Battle of Ambarawa

Battle of Ambarawa
	Part of the Indonesian National Revolution
	; British forces in Ambarawa set a village ablaze in retaliation for harboring Indonesian nationalists, 1945.
Date	20 October – 15 December 1945; (1 month, 3 weeks and 4 days)
Location	Ambarawa, Indonesia
Result	Indonesian victory
Territorial; changes	Ambarawa is recaptured by Indonesian forces.
Belligerents
Indonesia	United Kingdom British Raj ; Supported by:; NICA
Commanders and leaders
Col. Soedirman (Leader of People's Security Army, Division V/Banyumas); Lt. Col. Isdiman † ; Lt. Col. Gatot Subroto (Division V/Purwokerto); Lt. Col. M. Sarbini (Central Kedu Regiment); Maj. Sarjono (Battalion VIII Division III/Surabaya); Maj. Soeharto (Battalion X Division IX/Yogyakarta)	Brigadier R. G. Bethell
Units involved
Indonesian Army ; 5th Division (Banyumas) ; Civilian Militias (Laskar-laskar Rakyat) ;	British Army 23rd Infantry Division (India) 23rd Artillery Brigade; ;
Strength
10,000+	Unknown
Casualties and losses
2,000 killed	100 killed

Last updated August 18, 2024

The Battle of Ambarawa (Indonesian : Palagan Ambarawa) took place between the recently created Indonesian Army and the British Army that occurred between 20 October and 15 December 1945 in Ambarawa, Indonesia.

Prelude

On 19 October 1945, Allied troops under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Edwardes landed in Semarang to disarm Japanese troops and liberate POWs still detained in camps in Central Java. Initially, the troops were welcomed by the Indonesians because their presence halted the attacks on them by Japanese troops in revenge for the massacre of around 200 imprisoned Japanese civilians by Indonesian "extremists" in nearby Semarang. The troops were under orders to remain neutral in "political matters". At a meeting with Central Java governor Wongsonegoro, agreement was reached that the Indonesian police would be allowed to keep their weapons, but that civilians would be disarmed. In return agreed to provide foodstuffs and other necessities for the smooth running of the Allied task, while the Allies promised not to interfere with the sovereignty of the current government.^[2]

However, when Allied and NICA troops began freeing and arming freed Dutch POWs in Ambarawa and Magelang, many locals were angered. Relations were further ruined when the Allies began disarming members of the Indonesian Army. 1st Central Kedu Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel M. Sarbini began besieging Allied troops stationed in Magelang in reprisal for their attempted disarmament. Indonesian president Sukarno intervened in the situation to calm tensions, and the Allies secretly left Magelang to their stronghold in Ambarawa. Sarbini's regiment followed the Allies in pursuit, and was later joined by other Indonesian troops from Ambarawa, Suruh, and Surakarta. The retreat of the Allied troops was halted at Jambu Village because it was blocked by the Young Force troops under the leadership of Oni Sastrodihardjo. Allied troops were later driven out of the nearby village of Jambu by the combined force of the Indonesian Army.

At the village of Ngipik, Allied troops were again intercepted by Soerjosoempeno's 1st Battalion at Ngipikand were forced to retreat again by the Indonesian Army, after attempting to establish control over two villages around Ambarawa. Indonesian troops under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Isdiman tried to free the two villages, but Isdiman was killed in action before reinforcements arrived. Since the death of Lt. Col. Isdiman, the Commander of the 5th Banyumas Division, Col. Soedirman felt the loss of one of his best officers and he immediately took to the field to lead the battle. Colonel Soedirman, vowed to avenge Isdiman's death and called in reinforcements to besiege Allied positions in Central Java. Unknown to his servicemen, he had been elected Commander of the Armed Forces on 12 November in absentia, as he was still with his division.

Battle

On the morning of 23 November 1945, Indonesian troops began firing on Allied troops stationed in Ambarawa. A counterattack by the Allies forced the Indonesian Army to retreat to the village of Bedono.

On 11 December 1945, Soedirman held a meeting with various commanders of the Indonesian Army. The next day at 4:30 AM, the Indonesian Army launched an assault on the Allies in Ambarawa. Indonesian artillery pounded Allied positions, which were later overrun by infantry. When the Semarang-Ambarawa highway was captured by Indonesian troops, Soedirman immediately ordered his forces to cut off the supply routes of the remaining Allied troops by using a pincer maneuver.^[3] Col Soedirman's presence breathed new life into the Indonesian troops. Coordination was held between sector commands and the siege against the enemy tightened. The tactic applied was an impromptu attack simultaneously in all sectors. Reinforcements continued to pour in from Yogyakarta, Surakarta, Salatiga, Purwokerto, Magelang, Semarang, etc. The battle ended four days later on 15 December 1945, when Indonesia succeeded in regaining control over Ambarawa and the Allies retreated to Semarang.

Aftermath

At a cost of 16,000 rupiahs, the TNI initially erected a memorial in Ambarawa to commemorate the British retreat. Destroyed after a Dutch scout car accidentally crashed into it.

Original Monument's Plaque:
"Rawa Pening's gift. The Toentang river is flooded with blood, taking the bamboo hats with it. Nature's will and it will come to pass."

Just three days after the victory, Soedirman was promoted to major general and his election as Commander of the Armed Forces, retroactive to 12 November, was confirmed, succeeding Oerip Soemohardjo, the ad interim chief for the forces, who was appointed chief of staff.

The Palagan Ambarawa Monument in Ambarawa was erected in memory of the battle. The battle's anniversary is also celebrated nationwide as Indonesian Army Day (Hari Juang Kartika TNI Angkatan Darat), a day of celebration of the first ever victory of the young army in the Indonesian National Revolution.

Related Research Articles

The Indonesian National Revolution, also known as the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during postwar and postcolonial Indonesia. It took place between Indonesia's declaration of independence in 1945 and the Netherlands' transfer of sovereignty over the Dutch East Indies to the Republic of the United States of Indonesia at the end of 1949.

Surakarta, known colloquially as Solo, is a major city in Central Java, Indonesia. The 46.72 km² (18.04 sq mi) city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and west, and Sukoharjo Regency to the south. On the eastern side of Solo lies Solo River. Its metropolitan area, consisting of Surakarta City and the surrounding six regencies, was home to 6,837,753 inhabitants according to the official estimates for mid 2023, 526,870 of whom reside in the city proper.

Japanese Surrendered Personnel (JSP) was a designation for Japanese prisoners of war developed by the government of Japan in 1945 after the end of World War II in Asia. It stipulated that Japanese prisoners of war in Allied custody would be designated as JSP, which were not subject to the Third Geneva Convention's rules on prisoners, and had few legal protections. The Japanese government presented this proposal to the Allies, which accepted it even though the concept lacked a legal basis, as they were suffering from manpower shortages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Java (1942)</span> Battle in the Pacific theatre of World War II

The Battle of Java was a battle of the Pacific theatre of World War II. It occurred on the island of Java from 28 February – 12 March 1942. It involved forces from the Empire of Japan, which invaded on 28 February 1942, and Allied personnel. Allied commanders signed a formal surrender at Japanese headquarters at Bandung on 12 March.

Ambarawa is a town located between the city of Semarang and Salatiga in Central Java, Indonesia. Administratively, it is bordered by the districts of Banyubiru to the south, Jambu to the west, Bandungan to the north, and Bawen to the east.

This is the timeline of Indonesian National Revolution.

General Ahmad Yani was the Commander of the Indonesian Army, and was killed by members of the 30 September Movement during an attempt to kidnap him from his house.

General Gatot Soebroto was an Indonesian general who began his military career with the Royal Dutch East Indies Army (KNIL) and rose to be deputy Army chief-of-staff.

The Ambarawa Railway Museum is a museum located in Ambarawa in Central Java, Indonesia. The museum preserves around 21 steam locomotives and focuses on tourism train tours hauled by 3 operational steam engines and a hydraulic diesel engine, using the remains of the closing of the 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) railway line.

Probosutedjo was a businessman and the younger half-brother of former Indonesian president Suharto. Like many Indonesians, he took only one name. Probosutedjo was one of seven children from his mother's second marriage, his father being Atmopawiro and his mother Sukirah. Like Suharto, he was born and raised in the small hamlet of Kemusuk to the west of the main town of Yogyakarta..

KODAM IV/Diponegoro or IV Military Regional Command/Diponegoro is a military area command of the Indonesian Army. It covers the provinces of Central Java and Special Region of Yogyakarta on the island of Java. It is named after the Java War hero Prince Diponegoro. It appears to have been first established in 1950, and inherited the heritage of the former 3rd Diponegoro Division and other Central Java infantry units. Diponegoro Division personnel have been very significant in the history of the Indonesian Army. Among its early officers were Sarwo Edhie Wibowo, who served as battalion and regimental commander in the division from 1945-53. Former commanders of the division include Soeharto, a former president of Indonesia. Divisional personnel, including Lieutenant Colonel Untung Syamsuri, were involved in the 30 September Movement events of 1965. Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was also member of this KODAM when he took command of KOREM 072/Pamungkas at Yogyakarta during his military tenure.

In Dutch historiography, Bersiap refers to the violent and chaotic beginning of the Indonesian National Revolution following the end of World War II in Asia. In Indonesia, the term Berdaulat ("Sovereign") is also used for this transitional period. It began after Sukarno's proclamation of Indonesian Independence on 17 August 1945 and culminated during the power vacuum between the withdrawal of Japanese occupational forces and the gradual buildup of a British military presence, before the official handover to a Dutch military presence in March 1946.

General Raden Oerip Soemohardjo was an Indonesian general, the first chief of general staff of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, and acting Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. He received several awards from the Indonesian government, including the title National Hero of Indonesia in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudirman</span> First commander-in-chief of the Indonesian armed forces

Sudirman was an Indonesian military officer and revolutionary during the Indonesian National Revolution and the first commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces.

Suharto was the second President of Indonesia, having held the office for 31 years from 1967 following Sukarno's removal until his resignation in 1998.

The Battle of Medan, known locally as the Battle for the Medan Area took place between Allied forces and the Indonesian Army in Medan, North Sumatra, and its surrounding area during the Indonesian National Revolution.

Dharma Wiratama Museum, officially the Dharma Wiratama Central Army Museum is a military museum centred on the history of the Indonesian Army from its inception in 1945 up through the coup of 30 September 1965 and Indonesian peacekeeping missions. It is located in the former national army headquarters in Yogyakarta.

The siege of Surakarta was a military campaign during the Indonesian National Revolution. The Indonesian Republican forces (TNI) briefly infiltrated the city of Surakarta before being repulsed by Dutch special forces (RST). Despite the defeat, the battle, together with an earlier attack on Yogyakarta, provided a morale boost for the Indonesians.

Fort Willem I, known in Indonesian/Javanese as Benteng Pendem Ambarawa, is a 19th-century Dutch fortress in Ambarawa, Central Java, Indonesia.

The Battle of Semarang, in Indonesia also known as Pertempuran Lima Hari was a clash between Japanese forces of the Sixteenth Army and Indonesian forces consisting of People's Security Agency personnel and pemuda in October 1945 at the city of Semarang, Central Java. The battle is considered as the first major clash involving the Indonesian military.

References

↑ Matanasi, Petrik (15 December 2017). "Pertempuran Ambarawa, Kemenangan yang Memakan Banyak Korban". Tirto.id. Archived from the original on 2021-04-18. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
↑ McMillan 2006, p. 27.
↑ G., Dwipayana (1989). Soeharto : Pikiran, Ucapan dan Tindakan Saya. Jakarta: Citra Kharisma Bunda. ISBN 979-8085-01-9.

Bibliography

Anderson, Benedict R. O'G (1972). Java in a time of revolution: occupation and resistance,1944-1946. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press.
McMillan, Richard (2006). The British Occupation of Indonesia 1945-1946: Britain, The Netherlands and the Indonesian Revolution. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-35551-6.
G., Dwipayana (1989). Soeharto : Pikiran, Ucapan dan Tindakan Saya. Jakarta: Citra Kharisma Bunda. ISBN 979-8085-01-9.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Matanasi, Petrik (15 December 2017). "Pertempuran Ambarawa, Kemenangan yang Memakan Banyak Korban". Tirto.id. Archived from the original on 2021-04-18. Retrieved 10 November 2021.

[FOOTNOTEMcMillan200627-2] McMillan 2006, p. 27.

[3] G., Dwipayana (1989). Soeharto : Pikiran, Ucapan dan Tindakan Saya. Jakarta: Citra Kharisma Bunda. ISBN 979-8085-01-9.

[1]

[2]

[3]