grandfather moved to Borneo late 19th century. Early 20th century he brought his bride. Somewhere on the way to his property they had to spend a night. Grandmother was warned “if you her screams, they are monkeys”. In the middle of the night she woke up her husband scared by the screams. Scared she woke up her husband but was told to go back to sleep. The next morning when she went outside she found decapitated bodies lying around. My father spent the war in a Japanese POW camp in Borneo, my mother and I in one on Java. Loved to buy the DVD to send to my family in Europe
What a fascinating program. I grew up hearing my
father’s stories about the New Guinea natives who
rowed over the ocean to reach him when his bomber
was shot down. I called him to be sure he saw this program tonight.
Later, he called to ask if I’d noticed the log flooring in one stilt house – he said that was exactly what his safe house looked like in the
village where he stayed until rescued.
Fascinating program. Thanks
John Nelson was my father-in-law. He was a gunner on the plane. He is the one standing next to Daniel. This was his dream. He would have loved the book and the movie. Something special for his children, grandchildren and now great-grandbabies.
John Nelson, the father of my husband Arne, was the youngest member of the crew at 19. Arne and I watched tonight with rapt interest, a story that I heard about in bits and pieces. Dan and John finally gave us the longer version one night during a reunion weekend in Williamsburg Va. It is a fantastic story, captured now in a great book and now a docu drama. Worthy tale of men of worth: Americans, Allies, and Dayaks. When I saw the faces of the men who protected and saved the Airmen, I said a prayer of thanksgiving for each. Without the action of the Dayak people, I would not have had the life I have led, my husband, my children, and the greater family we belong to. Amazing to know that. Thank you PBS, Icon Films, Dan and Judith for re telling this tale. Thank you also for airing this on Veterans Day. Let us not forget all those who have and continue to serve our country.
This hour-long movie was the most esciting story I have heard from WW2. To say the least, I was totally enthralled.
I knew Eddie Haviland…the one that was blinded by the glass. We grew up hearing small bits of this story. His family is very close to mine. I wish Eddie could have seen this show honoring thier efforts. I wonder if is will be shown again on PBS anytime soon. I cannot seem to find it on this website.
I have been trying for years to get in touch with Arne Nelson and other members of the family, to pass on my thanks for everything Johhn Nelson did to help me get this book written. He was a wonderful, generous-hearted hero and Ihope somewhere he knows that his generosity bore fruit. Judith Heimann
Judith, I just talked to my husband, Chris Nelson, Johns son and he wanted me to send you his email. He would love to touch base with you and thank you so very much for telling the story. We have all spent hours listening to Dad tell his stories that weren’t always easy to tell. We now cherish those times. His email is cnelsona@frontiernet.net. Again thank you for cherished memories.
This is an absolutely amazing story! Without those natives, the world would not be as good as it is.
This is an amazing story. I’m so glad it was made and aired on PBS. I had never heard this story before. How brave the airmen were and the Dayak people as well. We have to thank the original missionaries who helped establish a trust between the Dayaks and the white man for without their efforts this story might have been very different. It also shows that kindness done between different peoples goes a long way while cruelties promote hatred between peoples. Such a fantastic story…thank you all involved with getting this story told!
I found this episode by accident. I am so glad I did. The courage, compassion, and will to survive is truly inspirational. I am so thankful to the Dayak tribe who risked so much to save our Soldiers; and so awed by the courage and conviction of those same people to challenge and defeat their enemies. This is an amazing and inspirational story that I really wish had been in my high school history books….
Eddie Haviland was my father, he passed in 1994.
I know he would have been very pleased to see his story in print and on TV. The entire family watched the show and we all felt so proud. I have the privledge of owning the blowgun , it sits proudly in my living room, a daily reminder of how brave these young men were.