Operation Oaktree was a Dutch military operation in Dutch New Guinea during World War II. Under the command of Captain Jean Victor de Bruijn, some 40 soldiers operated in the highland region of Western New Guinea for more than two years between December 1942 and July 1944, handled by the Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service, with Australian assistance. [1] [2] [3]
The Wissel Lakes region was not known outside New Guinea until 1937. In order to assert Dutch control over the area, a Christian mission and a radio-equipped government post were established at Enarotali in May 1938. [4]
Most of the Dutch East Indies were invaded by the Japanese in early 1942, followed in April 1942 by Dutch New Guinea, thus isolating the post from the coast. [5] Enarotali maintained contacts, albeit loose ones, with Merauke, the last remaining Dutch stronghold in the Dutch East Indies, and with Australia due to liaison seaplanes landing on Paniai lake.
Dutch and Australian governments considered evacuating the post, but its district officer, Jean Victor de Bruijn, was determined to stay and fight in order to keep the little of the Dutch East Indies that remained. [6] In July de Bruijn went to Australia to plead his case. [7] At that time, all the planes in Australia were required either by General Douglas MacArthur or the Australian government to fight in Eastern New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. This made it impossible for de Bruijn to receive reinforcement. [6] It was agreed that he would return to the highlands with rifles and ammunition, but that no further help could be immediately provided. On the morning of 5 November 1942, a plane flew him from Merauke to Enarotali. [8]
When de Bruijn came back to the highlands, he found out that because of his departure, the natives had been convinced by the Japanese to report directly to their headquarters in Fakfak, [9] which they had occupied in April 1942. [5] The following month, in December, he was made aware that the Japanese had sent two destroyers along the coast south of Enarotali. He managed to reach the coast, raid the village of Oeta and disarm the sleeping Papuan policemen who had sided with the Japanese. While interrogating the natives, he discovered that the Japanese had landed 450 marines at Timoeka near Kaukenau, who were constructing an airfield and a base there. [10] He and his men withdrew from the coast and headed for the mountains, while destroying bridges along the way to slow the Japanese.
De Bruijn did not know until he reached the post that the Japanese, angered by his raid on Oeta, had sent Zero fighters and floatplanes on reconnaissance flights over the lake in order to show their awareness of his presence there. [11] Owing to Japanese's sheer numerical superiority, de Bruijn decided to limit his operations to intelligence work on Japanese troop movements. However, in early 1943, Japanese reconnaissance aircraft were making long passes over the lakes, often flying below 150 feet, taking photographs for a planned occupation. [12] On 11 May a mountain Papuan brought in a report indicating that a party of 60 Japanese were coming inland. A few days later, a plane with Rear-Admiral Pieter Koenraad on board, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Netherlands Navy in Australia, landed on the lake. Koenraad pressed him to evacuate, but de Bruijn was determined to stay. [13]
On 26 May 1943 the Japanese reached the lakes, only to realize that Enarotali had been torched by de Bruijn and his men during their retreat to safety in the surrounding valleys. [14] While there, de Bruijn met with Joseph, a young Papuan who had guided the Japanese and escaped as soon as they reached the lake. The previous year he had been convinced by the Japanese to go to Fakfak, and was disgusted by what he had seen there. Joseph provided important information about Japanese forces stationed at Ambon, Seran, and Timika. De Bruijn subsequently radioed the Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service HQ in Australia, which started realizing the importance of his mission in the highlands. [15] Further information about the Japanese airfield at Nabire was also provided. It soon became obvious that the Japanese were staying and intended to guard the lakes in case any plane should attempt a landing on Lake Paniai. De Bruijn kept a low profile, gathering intelligence and using airdrops of supplies such as ammunition and rifles, while training his men on how to shoot. [16] De Bruijn also called on his HQ to bomb Japanese positions at Enarotali to impress the natives, who were bribed by the Japanese to collaborate with them. From August 1943 onward, the Japanese post was frequently bombarded. [17] In September 1943 an armed band of 400 Papuan natives, angered by Japanese exactions who had mistreated or killed neighbouring villagers, attacked Enarotali with bows and arrows but were repelled by the soldiers' superior firepower, leaving 6 Papuans killed. From then on the Japanese would not go out on patrol unless fully armed. [18]
The Oaktree party was now getting stronger, fortified by new radio sets, food, rifles, and military training, reaching about 40 men strong, who were based at Bilorai. [19] It was agreed that they would try to ambush Japanese parties along the trail from the coast to the lakes, which the Japanese had felt safe to use until then. [20] However, the Japanese struck first, forcing them to pull back from Bilorai. One day, east of Bilorai, the Japanese were ambushed during their sleep by a patrol of two Indonesians and five Papuans, killing fifteen with Thompson submachine guns and hand grenades. [21] At the same time, native observers reported that more and more Japanese troops were moving toward the mountains, fleeing from their strongholds on the northern coast at Hollandia and Sarmi, which had been invaded by the Americans. To avoid becoming trapped between Japanese troops retreating from the north and those to the west at Enarotali, an evacuation call was made. [22] On the morning of 26 July 1944, a Catalina met them on Hagers lake, ending the mission. [23]
Over a two-year period, this guerilla force raided and ambushed Japanese positions, pillaged supplies and destroyed ammunition dumps, killing more than 30 Japanese soldiers in the process. Although they managed to divert some Japanese forces and destroy their supplies, the highland lakes region was of little military importance. Nevertheless, it did allow the gathering of information on Japanese positions at Nabire, Timika, Fakfak and further west at Ambon, which proved useful during the Western New Guinea campaign. It was essentially a symbolic victory, as de Bruijn was portrayed as the irreducible symbol of Dutch resistance in the Dutch East Indies by allied and Dutch propaganda, waving the flag and maintaining the prestige of the Dutch among the inhabitants of the area, [24] just as Hermann Detzner had done in German New Guinea 20 years before, and who was a source of inspiration for de Bruijn. [25] Queen Wilhelmina personally awarded him the Netherlands Cross of Merit, the Netherlands Bronze Cross and the Order of Orange-Nassau. Among the Dutch, he was the exception rather than the rule, and their prestige was seriously damaged by the Japanese occupation, which led to the Indonesian war of independence and the subsequent Dutch withdrawal from the country in 1949. However, Western New Guinea was spared by the fighting, as the Dutch still enjoyed popularity among the native population, and remained in their hands until 1962, before its transfer to Indonesia the following year. [26]
Papua, formerly Irian Jaya, is the largest and easternmost province of Indonesia, comprising most of Western New Guinea. The province is located on the island of New Guinea. It is bordered by the state of Papua New Guinea to the east, the province of West Papua to the west, the Pacific Ocean to the north, and the Arafura Sea to the south. The province also shares maritime boundaries with Palau to the north. The province is divided into twenty-eight regencies and one city. Its capital and largest city is Jayapura. The province has a large potential in natural resources, such as gold, nickel, petroleum, etc. Puncak Jaya is the province's highest mountain and the highest point in Indonesia. Papua, along with West Papua, has a higher degree of autonomy level compared to other Indonesian provinces.
Netherlands New Guinea refers to the Papua region of Indonesia while it was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1949 to 1962. It was commonly known as Dutch New Guinea. It contained what are now Indonesia's two easternmost provinces, Papua and West Papua, which were administered as a single province prior to 2003 under the name Irian Jaya.
West Papua, formerly Irian Jaya Barat or Irian Barat, is a province of Indonesia. It covers the two western peninsulas of the island of New Guinea, Bird's Head Peninsula and Bomberai Peninsula, along with nearby islands. The province is bordered to the north by the Pacific Ocean, to the west by the Halmahera Sea and the Ceram Sea, to the south by the Banda Sea, and to the east by the province of Papua and the Cenderawasih Bay. Manokwari is the province's capital, while Sorong is its largest city. West Papua is the second-least populous province in Indonesia, with a population of 1,134,068 at the 2020 Census.
The Royal Netherlands Indies Army was the military force maintained by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its colony of the Netherlands East Indies, which is now Indonesia. The KNIL's air arm was known as the Militaire Luchtvaart-KNIL. Elements of the Royal Netherlands Navy were also stationed in the Netherlands East Indies.
Koninklijke Nederlandsch-Indische Luchtvaart Maatschappij was the airline of the former Dutch East Indies. Headquartered in Amsterdam, KNILM was not a subsidiary of the better-known KLM, despite the similar name. The airline had its headquarters in Amsterdam and an office in on the grounds of Tjililitan Airfield in Batavia.
Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, is the western portion of the island of New Guinea controlled by Indonesia since 1962. Since the island is alternatively named as Papua, the region is also called West Papua. Lying to the west of Papua New Guinea, it is the only Indonesian territory situated in Oceania. Considered to be a part of the Australian continent, the territory is mostly in the Southern Hemisphere and includes the Schouten and Raja Ampat archipelagoes. The region is predominantly covered with ancient rainforest where numerous traditional tribes live such as the Dani of the Baliem Valley although a large proportion of the population live in or near coastal areas with the largest city being Jayapura.
No. 18 Squadron was a joint Dutch and Australian bomber squadron of World War II. Formed in April 1942, the squadron was staffed by a mixture of Dutch and Australian personnel and placed under Royal Australian Air Force operational command. Initially it undertook anti-submarine patrols on the east coast of Australia, before moving to northern Australia and taking part in operations against the Japanese in the islands of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI). At the conclusion of hostilities, the squadron came under Dutch control and Australian personnel were transferred out. The squadron then undertook operations during the Indonesian National Revolution, before eventually being disbanded in July 1950 after being transferred to Indonesia.
General Simon Hendrik Spoor was the Chief of Staff of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army and the Royal Dutch Army in the Dutch East Indies, from 1946 to 1949, during the Indonesian National Revolution.
New Guinea is the world's second-largest island, and with an area of 785,753 km2 (303,381 sq mi), the largest island in the Southern Hemisphere. Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, it is separated by the 150 km wide Torres Strait from Australia. Numerous smaller islands are located to the west and east. The eastern half of the island is the major land mass of the independent state of Papua New Guinea. The western half, known as Western New Guinea or West Papua, forms a part of Indonesia and is organized as the provinces of Papua and West Papua.
The Papua conflict is an ongoing conflict in Western New Guinea between Indonesia and the Free Papua Movement. Subsequent to the withdrawal of the Dutch administration from the Netherlands New Guinea in 1962 and implementation of Indonesian administration in 1963, the Free Papua Movement has conducted a low-intensity guerrilla war against Indonesia through the targeting of its military, police, and civilians.
Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS) was a Dutch World War II-era intelligence and special operations unit operating mainly in the Japanese-occupied Netherlands East Indies.
Fakfak is a town in Indonesia and seat of the Fakfak Regency. It had a population of 12,566 at the 2010 Census, which rose to 18,900 at the 2020 Census. It is served by Fakfak Airport. It is the only town in West Papua with a significant Muslim Indian and Arab Indonesian presence.
The History of Western New Guinea refers to the history of the Indonesian western half of the island of New Guinea and other smaller islands to its west. This region was previously named Irian Jaya. The eastern half of the island is Papua New Guinea.
The Paniai Lakes, originally known as the Wissel Lakes, are the three large, freshwater lakes in the central highlands of Papua, Indonesia: Paniai, Tigi, and Tage. Lakes Paniai and Tage are located in the Paniai Regency, while Lake Tigi is located in Deiyai Regency. The largest of the three is Lake Paniai, while its immediate neighbor Lake Tage is the smallest.
Bilateral relations exist between Australia and the Netherlands. Australia has an embassy in The Hague. The Netherlands has an embassy in Canberra. The two countries communicate and cooperate on a range of issues, including counterterrorism, climate change, human rights, and the Millennium Development Goals. In 2001 the countries signed an agreement on social security for those who have lived or worked in both countries.
Enarotali is a city in Indonesia located in the Papua province, on the shore of Lake Paniai, in Western New Guinea highlands.
Marthen Indey (1912-1986) was a colonial police officer in New Guinea, Dutch East Indies who later became nationalist fighter in the Indonesian National Revolution and a supporter of Papua becoming part of Indonesia. He was declared a National Hero of Indonesia in 1993 along with two other people of Papuan descent, Frans Kaisiepo and Silas Papare.
The West New Guinea dispute (1950–1962), also known as the West Irian dispute, was a diplomatic and political conflict between the Netherlands and Indonesia over the territory of Netherlands New Guinea. While the Netherlands had ceded sovereignty to Indonesia on 27 December 1949 following an independence struggle, the Indonesian government had always claimed the Dutch-controlled half of New Guinea on the basis that it had belonged to the Dutch East Indies and that the new Republic of Indonesia was the legitimate successor to the former Dutch colony.
Jean Victor de Bruijn was a Dutch district officer, soldier, explorer, ethnologist and writer. He spent most of his life in the Dutch East Indies, especially in Dutch New Guinea, working as a colonial administrator and an ethnologist. He gained fame for holding out with native Papuan soldiers in mountainous interior of Western New Guinea against overwhelming Japanese forces, as part of Operation Oaktree, maintaining one of the last Dutch-controlled outposts in the Dutch East Indies during World War II.
Sultan Zainal Abidin Alting Syah was the 26th Sultan of Tidore in Maluku Islands, reigning from 1947 to 1967. He was also the appointed Governor of Irian Barat in 1956-1962 before the actual inclusion of Irian Barat in Indonesia, serving official Indonesian claims against Dutch colonial rule.