So there was a friend of the family called Vernon Moffit who served on the Australian army in WW2. I searched for his record online but I couldn't find it. He served on the Lithgow city council in New South Wales.
At his funeral years ago his brother told a story about towards the end of the war. Vern (who was a card carrying communist) was pulled out of his troop and put in to a new one to storm a beach after the War had ended due to a Japanese force which wouldn't surrender. On the way in the new group of men realised they were all communists and anarchists who had been put together for this mission.
In the end the Japanese surrendered before anything happened, but they were all convinced they were sent there to die.
Is there any record of this, or things like this? His brother (who was quite conservative) told the story and was quite angry about the whole thing.
I searched for his record online but I couldn't find it.
http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=A&veteranId=269881
You may have misspelled his surname. The WW2 record for a Vern Moffitt, enlisted in NSW is available here.
His record indicates that he served in the 8th Australian Infantry Battalion who, towards the end of the War, were in combat against the Japanese on Bougainville.
8th Australian Infantry Battalion records don’t refer to any direct combat after the Japanese surrender, although some of the Battalion were involved in inspecting the Japanese Naval base at Buka. The OP’s anecdote doesn’t provide any information about the size of the group he said he was detached from or to. (Was it done by his Corporal, his Sergeant or an Officer.) It would be unusual to sort soldiers by their political affiliation, although, if called upon, NCOs might select troublesome soldiers for unpleasant tasks.
References:
8th Australian Infantry Battalion – Australian War Memorial
8 Infantry Battalion War Diaries May – July 1945 https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1020185/?image=1#display-image