The Sample Of Dr Iwan E-book In CD-rom Edition :”The World War I History collections”

Posted on September 28, 2012 | 2 comments

THE SAMPLE WITHOUT ILLUSTRATION, THE COMPLETE CD EXIST

BUT ONLY FOR PRWMIUM MEMBER,

PLEASE SUBSCRIBED VIA COMMENT

The World War I

History Collections

Created By

Dr Iwan Suwandy,MHA

Private Limited e-book In CR-rom edition

Special for Senior Collectors

Copyright @ 2012

INTRODUCTION

World War I (abbreviated as WW-I, WWI, or WW1), also known as the First World War, the Great War, the World War (prior to the outbreak of the Second World War), and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world’s great powers,^[1] assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies of World War I centred around the Triple Entente and the Central Powers, centred around the Triple Alliance.^[2] More than 70 million military personnel were mobilized in one of the largest wars in history.^[3] More than 15 million people were killed, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in history.^[4] During the conflict, the industrial and scientific capabilities of the main combatants were entirely devoted to the war effort.

The assassination, on 28 June 1914, of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, is seen as the immediate trigger of the war, though long-term causes, such as imperialistic foreign policy, played a major role. The archduke’s assassination at the hands of Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip resulted in demands against the Kingdom of Serbia.^[5] Several alliances that had been formed over the past decades were invoked, so within weeks the major powers were at war; with all having colonies, the conflict soon spread around the world.

By the war’s end in 1918, four major imperial powers—the German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires—had been militarily and politically defeated, with the last two ceasing to exist as autonomous entities.^[6] The revolutionized Soviet Union emerged from the Russian Empire, while the map of central Europe was completely redrawn into numerous smaller states.^[7] The League of Nations was formed in the hope of preventing another such conflict. The European nationalism spawned by the war, the repercussions of Germany’s defeat, and the Treaty of Versailles would eventually lead to the beginning of World War II in 1939.^[

Causes of World War I

In the 19th century, the major European powers had gone to great lengths to maintain a “balance of power” throughout Europe, resulting by 1900 in a complex network of political and military alliances throughout the continent.^[2] These had started in 1815 with the Holy Alliance between Germany (then Prussia), Russia, and Austria–Hungary. Then, in October, 1873, German Chancellor Bismarck negotiated the League of the Three Emperors (German: Dreikaiserbund) between the monarchs of Austria–Hungary, Russia and Germany. This agreement failed because Austria–Hungary and Russia could not agree over Balkan policy, leaving Germany and Austria–Hungary in an alliance formed in 1879, called the Dual Alliance. This was seen as a method of combating Russian influence in the Balkans as the Ottoman Empire continued to weaken.^[2] In 1882, this alliance was expanded to include Italy in what became the Triple Alliance.^[9]

After 1870 European conflict was averted largely due to a carefully planned network of treaties between the German Empire and the remainder of Europe—orchestrated by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. He especially worked to hold Russia at Germany’s side to avoid a two-front war with France and Russia. With the ascension of Kaiser Wilhelm II as emperor, Bismarck’s system of alliances was gradually de-emphasized. For example, the Kaiser refused to renew the Reinsurance Treaty with Russia in 1890. Two years later the Franco-Russian Alliance was signed to counteract the force of the Triple Alliance. In 1907, the British Empire joined France and Russia, signaling the beginning of the Triple Entente.^[2]

HMS Dreadnought. A naval arms race existed between the United Kingdom and Germany.

German industrial and economic power had grown greatly after unification and the foundation of the empire in 1870. From the mid-1890s on the government of Kaiser Wilhelm II used this base to devote significant economic resources to building up the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine), established by Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, in rivalry with the British Royal Navy for world naval supremacy.^[10] As a result, both nations strove to out-build each other in terms of capital ships. With the launch of HMS Dreadnought in 1906, the British Empire expanded on its significant advantage over their German rivals.^[10] The arms race between Britain and Germany eventually extended to the rest of Europe, with all the major powers devoting their industrial base to the production of the equipment and weapons necessary for a pan-European conflict.^[11] Between 1908 and 1913, the military spending of the European powers increased by 50%.^[12]

Austria–Hungary precipitated the Bosnian crisis of 1908-1909 by officially annexing the former Ottoman territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which they had occupied since 1878. This greatly angered the Pan-Slavic and thus pro-Serbian Romanov Dynasty who ruled Russia and the Kingdom of Serbia, because Bosnia-Herzegovina contained a significant Slavic Serbian population.^[13] Russian political maneuvering in the region destabilized peace accords that were already fracturing in what was known as “the Powder keg of Europe“.^[13]

In 1912 and 1913, the First Balkan War was fought between the Balkan League and the fracturing Ottoman Empire. The resulting Treaty of London further shrank the Ottoman Empire, creating an independent Albanian State while enlarging the territorial holdings of Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece. When Bulgaria attacked both Serbia and Greece on 16 June 1913 it lost most of Macedonia to Serbia and Greece and Southern Dobruja to Romania in the 33-day Second Balkan War, further destabilizing the region.^[14]

On 28 June 1914,

Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian-Serb student and member of Young Bosnia, assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo, Bosnia.^[15] This began a period of diplomatic manoeuvering between Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, France and Britain called the July Crisis. Wanting to end Serbian interference in Bosnia conclusively, Austria–Hungary delivered the July Ultimatum to Serbia, a series of ten demands which were deliberately unacceptable, made with the intention of deliberately initiating a war with Serbia.^[16] When Serbia acceded to only eight of the ten demands levied against it in the ultimatum, Austria–Hungary declared war on Serbia on 28 July 1914. Strachan argues “Whether an equivocal and early response by Serbia would have made any difference to Austria-Hungary’s behaviour must be doubtful. Franz Ferdinand was not the sort of personality who commanded popularity, and his demise did not cast the empire into deepest mourning”.^[17]

The Russian Empire, unwilling to allow Austria–Hungary to eliminate its influence in the Balkans, and in support of its longtime Serb proteges, ordered a partial mobilization one day later.^[9] When the German Empire began to mobilize on 30 July 1914, France—sporting significant animosity over the German conquest of Alsace-Lorraine during the Franco-Prussian War—ordered French mobilization on 1 August. Germany declared war on Russia on the same day.^[18]

THE CHRONOLOGY HISTORY COLLECTIONS

On 28 June 1914,

Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian-Serb student and member of Young Bosnia, assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo, Bosnia.^[15]

This began a period of diplomatic manoeuvering between Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, France and Britain called the July Crisis. Wanting to end Serbian interference in Bosnia conclusively, Austria–Hungary delivered the July Ultimatum to Serbia, a series of ten demands which were deliberately unacceptable, made with the intention of deliberately initiating a war with Serbia.^[16] \

When Serbia acceded to only eight of the ten demands levied against it in the ultimatum, Austria–Hungary declared war on Serbia

on 28 July 1914.

Strachan argues

“Whether an equivocal and early response by Serbia would have made any difference to Austria-Hungary’s behaviour must be doubtful. Franz Ferdinand was not the sort of personality who commanded popularity, and his demise did not cast the empire into deepest mourning“.^[17]

The Russian Empire, unwilling to allow Austria–Hungary to eliminate its influence in the Balkans, and in support of its longtime Serb proteges, ordered a partial mobilization one day later.^[9]

When the German Empire began to mobilize on 30 July 1914,

France—sporting significant animosity over the German conquest of Alsace-Lorraine during the Franco-Prussian War—ordered French mobilization on 1 August. Germany declared war on Russia on the same day.^[18]

Russian infantry.

Russian forest trench

While the Western Front had reached stalemate, the war continued in East Europe. Initial Russian plans called for simultaneous invasions of Austrian Galicia and German East Prussia. Although Russia’s initial advance into Galicia was largely successful, they were driven back from East Prussia by Hindenburg and Ludendorff at Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes in August and September 1914.^[65]^[66]^[67] Russia’s less developed industrial base and ineffective military leadership was instrumental in the events that unfolded. By the spring of 1915, the Russians had retreated into Galicia, and in May the Central Powers achieved a remarkable breakthrough on Poland’s southern frontiers. On 5 August they captured Warsaw and forced the Russians to withdraw from Poland.

August 1914

August,7^th.1914

: African theatre of World War I

Some of the first clashes of the war involved British, French and German colonial forces in Africa. On 7 August, French and British troops invaded the German protectorate of Togoland.

On 10 August 1914

German forces in South-West Africa attacked South Africa; sporadic and fierce fighting continued for the remainder of the war. The German colonial forces in German East Africa, led by Colonel Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck, fought a guerilla warfare campaign for the duration of World War I and surrendered only two weeks after the armistice took effect in Europe.^[20]

August,12^th.1914

Serbian Campaign (World War I)

The Serbian army fought the Battle of Cer against the invading Austrians, beginning on 12 August, occupying defensive positions on the south side of the Drina and Sava rivers. Over the next two weeks Austrian attacks were thrown back with heavy losses, which marked the first major Allied victory of the war and dashed Austrian hopes of a swift victory.

As a result, Austria had to keep sizable forces on the Serbian front, weakening its efforts against Russia.

German soldiers in a railway goods van on the way to the front in 1914. A message on the car spells out “Trip to Paris”; early in the war all sides expected the conflict to be a short one.

In Belgium, German troops, in fear of French and Belgian guerrilla fighters, or francs-tireurs, massacred townspeople in Andenne (211 dead), Tamines (384 dead), and Dinant (612 dead). On 25 August 1914, the Germans set fire to the town of Leuven, burned the library containing about 230,000 books, killed 209 civilians and forced 42,000 to evacuate. These actions brought worldwide condemnation.^[152]

August,14^th.1914

German forces In Belgium And France

: Western Front (World War I)

the Battle of the Frontiers

(14 August–24 August).

August,30^th.1942

Asian and Pacific theatre of World War I

New Zealand occupied German Samoa (later Western Samoa) on 30 August

On September 9, 1914

the Septemberprogramm, a plan which detailed Germany’s specific war aims and the conditions that Germany sought to force upon the Allied Powers, was outlined by German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg.

Austro-Hungarian leaders believed Germany would cover its northern flank against Russia.^[19] Germany, however, envisioned Austria–Hungary directing the majority of its troops against Russia, while Germany dealt with France. This confusion forced the Austro-Hungarian Army to divide its forces between the Russian and Serbian fronts

September,11^th.1942

On 11 September the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force landed on the island of Neu Pommern (later New Britain), which formed part of German New Guinea. Japan seized Germany’s Micronesian colonies and after the Battle of Tsingtao the German coaling port of Qingdao in the Chinese Shandong peninsula. Within a few months, the Allied forces had seized all the German territories in the Pacific, only isolated commerce raiders and a few holdouts in New Guinea remained.^[21]^[22]

By 12 September 1914 ,

the French with assistance from the British forces halted the German advance east of Paris at the First Battle of the Marne (5 September–12 September). The last days of this battle signified the end of mobile warfare in the west.^[5]

In the east, only one Field Army defended East Prussia and when Russia attacked in this region it diverted German forces intended for the Western Front. Germany defeated Russia in a series of battles collectively known as the First Battle of Tannenberg (17 August – 2 September), but this diversion exacerbated problems of insufficient speed of advance from rail-heads not foreseen by the German General Staff.

The Central Powers were thereby denied a quick victory and forced to fight a war on two fronts. The German army had fought its way into a good defensive position inside France and had permanently incapacitated 230,000 more French and British troops than it had lost itself. Despite this, communications problems and questionable command decisions cost Germany the chance of obtaining an early victory.

Here’s an interesting card that illustrates a different kind of censorship in WW1.

The unit stamp at the top says “General Staff Branch, K.u.K 11th Army Command”. The card was sent by then major general Franz von Steinhart to his wife in Innsbruck.

Anyway, the censorship is on the other side of the card:

In the middle it says “i’m healthy and well” in all the languages of the empire. Around the outside is a warning that nothing else must be written on the card.

If you read info below , you can learn quite a bit about the general here:

Franz Seraphin Edler von Steinhart

SOURCE Wikipedia,

von Steinhart als Major im Jahre 1902

Top of Form

, Franz Seraphin Edler von Steinhart

(† 23 October 1949 in Innsbruck March 20, 1865 in Moravian-white churches)

He was a Lieutenant-General of the Austro-Hungarian army

The father of Franz Steinhart was a captain and artillery instructor, who resigned after the war against Prussia in retirement and with the family first moved to Graz and then to Klagenfurt.

Klagenfurt

from Steinhart visited the elementary school and the junior high school and then go to the fourth grade of the military-Realschule after Güns.

This was followed by the military high school in Moravian-white churches and the genius department of Military Academy of Technology in Vienna.

On 18 August 1885

Steinhart was a lieutenant in K.K. Genie Regiment Kaiser Franz Josef I. No. 1 and the second appointed Battalion assigned in Krakow. After four years of army service he was simultaneously promoted to lieutenant in the fall of 1889 parked at the higher genius course to Vienna and, after his graduation with honors added to the genius Directorate for Bilek. Four years later, a temporary transfer to Komarno and after the carriage was a captain in the genius bar on 1 1895 July, the transfer to the new Directorate to Przemyśl genius.

In the fortress of Przemysl was entrusted to him by the completion of Fort XIIIa and configuring Fort XIII, also it was his responsibility to build a munitions depot field.

On 16 February 1897

was the transfer of management genius of Trent, while secondment to the fortress of Riva. Here he worked on the planning of permanent fortifications, as well as on the Armierungsstraße Brione and the local agent battery.

On 1 May 1899 admixed Steinhart to the General genius inspection to Vienna, where he was in March 1901 graduated from the Staff Officer exam for the genius bar is successful and in July of the same year secondment as a teacher of the art of fortification and the Fortress War at the genius bar Department of Military University of Technology in Vienna.

On 1 November 1901 he was promoted to Major in the genius bar and the 27th July 1907, the appointment of a genius director in Klagenfurt.

On 1 May 1908

is promoted to lieutenant colonel of Steinhart while posting a genius director to Riva. Here he was responsible for responsible for the fortification systems in the border region of Vallarsa from Passo di Pian della Fugazza up to Madonna di Campiglio. Under his task was, among other things, the completion of the tank plant Monte Tombio and the supervision of work on a tank factory Carriola. The work Valmorbia in Val d’Arsa was started but could not until the beginning of the war to be completed.

On 1 November 1910

he was promoted to colonel in the genius bar and on 25 April 1914 appointed the genius director of Trent.

Here he made until the outbreak of war with Italy on 23 May 1915 for the accelerated expansion of the fortress of Trento and the fortifications at the height of Dubuque / Lavarone

Here he was on 1 November 1914

and promoted to Major General on 27 January 1915 was appointed commandant of Trent.

: Naval Warfare of World War I

The British Grand Fleet making steam for Scapa Flow, 1914

At the start of the war, the German Empire had cruisers scattered across the globe, some of which were subsequently used to attack Allied merchant shipping. The British Royal Navy systematically hunted them down, though not without some embarrassment from its inability to protect Allied shipping. For example, the German detached light cruiser SMS Emden, part of the East-Asia squadron stationed at Tsingtao, seized or destroyed 15 merchantmen, as well as sinking a Russian cruiser and a French destroyer. However, the bulk of the German East-Asia squadron—consisting of the armoured cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, light cruisers Nürnberg and Leipzig and two transport ships—did not have orders to raid shipping and was instead underway to Germany when it encountered elements of the British fleet. The German flotilla, along with Dresden, sank two armoured cruisers at the Battle of Coronel, but was almost destroyed at the Battle of the Falkland Islands in December 1914, with only Dresden and a few auxiliaries escaping, but at the Battle of Más a Tierra these too were destroyed or interned.^[36]

A battleship squadron of the Hochseeflotte at sea

Balkans Campaign (World War I), Serbian Campaign (World War I), and Macedonian front (World War I)

: Naval Warfare of World War I

The British Grand Fleet making steam for Scapa Flow, 1914

A battleship squadron of the Hochseeflotte at sea

December 1914

Russian armies generally had the best of it in the Caucasus. Enver Pasha, supreme commander of the Turkish armed forces, was ambitious and dreamed of conquering central Asia. He was, however, a poor commander.^[50] He launched an offensive against the Russians in the Caucasus in December 1914 with 100,000 troops; insisting on a frontal attack against mountainous Russian positions in winter, he lost 86% of his force at the Battle of Sarikamis.^[51]

December,12^th.1914

1914

December,12^th.1914

The part of Stamp cololecting magazine December,12^th.1914

German stamp Paper

info about War News

Pro Patria

The Belgian charity Stamps

War Mark still They Come !!

Censor Mark number

Swiss Field mark

Red Cross Stamps

1914

1d. Kangaroo, small OS, to Canada – 1914. PASSED handstamped, posted only a few weeks after teh war began.

1915

Beginning in 1915,

the Italians under Cadorna mounted eleven offensives on the Isonzo front along the Isonzo River, north-east of Trieste. All eleven offensives were repelled by the Austro-Hungarians, who held the higher ground.

The Russian commander from 1915 to 1916,

General Yudenich, drove the Turks out of most of the southern Caucasus with a string of victories.^[51]

For the first ten months of 1915,

Austria–Hungary used most of its military reserves to fight Italy. German and Austro-Hungarian diplomats, however, scored a coup by persuading Bulgaria to join in attacking Serbia. The Austro-Hungarian provinces of Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia provided troops for Austria–Hungary, invading Serbia as well as fighting Russia and Italy. Montenegro allied itself with Serbia.

The British and French opened overseas fronts with the Gallipoli (1915) and Mesopotamian campaigns. In Gallipoli, the Turks successfully repelled the British, French and Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs).

In Mesopotamia, by contrast, after the disastrous Siege of Kut (1915–16),

April 1915

Military tactics before World War I had failed to keep pace with advances in technology. These changes resulted in the building of impressive defence systems, which out-of-date tactics could not break through for most of the war. Barbed wire was a significant hindrance to massed infantry advances. Artillery, vastly more lethal than in the 1870s, coupled with machine guns, made crossing open ground very difficult.^[23] The Germans introduced poison gas; it soon became used by both sides, though it never proved decisive in winning a battle. Its effects were brutal, causing slow and painful death, and poison gas became one of the most-feared and best-remembered horrors of the war. Commanders on both sides failed to develop tactics for breaching entrenched positions without heavy casualties. In time, however, technology began to produce new offensive weapons, such as the tank.^[24] Britain and France were its primary users; the Germans employed captured Allied tanks and small numbers of their own design.

In April 1915

the Germans used chlorine gas for the first time (in violation of the Hague Convention), opening a six kilometre (four mile) hole in the Allied lines when British and French colonial troops retreated. Canadian soldiers closed the breach at the Second Battle of Ypres. At the Third Battle of Ypres, Canadian and ANZAC troops took the village of Passchendaele.

Italian Campaign (World War I)

Austro-Hungarian mountain corps in Tyrol

The Allies made a counter-offer in which Italy would receive the Alpine province of South Tyrol and territory on the Dalmatian coast after the defeat of Austria–Hungary. This was fomalised by the Treaty of London. Further encouraged by the Allied invasion of Turkey in April 1915

May,1915

Italy joined the Entente and declared war on Austria–Hungary on May 23. Fifteen months later Italy declared war on Germany.

Militarily, the Italians had numerical superiority. This advantage, however, was lost, not only because of the difficult terrain in which fighting took place, but also because of the strategies and tactics employed. Field Marshal Luigi Cadorna, a staunch proponent of the frontal assault, had dreams of breaking into the Slovenian plateau, taking Ljubljana and threatening Vienna. It was a Napoleonic plan, which had no realistic chance of success in an age of barbed wire, machine guns, and indirect artillery fire, combined with hilly and mountainous terrain

May,15 th.1915

A beauty. Mailed from Shanghai on May 15, 1915 to Jo/burg.

Recipient not there, so then re-directed TWICE within the UK. With a nice “re-posted Jo-Burg 31 July 15 cds” on back. Censor has opened again somewhere in transit, and sealed with brown plain tape. (Cover opening is on end of pink tape.)

.July 1915

censored cover WW1 to Sweden.

Some comments?
A side question how to detect the WMK on a stamp from a cover?

Faust

Watermark detection is helped by soaking off the cover. DONT on pain of a fateful death of horrors. Censored in Europe, not Australia, watermark???? Have you checked the date of mailing against the issue date….yet; first watermark printed and released 27th January, 1913, 2nd july 1915 and ignore others. Nice cover, single use , early in days of Roo’s, hope it was not the Christmas card, by the dates.

The kangaroo came from the other side of the world, but was placed upside down to feel at home. Do you know if this was a sign of any significance in Europe, at war, at this time? I have seen references (perhaps urban myths) of it being an offence in England to place a stamp of the Monarch upside down, Treason in fact?

this cover, that is was part of a larger lot at an auction 3 years ago. I am collecting for more than 25 years Australian stamps in mint condition and the ones I am missing today are very expensive so I decided to collect also pre-decimal covers and FDC´s and old postcards. This cover is one out of my collection. I can not answer your question in Belgium was this not common

In the summer of 1916,

the Italians captured the town of Gorizia. After this minor victory, the front remained static for over a year, despite several Italian offensives.

October 1915

Serbia was conquered in a little more than a month. The attack began in October,

when the Central Powers launched an offensive from the north; four days later the Bulgarians joined the attack from the east. The Serbian army, fighting on two fronts and facing certain defeat, retreated into Albania, halting only once to make a stand against the Bulgarians. The Serbs suffered defeat near modern day Gnjilane in the Battle of Kosovo.^[48]

In late 1915

a Franco-British force landed at Salonica in Greece, to offer assistance and to pressure the government to declare war against the Central Powers. Unfortunately for the Allies, the pro-German King Constantine I dismissed the pro-Allied government of Eleftherios Venizelos, before the Allied expeditionary force could arrive

The United States originally pursued a policy of isolationism,

avoiding conflict while trying to broker a peace. This resulted in increased tensions with Berlin and London. When a German U-boat sank the British liner Lusitania in 1915,

with 128 Americans aboard, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson vowed, “America is too proud to fight” and demanded an end to attacks on passenger ships. Germany complied. Wilson unsuccessfully tried to mediate a settlement. He repeatedly warned the U.S. would not tolerate unrestricted submarine warfare, in violation of international law and U.S. ideas of human rights.

Wilson was under pressure from former president Theodore Roosevelt, who denounced German acts as “piracy”.^[73]

Wilson’s desire to have a seat at negotiations at war’s end to advance the League of Nations also played a role.^[74]

Wilson’s Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan, resigned in protest at what he felt was the President’s decidedly warmongering diplomacy.

Other factors contributing to the U.S. entry into the war include the suspected German sabotage of both Black Tom in Jersey City, New Jersey, and the Kingsland Explosion in what is now Lyndhurst, New Jersey

Armenian Genocide, Assyrian Genocide, and Greek genocide

The ethnic cleansing of the Ottoman Empire’s Christian population, with the most prominent among them being the deportation and massacres of Armenians (similar policies were enacted against the Assyrians and Ottoman Greeks) during the final years of the Ottoman Empire is considered genocide.^[141] The Ottomans saw the entire Armenian population as an enemy ^[142] that had chosen to side with Russia at the beginning of the war.^[143] In early 1915 a number of Armenian nationalist groups such as the Armenakan, Dashnak and Hunchak organizations joined the Russian forces, and the Ottoman government used this as a pretext to issue the Tehcir Law which started the deportation of the Armenians from eastern Anatolia to Syria between 1915 and 1917. The exact number of deaths is unknown, although a range of 250,000 to 1.5 million is given for the deaths of Armenians.^[144] The government of Turkey has consistently rejected charges of genocide, arguing that those who died were victims of inter-ethnic fighting, famine or disease during the First World War.^[145]

1916

the WW1 cover. This cover is a very rare thing. Sent from New Guinea to Holland and then forwarded to Germany. It seems like it was using an official system to tranmit mail. It still has the original note with a translation.

There were several letters enclosed. Australian stamps used in New Guinea are very rare.(Tim)
The WWI cover is great- even more so because the transmittal letter re: original contents is still with it to explain what would otherwise look to be a mundane sending- A wonderful piece of history as well as postal history.

On the question of “undercover addresses”, there is a book , now in the third edition, covering WWII authored by Charles Entwistle that was published by Chavril Press. Thanks for sharing it.(dave)
Strange that NWPI o/prints weren’t used with the date being (I think) 1916 Still he used valid Aust. one’s and they are rare indeed from that period.

Australian OS stamps used by a German Missionary in 1916 to send mail to Germany, via Holland from New Guinea…….

Does the fact that all contents are still with it mean that it never got there?

What back stamps does it have.?

The mail route it went on would be very different – 90% of P &NG mail then seems to have gone south to Queensland or to Sydney then north again to Europe or where ever.

That censor stamp isnt Australian is it?

How do you think it got to Holland – maybe through Batavia? ( Dutch or Netherland New Guinea now Indonesia)

read more bout heinrich Zahn

FIGURE 4 The Rev. Dr. Heinrich Zahn and his band at Hocpoi, 1927. By permission of Neuendettelsau Seminary Archives, Germany. from mainly Western-based music to what remained of indigenous music. Services began to feature indigenous musical instruments. In the Anglican Church, especially at feasts, kundu-playing choirs sang and danced their way to the sanctuary, often in a version of indigenous dress. In varying proportions, worship added hymns accompanied by kundus, rattles, and conchs; newly composed hymns in local languages; and most popularly, hymns with stanzas and refrains, accompanied by one or two guitars.

2d halfpenny Second WMK to USA with nice 1916 cancel. surprisingly, NO censor markings at all.

Montenegro covered the Serbian retreat toward the Adriatic coast in the Battle of Mojkovac in 6–7 January 1916, but ultimately the Austrians conquered Montenegro, too. Serbian forces were evacuated by ship to Greece.

From 27 January 1916 to 6 March 1916

Commander of

Major General Commandant of the Defense of Steinhart section Rayon I Stelvio

February 1916

General Franz Seraphin Edler von Steinhart

When war broke out with Italy was an expansion of its area of responsibility by 26 to February 1916 continued appointment as commander of the Eastern Front of Trento.

the Rayon II Tonale.

In the trenches: Royal Irish Rifles in a communications trench on the first day on the Somme,

June 1916

The Arab Revolt (described in Seven Pillars of Wisdom) was a major cause of the Ottoman Empire‘s defeat.

The revolts started with the Battle of Mecca by Sherif Hussain of Mecca with the help of Britain in June 1916, and ended with the Ottoman surrender of Damascus.

Fakhri Pasha the Ottoman commander of Medina showed stubborn resistance for over two and half years during the Siege of Medina

Along the border of Italian Libya and British Egypt, the Senussi tribe, incited and armed by the Turks, waged a small-scale guerrilla war against Allied troops. According to Martin Gilbert’s The First World War, the British were forced to dispatch 12,000 troops to deal with the Senussi. Their rebellion was finally crushed in mid-1916.

1 July 1916.

The British Army endured the bloodiest day in its history, suffering 57,470 casualties and 19,240 dead on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Most of the casualties occurred in the first hour of the attack. The entire Somme offensive cost the British Army almost half a million men.^[26]

Neither side proved able to deliver a decisive blow for the next two years, though protracted German action at Verdun throughout 1916,^[27] combined with the bloodletting at the Somme, brought the exhausted French army to the brink of collapse. Futile attempts at frontal assault came at a high price for both the British and the French poilu (infantry) and led to widespread mutinies, especially during the Nivelle Offensive.^[28]

On the Trentino front, the Austro-Hungarians took advantage of the mountainous terrain, which favoured the defender. After an initial strategic retreat, the front remained largely unchanged, while Austrian Kaiserschützen and Standschützen (German wikipedia) engaged Italian Alpini in bitter hand-to-hand combat throughout the summer. The Austro-Hungarians counter-attacked in the Altopiano of Asiago, towards Verona and Padua, in the spring of 1916 (Strafexpedition), but made little progress.

August,27^th.1916

Allied and Russian forces were revived only temporarily with Romania‘s entry into the war on 27 August.

With the 1st November 1916

he was appointed commander of the 43rd Landwehr Infantry Brigade (at this time in the association of III. Corps at Monte Interrotto in Valsugana used), already on the 6th November, the order to the commander of the infantry troops Pusteria Division (consisting of the 96th Infantry, 21 mountain and 56 Mountain Brigade) followed. The division was responsible for the defense of the Pusteria of the Carinthian border to the Marmolada over about 100 kilometers frontline.

November,19^th.1916

December 1916

German forces came to the aid of embattled Austrian units in Transylvania and Bucharest fell to the Central Powers on 6 December. Meanwhile, unrest grew in Russia, as the Tsar remained at the front. Empress Alexandra’s increasingly incompetent rule drew protests and resulted in the murder of her favourite, Rasputin, at the end of 1916.

1916 Feldpost PPC sent by a soldier of the light infantry batallion No2 from Landshut in Bavaria to Austria, censored in Linz.

Oskar Schilling’s 2008 work “Zivilpost-Zensur in Ã–sterreich-Ungarn 1914-1918” notes that the Austro-Hungarian empire produced over 2500 different mail censorship marks during WW1. This is one of them:

1916 Feldpost PPC sent by a soldier of the light infantry batallion No2 from Landshut in Bavaria to Austria, censored in Linz.

That’s an interesting card. After Familie Buebestinger kk what does it say?

It’s difficult handwriting to decipher. It looks to me that it says “K.K. Finanz Ober Aufseher” which would make the receiver a senior supervisor in the finance ministry

!917

January 1917:

Wilhelm Victory declaration

German poster quotes Wilhelm II, lambasting the Allies for their decision to fight on.

In December 1916, after ten brutal months of the Battle of Verdun, the Germans attempted to negotiate peace with the Allies, declaring themselves the victors. U.S. President Wilson attempted to intervene, asking both sides to state their demands. The Allies, in a weak bargaining position, rebuffed the offer.^[69]

1917

January 1917

In January 1917,

after the Navy pressured the Kaiser, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare. Britain’s secret Royal Navy cryptanalytic group, Room 40, had broken the German diplomatic code. They intercepted a proposal from Berlin (the Zimmermann Telegram) to Mexico to join the war as Germany’s ally against the United States, should the U.S. join. The proposal suggested, if the U.S. were to enter the war, Mexico should declare war against the United States and enlist Japan as an ally. This would prevent the United States from joining the Allies and deploying troops to Europe, and would give Germany more time for their unrestricted submarine warfare program to strangle Britain’s vital war supplies. In return, the Germans would promise Mexico support in reclaiming Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.^[75]

February 1917

Entry Of United States

President Wilson before Congress, announcing the break in official relations with Germany on 3 February 1917

March 1917

Austrian troops executing captured Serbians in 1917.

After forced conscription of the Serbian population into the Bulgarian army in 1917, the Toplica Uprising began. Serbian rebels liberated for a short time the area between the Kopaonik mountains and the South Morava river.

The uprising was crushed by joint efforts of Bulgarian and Austrian forces at the end of March 1917.

British artillery placements in the Battle of Jerusalem (1917).

. British Imperial forces reorganised and captured Baghdad in March 1917.

Middle Eastern theatre of World War I(Ottoman empire)

In 1917,

Russian Grand Duke Nicholas assumed command of the Caucasus front. Nicholas planned a railway from Russian Georgia to the conquered territories, so that fresh supplies could be brought up for a new offensive in 1917.

March 1917

However, in March 1917, (February in the pre-revolutionary Russian calendar), the Czar was overthrown in the February Revolution and the Russian Caucasus Army began to fall apart. In this situation, the army corps of Armenian volunteer units realigned themselves under the command of General Tovmas Nazarbekian, with Dro as a civilian commissioner of the Administration for Western Armenia. The front line had three main divisions: Movses Silikyan, Andranik, and Mikhail Areshian. Another regular unit was under Colonel Korganian. There were Armenian partisan guerrilla detachments (more than 40,000^[52]) accompanying these main units.

early Red Cross card (1917)(dace)

this is not a Red Cross Card but “Bundesfeier-Postkarte”, 4 different where issued in 1917. The flags are the Swiss flag.
The 5c cards where sold for 20C.
Part of the collected money was donnated to th Red Cross.
The title of the card WohltÃ¤tigkeit, La charité, Charity. (Frederik)

a fairly grubby Post Card with Censor marks…

the Multi Ringed Blue Circular mark on the Top Post Card.
if so any info would be nice.

Russian Revolution of 1917

Vladimir Illyich Lenin

In March 1917, demonstrations in Petrograd culminated in the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and the appointment of a weak Provisional Government which shared power with the Petrograd Soviet socialists. This arrangement led to confusion and chaos both at the front and at home. The army became increasingly ineffective.

At first the Bolsheviks refused the German terms, but when Germany resumed the war and marched across Ukraine with impunity, the new government acceded to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on 3 March 1918.

It took Russia out of the war and ceded vast territories, including Finland, the Baltic provinces, parts of Poland and Ukraine to the Central Powers. The manpower required for German occupation of former Russian territory may have contributed to the failure of the Spring Offensive, however, and secured relatively little food or other war materiel.

With the Bolsheviks’ accession to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the Entente no longer existed. The Allied powers led a small-scale invasion of Russia to stop Germany from exploiting Russian resources and, to a lesser extent, to support the Whites in the Russian Civil War. Allied troops landed in Archangel and in Vladivostok

Anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire

Approximately 200,000 Germans living in Volhynia and about 600,000 Jews were deported by the Russian authorities.^[146]^[147]^[148] In 1916, an order was issued to deport around 650,000 Volga Germans to the east as well, but the Russian Revolution prevented this from being carried out.^[149] Many pogroms accompanied the Revolution of 1917 and the ensuing Russian Civil War, 60,000–200,000 civilian Jews were killed in the atrocities throughout the former Russian Empire.^[150]^[151]

April 1917

After the British revealed the telegram to the United States, President Wilson, who had won reelection on his keeping the country out of the war, released the captured telegram as a way of building support for U.S. entry into the war. He had previously claimed neutrality, while calling for the arming of U.S. merchant ships delivering munitions to combatant Britain and quietly supporting the British blockading of German ports and mining of international waters, preventing the shipment of food from America and elsewhere to combatant Germany. After submarines sank seven U.S. merchant ships and the publication of the Zimmerman telegram, Wilson called for war on Germany, which the U.S. Congress declared on 6 April 1917.^[76]

African-American soldiers marching in France.^[77]

Crucial to U.S. participation was the sweeping domestic propaganda campaign executed by the Committee on Public Information overseen by George Creel. The campaign included tens of thousands of government-selected community leaders giving brief carefully scripted pro-war speeches at thousands of public gatherings. Along with other branches of government and private vigilante groups like the American Protective League, it also included the general repression and harassment of people either opposed to American entry into the war or of German heritage. Other forms of propaganda included newsreels, photos, large-print posters (designed by several well-known illustrators of the day, including Louis D. Fancher and Henry Reuterdahl), magazine and newspaper articles, etc.

August 1917

The only previously held by them acting command of the division was the final designation on 23 August 1917, the unit in the 49th Infantry Division was renamed troops.

In the autumn of 1917,

thanks to the improving situation on the Eastern front, the Austrians received large numbers of reinforcements, including German Stormtroopers and the elite Alpenkorps. The Central Powers launched a crushing offensive on 26 October 1917, spearheaded by the Germans. They achieved a victory at Caporetto. The Italian army was routed and retreated more than 100 km (60 miles) to reorganise, stabilizing the front at the Piave River. Since in the Battle of Caporetto Italian Army had heavy losses, the Italian Government called to arms the so called ’99 Boys (Ragazzi del ’99), that is, all males who were 18 years old.

On 1 November 1917

had been appointed by the Lieutenant-Steinhart.

By the end of the war he commanded the 49th Infantry Division troops in Madonna di Campiglio to Val di Concei.

Western Front (World War I)

Canadian troops advancing behind a British Mark II tank at the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

A French assault on German positions. Champagne, France, 1917.

Throughout 1915–17, the British Empire and France suffered more casualties than Germany, due both to the strategic and tactical stances chosen by the sides. At the strategic level, while the Germans only mounted a single main offensive at Verdun, the Allies made several attempts to break through German lines. At the tactical level, Ludendorff’s defensive doctrine of “elastic defense” was well suited for trench warfare. This defense had a relatively lightly defended forward position and a more powerful main position farther back beyond artillery range, from which an immediate and powerful counter-offensive could be launched.^[29]^[30]

Ludendorff wrote on the fighting in 1917, “The 25th of August concluded the second phase of the Flanders battle. It had cost us heavily. … The costly August battles in Flanders and at Verdun imposed a heavy strain on the Western troops. In spite of all the concrete protection they seemed more or less powerless under the enormous weight of the enemy’s artillery. At some points they no longer displayed the firmness which I, in common with the local commanders, had hoped for. The enemy managed to adapt himself to our method of employing counter attacks… I myself was being put to a terrible strain. The state of affairs in the West appeared to prevent the execution of our plans elsewhere. Our wastage had been so high as to cause grave misgivings, and had exceeded all expectation.”^[31]

On the battle of the Menin Road Ridge Ludendorff wrote: “Another terrific assault was made on our lines on the 20 September…. The enemy’s onslaught on the 20th was successful, which proved the superiority of the attack over the defence. Its strength did not consist in the tanks; we found them inconvenient, but put them out of action all the same. The power of the attack lay in the artillery, and in the fact that ours did not do enough damage to the hostile infantry as they were assembling, and above all, at the actual time of the assault.”^[32]

Officers and senior enlisted men of the Bermuda Militia Artillery‘s Bermuda Contingent, Royal Garrison Artillery, in Europe.

Around 1.1 to 1.2 million soldiers from the British and Dominion armies were on the Western Front at any one time^[33] A thousand battalions, occupying sectors of the line from the North Sea to the Orne River, operated on a month-long four-stage rotation system, unless an offensive was underway. The front contained over 9,600 kilometres (5,965 mi) of trenches. Each battalion held its sector for about a week before moving back to support lines and then further back to the reserve lines before a week out-of-line, often in the Poperinge or Amiens areas.

In the 1917 Battle of Arras the only significant British military success was the capture of Vimy Ridge by the Canadian Corps under Sir Arthur Currie and Julian Byng. The assaulting troops were able for the first time to overrun, rapidly reinforce and hold the ridge defending the coal-rich Douai plain.^[34]^[35]

December 1917

Further to the west, in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, initial British setbacks were overcome when Jerusalem was captured in December 1917

. In 1917,

the U.S. Congress gave U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans when they were drafted to participate in World War I, as part of the Jones Act. Germany had miscalculated, believing it would be many more months before they would arrive and that the arrival could be stopped by U-boats.^[78]

M1905 Howitzer used by Allied Forces

The United States Navy sent a battleship group to Scapa Flow to join with the British Grand Fleet, destroyers to Queenstown, Ireland and submarines to help guard convoys. Several regiments of U.S. Marines were also dispatched to France. The British and French wanted U.S. units used to reinforce their troops already on the battle lines and not waste scarce shipping on bringing over supplies. The U.S. rejected the first proposition and accepted the second. General John J. Pershing, American Expeditionary Force (AEF) commander, refused to break up U.S. units to be used as reinforcements for British Empire and French units. As an exception, he did allow African-American combat regiments to be used in French divisions. The Harlem Hellfighters fought as part of the French 16th Division, earning a unit Croix de Guerre for their actions at Chateau-Thierry, Belleau Wood and Sechault.^[79] AEF doctrine called for the use of frontal assaults, which had long since been discarded by British Empire and French commanders because of the large loss of life.^[80]

Technology during World War I and Weapons of World War I

Armoured cars

The First World War began as a clash of 20th century technology and 19th century tactics, with inevitably large casualties. By the end of 1917, however, the major armies, now numbering millions of men, had modernised and were making use of telephone, wireless communication,^[109] armoured cars, tanks,^[110] and aircraft. Infantry formations were reorganised, so that 100-man companies were no longer the main unit of maneuver. Instead, squads of 10 or so men, under the command of a junior NCO, were favoured. Artillery also underwent a revolution.

In 1914, cannons were positioned in the front line and fired directly at their targets. By 1917, indirect fire with guns (as well as mortars and even machine guns) was commonplace, using new techniques for spotting and ranging, notably aircraft and the often overlooked field telephone. Counter-battery missions became commonplace, also, and sound detection was used to locate enemy batteries.

Germany was far ahead of the Allies in utilizing heavy indirect fire. She employed 150 and 210 mm howitzers in 1914 when the typical French and British guns were only 75 and 105 mm. The British had a 6 inch (152 mm) howitzer, but it was so heavy it had to be assembled for firing. Germans also fielded Austrian 305 mm and 420 mm guns, and already by the beginning of the war had inventories of various calibers of Minenwerfer ideally suited for trench warfare.^[111]

Much of the combat involved trench warfare, where hundreds often died for each yard gained. Many of the deadliest battles in history occurred during the First World War. Such battles include Ypres, the Marne, Cambrai, the Somme, Verdun, and Gallipoli. The Haber process of nitrogen fixation was employed to provide the German forces with a constant supply of gunpowder, in the face of British naval blockade.^[112] Artillery was responsible for the largest number of casualties^[113] and consumed vast quantities of explosives. The large number of head-wounds caused by exploding shells and fragmentation forced the combatant nations to develop the modern steel helmet, led by the French, who introduced the Adrian helmet in 1915. It was quickly followed by the Brodie helmet, worn by British Imperial and U.S. troops, and in 1916 by the distinctive German Stahlhelm, a design, with improvements, still in use today.

The widespread use of chemical warfare was a distinguishing feature of the conflict. Gases used included chlorine, mustard gas and phosgene. Few war casualties were caused by gas,^[114] as effective countermeasures to gas attacks were quickly created, such as gas masks. The use of chemical warfare and small-scale strategic bombing were both outlawed by the 1907 Hague Conventions, and both proved to be of limited effectiveness,^[115] though they captured the public imagination.^[116]

The most powerful land-based weapons were railway guns weighing hundreds of tons apiece. These were nicknamed Big Berthas, even though the namesake was not a railway gun. Germany developed the Paris Gun, able to bombard Paris from over 100 km (60 mi), though shells were relatively light at 94 kilograms (210 lb). While the Allies had railway guns, German models severely out-ranged and out-classed them.

RAF Sopwith Camel.

Fixed-wing aircraft were first used militarily by the Italians in Libya 23 October 1911 during the Italo-Turkish War for reconnaissance, soon followed by the dropping of grenades and aerial photography the next year. By 1914 the military utility was obvious. They were initially used for reconnaissance and ground attack. To shoot down enemy planes, anti-aircraft guns and fighter aircraft were developed. Strategic bombers were created, principally by the Germans and British, though the former used Zeppelins as well. Towards the end of the conflict, aircraft carriers were used for the first time, with HMS Furious launching Sopwith Camels in a raid to destroy the Zeppelin hangars at Tondern in 1918.

German U-boats (submarines) were deployed after the war began. Alternating between restricted and unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic, they were employed by the Kaiserliche Marine in a strategy to deprive the British Isles of vital supplies. The deaths of British merchant sailors and the seeming invulnerability of U-boats led to the development of depth charges (1916), hydrophones (passive sonar, 1917), blimps, hunter-killer submarines (HMS R-1, 1917), forward-throwing anti-submarine weapons, and dipping hydrophones (the latter two both abandoned in 1918).^[117] To extend their operations, the Germans proposed supply submarines (1916). Most of these would be forgotten in the interwar period until World War II revived the need.

British Army Vickers machine gun.

Trenches, machineguns, air reconnaissance, barbed wire, and modern artillery with fragmentation shells helped bring the battle lines of World War I to a stalemate. The British sought a solution with the creation of the tank and mechanised warfare. The first tanks were used during the Battle of the Somme on 15 September 1916. Mechanical reliability became an issue, but the experiment proved its worth. Within a year, the British were fielding tanks by the hundreds and showed their potential during the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917, by breaking the Hindenburg Line, while combined arms teams captured 8000 enemy soldiers and 100 guns. Light automatic weapons also were introduced, such as the Lewis Gun and Browning automatic rifle.

Manned observation balloons, floating high above the trenches, were used as stationary reconnaissance platforms, reporting enemy movements and directing artillery. Balloons commonly had a crew of two, equipped with parachutes.^[118] If there was an enemy air attack, the crew could parachute to safety. At the time, parachutes were too heavy to be used by pilots of aircraft (with their marginal power output) and smaller versions would not be developed until the end of the war; they were also opposed by British leadership, who feared they might promote cowardice.^[119] Recognised for their value as observation platforms, balloons were important targets of enemy aircraft.

Johnson’s Nieuport 11 armed with Le Prieur rockets for attacking observation balloons

To defend against air attack, they were heavily protected by antiaircraft guns and patrolled by friendly aircraft; to attack them, unusual weapons such as air-to-air rockets were even tried. Blimps and balloons contributed to air-to-air combat among aircraft, because of their reconnaissance value, and to the trench stalemate, because it was impossible to move large numbers of troops undetected. The Germans conducted air raids on England during 1915 and 1916 with airships, hoping to damage British morale and cause aircraft to be diverted from the front lines. The resulting panic took several squadrons of fighters from France.^[119]

Another new weapon, flamethrowers, were first used by the German army and later adopted by other forces. Although not of high tactical value, they were a powerful, demoralizing weapon and caused terror on the battlefield. It was a dangerous weapon to wield, as its heavy weight made operators vulnerable targets.

Trench railways evolved to supply the enormous quantities of food, water, and ammunition required to support large numbers of soldiers in areas where conventional transportation systems had been destroyed. A trench railway system was included in construction of the Maginot Line, but internal combustion engines and improved traction systems for wheeled vehicles rendered trench railways obsolete within a decade.

1918

Photographic documentation of combat

Events of 1917 proved decisive in ending the war, although their effects were not fully felt until 1918. The British naval blockade began to have a serious impact on Germany. In response, in February 1917, the German General Staff convinced Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg to declare unrestricted submarine warfare, with the goal of starving Britain out of the war. Tonnage sunk rose above 500,000 tons per month from February to July. It peaked at 860,000 tons in April. After July, the reintroduced convoy system became extremely effective in neutralizing the U-boat threat. Britain was safe from starvation and German industrial output fell.

Haut-Rhin, France, 1917

On 3 May 1917 during the Nivelle Offensive the weary French 2nd Colonial Division, veterans of the Battle of Verdun, refused their orders, arriving drunk and without their weapons. Their officers lacked the means to punish an entire division, and harsh measures were not immediately implemented. There upon the mutinies afflicted 54 French divisions and saw 20,000 men desert. The other Allied forces attacked but sustained tremendous casualties.^[70] However, appeals to patriotism and duty, as well as mass arrests and trials, encouraged the soldiers to return to defend their trenches, although the French soldiers refused to participate in further offensive action.^[71] Robert Nivelle was removed from command by 15 May, replaced by General Philippe Pétain, who suspended bloody large-scale attacks.

The victory of Austria–Hungary and Germany at the Battle of Caporetto led the Allies at the Rapallo Conference to form the Supreme War Council to coordinate planning. Previously, British and French armies had operated under separate commands.

In December, the Central Powers signed an armistice with Russia. This released troops for use in the west. Ironically, German troop transfers could have been greater if their territorial acquisitions had not been so dramatic. With German reinforcements and new American troops pouring in, the outcome was to be decided on the Western front. The Central Powers knew that they could not win a protracted war, but they held high hopes for a quick offensive. Furthermore, the leaders of the Central Powers and the Allies became increasingly fearful of social unrest and revolution in Europe. Thus, both sides urgently sought a decisive victory.^[72]

The Egyptian Expeditionary Force, under Field Marshal Edmund Allenby, broke the Ottoman forces at the Battle of Megiddo in September 1918.

June 1918

German Spring Spring Offensive of 1918

For most of World War I, Allied forces were stalled at trenches on the Western Front

German General Erich Ludendorff drew up plans (codenamed Operation Michael) for the 1918 offensive on the Western Front. The Spring Offensive sought to divide the British and French forces with a series of feints and advances. The German leadership hoped to strike a decisive blow before significant U.S. forces arrived. The operation commenced on 21 March 1918 with an attack on British forces near Amiens. German forces achieved an unprecedented advance of 60 kilometers (40 miles).^[81]

British and French trenches were penetrated using novel infiltration tactics, also named Hutier tactics, after General Oskar von Hutier. Previously, attacks had been characterised by long artillery bombardments and massed assaults. However, in the Spring Offensive of 1918, Ludendorff used artillery only briefly and infiltrated small groups of infantry at weak points. They attacked command and logistics areas and bypassed points of serious resistance. More heavily armed infantry then destroyed these isolated positions. German success relied greatly on the element of surprise.^[82]

The front moved to within 120 kilometers (75 mi) of Paris. Three heavy Krupp railway guns fired 183 shells on the capital, causing many Parisians to flee. The initial offensive was so successful that Kaiser Wilhelm II declared 24 March a national holiday. Many Germans thought victory was near. After heavy fighting, however, the offensive was halted. Lacking tanks or motorised artillery, the Germans were unable to consolidate their gains. This situation was not helped by the supply lines now being stretched as a result of their advance.^[83] The sudden stop was also a result of the four AIF (Australian Imperial Forces) divisions that were “rushed” down, thus doing what no other army had done and stopping the German advance in its tracks. During that time the first Australian division was hurriedly sent north again to stop the second German breakthrough.

British 55th (West Lancashire) Division troops blinded by tear gas during the Battle of Estaires, 10 April 1918

American divisions, which Pershing had sought to field as an independent force, were assigned to the depleted French and British Empire commands on 28 March. A Supreme War Council of Allied forces was created at the Doullens Conference on 5 November 1917.^[84] General Foch was appointed as supreme commander of the allied forces. Haig, Petain and Pershing retained tactical control of their respective armies; Foch assumed a coordinating role, rather than a directing role and the British, French and U.S. commands operated largely independently.^[84]

Following Operation Michael, Germany launched Operation Georgette against the northern English channel ports. The Allies halted the drive with limited territorial gains for Germany. The German Army to the south then conducted Operations Blücher and Yorck, broadly towards Paris. Operation Marne was launched on 15 July, attempting to encircle Reims and beginning the Second Battle of the Marne. The resulting counterattack, starting the Hundred Days Offensive, marked their first successful Allied offensive of the war.

By 20 July the Germans were back across the Marne at their Kaiserschlacht starting lines,^[85] having achieved nothing. Following this last phase of the war in the West, the German Army never again regained the initiative. German casualties between March and April 1918 were 270,000, including many highly trained stormtroops.

Meanwhile, Germany was falling apart at home. Anti-war marches become frequent and morale in the army fell. Industrial output was 53% of 1913 levels.

In 1918,

the internationally recognized Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Democratic Republic of Armenia and Democratic Republic of Georgia bordering the Ottoman Empire and Russian Empire were established, as well as the unrecognized Centrocaspian Dictatorship and South West Caucasian Republic. Later, these unrecognized states were eliminated by Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Further information: [[Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire]]

In 1918, the Dashnaks of the Armenian national liberation movement declared the Democratic Republic of Armenia (DRA) through the Armenian Congress of Eastern Armenians (unified form of Armenian National Councils) after the dissolution of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic. Tovmas Nazarbekian became the first Commander-in-chief of the DRA. Enver Pasha ordered the creation of a new army to be named the Army of Islam. He ordered the Army of Islam into the DRA, with the goal of taking Baku on the Caspian Sea. This new offensive was strongly opposed by the Germans. In early May 1918, the Ottoman army attacked the newly declared DRA. Although the Armenians managed to inflict one defeat on the Ottomans at the Battle of Sardarapat, the Ottoman army won a later battle and scattered the Armenian army. The Republic of Armenia signed the Treaty of Batum in June 1918.^[86]

September 1918

Allied Victory 1918

Hundred Days Offensive and Weimar Republic

U.S. engineers returning from the front during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel in September 1918

The Allied counteroffensive, known as the Hundred Days Offensive, began on 8 August 1918. The Battle of Amiens developed with III Corps Fourth British Army on the left, the First French Army on the right, and the Australian and Canadian Corps spearheading the offensive in the centre through Harbonnières.^[87]^[88] It involved 414 tanks of the Mark IV and Mark V type, and 120,000 men. They advanced 12 kilometers (7 miles) into German-held territory in just seven hours. Erich Ludendorff referred to this day as the “Black Day of the German army”.^[87]^[89]

The Australian-Canadian spearhead at Amiens, a battle that was the beginning of Germany’s downfall,^[90] helped pull the British armies to the north and the French armies to the south forward. While German resistance on the British Fourth Army front at Amiens stiffened, after an advance as far as 14 miles (23 km) and concluded the battle there, the French Third Army lengthened the Amiens front on 10 August, when it was thrown in on the right of the French First Army, and advanced 4 miles (6 km) liberating Lassigny in fighting which lasted until the 16th. South of the French Third Army, General Charles Mangin (The Butcher) drove his French Tenth Army forward at Soissons on 20 August to capture eight thousand prisoners, two hundred guns and the Aisne heights overlooking and menacing the German position north of the Vesle.^[91] Another “Black day” as described by Ludendorff.

Meanwhile General Byng of the Third British Army, reporting that the enemy on his front was thinning in a limited withdrawal, was ordered to attack with 200 tanks toward Bapaume, opening what is known as the Battle of Albert with the specific orders of “To break the enemy’s front, in order to outflank the enemies present battle front” (opposite the British Fourth Army at Amiens).^[32] Allied leaders had now realized that to continue an attack after resistance had hardened was a waste of lives and it was better to turn a line than to try and roll over it. Attacks were being undertaken in quick order to take advantage of the successful advances on the flanks and then broken off when that attack lost its initial impetus.^[91]

The British Third Army’s 15-mile (24 km) front north of Albert progressed after stalling for a day against the main resistance line to which the enemy had withdrawn.^[92] Rawlinson’s Fourth British Army was able to battle its left flank forward between Albert and the Somme straightening the line between the advanced positions of the Third Army and the Amiens front which resulted in recapturing Albert at the same time.^[91] On 26 August the British First Army on the left of the Third Army was drawn into the battle extending it northward to beyond Arras. The Canadian Corps already being back in the vanguard of the First Army fought their way from Arras eastward 5 miles (8 km) astride the heavily defended Arras-Cambrai before reaching the outer defenses of the Hindenburg line, breaching them on the 28th and 29th. Bapaume fell on the 29th to the New Zealand Division of the Third Army and the Australians, still leading the advance of the Fourth Army, were again able to push forward at Amiens to take Peronne and Mont St. Quentin on August 31. Further south the French First and Third Armies had slowly fought forward while the Tenth Army, who had by now crossed the Ailette and was east of the Chemin des Dames, was now near to the Alberich position of the Hindenburg line.^[93] During the last week of August the pressure along a 70-mile (113 km) front against the enemy was heavy and unrelenting. From German accounts, “Each day was spent in bloody fighting against an ever and again on-storming enemy, and nights passed without sleep in retirements to new lines.”^[91] Even to the north in Flanders the British Second and Fifth Armies during August and September were able to make progress taking prisoners and positions that were previously denied them.^[93]

Close-up view of an American major in the basket of an observation balloon flying over territory near front lines.

On 2 September the Canadian Corps outflanking of the Hindenburg line, with the breaching of the Wotan Position, made it possible for the Third Army to advance and sent repercussions all along the Western Front. That same day OHL had no choice but to issue orders to six armies for withdrawal back into the Hindenburg line in the south, behind the Canal Du Nord on the Canadian-First Army’s front and back to a line east of the Lys in the north, giving up without a fight the salient seized in the previous April.^[94] According to Ludendorff “We had to admit the necessity…to withdraw the entire front from the Scarpe to the Vesle.”^[95]

In nearly four weeks of fighting since 8 August over 100,000 German prisoners were taken, 75,000 by the BEF and the rest by the French. Since “The Black Day of the German Army” the German High Command realized the war was lost and made attempts for a satisfactory end. The day after the battle Ludenforff told Colonel Mertz “We cannot win the war any more, but we must not lose it either.” On 11 August he offered his resignation to the Kaiser, who refused it and replied, “I see that we must strike a balance. We have nearly reached the limit of our powers of resistance. The war must be ended.” On 13 August at Spa, Hindenburg, Ludendorff, Chancellor and Foreign minister Hintz agreed that the war could not be ended militarily and on the following day the German Crown Council decided victory in the field was now most improbable. Austria and Hungary warned that they could only continue the war until December and Ludendorff recommended immediate peace negotiations, to which the Kaiser responded by instructing Hintz to seek the Queen of Holland’s mediation. Prince Rupprecht warned Prince Max of Baden “Our military situation has deteriorated so rapidly that I no longer believe we can hold out over the winter; it is even possible that a catastrophe will come earlier.” On 10 September Hindenburg urged peace moves to Emperor Charles of Austria and Germany appealed to Holland for mediation. On the 14th Austria sent a note to all belligerents and neutrals suggesting a meeting for peace talks on neutral soil and on 15 September Germany made a peace offer to Belgium. Both peace offers were rejected and on 24 September OHL informed the leaders in Berlin that armistice talks were inevitable.^[93]

September saw the Germans continuing to fight strong rear guard actions and launching numerous counter attacks on lost positions, with only a few succeeding and then only temporarily. Contested towns, villages, heights and trenches in the screening positions and outposts of the Hindenburg Line continued to fall to the Allies as well as thousands of prisoners, with the BEF alone taking 30,441 in the last week of September. Further small advances eastward would follow the Third Army victory at Ivincourt on 12 September, the Fourth Armies at Epheny on the 18th and the French gain of Essigny-le-Grand a day later. On the 24th a final assault by both the British and French on a four mile (6 km) front would come within two miles (3 km) of St. Quentin.^[93] With the outposts and preliminary defensive lines of the Siegfried and Alberich Positions eliminated the Germans were now completely back in the Hindenburg line. With the Wotan position of that line already breached and the Siegfried position in danger of being turned from the north the time had now come for an assault on the whole length of the line.

The Allied attack on the Hindenburg Line began on 26 September. A total of 260,000 U.S. soldiers went “over the top”. All initial objectives were captured; the U.S. 79th Infantry Division, which met stiff resistance at Montfaucon, took an extra day to capture its objective. The U.S. Army stalled due to supply problems because its inexperienced headquarters had to cope with large units and a difficult landscape.^[96] The following week cooperating French and American units broke through in Champagne at the Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge, forcing the Germans off the commanding heights, and closing towards the Belgian frontier.^[97] The last Belgian town to be liberated before the armistice was Ghent, which the Germans held as a pivot until Allied artillery was brought up.^[98]^[99] The German army had to shorten its front and use the Dutch frontier as an anchor to fight rear-guard actions.

When Bulgaria signed a separate armistice on 29 September, the Allies gained control of Serbia and Greece. Ludendorff, having been under great stress for months, suffered something similar to a breakdown. It was evident that Germany could no longer mount a successful defence.^[100]^[101]

Meanwhile, news of Germany’s impending military defeat spread throughout the German armed forces. The threat of mutiny was rife. Admiral Reinhard Scheer and Ludendorff decided to launch a last attempt to restore the “valour” of the German Navy. Knowing the government of Prince Maximilian of Baden would veto any such action, Ludendorff decided not to inform him. Nonetheless, word of the impending assault reached sailors at Kiel. Many rebelled and were arrested, refusing to be part of a naval offensive which they believed to be suicidal. Ludendorff took the blame—the Kaiser dismissed him on 26 October. The collapse of the Balkans meant that Germany was about to lose its main supplies of oil and food. The reserves had been used up, but U.S. troops kept arriving at the rate of 10,000 per day.^[102]

Having suffered over 6 million casualties, Germany moved toward peace. Prince Max von Baden took charge of a new government as Chancellor of Germany to negotiate with the Allies. Telegraphic negotiations with President Wilson began immediately, in the vain hope that better terms would be offered than by the British and French. Instead Wilson demanded the abdication of the Kaiser. There was no resistance when the social democrat Philipp Scheidemann on 9 November declared Germany to be a republic. Imperial Germany was dead; a new Germany had been born: the Weimar Republic.^[103]

September ,29^th.1918

The Bulgarians suffered their only defeat of the war at the Battle of Dobro Pole but days later, they decisively defeated British and Greek forces at the Battle of Doiran, avoiding occupation. Bulgaria signed an armistice on 29 September 1918.

In 1918,

the Austro-Hungarians failed to break through, in a series of battles on the Asiago Plateau, finally being decisively defeated in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto in October of that year. Austria–Hungary surrendered in early November 1918.^[54]^[55]^[56]

Fighting In India

The war began with an unprecedented outpouring of loyalty and goodwill towards the United Kingdom from within the mainstream political leadership, contrary to initial British fears of an Indian revolt. India under British rule contributed greatly to the British war effort by providing men and resources. This was done by the Indian Congress in hope of achieving self-government as India was very much under the control of the British. The United Kingdom disappointed the Indians by not providing self-governance, leading to the Gandhian Era in Indian history. About 1.3 million Indian soldiers and labourers served in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, while both the Indian government and the princes sent large supplies of food, money, and ammunition. In all 140,000 men served on the Western Front and nearly 700,000 in the Middle East. Casualties of Indian soldiers totaled 47,746 killed and 65,126 wounded during World War I.^[57]

Bengal and Punjab remained hotbeds of anti-colonial activities. Terrorism in Bengal, increasingly closely linked with the unrests in Punjab, was significant enough to nearly paralyse the regional administration. Also from the beginning of the war, expatriate Indian population, notably in Germany, United States and Canada, headed by the Indian Independence Committee and the Ghadar Party respectively, attempted to trigger insurrections in India on the lines of the 1857 uprising with Irish Republican, German and Turkish help in a great conspiracy that has since become known as the Hindu German conspiracy. The conspiracy also made attempts to rally the Amir of Afghanistan against British India, starting a political process in that country that culminated three years later in the assassination of Amir Habibullah and precipitation of the Third Anglo-Afghan war. A number of failed attempts at mutiny were made in India, of which the February mutiny plan and the Singapore mutiny remain most notable. This movement was suppressed by means of a vast international counterintelligence operation and draconian political acts (including the Defence of India act 1915) that lasted nearly ten years.^[58]^[59]^[60]

The Ghadarites also attempted to organise incursions from the western border of India, recruiting Indian prisoners of war from Turkey, Germany, Mesopotamia. Ghadarite rebels, led by Sufi Amba Prasad, fought along with Turkish forces in Iran and in Turkey. Plans were made in Constantinopole to organise a campaign from Persia, through Baluchistan, to Punjab. These forces were involved skirmishes that captured the frontier city of Karman, taking into custody the British consul. Percy Sykes‘s campaign in Persia was directed mostly against these composite forces. It was at this time that the Aga Khan and his brother were recruited into the British War effort. However, the Aga Khan’s brother was captured and shot dead by the rebels, who also successfully harassed British Forces in Sistan in Afghanistan, confining British forces to Karamshir in Baluchistan, later moving towards Karachi. They were able to take control of the coastal towns of Gawador and Dawar. The Baluchi chief of Bampur, having declared his independence from the British rule, also joined the Ghadarite forces. It was not before the war in Europe turned for the worse for Turkey and Baghdad was captured by the British forces that the Ghadarite forces, their supply lines starved, were finally dislodged. They retreated to regroup at Shiraz, where they were finally defeated after a bitter fight. Amba Prasad Sufi was killed in this battle. The Ghadarites carried on guerrilla warfare along with the Iranian partisans till 1919.^[61]^[62]^[63]^[64]

Although the conflict in India was not explicitly a part of the First World War, it was part of the wider strategic context. The British attempt to subjugate the rebelling tribal leaders drew away much needed troops from other theaters, in particular, of course, the Western Front, where the real decisive victory would be made.

The reason some Indian and Afghani tribes rose up simply came down to years of discontent which erupted, probably not coincidentally, during the First World War. It is likely that the tribal leaders were aware that Britain would not be able to field the required men, in terms of either number or quality, but underestimated the strategic importance of India to the British. Despite being far from the epicenter of the conflict, India provided a bounty of men for the fronts. Its produce was also needed for the British war effort and many trade routes running to other profitable areas of the Empire ran through India. Therefore, although the British were not able to send the men that they wanted, they were able to send enough to mount a gradual but effective counter-guerrilla war against the tribesmen. The fighting continued into 1919 and in some areas lasted even longer.

October 1948

Armiestices and Capitulations

In the forest of Compiègne after agreeing to the armistice that ended the war, Foch is seen second from the right. The carriage seen in the background, where the armistice was signed, later was chosen as the symbolic setting of Pétain’s June 1940 armistice. It was moved to Berlin as a prize, but due to Allied bombing it was eventually moved to Crawinkel, Thuringia, where it was deliberately destroyed by SS troops in 1945^[104].

The collapse of the Central Powers came swiftly. Bulgaria was the first to sign an armistice on 29 September 1918 at Saloniki.^[105] On 30 October the Ottoman Empire capitulated at Mudros.^[105]

On 24 October the Italians began a push which rapidly recovered territory lost after the Battle of Caporetto. This culminated in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, which marked the end of the Austro-Hungarian Army as an effective fighting force. The offensive also triggered the disintegration of Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the last week of October declarations of independence were made in Budapest, Prague and Zagreb. On 29 October, the imperial authorities asked Italy for an armistice. But the Italians continued advancing, reaching Trento, Udine and Trieste. On 3 November Austria–Hungary sent a flag of truce to ask for an Armistice. The terms, arranged by telegraph with the Allied Authorities in Paris, were communicated to the Austrian Commander and accepted. The Armistice with Austria was signed in the Villa Giusti, near Padua, on 3 November. Austria and Hungary signed separate armistices following the overthrow of the Habsburg monarchy.

Following the outbreak of the German Revolution, a republic was proclaimed on 9 November. The Kaiser fled to the Netherlands. On 11 November an armistice with Germany was signed in a railroad carriage at Compiègne. At 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918—”the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month”—a ceasefire came into effect. Opposing armies on the Western Front began to withdraw from their positions. Canadian Private George Lawrence Price is traditionally regarded as the last soldier killed in the Great War: he was shot by a German sniper at 10:57 and died at 10:58.^[106]

In November 1918

the Allies had ample supplies of men and materiel; continuation of the war would have meant the invasion of Germany. Berlin was almost 900 miles (1,400 km) from the Western Front; no Allied soldier had ever set foot on German soil in anger, and the Kaiser’s armies retreated from the battlefield in good order, though up to a million of them were suffering from the Spanish Flu and unfit to fight. Hindenburgh and other senior German leaders spread the story that their armies had not really been defeated, resulting in the stab-in-the-back legend.^[107]^[108]

A formal state of war between the two sides persisted for another seven months, until signing of the Treaty of Versailles with Germany on 28 June 1919. Later treaties with Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire were signed. However, the latter treaty with the Ottoman Empire was followed by strife (the Turkish Independence War) and a final peace treaty was signed between the Allied Powers and the country that would shortly become the Republic of Turkey, at Lausanne on 24 July 1923.

Some war memorials date the end of the war as being when the Versailles treaty was signed in 1919; by contrast, most commemorations of the war’s end concentrate on the armistice of 11 November 1918. Legally the last formal peace treaties were not signed until the Treaty of Lausanne. Under its terms, the Allied forces divested Constantinople on 23 August 1923.

1918

The Sgt J Merelie who received the two cards above was my wife’s great grandfather Joe(courtecy peter)

: Surviving veterans of World War I,

World War I casualties, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and American Battle Monuments Commission

The First Contingent of the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps to the 1 Lincolns, training in Bermuda for the Western Front, Winter 1914-15. One in four survived the war.

The soldiers of the war were initially volunteers, except for Italy, but increasingly were conscripted into service. Britain’s Imperial War Museum has collected more than 2,500 recordings of soldiers’ personal accounts and selected transcripts, edited by military author Max Arthur, have been published. The museum believes that historians have not taken full account of this material and accordingly has made the full archive of recordings available to authors and researchers.^[120] Surviving veterans, returning home, often found that they could only discuss their experiences amongst themselves. Grouping together, they formed “veteran’s associations” or “Legions”, as listed at Category:Veterans’ organizations

On 4 -November 1918

Leutenant General Steinhart

in Italian prisoner of war

look the POW Postcard from

The Intalian POW Camp,

from the 24th as he Kriegsinvalider on Was released in June 1919th

On 1 September 1919,

he was forced to retire.

He was married to Valerie Noble of Steinhart (15 May 1878 to 22 August 1971). His son Franz Edler von Steinhart Hantken fell Major iG as the German Wehrmacht on 29 June 1944 in Russia.

including the sad fact that he outlived his son, a major in the wehrmacht, who fell in 1944 in Russia.

At the time of writing this card, he commanded the 49th Infantry Division defending the Carinthian border against the italians.

Prisoner Of War

This photograph shows an emaciated Indian Army soldier who survived the Siege of Kut

About 8 million men surrendered and were held in POW camps during the war. All nations pledged to follow the Hague Convention on fair treatment of prisoners of war. A POW’s rate of survival was generally much higher than their peers at the front.^[121] Individual surrenders were uncommon. Large units usually surrendered en masse. At the Battle of Tannenberg 92,000 Russians surrendered. When the besieged garrison of Kaunas surrendered in 1915, 20,000 Russians became prisoners. Over half of Russian losses were prisoners (as a proportion of those captured, wounded or killed); for Austria 32%, for Italy 26%, for France 12%, for Germany 9%; for Britain 7%. Prisoners from the Allied armies totalled about 1.4 million (not including Russia, which lost between 2.5 and 3.5 million men as prisoners.) From the Central Powers about 3.3 million men became prisoners.^[122]

Germany held 2.5 million prisoners; Russia held 2.9 million and Britain and France held about 720,000. Most were captured just prior to the Armistice. The U.S. held 48,000. The most dangerous moment was the act of surrender, when helpless soldiers were sometimes gunned down.^[123]^[124] Once prisoners reached a camp, in general, conditions were satisfactory (and much better than in World War II), thanks in part to the efforts of the International Red Cross and inspections by neutral nations. Conditions were terrible in Russia, starvation was common for prisoners and civilians alike; about 15–20% of the prisoners in Russia died. In Germany food was scarce, but only 5% died.^[125]^[126]^[127]

The Ottoman Empire often treated POWs poorly.^[128] Some 11,800 British Empire soldiers, most of them Indians, became prisoners after the Siege of Kut, in Mesopotamia, in April 1916; 4,250 died in captivity.^[129] Although many were in very bad condition when captured, Ottoman officers forced them to march 1,100 kilometres (684 mi) to Anatolia. A survivor said: “we were driven along like beasts, to drop out was to die.”^[130] The survivors were then forced to build a railway through the Taurus Mountains.

In Russia, where the prisoners from the Czech Legion of the Austro-Hungarian army were released in 1917 they re-armed themselves and briefly became a military and diplomatic force during the Russian Civil War.

Military attachés and war correspondents in the First World War

Military and civilian observers from every major power closely followed the course of the war. Many were able to report on events from a perspective somewhat like what is now termed “embedded” positions within the opposing land and naval forces. These military attachés and other observers prepared voluminous first-hand accounts of the war and analytical papers.

For example, former U.S. Army Captain Granville Fortescue followed the developments of the Gallipoli campaign from an embedded perspective within the ranks of the Turkish defenders; and his report was passed through Turkish censors before being printed in London and New York.^[131] However, this observer’s role was abandoned when the U.S. entered the war, as Fortescue immediately re-enlisted, sustaining wounds at Montfaucon d’Argonne in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, September 1918.^[132]

In-depth observer narratives of the war and more narrowly focused professional journal articles were written soon after the war; and these post-war reports conclusively illustrated the battlefield destructiveness of this conflict. This was the not first time the tactics of entrenched positions for infantry defended with machine guns and artillery became vitally important. The Russo-Japanese War had been closely observed by Military attachés, war correspondents and other observers; but, from a 21st Century perspective, it is now apparent that a range of tactical lessons were disregarded or not used in the preparations for war in Europe and throughout the Great War.^[133]

An early recorded use of the term “World War” is attributed to a well-known journalist for The Times, Colonel Charles Repington, who wrote in his diary on 10 September 1918: “We discussed the right name of the war. I said the we called it now The War, but that this could not last. The Napoleonic War was The Great War. To call it The German War was too much flattery for the Boche. I suggested The World War as a shade better title, and finally we mutually agreed to call it The First World War in order to prevent the millennium folk from forgetting that the history of the world was the history of war.”^[134]

Opposition to World War I and French Army Mutinies (1917)

1917 – Execution at Verdun at the time of the mutinies

The trade union and socialist movements had long voiced their opposition to a war, which they argued, meant only that workers would kill other workers in the interest of capitalism. Once war was declared, however, many socialists and trade unions backed their governments. Among the exceptions were the Bolsheviks, the Socialist Party of America, and the Italian Socialist Party, and individuals such as Karl Liebknecht, Rosa Luxemburg and their followers in Germany. There were also small anti-war groups in Britain and France.

Many countries jailed those who spoke out against the conflict. These included Eugene Debs in the United States and Bertrand Russell in Britain. In the U.S. the 1917 Espionage Act effectively made free speech illegal and many served long prison sentences for statements of fact deemed unpatriotic. The Sedition Act of 1918 made any statements deemed “disloyal” a federal crime. Publications at all critical of the government were removed from circulation by postal censors.^[74]

Other opposition came from conscientious objectors – some socialist, some religious – who refused to fight. In Britain 16,000 people asked for conscientious objector status.^[135] Many suffered years of prison, including solitary confinement and bread and water diets. Even after the war, in Britain many job advertisements were marked “No conscientious objectors need apply”.

The Central Asian Revolt started in the summer of 1916, when the Russian Empire government ended its exemption of Muslims from military service.^[136]

In 1917, a series of mutinies in the French army led to dozens of soldiers being executed and many more imprisoned.

In September 1917 the Russian soldiers in France began questioning why they were fighting for the French at all and mutinied.^[137] In Russia, opposition to the war led to soldiers also establishing their own revolutionary committees and helped foment the October Revolution of 1917, with the call going up for “bread, land, and peace”. The Bolsheviks agreed a peace treaty with Germany, the peace of Brest-Litovsk, despite its harsh conditions.

In 1917, Emperor Charles I of Austria secretly attempted separate peace negotiations with Clemenceau, with his wife’s brother Sixtus in Belgium as an intermediary, without the knowledge of Germany. When the negotiations failed, his attempt was revealed to Germany, a diplomatic catastrophy. ^[138]^[139]^[140]

: Aftermath of World War I

American Red Cross nurses tend to Spanish flu patients in temporary wards set up inside Oakland Municipal Auditorium, 1918

No other war had changed the map of Europe so dramatically—four empires disappeared: the German, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and the Russian. Four defunct dynasties, the Hohenzollerns, the Habsburg, Romanovs and the Ottomans together with all their ancillary aristocracies, all fell after the war. Belgium and Serbia were badly damaged, as was France with 1.4 million soldiers dead, not counting other casualties. Germany and Russia were similarly affected.

Of the 60 million European soldiers who were mobilized from 1914 – 1918, 8 million were killed, 7 million were permanently disabled, and 15 million were seriously injured. Germany lost 15.1% of its active male population, Austria–Hungary lost 17.1%, and France lost 10.5%.^[153] About 750,000 German civilians died from starvation caused by the British blockade during the war.^[154] By the end of the war, famine had killed approximately 100,000 people in Lebanon.^[155] The war had profound economic consequences. In addition, a major influenza epidemic spread around the world. Overall, the Spanish flu killed at least 50 million people.^[156]^[157] In 1914 alone, epidemic typhus killed 200,000 in Serbia.^[158] There were about 25 million infections and 3 million deaths from epidemic typhus in Russia from 1918 to 1922.^[159]

Approximately 200,000 Germans living in Volhynia and about 600,000 Jews were deported by the Russian authorities.^[160]^[161]^[162] In 1916, an order was issued to deport around 650,000 Volga Germans to the east as well, but the Russian Revolution prevented this from being carried out.^[163] Many pogroms accompanied the Revolution of 1917 and the ensuing Russian Civil War, 60,000–200,000 civilian Jews were killed in the atrocities throughout the former Russian Empire.^[164]^[165] The best estimates of the death toll from the Russian famine of 1921 run from 5 million to 10 million people.^[166] By 1922 there were at least 7 million homeless children in Russia as a result of nearly a decade of devastation from World War I and the Russian Civil War.^[167] Considerable numbers of anti-Soviet Russians fled the country after the Revolution; by the 1930s the northern Chinese city of Harbin had 100,000 Russians.^[168]

[edit] Later conflicts

The end of World War I set the stage for other world conflicts, some of which are continuing into the 21st century. The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, pushed for socialist revolution. Out of German discontent with the still controversial Treaty of Versailles, Adolf Hitler was able to gain popularity and power.^[169]^[170] World War II was in part a continuation of the power struggle that was never fully resolved by the First World War; in fact, it was common for Germans in the 1930s and 1940s to justify acts of international aggression because of perceived injustices imposed by the victors of the First World War.^[171]

The establishment of the modern state of Israel and the roots of the continuing Israeli-Palestinian Conflict are partially found in the unstable power dynamics of the Middle East which were born at the end of World War I.^[172] Previous to the end of fighting in the war, the Ottoman Empire had maintained a modest level of peace and stability throughout the Middle East.^[173] With the end of the war and the fall of Ottoman government, power vacuums developed and conflicting claims to land and nationhood began to emerge.^[174] Sometimes after only cursory consultation with the local population, the political boundaries drawn by the victors of the First World War were quickly imposed, and in many cases are still problematic in the 21st century struggles for national identity.^[175]^[176] While the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I was a pivotal milestone in the creation of the modern political situation of the Middle East, including especially the Arab-Israeli conflict,^[177]^[178]^[179] the end of Ottoman rule also spawned lesser known disputes over water and other natural resources.^[180]

Further information: Sykes–Picot Agreement

[edit] Peace treaties

After the war, the Allies imposed a series of peace treaties on the Central Powers. The 1919 Treaty of Versailles, which Germany was kept under blockade until she signed, ended the war. It declared Germany responsible for the war and required Germany to pay enormous war reparations and award territory to the victors. Unable to pay them with exports (a result of territorial losses and postwar recession),^[181] she did so by borrowing from the United States, until the reparations were suspended in 1931. The “Guilt Thesis” became a controversial explanation of events in Britain and the United States. The Treaty of Versailles caused enormous bitterness in Germany, which nationalist movements, especially the Nazis, exploited with a conspiracy theory they called the Dolchstosslegende. The treaty contributed to the economic collapse of the Weimar Republic by sparking runaway inflation in the 1920s.

The German Empire lost its colonial possessions and was saddled with accepting blame for the war, as well as paying punitive reparations for it. The Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires were completely dissolved.

Austria–Hungary was also partitioned, largely along ethnic lines, into several successor states including Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia, as well as adding Transylvania to the Greater Romania who was allied with the victors. The details were contained in the Treaty of Saint-Germain and the Treaty of Trianon.

The Russian Empire, which had withdrawn from the war in 1917 after the October Revolution, lost much of its western frontier as the newly independent nations of Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland were carved from it; Bessarabia was also re-attached to the Greater Romania as it had been a Romanian territory for more than a thousand years.^[182]

The Ottoman Empire disintegrated, and much of its non-Anatolian territory was awarded as protectorates of various Allied powers, while the remaining Turkish core was reorganised as the Republic of Turkey. The Ottoman Empire was to be partitioned by the Treaty of Sèvres in 1920. The treaty, however, was never ratified by the Sultan and was rejected by the Turkish republican movement. This led to the Turkish Independence War and, ultimately, to the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne.

[edit] New national identities

Poland reemerged as an independent country, after more than a century. Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia were entirely new nations agglomerating previously independent peoples. Russia became the Soviet Union and lost Finland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, which became independent countries. The Ottoman Empire was soon replaced by Turkey and several other countries in the Middle East.

In the British Empire, the war unleashed new forms of nationalism. In Australia and New Zealand the Battle of Gallipoli became known as those nations’ “Baptism of Fire”. It was the first major war in which the newly established countries fought and it was one of the first times that Australian troops fought as Australians, not just subjects of the British Crown. Anzac Day, commemorating the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, celebrates this defining moment.^[183]^[184]

After the Battle of Vimy Ridge, where the Canadian divisions fought together for the first time as a single corps, Canadians began to refer to theirs as a nation “forged from fire”.^[185] Having succeeded on the same battleground where the “mother countries” had previously faltered, they were for the first time respected internationally for their own accomplishments. Canada entered the war as a Dominion of the British Empire and remained so afterwards, although she emerged with a greater measure of independence.^[186]^[187] While the other Dominions, for example, were represented by Britain, Canada was an independent negotiator and signatory of the Versailles Treaty.

[edit] Social trauma

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)

The experiences of the war led to a collective trauma for all participating countries. The optimism of la belle époque was destroyed and those who fought in the war became known as the Lost Generation.^[188] For years afterwards, people mourned the dead, the missing, and the many disabled.^[189]

The Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial in the Somme

Memorials were erected in thousands of villages and towns. The soldiers returning home from World War I suffered greatly from the horrors they had witnessed. Many returning veterans suffered from shell shock.

The social trauma caused by years of mass slaughter manifested itself in different ways. Some people were revolted by nationalism and its results, and so they began to work toward a more internationalist world, supporting organisations such as the League of Nations. Pacifism became increasingly popular. Others had the opposite reaction, feeling that only strength and military might could be relied upon in a chaotic and inhumane world. Anti-modernist views were an outgrowth of the many changes taking place in society. The rise of Nazism and fascism included a revival of the nationalist spirit and a rejection of many post-war changes. Similarly, the popularity of the Stab-in-the-back legend (German: Dolchstosslegende) was a testament to the psychological state of defeated Germany and was a rejection of responsibility for the conflict. This conspiracy theory of betrayal became common and the German public came to see themselves as victims. The Dolchstosslegende’s popular acceptance in Germany played a significant role in the rise of Nazism. A sense of disillusionment and cynicism became pronounced, with nihilism growing in popularity. This disillusionment for humanity found a cultural climax with the Dadaist artistic movement. Many believed the war heralded the end of the world as they had known it, including the collapse of capitalism and imperialism. Communist and socialist movements around the world drew strength from this theory and enjoyed a level of popularity they had never known before. These feelings were most pronounced in areas directly or harshly affected by the war.^[190]^[191]

Surgeon Lt. Col. John McCrae of Canada, author of “In Flanders Fields“, died in 1918 of pneumonia.

On 3 May 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer was killed. At his graveside, his friend John McCrae, M.D., of Guelph, Ontario, Canada wrote the memorable poem In Flanders Fields as a salute to those who perished in the Great War. Published in Punch on 8 December 1915, it is still recited today, especially on Remembrance Day and Memorial Day.^[192]^[193]

[edit] Macro- and micro-economic effects

One of the most dramatic effects of the war was the expansion of governmental powers and responsibilities in Britain, France, the United States, and the Dominions of the British Empire. In order to harness all the power of their societies, new government ministries and powers were created. New taxes were levied and laws enacted, all designed to bolster the war effort; many of which have lasted to this day. Similarly, the war strained the abilities of the formerly large and bureaucratised governments such as in Austria–Hungary and Germany; however, any analysis of the long-term effects were clouded by the defeat of these governments.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased for three Allies (Britain, Italy, and U.S.), but decreased in France and Russia, in neutral Netherlands, and in the main three Central Powers. The shrinkage in GDP in Austria, Russia, France, and the Ottoman Empire reached 30 to 40%. In Austria, for example, most of the pigs were slaughtered and, at war’s end, there was no meat.

All nations had increases in the government’s share of GDP, surpassing fifty percent in both Germany and France and nearly reaching fifty percent in Britain. To pay for purchases in the United States, Britain cashed in its extensive investments in American railroads and then began borrowing heavily on Wall Street. President Wilson was on the verge of cutting off the loans in late 1916, but allowed a great increase in U.S. government lending to the Allies. After 1919, the U.S. demanded repayment of these loans, which, in part, were funded by German reparations, which, in turn, were supported by American loans to Germany. This circular system collapsed in 1931 and the loans were never repaid.

Macro- and micro-economic consequences devolved from the war. Families were altered by the departure of many men. With the death or absence of the primary wage earner, women were forced into the workforce in unprecedented numbers. At the same time, industry needed to replace the lost laborers sent to war. This aided the struggle for voting rights for women.

As the war slowly turned into a war of attrition, conscription was implemented in some countries. This issue was particularly explosive in Canada and Australia. In the former it opened a political gap between French-Canadians—who claimed their true loyalty was to Canada and not the British Empire—and the Anglophone majority who saw the war as a duty to both Britain and Canada. Prime Minister Robert Borden pushed through a Military Service Act, provoking the Conscription Crisis of 1917. In Australia, a sustained pro-conscription campaign by Prime Minister Billy Hughes, caused a split in the Australian Labor Party and Hughes formed the Nationalist Party of Australia in 1917 to pursue the matter. Nevertheless, the labour movement, the Catholic Church, and Irish nationalist expatriates successfully opposed Hughes’ push, which was rejected in two plebiscites.

In Britain, rationing was finally imposed in early 1918, limited to meat, sugar, and fats (butter and oleo), but not bread. The new system worked smoothly. From 1914 to 1918 trade union membership doubled, from a little over four million to a little over eight million. Work stoppages and strikes became frequent in 1917–18 as the unions expressed grievances regarding prices, alcohol control, pay disputes, fatigue from overtime and working on Sundays and inadequate housing. Conscription put into uniform nearly every physically fit man, six of ten million eligible. Of these, about 750,000 lost their lives and 1,700,000 were wounded. Most deaths were to young unmarried men; however, 160,000 wives lost husbands and 300,000 children lost fathers.^[194]

Britain turned to her colonies for help in obtaining essential war materials whose supply had become difficult from traditional sources. Geologists, such as Albert Ernest Kitson, were called upon to find new resources of precious minerals in the African colonies. Kitson discovered important new deposits of manganese, used in munitions production, in the Gold Coast.^[195]

[edit] Cognate names for the war

Before World War II, the war was also known as The Great War, The World War, The War to End All Wars, The Kaiser’s War, The War of the Nations and The War in Europe. In France and Belgium it was sometimes referred to as La Guerre du Droit (the War for Justice) or La Guerre Pour la Civilisation / de Oorlog tot de Beschaving (the War to Preserve Civilization), especially on medals and commemorative monuments.

The term used by official histories of the war in Britain and Canada is The First World War, while American histories generally use the term World War I.

The earliest known use of the term First World War appeared during the war. German biologist and philosopher Ernst Haeckel wrote shortly after the start of the war:

There is no doubt that the course and character of the feared ‘European War’ … will become the first world war in the full sense of the word.^[196]

—Indianapolis Star, September 20, 1914

The term was used again near the end of the war. English journalist Charles A. Repington wrote:

[Diary entry, September 10, 1918]: We discussed the right name of the war. I said that we called it now The War, but that this could not last. The Napoleonic War was The Great War. To call it The German War was too much flattery for the Boche. I suggested The World War as a shade better title, and finally we mutually agreed to call it The First World War in order to prevent the millennium folk from forgetting that the history of the world was the history of war.^[196]

—The First World War, 1914-1918 (1920)

2 Comments

Posted in WORLD WAR

The Story behind the Nice Letter Collections”The German general letter In WW I”

Posted on September 27, 2012 | 2 comments

THIS IS THE SAMPLE OF Dr Iwan E-Book In CD-rom Edition

THE COMPLETE CD EXIST BUT ONLY FOR PREMIUM MEMBER

PLEASE SUBSCRIBED VIA COMMENT

The Censored cover

Postal history collections

Created By

Dr Iwan Suwandy,MHA

Private Limited e-book In CR-rom edition

Special for Senior Collectors

Copyright @ 2012

INTRODUCTIONS

Most of us, I believe build one country collections, either in the traditional or postal history classifications mainly and there are of course postal stationery, aerophilately, etc.

I have been drawn to censored covers recently and I find them pretty intriguing and exciting in its own way.

Being new in this area, I would like to invite a discussion on how do you collect censored covers? What I mean is how do you develop a theme – by country? mixed censorship? military? POW? etc.

For instance, the prospect of finding all the censor nos. of a type sound possibly do-able but I am not sure what purpose it would serve other than personal satisfaction

the German General censored covered during ww i

Here’s an interesting card that illustrates a different kind of censorship in WW1.The unit stamp at the top says “General Staff Branch, K.u.K 11th Army Command”. The card was sent by then major general Franz von Steinhart to his wife in Innsbruck.If you read INFO BELOW , you can learn quite a bit about the general here: , including the sad fact that he outlived his son, a major in the wehrmacht, who fell in 1944 in Russia.

von Steinhart as Major im 1902

, Franz Seraphin Edler von Steinhart

(† 23 October 1949 in Innsbruck March 20, 1865 in Moravian-white churches)

He was a Lieutenant-General of the Austro-Hungarian army

The father of Franz Steinhart was a captain and artillery instructor, who resigned after the war against Prussia in retirement and with the family first moved to Graz and then to

Klagenfurt.

In Klagenfurt from Steinhart visited the elementary school and the junior high school and then go to the fourth grade of the military-Realschule after Güns.

This was followed by the military high school in Moravian-white churches and the genius department of Military Academy of Technology in Vienna.

On 18 August 1885 Steinhart was a lieutenant in K.K. Genie Regiment Kaiser Franz Josef I. No. 1 and the second appointed Battalion assigned in Krakow.

After four years of army service he was simultaneously promoted to lieutenant in the fall of 1889 parked at the higher genius course to Vienna and, after his graduation with honors added to the genius Directorate for Bilek.

Four years later, a temporary transfer to Komarno and after the carriage was a captain in the genius bar

on 1 1895 July,

the transfer to the new Directorate to Przemyśl genius.

In the fortress of Przemysl was entrusted to him by the completion of Fort XIIIa and configuring Fort XIII, also it was his responsibility to build a munitions depot field.
On 16 February 1897

On 1 May 1899

admixed Steinhart to the General genius inspection to Vienna, where he was in March 1901 graduated from the Staff Officer exam for the genius bar is successful and in July of the same year secondment as a teacher of the art of fortification and the Fortress War at the genius bar Department of Military University of Technology in Vienna.

On 1 November 1901

he was promoted to Major in the genius bar

and the 27th July 1907,

the appointment of a genius director in Klagenfurt. On 1 May 1908 is promoted to lieutenant colonel of Steinhart while posting a genius director to Riva.

Here he was responsible for responsible for the fortification systems in the border region of Vallarsa from Passo di Pian della Fugazza up to Madonna di Campiglio.

Under his task was, among other things, the completion of the tank plant Monte Tombio and the supervision of work on a tank factory Carriola.

The work Valmorbia in Val d’Arsa was started but could not until the beginning of the war to be completed.

On 1 November 1910

he was promoted to colonel in the genius bar and on 25 April 1914 appointed the genius director of Trent.

Here he made until the outbreak of war with Italy on 23 May 1915 for the accelerated expansion of the fortress of Trento and the fortifications at the height of Dubuque / Lavarone

Here he was on 1 November 1914 and promoted to Major General on 27 January 1915 was appointed commandant of Trent.

Austro-Hungarian mountain corps in Tyrol

When war broke out with Italy was an expansion of its area of responsibility by 26 to February 1916

continued appointment as

commander of the Eastern Front of Trento.in 1916

From 27 January 1916,

Major General Commandant of the Defense of Steinhart section Rayon I Stelvio 6 March 1916 Commander of the Rayon II Tonale.

With the 1st November 1916

The division was responsible for the defense of the Pusteria of the Carinthian border to the Marmolada over about 100 kilometers frontline. The only previously held by them acting command of the division was the final designation on 23 August 1917, the unit in the 49th Infantry Division was renamed troops.

On 1 November 1917 had been appointed by the Lieutenant-Steinhart.

By the end of the war he commanded the 49th Infantry Division troops in Madonna di Campiglio to Val di Concei.

On 4 Lieutenant-November 1918

fell by Steinhart in Italian prisoner of war,

The Italian Prisoner Of War Postcard send via Red Cross

Trentino overprint Austrian stamps in 1918

from the 24th as he Kriegsinvalider on Was released in June 1919th

On 1 September 1919, he was forced to retire.

He was married to Valerie Noble of Steinhart (15 May 1878 to 22 August 1971). His son Franz Edler von Steinhart Hantken fell Major iG as the German Wehrmacht on 29 June 1944 in Russia.At the time of writing this card, he commanded the 49th Infantry Division defending the Carinthian border against the italians.

Anyway, the censorship is on the other side of the card:

In the middle it says “i’m healthy and well” in all the languages of the empire. Around the outside is a warning that nothing else must be written on the card.

Read More Related Info from WW I

Background

Main article: Causes of World War I

HMS Dreadnought. A naval arms race existed between the United Kingdom and Germany.

On 28 June 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian-Serb student and member of Young Bosnia, assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo, Bosnia.^[15] This began a period of diplomatic manoeuvering between Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, France and Britain called the July Crisis. Wanting to end Serbian interference in Bosnia conclusively, Austria–Hungary delivered the July Ultimatum to Serbia, a series of ten demands which were deliberately unacceptable, made with the intention of deliberately initiating a war with Serbia.^[16] When Serbia acceded to only eight of the ten demands levied against it in the ultimatum, Austria–Hungary declared war on Serbia on 28 July 1914. Strachan argues “Whether an equivocal and early response by Serbia would have made any difference to Austria-Hungary’s behaviour must be doubtful. Franz Ferdinand was not the sort of personality who commanded popularity, and his demise did not cast the empire into deepest mourning”.^[17]

Chronology

Opening hostilities

[edit] Confusion among the Central Powers

The strategy of the Central Powers suffered from miscommunication. Germany had promised to support Austria–Hungary’s invasion of Serbia, but interpretations of what this meant differed. Previously tested deployment plans had been replaced early in 1914, but never tested in exercises. Austro-Hungarian leaders believed Germany would cover its northern flank against Russia.^[19] Germany, however, envisioned Austria–Hungary directing the majority of its troops against Russia, while Germany dealt with France. This confusion forced the Austro-Hungarian Army to divide its forces between the Russian and Serbian fronts.

On September 9, 1914 the Septemberprogramm, a plan which detailed Germany’s specific war aims and the conditions that Germany sought to force upon the Allied Powers, was outlined by German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg.

[edit] African campaigns

Main article: African theatre of World War I

Some of the first clashes of the war involved British, French and German colonial forces in Africa. On 7 August, French and British troops invaded the German protectorate of Togoland. On 10 August German forces in South-West Africa attacked South Africa; sporadic and fierce fighting continued for the remainder of the war. The German colonial forces in German East Africa, led by Colonel Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck, fought a guerilla warfare campaign for the duration of World War I and surrendered only two weeks after the armistice took effect in Europe.^[20]

[edit] Serbian campaign

Main article: Serbian Campaign (World War I)

[edit] German forces in Belgium and France

German soldiers in a railway goods van on the way to the front in 1914. A message on the car spells out “Trip to Paris”; early in the war all sides expected the conflict to be a short one.

Main article: Western Front (World War I)

At the outbreak of the First World War, the German army (consisting in the West of Seven Field Armies) executed a modified version of the Schlieffen Plan, designed to quickly attack France through neutral Belgium before turning southwards to encircle the French army on the German border.^[5] The plan called for the right flank of the German advance to converge on Paris and initially, the Germans were very successful, particularly in the Battle of the Frontiers (14 August–24 August). By 12 September, the French with assistance from the British forces halted the German advance east of Paris at the First Battle of the Marne (5 September–12 September). The last days of this battle signified the end of mobile warfare in the west.^[5]

[edit] Asia and the Pacific

Main article: Asian and Pacific theatre of World War I

New Zealand occupied German Samoa (later Western Samoa) on 30 August. On 11 September the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force landed on the island of Neu Pommern (later New Britain), which formed part of German New Guinea. Japan seized Germany’s Micronesian colonies and after the Battle of Tsingtao the German coaling port of Qingdao in the Chinese Shandong peninsula. Within a few months, the Allied forces had seized all the German territories in the Pacific, only isolated commerce raiders and a few holdouts in New Guinea remained.^[21]^[22]

[edit] Early stages

[edit] Trench warfare begins

Main article: Western Front (World War I)

After the First Battle of the Marne, both Entente and German forces began a series of outflanking maneuvers, in the so-called ‘Race to the Sea‘. Britain and France soon found themselves facing entrenched German forces from Lorraine to Belgium’s Flemish coast.^[5] Britain and France sought to take the offensive, while Germany defended the occupied territories; consequently, German trenches were generally much better constructed than those of their enemy. Anglo-French trenches were only intended to be ‘temporary’ before their forces broke through German defenses.^[25] Both sides attempted to break the stalemate using scientific and technological advances. In April 1915 the Germans used chlorine gas for the first time (in violation of the Hague Convention), opening a six kilometre (four mile) hole in the Allied lines when British and French colonial troops retreated. Canadian soldiers closed the breach at the Second Battle of Ypres. At the Third Battle of Ypres, Canadian and ANZAC troops took the village of Passchendaele.

In the trenches: Royal Irish Rifles in a communications trench on the first day on the Somme, 1 July 1916.

Canadian troops advancing behind a British Mark II tank at the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

A French assault on German positions. Champagne, France, 1917.

Officers and senior enlisted men of the Bermuda Militia Artillery‘s Bermuda Contingent, Royal Garrison Artillery, in Europe.

[edit] Naval war

Main article: Naval Warfare of World War I

The British Grand Fleet making steam for Scapa Flow, 1914

A battleship squadron of the Hochseeflotte at sea

Soon after the outbreak of hostilities, Britain initiated a naval blockade of Germany. The strategy proved effective, cutting off vital military and civilian supplies, although this blockade violated generally accepted international law codified by several international agreements of the past two centuries.^[37] Britain mined international waters to prevent any ships from entering entire sections of ocean, causing danger to even neutral ships.^[38] Since there was limited response to this tactic, Germany expected a similar response to its unrestricted submarine warfare.^[39]
The 1916 Battle of Jutland (German: Skagerrakschlacht, or “Battle of the Skagerrak”) developed into the largest naval battle of the war, the only full-scale clash of battleships during the war. It took place on 31 May–1 June 1916, in the North Sea off Jutland. The Kaiserliche Marine’s High Seas Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Reinhard Scheer, squared off against the Royal Navy’s Grand Fleet, led by Admiral Sir John Jellicoe. The engagement was a standoff, as the Germans, outmaneuvered by the larger British fleet, managed to escape and inflicted more damage to the British fleet than they received. Strategically, however, the British asserted their control of the sea, and the bulk of the German surface fleet remained confined to port for the duration of the war.

German U-boats attempted to cut the supply lines between North America and Britain.^[40] The nature of submarine warfare meant that attacks often came without warning, giving the crews of the merchant ships little hope of survival.^[41] The United States launched a protest, and Germany modified its rules of engagement. After the notorious sinking of the passenger ship RMS Lusitania in 1915, Germany promised not to target passenger liners, while Britain armed its merchant ships, placing them beyond the protection of the “cruiser rules” which demanded warning and placing crews in “a place of safety” (a standard which lifeboats did not meet).^[42] Finally, in early 1917 Germany adopted a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, realizing the Americans would eventually enter the war.^[43] Germany sought to strangle Allied sea lanes before the U.S. could transport a large army overseas.

First U-boat of the German fleet surrendering near Tower Bridge, London, 1918.

The U-boat threat lessened in 1917, when merchant ships entered convoys escorted by destroyers. This tactic made it difficult for U-boats to find targets, which significantly lessened losses; after the introduction of hydrophone and depth charges, accompanying destroyers might attack a submerged submarine with some hope of success. The convoy system slowed the flow of supplies, since ships had to wait as convoys were assembled. The solution to the delays was an extensive program to build new freighters. Troop ships were too fast for the submarines and did not travel the North Atlantic in convoys.^[44]^[45] The U-boats had sunk almost 5,000 Allied ships, at a cost of 178 submarines.^[46]

World War I also saw the first use of aircraft carriers in combat, with HMS Furious launching Sopwith Camels in a successful raid against the Zeppelin hangars at Tondern in July 1918, as well as blimps for antisubmarine patrol.^[47]

[edit] Southern theatres

[edit] War in the Balkans

Main articles: Balkans Campaign (World War I), Serbian Campaign (World War I), and Macedonian front (World War I)

Faced with Russia, Austria–Hungary could spare only one-third of its army to attack Serbia. After suffering heavy losses, the Austrians briefly occupied the Serbian capital, Belgrade. A Serbian counterattack in the battle of Kolubara, however, succeeded in driving them from the country by the end of 1914. For the first ten months of 1915, Austria–Hungary used most of its military reserves to fight Italy. German and Austro-Hungarian diplomats, however, scored a coup by persuading Bulgaria to join in attacking Serbia. The Austro-Hungarian provinces of Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia provided troops for Austria–Hungary, invading Serbia as well as fighting Russia and Italy. Montenegro allied itself with Serbia.

Serbia was conquered in a little more than a month. The attack began in October, when the Central Powers launched an offensive from the north; four days later the Bulgarians joined the attack from the east. The Serbian army, fighting on two fronts and facing certain defeat, retreated into Albania, halting only once to make a stand against the Bulgarians. The Serbs suffered defeat near modern day Gnjilane in the Battle of Kosovo.^[48] Montenegro covered the Serbian retreat toward the Adriatic coast in the Battle of Mojkovac in 6–7 January 1916, but ultimately the Austrians conquered Montenegro, too. Serbian forces were evacuated by ship to Greece.

In late 1915 a Franco-British force landed at Salonica in Greece, to offer assistance and to pressure the government to declare war against the Central Powers. Unfortunately for the Allies, the pro-German King Constantine I dismissed the pro-Allied government of Eleftherios Venizelos, before the Allied expeditionary force could arrive.

Austrian troops executing captured Serbians in 1917.

After conquest, Serbia was divided between Austro-Hungary and Bulgaria. Bulgarians commenced bulgarization of the Serbian population in their occupation zone, banishing Serbian Cyrillic and the Serbian Orthodox Church. After forced conscription of the Serbian population into the Bulgarian army in 1917, the Toplica Uprising began. Serbian rebels liberated for a short time the area between the Kopaonik mountains and the South Morava river. The uprising was crushed by joint efforts of Bulgarian and Austrian forces at the end of March 1917.

The Macedonian Front proved static for the most part. Serbian forces retook part of Macedonia by recapturing Bitola on 19 November 1916. Only at the end of the conflict were the Entente powers able to break through, after most of the German and Austro-Hungarian troops had withdrawn. The Bulgarians suffered their only defeat of the war at the Battle of Dobro Pole but days later, they decisively defeated British and Greek forces at the Battle of Doiran, avoiding occupation. Bulgaria signed an armistice on 29 September 1918.

[edit] Ottoman Empire

Main article: Middle Eastern theatre of World War I

British artillery placements in the Battle of Jerusalem (1917).

The Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers in the war, the secret Ottoman-German Alliance having been signed in August 1914.^[49] It threatened Russia’s Caucasian territories and Britain’s communications with India via the Suez Canal. The British and French opened overseas fronts with the Gallipoli (1915) and Mesopotamian campaigns. In Gallipoli, the Turks successfully repelled the British, French and Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs). In Mesopotamia, by contrast, after the disastrous Siege of Kut (1915–16), British Imperial forces reorganised and captured Baghdad in March 1917. Further to the west, in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, initial British setbacks were overcome when Jerusalem was captured in December 1917. The Egyptian Expeditionary Force, under Field Marshal Edmund Allenby, broke the Ottoman forces at the Battle of Megiddo in September 1918.

The Russian commander from 1915 to 1916, General Yudenich, drove the Turks out of most of the southern Caucasus with a string of victories.^[51] In 1917, Russian Grand Duke Nicholas assumed command of the Caucasus front. Nicholas planned a railway from Russian Georgia to the conquered territories, so that fresh supplies could be brought up for a new offensive in 1917. However, in March 1917, (February in the pre-revolutionary Russian calendar), the Czar was overthrown in the February Revolution and the Russian Caucasus Army began to fall apart. In this situation, the army corps of Armenian volunteer units realigned themselves under the command of General Tovmas Nazarbekian, with Dro as a civilian commissioner of the Administration for Western Armenia. The front line had three main divisions: Movses Silikyan, Andranik, and Mikhail Areshian. Another regular unit was under Colonel Korganian. There were Armenian partisan guerrilla detachments (more than 40,000^[52]) accompanying these main units.

The Arab Revolt (described in Seven Pillars of Wisdom) was a major cause of the Ottoman Empire‘s defeat. The revolts started with the Battle of Mecca by Sherif Hussain of Mecca with the help of Britain in June 1916, and ended with the Ottoman surrender of Damascus. Fakhri Pasha the Ottoman commander of Medina showed stubborn resistance for over two and half years during the Siege of Medina.

[edit] Italian participation

Main article: Italian Campaign (World War I)

Austro-Hungarian mountain corps in Tyrol

Italy had been allied with the German and Austro-Hungarian Empires since 1882 as part of the Triple Alliance. However, the nation had its own designs on Austrian territory in Trentino, Istria and Dalmatia. Rome had a secret 1902 pact with France, effectively nullifying its alliance.^[53] At the start of hostilities, Italy refused to commit troops, arguing that the Triple Alliance was defensive in nature, and that Austria–Hungary was an aggressor. The Austro-Hungarian government began negotiations to secure Italian neutrality, offering the French colony of Tunisia in return. The Allies made a counter-offer in which Italy would receive the Alpine province of South Tyrol and territory on the Dalmatian coast after the defeat of Austria–Hungary. This was fomalised by the Treaty of London. Further encouraged by the Allied invasion of Turkey in April 1915, Italy joined the Entente and declared war on Austria–Hungary on May 23. Fifteen months later Italy declared war on Germany.

Beginning in 1915, the Italians under Cadorna mounted eleven offensives on the Isonzo front along the Isonzo River, north-east of Trieste. All eleven offensives were repelled by the Austro-Hungarians, who held the higher ground. In the summer of 1916, the Italians captured the town of Gorizia. After this minor victory, the front remained static for over a year, despite several Italian offensives. In the autumn of 1917, thanks to the improving situation on the Eastern front, the Austrians received large numbers of reinforcements, including German Stormtroopers and the elite Alpenkorps. The Central Powers launched a crushing offensive on 26 October 1917, spearheaded by the Germans. They achieved a victory at Caporetto. The Italian army was routed and retreated more than 100 km (60 miles) to reorganise, stabilizing the front at the Piave River. Since in the Battle of Caporetto Italian Army had heavy losses, the Italian Government called to arms the so called ’99 Boys (Ragazzi del ’99), that is, all males who were 18 years old. In 1918, the Austro-Hungarians failed to break through, in a series of battles on the Asiago Plateau, finally being decisively defeated in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto in October of that year. Austria–Hungary surrendered in early November 1918.^[54]^[55]^[56]

Further information: Battles of the Isonzo

[edit] Fighting in India

[edit] Indian independence movement

See also: Third Anglo-Afghan War and Hindu-German Conspiracy

[edit] Eastern Front

This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2008)

Russian infantry.

Russian forest trench

[edit] Initial actions

Main article: Eastern Front (World War I)

[edit] Russian Revolution

Main article: Russian Revolution of 1917

Despite the success of the June 1916 Brusilov offensive in eastern Galicia,^[68] dissatisfaction with the Russian government’s conduct of the war grew. The success was undermined by the reluctance of other generals to commit their forces to support the victory. Allied and Russian forces were revived only temporarily with Romania‘s entry into the war on 27 August. German forces came to the aid of embattled Austrian units in Transylvania and Bucharest fell to the Central Powers on 6 December. Meanwhile, unrest grew in Russia, as the Tsar remained at the front. Empress Alexandra’s increasingly incompetent rule drew protests and resulted in the murder of her favourite, Rasputin, at the end of 1916.

Vladimir Illyich Lenin

The war and the government became increasingly unpopular. Discontent led to a rise in popularity of the Bolshevik party, led by Vladimir Lenin. He promised to pull Russia out of the war and was able to gain power. The triumph of the Bolsheviks in November was followed in December by an armistice and negotiations with Germany. At first the Bolsheviks refused the German terms, but when Germany resumed the war and marched across Ukraine with impunity, the new government acceded to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on 3 March 1918. It took Russia out of the war and ceded vast territories, including Finland, the Baltic provinces, parts of Poland and Ukraine to the Central Powers. The manpower required for German occupation of former Russian territory may have contributed to the failure of the Spring Offensive, however, and secured relatively little food or other war materiel.

Further information: North Russia Campaign

[edit] Wilhelm declares victory

January 1917: German poster quotes Wilhelm II, lambasting the Allies for their decision to fight on.

[edit] 1917–1918

Photographic documentation of combat

Haut-Rhin, France, 1917

[edit] Entry of the United States

President Wilson before Congress, announcing the break in official relations with Germany on 3 February 1917

[edit] Isolationism

The United States originally pursued a policy of isolationism, avoiding conflict while trying to broker a peace. This resulted in increased tensions with Berlin and London. When a German U-boat sank the British liner Lusitania in 1915, with 128 Americans aboard, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson vowed, “America is too proud to fight” and demanded an end to attacks on passenger ships. Germany complied. Wilson unsuccessfully tried to mediate a settlement. He repeatedly warned the U.S. would not tolerate unrestricted submarine warfare, in violation of international law and U.S. ideas of human rights. Wilson was under pressure from former president Theodore Roosevelt, who denounced German acts as “piracy”.^[73] Wilson’s desire to have a seat at negotiations at war’s end to advance the League of Nations also played a role.^[74] Wilson’s Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan, resigned in protest at what he felt was the President’s decidedly warmongering diplomacy. Other factors contributing to the U.S. entry into the war include the suspected German sabotage of both Black Tom in Jersey City, New Jersey, and the Kingsland Explosion in what is now Lyndhurst, New Jersey.

[edit] Making the case

In January 1917, after the Navy pressured the Kaiser, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare. Britain’s secret Royal Navy cryptanalytic group, Room 40, had broken the German diplomatic code. They intercepted a proposal from Berlin (the Zimmermann Telegram) to Mexico to join the war as Germany’s ally against the United States, should the U.S. join. The proposal suggested, if the U.S. were to enter the war, Mexico should declare war against the United States and enlist Japan as an ally. This would prevent the United States from joining the Allies and deploying troops to Europe, and would give Germany more time for their unrestricted submarine warfare program to strangle Britain’s vital war supplies. In return, the Germans would promise Mexico support in reclaiming Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.^[75]

[edit] U.S. declaration of war on Germany

African-American soldiers marching in France.^[77]

[edit] First active U.S. participation

The United States was never formally a member of the Allies but became a self-styled “Associated Power”. The United States had a small army, but it drafted four million men and by summer 1918 was sending 10,000 fresh soldiers to France every day. In 1917, the U.S. Congress gave U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans when they were drafted to participate in World War I, as part of the Jones Act. Germany had miscalculated, believing it would be many more months before they would arrive and that the arrival could be stopped by U-boats.^[78]

M1905 Howitzer used by Allied Forces

[edit] German Spring Offensive of 1918

Main article: Spring Offensive

For most of World War I, Allied forces were stalled at trenches on the Western Front

British 55th (West Lancashire) Division troops blinded by tear gas during the Battle of Estaires, 10 April 1918

Meanwhile, Germany was falling apart at home. Anti-war marches become frequent and morale in the army fell. Industrial output was 53% of 1913 levels.

[edit] New states under war zone

In 1918, the internationally recognized Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Democratic Republic of Armenia and Democratic Republic of Georgia bordering the Ottoman Empire and Russian Empire were established, as well as the unrecognized Centrocaspian Dictatorship and South West Caucasian Republic. Later, these unrecognized states were eliminated by Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Further information: [[Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire]]

[edit] Allied victory: summer and autumn 1918

Main articles: Hundred Days Offensive and Weimar Republic

U.S. engineers returning from the front during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel in September 1918

Close-up view of an American major in the basket of an observation balloon flying over territory near front lines.

[edit] Armistices and capitulations

[edit] Allied superiority and the stab-in-the-back legend, November 1918

In November 1918 the Allies had ample supplies of men and materiel; continuation of the war would have meant the invasion of Germany. Berlin was almost 900 miles (1,400 km) from the Western Front; no Allied soldier had ever set foot on German soil in anger, and the Kaiser’s armies retreated from the battlefield in good order, though up to a million of them were suffering from the Spanish Flu and unfit to fight. Hindenburgh and other senior German leaders spread the story that their armies had not really been defeated, resulting in the stab-in-the-back legend.^[107]^[108]

[edit] Technology

See also: Technology during World War I and Weapons of World War I

Armoured cars

RAF Sopwith Camel.

British Army Vickers machine gun.

Johnson’s Nieuport 11 armed with Le Prieur rockets for attacking observation balloons

[edit] Legacy

Main articles: World War I in art and literature, Media of World War I, and War memorials

The first tentative efforts to comprehend the meaning and consequences of modern warfare began during the initial phases of the war, and this process continued throughout and after the end of hostilities.

[edit] Soldiers’ experiences

Main articles: Surviving veterans of World War I, World War I casualties, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and American Battle Monuments Commission

The First Contingent of the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps to the 1 Lincolns, training in Bermuda for the Western Front, Winter 1914-15. One in four survived the war.

[edit] Prisoners of war

This photograph shows an emaciated Indian Army soldier who survived the Siege of Kut

[edit] Military attachés and war correspondents

Main article: Military attachés and war correspondents in the First World War

[edit] Opposition to the war

Main articles: Opposition to World War I and French Army Mutinies (1917)

1917 – Execution at Verdun at the time of the mutinies

The Central Asian Revolt started in the summer of 1916, when the Russian Empire government ended its exemption of Muslims from military service.^[136]

In 1917, a series of mutinies in the French army led to dozens of soldiers being executed and many more imprisoned.

[edit] War crimes

[edit] Genocide and ethnic cleansing

[edit] Ottoman Empire

Main article: Ottoman casualties of World War I

See also: Armenian Genocide, Assyrian Genocide, and Greek genocide

The ethnic cleansing of the Ottoman Empire’s Christian population, with the most prominent among them being the deportation and massacres of Armenians (similar policies were enacted against the Assyrians and Ottoman Greeks) during the final years of the Ottoman Empire is considered genocide.^[141] The Ottomans saw the entire Armenian population as an enemy^[142] that had chosen to side with Russia at the beginning of the war.^[143] In early 1915 a number of Armenian nationalist groups such as the Armenakan, Dashnak and Hunchak organizations joined the Russian forces, and the Ottoman government used this as a pretext to issue the Tehcir Law which started the deportation of the Armenians from eastern Anatolia to Syria between 1915 and 1917. The exact number of deaths is unknown, although a range of 250,000 to 1.5 million is given for the deaths of Armenians.^[144] The government of Turkey has consistently rejected charges of genocide, arguing that those who died were victims of inter-ethnic fighting, famine or disease during the First World War.^[145]

[edit] Russian Empire

Main article: Anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire

See also: Russian occupation of Eastern Galicia, 1914-1915, Volhynia, and Volga Germans

[edit] Rape of Belgium

Main article: Rape of Belgium

[edit] Aftermath

Main article: Aftermath of World War I

American Red Cross nurses tend to Spanish flu patients in temporary wards set up inside Oakland Municipal Auditorium, 1918

[edit] Later conflicts

Further information: Sykes–Picot Agreement

[edit] Peace treaties

[edit] New national identities

[edit] Social trauma

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)

The Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial in the Somme

Surgeon Lt. Col. John McCrae of Canada, author of “In Flanders Fields“, died in 1918 of pneumonia.

[edit] Macro- and micro-economic effects

[edit] Cognate names for the war

The term used by official histories of the war in Britain and Canada is The First World War, while American histories generally use the term World War I.

The earliest known use of the term First World War appeared during the war. German biologist and philosopher Ernst Haeckel wrote shortly after the start of the war:

There is no doubt that the course and character of the feared ‘European War’ … will become the first world war in the full sense of the word.^[196]

—Indianapolis Star, September 20, 1914

The term was used again near the end of the war. English journalist Charles A. Repington wrote:

[Diary entry, September 10, 1918]: We discussed the right name of the war. I said that we called it now The War, but that this could not last. The Napoleonic War was The Great War. To call it The German War was too much flattery for the Boche. I suggested The World War as a shade better title, and finally we mutually agreed to call it The First World War in order to prevent the millennium folk from forgetting that the history of the world was the history of war.^[196]

—The First World War, 1914-1918 (1920)

Eigentum von Friedrich Steinhart/Wien, Vielen Dank

Grab des FML Franz Edler von Steinhart

Eigentum von Friedrich Steinhart/Wien, Vielen Dank

Grab des FML Franz Edler von Steinhart

2 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

The Sample Of Dr Iwan E-book In Cd-rom “The Best Photography collections”

Posted on September 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

THIS THE SAMPLE OF CD-ROM,THE COMPLETE CD-ROM EXIST BUT ONLY FOR PREMIUM MEMBER

PLEASE SUBSCRIBED VIA COMMENT

The Best Photography

Collections

Created By

Dr Iwan suwandy,MHA

Private Limited E-book In CD-rom Edition

Special For Senior Collectors

Copyright @ 2012

This E-book dedicated to My Brother dr Edhie Djohan Utama and my son Albert Suwandy Djohan oetama ,their hobbiest were photography, I hope this e-book info will useable for them

Source _ Flickers

Sunrise over the Yarra river, Melbourne by 5ERG10

look more SRG10 photos?

Amsterdam ready for a white Christmas (Bn) Tags: snow snowflakes o jardin topf100 topf200 jordaan lantaarn sneeuwvlokken pittoresk tellmeastory heavysnowfall 100faves 200faves winteravond cornelisjetses dreamingofawhitechristmas winterromance winterinamsterdam verlichteramen hetisstilinamsterdam winterinthejordaan cosychristmasspirit strollinginasnowyamsterdam beginvanherengracht lightsatthewindows antonpiecksfeertje thenightfallsdowntownamsterdam happywintertimeinamsterdam deavondvaltindejordaan awintryviewofthebrouwersgrachtamsterdam desneeuwvaltopdedaken winterinmokum magicalwinterscene christmastreeinthewindow brouwersgrachtindewinter sneeuwplezierenoverlast cosychristmasinamsterdam gezelligewintertafereelindejordaan letitsnowinamsterdam kerstsfeerinamsterdam deavondvaltinhartjeamsterdam winternightinamsterdam xmasinamsterdam snowflakesfallontherooftop 17december2010 snowfall1525cm amsterdamreadyforawhitechristmas lantaarnpaallicht sneeuwval1525cm

Thermal shock - Frosty mornings (bonus) (Marc Benslahdine) Tags: macro foot jardin bleu explore neige frontpage stade brume glace givre lightroom glacial fraicheur tamronspaf1750mmf28xrdiii canoneos50d marcopix marcbenslahdine chocthermique matinsgivrs gettyimagesfranceq1 marcopixcom

Turn your Face to the Sun (Ben Heine) Tags: blue light wild wallpaper flower green art texture love nature fleur beauty smile field leaves yellow composition garden poster lens photography petals flora focus soft heaven poem dof shine calendar pov earth lumire farm air horizon blossoms creative culture jardin happiness sensual oxygen desire terre summertime pollen breathe copyrights goodmood sourire bonheur tender connection joie tournesol champ feuilles ecosystem fertile cs4 rve aquitaine ptales doux noyau beynacetcazenac fullcolors mywinners abigfave benheine flickrunited samsungnx10 infotheartisterycom turnyourfacetothesun

My Red Vespa parked in the Jordaan (Bn) Tags: snowflakes topf50 vespa jardin topf100 jordaan piaggio redvespa tms sneeuwvlokken pittoresk tellmeastory classicscooter heavysnowfall 100faves 50faves winteravond cornelisjetses dreamingofawhitechristmas winterinamsterdam verlichteramen vespapk50xl hetisstilinamsterdam 20december2009 winterinthejordaan cosychristmasspirit strollinginasnowyamsterdam beginvanherengracht lightsatthewindows antonpiecksfeertje thenightfallsdowntownamsterdam happywintertimeinamsterdam deavondvaltindejordaan awintryviewofthebrouwersgrachtamsterdam desneeuwvaltopdedaken winterinmokum magicalwinterscene christmastreeinthewindow brouwersgrachtindewinter sneeuwvalvanzon15cm sneeuwplezierenoverlast cosychristmasinamsterdam gezelligewintertafereelindejordaan letitsnowinamsterdam kerstsfeerinamsterdam deavondvaltinhartjeamsterdam winternightinamsterdam xmasinamsterdam snowflakesfallonrooftop vespaatje

Let it snow in the Amsterdam (Bn) Tags: snow night snowflakes topf50 bravo jardin topf300 topf100 500faves topf200 jordaan tms sneeuwvlokken topf400 topf500 pittoresk tellmeastory heavysnowfall topf700 topf600 100faves 50faves topf800 200faves topf900 winteravond galleryphotos 300faves cornelisjetses dreamingofawhitechristmas 400faves 600faves 900faves 700faves winterinamsterdam 800faves galleryphoto verlichteramen huffstuttersfavorite hetisstilinamsterdam 20december2009 winterinthejordaan cosychristmasspirit strollinginasnowyamsterdam beginvanherengracht lightsatthewindows antonpiecksfeertje thenightfallsdowntownamsterdam happywintertimeinamsterdam deavondvaltindejordaan awintryviewofthebrouwersgrachtamsterdam desneeuwvaltopdedaken winterinmokum magicalwinterscene christmastreeinthewindow brouwersgrachtindewinter sneeuwvalvanzon15cm sneeuwplezierenoverlast cosychristmasinamsterdam gezelligewintertafereelindejordaan letitsnowinamsterdam kerstsfeerinamsterdam deavondvaltinhartjeamsterdam winternightinamsterdam xmasinamsterdam snowflakesfallontherooftop

Riad, Marrakech HDR (marcp_dmoz) Tags: fountain pool garden hotel nikon nightshot map fuente jardin piscina swimmingpool morocco maroc nocturna handheld marrakech marrakesh nikkor marruecos luxury garten tone suites hdr marokko moroccan nachtaufnahme lujo riad ryad alojamiento marrakesch fontne marroqu photomatix tonemapped tonemapping d700 afsnikkor1735mmf28difed autoisosensitivitycontrol demeuresdorient

Summer Time (Ben Heine) Tags: uk travel light wild sky sun tree green nature grass leaves lines sepia clouds garden season landscape photography countryside vanishingpoint highresolution university poem photographie nikond70 earth geometry lumire details perspective dream jardin surreal peaceful philosophy vert pop clean zomer oxford harmony memory poet planet terre summertime neat spirituality colleges conceptual sunrays t paysage arbre oxfordshire hdr perfection gardener feuilles oldfashioned sauvage propre southeastengland blueribbonwinner grandebretagne jardinier digitalshot petersquinn benheine worklabour hubertlebizay hubzay flickrunited gazonanglais infotheartisterycom

Les Jardins de la Mnara, Marrakech, Morocco (5ERG10) Tags: africa blue roof sunset sun lake mountains reflection building green water sergio yellow gardens clouds photoshop garden lens landscape mirror nikon tour pyramid dusk sightseeing olive jardin wideangle orchard basin palm morocco maroc promenade handheld atlas marocco marrakech marrakesh sultan marruecos frontpage hdr highdynamicrange jardins pavillion groves marokko menara afrique d300 3xp photomatix artificiallake sigma1020 tonemapping mnara abderrahmane bratanesque amiti abdalmumin 5erg10 wownathan 144commentsand221faveswuhooo beaaauuutttiiiifulllllljow sergioamiti

Palais Royal in Paris (*bratan*) Tags: paris france reflection architecture garden bravo jardin bec spheres palaisroyal hdr photomatix polbury nicepair infinestyle bratanesque ohtenasunebelleguirlandeddd tchipppp weloveyourballs

"Goodbye Series"(I): See you soon, Reaca! (B'Rob) Tags: chile city travel blue sunset streetart color art true azul architecture night garden atardecer photography valparaiso noche mar photo yahoo google twilight arquitectura nikon flickr paradise via vampire picture jardin ciudad best wikipedia eden crepusculo vampiro valparaso paraiso paraso valpo jardn porteo mejor viadelmar portea snopes vregion d40 brob edn p1f1 tuseibravissimo brobphoto

Atardecer en el Castillo Wulff (B'Rob) Tags: chile city travel light sunset sea orange streetart color tower art tourism beach water true garden atardecer photography valparaiso mar photo yahoo google nikon flickr paradise via picture jardin ciudad playa tourist colores best cielo wikipedia eden omg valparaso paraiso hdr jardn mejor viadelmar chilean vregion d40 brob top20travelpix brobphoto

Otra vista desde las "Torres del Pacfico".. (B'Rob) Tags: chile city blue light sunset orange streetart building green art true night garden atardecer photography valparaiso noche mar photo yahoo google twilight nikon flickr paradise torre via vampire picture jardin ciudad valentine best wikipedia eden crepusculo vampiro valparaso paraiso hdr jardn viadelmar d40 brob coracero happyvalentinesdayallofyou brobphoto

Rest days in Reaca?? (B'Rob) Tags: chile city streetart art beach true night garden photography lights valparaiso noche mar photo yahoo google twilight nikon flickr paradise via vampire picture jardin ciudad playa best wikipedia rest eden crepusculo vampiro valparaso paraiso hdr jardn reaca viadelmar d40 brob brobphoto

0:30 January, 1st - No mercy... (B'Rob) Tags: chile city streetart building art true night garden photography lights valparaiso noche mar photo yahoo google fight twilight nikon flickr paradise via vampire picture jardin ciudad best explore wikipedia eden crepusculo vampiro valparaso paraiso soe hdr jardn viadelmar d40 brob explored brobphoto

" Au pays du rve bleu..." (jeanmical) Tags: france flower nature fleur garden spring lyon jardin rhne bleu printemps soe blueribbonwinner parcdelattedor platinumphoto aplusphoto flickrdiamond citritgroup theunforgettablepictures platinumheartaward betterthangood goldstaraward vanagram artofimages platinumpeaceaward pensesbleues

Miss, summer is coming ! (My Planet Experience) Tags: flower reflection nature water fleur animal canon bug garden insect pond waterlily dragonfly wildlife jardin reflet lilies animaux insecte libellule tang nenuphar viesauvage wwwmyplanetexperiencecom

Magical winter wonderland in Amsterdam (Bn) Tags: winter snow holland amsterdam night snowflakes topf50 bravo o jardin topf100 topf200 jordaan brouwersgracht antonpieck lantaarn sneeuwvlokken pittoresk tellmeastory heavysnowfall 100faves 50faves 200faves winteravond cornelisjetses dreamingofawhitechristmas winterromance winterinamsterdam verlichteramen saariysqualitypictures hetisstilinamsterdam winterinthejordaan cosychristmasspirit strollinginasnowyamsterdam beginvanherengracht lightsatthewindows antonpiecksfeertje thenightfallsdowntownamsterdam happywintertimeinamsterdam deavondvaltindejordaan awintryviewofthebrouwersgrachtamsterdam desneeuwvaltopdedaken winterinmokum magicalwinterscene christmastreeinthewindow brouwersgrachtindewinter sneeuwplezierenoverlast cosychristmasinamsterdam gezelligewintertafereelindejordaan letitsnowinamsterdam kerstsfeerinamsterdam deavondvaltinhartjeamsterdam winternightinamsterdam xmasinamsterdam snowflakesfallontherooftop 17december2010 snowfall1525cm amsterdamreadyforawhitechristmas lantaarnpaallicht sneeuwval1525cm

Fleurs de printemps : Prunus pissardii - Prunier myrobolan - Myrobalan plum (Pantchoa) Tags: macro fleur rose jardin provence cassis printemps ville fleurrose pruniermyrobolan myrobalanplum prunuspissardii

The Path to Knowledge - Color (Ben Heine) Tags: uk light wild wallpaper england sun tree art nature grass architecture clouds composition digital photoshop garden print poster freedom bush university poem oldstyle colours peace nikond70 earth path walk couleurs library branches jardin books symmetry study libert oxford harmony wisdom copyrights bibliothque campagne arbre tude oldbuilding chemin perfection academic queenscollege sagesse buisson smudgetool connaissance romanstyle pathtoknowledge petersquinn benheine hubertlebizay hubzay flickrunited gazonanglais infotheartisterycom

Le Grand 8 (0+0=8) (Gilderic Photography) Tags: park city winter paris france reflection green ice water wheel garden circle fun lumix mirror frozen eau europe place geometry jardin 8 structure panasonic number reflet illusion concorde tuileries rayon miroir fontaine zero parc eight attraction numero chiffre touristic cercle roue obelisque geometrie huit blueribbonwinner pansonic gilderic colorphotoaward aplusphoto platinumheartaward goldstaraward dmctz4

"Goodbye Series"(and III): See you soon, Via del Mar! (B'Rob) Tags: chile city travel blue light sunset sea streetart color building art tourism beach water true azul night garden atardecer photography valparaiso noche mar photo yahoo google twilight nikon flickr paradise via vampire edificio picture jardin ciudad playa tourist colores best cielo wikipedia eden crepusculo vampiro valparaso paraiso hdr jardn mejor viadelmar chilean vregion d40 brob brobphoto

~~ Tribute to Philippe Ramette / Hommage a Philippe Ramette ~~ (Julien Ratel ( Still In Iceland )) Tags: park brown building tree green girl vertical horizontal canon garden creativity angle femme perspective jardin tokina1224 vert harmony tribute hommage marron arbre eos350d parc soe deformed regard themoulinrouge sobeautiful supershot crativit 25faves digifoto mywinners abigfave deform artlibre totalawesomeness superbmasterpiece diamondclassphotographer flickrdiamond ysplix philipperamette flickrelite viewangle artisticfaves theperfectphotographer thegardenofzen blueju38 julienratel

0:00 January, 1st at "Puerto Pacfico" (B'Rob) Tags: chile city light streetart building tower art beach pool true night garden photography valparaiso noche mar photo yahoo google twilight nikon flickr paradise view via vampire picture jardin ciudad best explore wikipedia eden crepusculo vampiro valparaso paraiso hdr jardn viadelmar d40 brob explored colourartaward 20tfnocturna brobphoto

Just Leave Me Alone!! (B'Rob) Tags: chile city dog streetart art beach true garden photography valparaiso mar photo yahoo google fight nikon funny flickr paradise via picture jardin ciudad best wikipedia eden pelea valparaso paraiso jardn viadelmar d40 brob brobphoto

0:25 January, 1st - Via del Mar (Chile) (B'Rob) Tags: chile city streetart art true night garden photography lights valparaiso noche mar photo yahoo google twilight nikon flickr paradise via vampire picture jardin ciudad best explore most wikipedia eden crepusculo vampiro valparaso paraiso hdr jardn viadelmar d40 brob explored brobphoto

A heavy sky with foreboding on my garden! (Denis Collette...!!!) Tags: trees light sky cloud canada black tree art clouds garden photography photo noir photographie lumire jardin ciel arbres photograph qubec thunderstorm nuage nuages heavy arbre thunder orage tempte photographe tonnerre holidaysvancanzeurlaub goldenphotographer deniscollette blackclouds skyheavy withforeboding askyheavywithforeboding nuagesnoirs cielmenaant

Y'a d'la joie! - There is joy! (bleuet / Anne-Marie) Tags: red france flower reflection green fleur rain closeup garden rouge leaf petals drops jardin pluie vert petal reflet stamen goutte ptale feuille crabapple excellence quincetree aquitaine ptales gironde mrignac interestingness24 i500 cognassierdujapon cognassier tamine parcbourran planrapproch

The cat and the owl (Jean-Michel Priaux) Tags: france tower castle art history rock wall architecture fairytale photoshop garden landscape rocks village jardin alsace fortification paysage protection hdr patrimoine patrimony bergheim priaux mygearandme ringexcellence flickrstruereflection1

LARMES DE ROSE ! (picolojojo) Tags: flowers red flower color nature fleur colors rose fleurs garden petals couleurs ngc jardin petal panasonic couleur ptale ptales topshots abigfave photosandcalendar flowersarebeautiful excellentsflowers natureselegantshots mimamorflowers waterdropsmacros flickrflorescloseupmacros panoramafotogrfico panoramafotografico saariysqualitypictures fleursetpaysages mygearandme ringexcellence excellentsflores

Iced bokeh - Frosty mornings II (Marc Benslahdine) Tags: macro jardin bleu explore neige frontpage glace givre lightroom glacial fraicheur canonef100mmf28macrousm canoneos50d marcopix marcbenslahdine matinsgivrs marcopixcom

Jardin des Tuileries (A.G. Photographe) Tags: paris france reflection garden nikon jardin reflet reflect tuileries nikkor reflexion franais hdr wheeling parisian granderoue anto jardindestuileries xiii parisien tuileriesgarden 2470mm28 d700 antoxiii hdr5raw

Abstract Composition with Yellow Flowers (Ben Heine) Tags: camera wallpaper sun abstract france art nature motif fleur grass garden print poster lens photography soleil focus energy experimental pattern dof pov earth modernart decorative air decoration creative meadow jardin fresh sharp dandelion textures oxygen simplicity terre prairie moment conceptual breathe sunrays copyrights yellowflowers connection ecosystem vibration pissenlit abstracted herbes fraicheur flowercomposition creativemoment benheine fontalirant flickrunited samsungnx10 theartisterycom

Lige (Flaf) Tags: colour water pencil de justice drawing terrasse jardin palais florian michel maas gerard meuse lige fabien denoel afflerbach lttlich

La vida es como una pelcula, (new account: /noraelebowski) Tags: life road park city parque light sunset cinema art love primavera film night ro canon river garden movie asian atardecer luces noche spring farola streetlight asia carretera bokeh streetlamp amor jardin ciudad cine lamppost vida desenfoque sound perhaps peli turia pelcula quizs eos1000d noraelebowski

Heavy snowfall in the city of Amsterdam (Bn) Tags: snowflakes topf50 jardin prinsengracht topf100 mokum jordaan sneeuwvlokken heavysnowfall 100faves 50faves winteravond abigfave dreamingofawhitechristmas winterinamsterdam verlichteramen winter20092010 hetisstilinamsterdam 20december2009 winterinthejordaan cosychristmasspirit strollinginasnowyamsterdam beginvanherengracht lightsatthewindows antonpiecksfeertje thenightfallsdowntownamsterdam happywintertimeinamsterdam deavondvaltindejordaan awintryviewofthebrouwersgrachtamsterdam desneeuwvaltopdedaken winterinmokum magicalwinterscene brouwersgrachtindewinter sneeuwvalvanzon15cm sneeuwplezierenoverlast cosychristmasinamsterdam gezelligewintertafereelindejordaan letitsnowinamsterdam kerstsfeerinamsterdam deavondvaltinhartjeamsterdam winternightinamsterdam xmasinamsterdam snowflakesfallontherooftop mokumindewinter

Behind the window (Jean-Michel Priaux) Tags: autumn sunset orange sun sunlight house france tree art nature field fog illustration photoshop automne garden painting gold cabin nikon dream jardin peinture dreaming hut alsace paysage maison hdr brume cabane anotherworld savage sauvage fret mattepainting ried d90 maisonnette priaux ebersheim

Dgel / Thaw. (glemoigne) Tags: winter bird robin bravo brittany erithacusrubecula pentax hiver ngc jardin bretagne breizh brest oiseau thaw rougegorge bzh finistre dgel ornithologie logonna thegalaxy penarbed gardenvisitor k20d logonnadaoulas justpentax smcpda300mmf40edifsdm da300 fabbow magicunicornverybest magicunicornmasterpiece glemoigne aboveandbeyondlevel4 gilbertlemoigne flickrstruereflection1 flickrstruereflection2 flickrstruereflection3 flickrstruereflection4 flickrstruereflection5 flickrstruereflection6 flickrstruereflection7 flickrstruereflectionexcellence trueexcellence1 trueexcellence2 trueexcellence3 aboveandbeyondlevel3 magicmomentsinyourlifelevel2 magicmomentsinyourlifelevel1

329/365... Bubbles! (Desire Delgado) Tags: portrait me kids self garden 50mm nikon jardin bubbles colores 365 burbujas pompas jabon d40

In the Garden ! (Ben Heine) Tags: uk windows wallpaper england cloud house building art college grass lines composite architecture composition contrast photomanipulation garden print poster relax carpet weird university oldstyle modernart surrealism lawn perspective jardin horns surreal compo nikond70s clean oxford antelope photomontage wildanimal serene savannah copyrights maison depth btiment bizarre onyx antilope masterpiece flore lierre nationalgeographic couch fentres sauvage faune propre herbes profondeur gazon cornes compositephotos classicphoto incongruit crazyheart flickrunitedaward infotheartisterycom

Oaxaca por la noche () Tags: world city sky moon mist mountain mountains heritage luz church fog skyline mxico architecture night del lune garden stars mesoamerica lights luces noche site day catholic dominican order peace view roman jardin catedral iglesia ciudad luna sierra unesco full monastery cerro valley nightlight universidad mexicanos oaxaca lua moonlight sur former baroque ecclesiastical domingo estrella tranquil santo madre sleeper fortin montaas juarez religous nocturno benito guzmn tranquillo mixtec autnoma zapotec jurez ethnobotanical oaxacadejuarez cerrodelfortin nicksaum rafa2008oax

Tulipanes en el aire (Carhove) Tags: blue naturaleza flores flower nature azul garden tulips jardin explore tulipas tulipanes nikond80 platinumheartaward thesuperbmasterpiece explorewinnersoftheworld carhove 100commentgroup

Yellow Flower (Ben Heine) Tags: travel light wild sun nature fleur jaune garden season relax landscape photography countryside petals stem poem photographie perfume time nikond70 earth geometry lumire details jardin peaceful philosophy yellowflower harmony smell memory poet planet terre spirituality conceptual paysage eternity gentle bloem sauvage parfum bouton digitalshot petersquinn benheine colourartaward flagrance excellentsflowers excellentsflower fullcolours vosplusbellesphotos hubertlebizay hubzay flickrunited odeurrose pulpeux

You Are Sunshine, You Are Rain (Ben Heine) Tags: travel pink light wild sky woman sun art love nature field grass rain weather rose fog clouds umbrella garden season print relax landscape photography back stem poem photographie perfume time nikond70 earth lumire surrealism details horizon dream jardin pluie peaceful philosophy amour luck smell future hopes poet planet terre chance conceptual copyrights paysage brouillard meteo parapluie parfum bouton rve herbes feminity petersquinn benheine espoirs flagrance fullcolours hubertlebizay hubzay panoramafotogrfico flickrunited sfumatoeffect odeurrose pulpeux infotheartisterycom

Darling (Ben Heine) Tags: travel light red wild woman sun flower tree texture love nature colors beauty metal garden season print landscape rouge photography countryside leaf petals poem colours photographie heart time nikond70 earth geometry lumire details jardin vivid philosophy compo coeur romance amour gift oxford harmony memory poppy poet passion planet present terre organic spirituality conceptual copyrights paysage botanicgarden biology darling feuille ecosystem chri saintvalentin sauvage ptales saintvalentinesday digitalshot petersquinn benheine colourartaward hubertlebizay hubzay flickrunited infotheartisterycom

pink beauty (OliBac) Tags: pink flowers flower macro nature fleur rose fleurs garden photography jardin floralfantasy flowerscolors bej olibac mywinners saveearth superaplus aplusphoto theunforgettablepictures platinumheartaward bestroseshot betterthangood macroflowerlovers olympussp560uz superbmacroflowers wonderfulworldofflowers awesomeblossoms vosplusbellesphotos theperfectpinkdiamond saariysqualitypictures distinctflowers geshgreenearthsafehealthy stunningphotogpin best4gpin bestphoto4gpinaug2011

Lin bleu (sylvain.landry) Tags: blue plants plant france flower macro art nature floral fleur beautiful leaves jaune canon wow d50 eos soleil photo interestingness interesting focus dof expression top turquoise champs culture jardin bio vert pistil bleu winner 5d fav pollen lin top20 botanique horticulture arbre printemps flou 5star vegetal verdure herbe flore pl excellence biologie biologique 5stars favori ecologie tige naturel grimpante bigfav petale supershot realisme biomasse abigfave interressant ecosystme horticole 5hearts tigeplante

The Menara Gardens, Marrakech - II (portrait) (5ERG10) Tags: africa trees roof sunset portrait sun lake mountains building water sergio gardens clouds photoshop reflections garden mirror nikon tour pyramid sightseeing olive jardin orchard palm morocco maroc promenade handheld atlas marocco marrakech marrakesh della vignetting hdr highdynamicrange jardins pavillion groves menara moroccan giardino giardini afrique d300 3xp photomatix artificiallake sigma1020 tonemapping mnara amiti 5erg10 sergioamiti

Hidden place (Frodrig) Tags: madrid park parque people tree verde green reunion grass garden bench arbol 50mm reading place banco jardin meeting personas explore hidden creeper secreto lugar hiddenplace escondido jardn reunin hidingplace climbingplant 50mm18 hierba capricho enredadera fernandorodriguez arbustos elcapricho canonef50mmf18ii supershot 40d parqueelcapricho eos40d canon40d lugarsecreto fernandorodrguez frodrig lugarescondido frodrigcom wwwfrodrigcom xatakafotoseleccin6 xatakafotoseleccin

Nol au jardin...!!! (Denis Collette...!!!) Tags: christmas wild canada flower colour reflection fleur river garden photo quebec jardin rivire safari reflet qubec walden collette nol couleur impressionist denis thoreau sauvage themoulinrouge portneuf firstquality impressionniste mywinners visiongroup pontrouge diamondclassphotographer flickrdiamond beautysecrets theunforgettablepictures deniscollette elitephotography proudshopper thegardenofzen theroadtoheaven thegoldendreams world100f life~asiseeit alemdagqualityonlyclub davincitouch photoexcel obq vision100 goldenvisions photosafari astibe visionquality1000

Generalife garden - Alhambra - Spain (Nino H) Tags: architecture garden spain jardin palace andalucia alhambra granada espagne hdr generalife espagna palacio mywinners andalucie aplusphoto favoritegarden

// //

Goa Monsoon – City of Panjim by Anoop Negi

The Adelaide Oval, South Australia :: HDR

The Adelaide Oval, South Australia :: HDR by Artie | Photography :: No need to fave/comment 🙂

Cricket Sunset HDR by Mike G. K.

Lensbaby Wetsuit Grasshopper (or is it a cricket?) Macro

Lensbaby Wetsuit Grasshopper (or is it a cricket?) Macro by s0ulsurfing

Through the Lens by photoprofiler

Rain stop play? No chance, this is mini cricket

Rain stop play? No chance, this is mini cricket by snowyturner

Happy 28th Anniversary! by ♥Dot Klerck….♥

Mole cricket by macropoulos

Airport Security is the Worst… by Titolian

The golden queue by rakesh_s(introspecting)

Busy steps- Varanasi India by Maciej Dakowicz

Sad Flower by eqqman

Village Cricket Shots #3. The Pull Shot by s0ulsurfing

Police Man by Mud$i

untitled by emilyharriet

The World by Paul Thurlby

—Religion— by kinginexile

Lasith Malinga by NavindaK

Cricket - The fastest growing religion of India

Cricket – The fastest growing religion of India by rakesh_s(introspecting)

Ship or the Palace by rakesh_s(introspecting)

The cricket by williamcho

Trekking through a wintry woods by Lida Rose

Stairway to heaven.. by Today is a good day

Joint Birthday Cake ....... side decorations

Joint Birthday Cake ……. side decorations by abbietabbie

Let it Rain ! Goa in Monsoon. by Anoop Negi

Melbourne Sound Relief - Raincoat Brigade

Melbourne Sound Relief – Raincoat Brigade by alexkess

Second Test, Sydney, 1936 / by Sam Hood by State Library of New South Wales collection

Cricket Face-on by Paul_Wheeler

Sigur Rós by Daniel Tückmantel

the little bee eater & the cricket by sole.r

In Hiding by Ian Sane

Shaun of the Dead by billbobful

22 Yards. Cricket Cloud Porn Vertorama. by s0ulsurfing

Pakistani Photographers with Inzimam by Max Loxton

Un gattico ed il suo grillo by lastquest

Cricket, a Gypsy Vanner by Rock and Racehorses

Cricket in the Caribbean by i . /✪\LEEM

American Kestrel with Jerusalem Cricket by bmse

Cicada by Edgar Thissen

Archana – Sports Anchor of Neo Sports by @k@sh

The playground of history by rakesh_s(introspecting)

Cricket up close by williamcho

Cricket macro by Martin_Heigan

Noisy Cricket by bruceywan

Not everyone is a cricket fan. by Ian Brumpton

Lord Lichfield (1939 – 2005) by Bobasonic

the music makers by AlicePopkorn ( off )

It's time to get out the old cricket whites again...

It’s time to get out the old cricket whites again… by s0ulsurfing

Sports cake for Josh and Connor by Sandra (socake)

Green on green (Macro) Grasshopper by natureloving

Ingrível Hulk! by Fernando Felix

water by manojsai

Hi, I’m Ashamed ! by Leonardo Carneiro de Almeida

It Just Isn’t Cricket, Is it. by neilalderney123

Qaddafi Stadium by Max Loxton

Green Giant by Chitrakari

Cricket shots #1. Square Cut (Vertorama)

Cricket shots #1. Square Cut (Vertorama) by s0ulsurfing

Age of innocence by rakesh_s(introspecting)

Speckled Bush Cricket by Paul_Wheeler

kolkata postcard by swarat_ghosh

Hey Digga! by christian.senger

Red Eye Tree Frog by Ian Lambert

hello by MedoRRa missing

Australia bowler, Bill O'Reilly, demonstrates his famous grip, ca. 1932 / by Sam Hood

Australia bowler, Bill O’Reilly, demonstrates his famous grip, ca. 1932 / by Sam Hood by State Library of New South Wales collection

Birch & Cricket by jahat

Caça e caçador - The hunted and the hunter

Caça e caçador – The hunted and the hunter by rbpdesigner

deliciously exotic by rakesh_s(introspecting)

Leisure for madrasa kids by fahim_123752

Can i help you? Lensbaby Wetsuit Grasshopper (or is it a cricket?) Macro - Take 2

Can i help you? Lensbaby Wetsuit Grasshopper (or is it a cricket?) Macro – Take 2 by s0ulsurfing

Red, green & black by almostblue58

House cricket / Heimchen / Acheta domesticus

House cricket / Heimchen / Acheta domesticus by Matthias Lenke

MIB: Noisy Cricket. by Lego Junkie.

Happy Little Cricket by Edgar Thissen

Playing cricket by jim snapper

Morning of ruins by rakesh_s(introspecting)

Sport is cruel by randyotter

The Photographer……EXPLORE by Syed Sibt-e-Hassan

Getting Ready to Go! by VinothChandar

cricket by 1davidstella

The rising of History by rakesh_s(introspecting)

A silent prayer by rakesh_s(introspecting)

Black Shadow by Edi Eco

Big weekend, little cricketers by s0ulsurfing

Intensity of experience by rakesh_s(introspecting)

Many Die This Way by Stewf

The Cricket Kid by Photosightfaces

Mole cricket portrait by macropoulos

My Dear Little Cricket by 1crzqbn

Lensbaby European Speckled Bush-Cricket Bokeh Wednesday

Lensbaby European Speckled Bush-Cricket Bokeh Wednesday by s0ulsurfing

Lensbaby long-horned grasshopper monday blues.

Lensbaby long-horned grasshopper monday blues. by s0ulsurfing

Pinocchio Vs Cricket by Vincenzo Pioggia

Solitude of Santa by rakesh_s(introspecting)

hi..I was looking for you by rakesh_s(introspecting)

cool cricket cola cap by Orrin

Katydid #2 by Stevpas68

All Done, best seen at larger size 2011 by Cricket King

Cricket – A religion or a game ? by Anoop Negi

[Sugar-free] Finished! by LULUBLOOM :: lucia

Curiosities by Ragazza*

A Chat???? by Alfredo11

The Challenge… a moment by Abdullah AL-Naser

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

The Sample Of Dr Iwan E-Book In CD-rom Edition”The Papua Nugini History Collections”

Posted on September 26, 2012 | 1 comment

THIS THE SAMPLE CD, THE COMPLETE CD EXIST BUT ONLY FOR PREMIUM MEMEBER PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA CPMMENT

The Papua Nugini history

Collections

Created By

Dr Iwan suwandy,MHA

Private Limited E.Book In CD-Rom Edition

Special for Senior Collectors

Copyright @ 2012

1890

Houses, Frederick Willhelmshafen, Madang Province, PNG
© Courtesy of The Australian Museum

The majority of the 152 images were created by unknown photographers, and show portraits, ceremonies, village scenes and activities as well as trading stations. Some have informative captions, including local names and personal names of traders and settlers. Many of the Solomon Island images are identical to those in another album held by the Australian Museum (see Capell Collection) but the captions are sometimes different. Research suggests that the Beran album images were taken from the original negatives as the captions are at times more detailed. Also included are a few prints of images taken in Vanuatu by John Watt Beattie, Charles Morris Woodford and John William Lindt.

Harry Beran

Harry Beran is a scholar, author and collector specialising in the Massim culture of Milne Bay Province, PNG. He was working in the Philosophy Department, University of Wollongong, when he acquired the album and donated it to the Australian Museum.

Related images

Mioko Village, Duke of York Islands, East New Britain Province, PNG View full size
© Courtesy of the Australian Museum

Women and children, fishing village, Blanche Bay, East New Britain, PNG View full size
© Courtesy of the Australian Museum

Reef Island canoes, Solomon Islands View full size
© Courtesy of The Australian Museum

Panna, a chief of Simbo, Western Solomon Islands View full size
© Courtesy of The Australian Museum

Hurricane proof house, Port Vila, Efate, Vanuatu View full size
© Courtesy of The Australian Museum

1u16

Heinrich Zahn, the Missioner Of Papaua New Guinea letter in 1915

Sent from New Guinea to Holland

and then forwarded to Germany. It seems like it was using an official system to tranmit mail. It still has the original note with a translation. There were several letters enclosed. Australian stamps used in New Guinea are very rare.(source Tim)

The Sample Of Dr Iwan E-Book In CD-rom”The World War I sencored cover Postal history”

Posted on September 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

THIS ONLY THE SAMPLE, THE COMPLETE cd EXIST BUT ONLY FOR PREMIUM MEMEBR,

PLEASE SUBSCRIBED VIA COMMENT

The WW I Sencored Cover Postal History

Created By

Dr Iwan suwandy,MHA

Privated Limited E-book In CD-rom Edition

Special for Sewnior Collectors

Copyright @ 2012

Sent from New Guinea to Holland and then forwarded to Germany. It seems like it was using an official system to tranmit mail. It still has the original note with a translation. There were several letters enclosed. Australian stamps used in New Guinea are very rare.(source Tim)

Heinrich Zahn, the Missioner Of Papaua New Guinea letter in 1915

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

The Sample of Dr Iwan e-book In CD-ROM “The Dai Nippon Occupation Java 1942”

Posted on September 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

The Dai Nippon Occupation Java Part One 1942 history collection

THIS THE SAMPLE OF E-BOOK IN CD-ROM WITHOUT ILLUSTRATION, THE COMPLETE CD WITH ILLUSTRATIONS AND FULL INFO EXIST BUT ONLY FOR PREMIUM MEMBER,PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA COMMENT

The Dai Nippon Occupation Java

Part one

1942

Based On Dr Iwan’s Postal and Archives History Collections

Created By

Dr Iwan Suwandy,MHA

Private Limited E-BOOK IN CD-ROM Edition

Special For Serious Collectors and Premium Member

one of the best Dr Iwan Dai nippon archives collections is the Diary of Mr martooadmojo during he work at Djoerangsapi city east Java from august 1942 until 1844, and at the cover of the diary there were the list of Dai nippon officer who work there

119.MB,Martoadmodjo B. handwritten Diary about his work at Japanese logistic stations at Djoerang Koeda Village ‘

Bondowoso,

Basoeki Ressort east Java

which thrown away after his pass away in 1990 ,faound and became Dr Iwan collections, never publish)

At the cover of diary had written the name of Dai Nippon officer at Nippon Djoerangsapi ken

(I hove the family of this DN officer will glad to know their family there,please send comment and more info about them)

1. The city post office dai nippon djoerangsapi Inoue and Shiroga
2. Egami Djoerangsapi telephone office and Gado.
3. Tela factory Semboda Yasuda and Yamamoto
4.Tanaman cotton Kentjong M.Nishin
KK Djoerangsapi 5.Takashinaya sida: Mori
6.agen Genpi Djoerangsapi KK: Mori and Futama
Chokin 7.Yokohama Ginko (bank) Fujimoto, Fujii, and Hayashida
8.Osaka Seima KK: Nishiike
SH 9.CO Wadoeng: Maeda
10.CO landed: H.Takari
11.Kapas Sampelan: Mitsui and Mura
12.Rikuyu Jimusho Djoerangsapi: Nakashi, Oguri, Sitsuka, Ari Izumi (Suzuki), Kogo, Yamamoto, Fujimora, Tsubakibaru, Nakaki, Matsuyama, Mayama, Satoh and Matsuda
13.PETA: Saito Mataan

Pendudkan Dai Nippon Di Tanah Jawa

Bagian Pertama

1.942

Berdasarkan Dr Iwan Pos dan Koleksi Arsip Sejarah

Dibuat Oleh

Dr Iwan Suwandy, MHA

Edisi Pribadi E-BOOK Terbatas DI CD-ROM

Khusus Untuk Kolektor Serius dan Anggota Premium

salah satu yang terbaik Iwan Dr Dai nippon koleksi arsip adalah Diary of Mr martooadmojo selama ia bekerja di Djoerangsapi kota Jawa Timur dari Agustus 1942 sampai 1844, dan pada sampul buku harian itu ada daftar petugas nippon Dai yang bekerja di sana

119.MB, Martoadmodjo B. Harian tulisan tangan tentang pekerjaannya di stasiun logistik Jepang di Djoerang Koeda Desa ‘

Bondowoso,

Basoeki Ressort Jawa Timur

yang dibuang setelah umpannya pergi pada tahun 1990, dan menjadi faound Dr Iwan koleksi, tidak pernah mempublikasikan)

Pada sampul buku harian itu tertulis nama petugas Nippon Dai Nippon di Djoerangsapi ken

(Saya hove keluarga ini petugas DN akan senang mengetahui keluarga mereka di sana, silakan kirim komentar dan info lebih lanjut tentang mereka)

1. Pos Kota kantor dai nippon djoerangsapi Inoue dan Shiroga
2. Egami Djoerangsapi telepon kantor dan Gado.
3. Tela pabrik Semboda Yasuda dan Yamamoto
4.Tanaman kapas Kentjong M.Nishin
KK Djoerangsapi 5.Takashinaya sida: Mori
6.agen Genpi Djoerangsapi KK: Mori dan Futama
Chokin 7.Yokohama Ginko (bank) Fujimoto, Fujii, dan Hayashida
8.Osaka Seima KK: Nishiike
SH 9.CO Wadoeng: Maeda
10.CO mendarat: H.Takari
11.Kapas Sampelan: Mitsui dan Mura
12.Rikuyu Jimusho Djoerangsapi: nakashi, Oguri, Sitsuka, Ari Izumi (Suzuki), Kogo, Yamamoto, Fujimora, Tsubakibaru, Nakaki, Matsuyama, Mayama, Satoh dan Matsuda
13.PETA: Saito Mataan

1.January 1.942

TAHANAN,PERANG DAI NIPPON

ditangkap di Bataan, yang dipimpin ditutup matanya ke markas untuk diinterogasi. sampai dengan 10 Januari

General Yamashita berdiri di gerbang Kuala Lumpur, di pantai barat Malaya, yang Divisi 5 nya ditangkap keesokan harinya.

sangat disamarkan Toyota Truck KB dan tankette 97 jenis bergerak di jalan buruk pavemented dari malaya (1942)

karya seni menunjukkan tank tentara dari Resimen Tank japanese 6 diperintahkan oleh komandan tank Kolonel Kawamura menyerang Inggris di malaya 1.942

Januari, 11th.1942

oleh Laksamana Stark,

yang, pada tanggal 11 Januari, sehari setelah
General Wavell tiba di Batavia dengan Jenderal Ter Poorten
tapi sebelum ia memegang komando, meninjau situasi kritis di Timur Jauh dan mengangkat pertanyaan tentang pengalihan kapal dari rute Atlantik kurang kritis Utara ke Pasifik.

Dalam hal ini ia mendapat dukungan dari Jenderal Marshall dan Laksamana Raja, tapi Inggris, dengan keyakinan bahwa Singapura akan terus dan cemas bagi Amerika untuk menghilangkan kemudian di Islandia dan Irlandia, mencari cara lain untuk menemukan kapal.

Pendaratan dAI nIPPON di wilayah Inggris di

Singapore

Pasukan dan Kemenangan Dai Nippon

8 Desember 1941 – 15 Februari 1942:

Letnan Jenderal Percival dan partainya membawa Union Jack dalam perjalanan mereka untuk menyerahkan Singapura kepada Jepang.

Pendaratan Jepang di lepas pantai barat British North Borneo(sekarang Sabah malaysia(, 1942

Februari 19th.1942

lapangan terbang Semplak Bogor dibombardir Jepang dan di siang serangan Bandung Andir lapangan terbang

Gubernor Jenderal Tjarda VSN Stoukerborough dengan Kepala Staf nya Ter Porten pindah dari Batavia ke Bandung dan mereka tinggal di Villa Mei Ling yang dimiliki oleh Volkraad Tionghoa (rumah perwakilan) ‘s anggota HH Kan

Februari, 19th.1942

Dalam keterlibatan utama di atas Semplak pada tanggal 19 Februari 1942, delapan Belanda Brewster pejuang dicegat pembentukan sekitar 35 pembom Jepang dengan pengawalan sekitar 20 Zero. Para pilot Brewster menghancurkan 11 pesawat Jepang dan kehilangan empat Brewsters, dua pilot tewas Belanda [33].

Februari 20th.1942.

Hal ini menempatkan Surabaya dalam jangkauan pembom musuh. Dari Kendari,

Jumat, 20 Februari

BATTLE OF BADOENG SELAT

Kapal Sekutu berada di dua kelompok. Yang pertama adalah kapal penjelajah Belanda De Ruyter, JAVA, Belanda Piet Hein perusak dan Amerika JOHN D FORD, dan Paus. Belanda perusak BANCKERT adalah bagian dari gaya, namun kandas di mulut Tjilatjap pelabuhan dan tidak bisa melanjutkan.

Kelompok kedua adalah Belanda cruiser Tromp dari Surabaya dan Amerika perusak STEWART, PARROTT, JOHN D EDWARDS dan Pillsbury dari Ratai Bay.

STEWART rusak oleh tembakan Jepang, dengan satu orang tamtama tewas dan pejabat eksekutif LT CB Smiley dan satu orang tamtama terluka. JOHN D EDWARDS memiliki satu orang terdaftar terluka. Piet Hein (Lt Cdr JMLI Chompff) hilang dengan semua tapi 33 awak dan Tromp rusak parah.

_____

Konvoi SM.3 berangkat Batavia unescorted dengan kapal uap Inggris ADRASTUS (7905grt), KOTA MANCHESTER (8917grt), Marella (7475grt), Dutch PHRONTIS (6181grt) dan Norwegia menonjol (2282grt). Steamers KOTA MANCHESTER dan menonjol terus Tjilatjap dan sisanya dari konvoi ke Fremantle.

_____

Konvoi SJ.5 berangkat Batavia dengan kapal uap Inggris Angby (786grt), Filleigh (4856grt), JALAKRISHNA (4991grt), Lulworth HILL (7628grt), SILVERLARCH (5064grt), Yoma (8131grt) dan Norwegia HAI LEE (3616grt). Escort di awal adalah dengan EXETER cruiser berat, STRONGHOLD perusak dan Jumna sloop India. Kapal-kapal melanjutkan ke Kolombo, tiba independen antara 28 Februari dan 6 Maret.

_____

Battleship WARSPITE tiba di Sydney, NSW, setelah refitting di Amerika Serikat.

_____

Destroyer NIZAM berangkat Colombo untuk pantai barat Sumatera untuk mengevakuasi personel. Patroli kapal Pangkor dari Angkatan China juga dikirim untuk mengevakuasi personel. NIZAM dipanggil kembali pada tanggal 21 untuk tugas pengawalan.

_____

Ballarat minesweeper Australia dievakuasi toko penting dan menyelesaikan penghancuran fasilitas pelabuhan dan ditinggalkan peralatan di Oosthaven pada tanggal 20.

_____

I.65 kapal selam Jepang tenggelam steamer Bhima (5280grt) dalam 7-47N, 73-31e. Awak 68, dua penumpang, semuanya diselamatkan.

_____

Steamer KOOLAMA (4068grt) tenggelam oleh bom Jepang off Wyndham, Australia Barat.

_____

Belanda steamer Tobelo (983grt) tenggelam oleh bom Jepang di Kupang.

_____

Steamer JALAKRISHNA (4991grt) rusak akibat pemboman Jepang di Hindia Belanda.

Sabtu, 21 Februari

Konvoi SJ.6 berangkat Tandjong Priok dengan kapal uap MANGOLA dan THEPASTRIN Nawa (3260grt) untuk Fremantle dan Kiang (1451grt), Jalavihar, ELSA, Straat Soenda (6439grt) dan Generaal VAN DE HEYDEN (1213grt) untuk Colombo.

_____

Konvoi SJ.7 berangkat Priok Tandjong dengan Orcades kapal pengangkut tentara (23.456 GRT), membawa 3768 tentara dan pengungsi, dikawal oleh kapal perusak ELECTRA ke cahaya cruiser 22 dan Australia HOBART ke 23, ketika konvoi tersebar dan pendamping terpisah. Orcades tiba di Kolombo pada tanggal 27.

Amerika memberikan bantuan untuk Australia.46

Washington setuju dengan perkiraan Wavell tentang hilangnya kemungkinan Jawa. Penguatan itu jelas sia-sia dan tentu saja paling bijaksana, Kepala Gabungan berpikir, akan mengirim setidaknya salah satu divisi Australia ke Burma dan lainnya ke Australia. Sudah jelas juga bahwa jatuhnya Jawa akan membagi wilayah ABDA dan membuat pertahanan terkoordinasi dari ekstremitas timur dan barat tidak mungkin. The British karena itu disarankan bahwa Burma dibawa keluar dari ABDACOM dan ditransfer ke komando mereka di India, proposal bahwa Chiefs AS dan General Wavell, yang selalu percaya Burma adalah bagian integral dari perintah India, mudah diterima. Hal ini dilakukan secara resmi

pada 21 February.47

Minggu 22 Februari

LANGLEY dan WITCH SEA, membawa pesawat crated, yang terpisah ke Jawa. LANGLEY hilang dan WITCH SEA berhasil melarikan diri setelah memberikan kargo nya di Tjilatjap.

LANGLEY tenggelam oleh bom Jepang. Hanya enam belas awak dan penumpang yang hilang. Para korban dijemput oleh Whipple dan EDSALL. Whipple kemudian bergegas LANGLEY.

Konvoi tiba di Kolombo pada tanggal 5 Maret.

_____

Patroli kapal Pangkor berangkat Batavia untuk mengevakuasi personil dari Sibolga dan Ongha, kemudian melanjutkan ke Kolombo.

_____

Boom pertahanan kapal BARRIER, BARLANE dan BARRICADE berangkat Batavia untuk Colombo dan patroli kapal Excellent lokasi dan MEDUSA untuk Fremantle, melalui Tjilatjap.

_____

Konvoi SJ.8 berangkat lebih Tandjong Priok dengan Edendale (1659grt) untuk Fremantle dan FU Kwang (1559grt), Tinombo (872grt) dan ROOSEBOOM (1035grt) untuk Colombo.

_____

Kapal selam Jepang I.58 tenggelam kapal Belanda Pijnacker HORDIKJ (2982grt) selatan Tjilatjap.

Senin, 23 Februari

Norwegia kapal Belita dan Norwegia collier Woolgar berangkat Colombo untuk Batavia, dikawal sampai 25 oleh perusak NIZAM dan minesweeper Bathurst. Merchantmen tersebut berlangsung secara independen untuk Batavia sampai ingat.

_____

Konvoi SM.4 berangkat Priok Tandjong dengan kapal Springdale (1579grt) untuk Fremantle dan SEIRSTAD dan PERAK (1188grt) untuk Colombo. Kapal-kapal berjalan secara independen setelah Selat Sunda.

Rencana untuk mengirimkan divisi Australia untuk Burma, bagaimanapun, datang ke sia-sia. Prihatin atas pertahanan negara mereka sendiri, yang terus-menerus menolak Australia, meskipun permohonan kuat dari Churchill dan Roosevelt, untuk mengizinkan pengalihan divisi tersebut ke Burma, dan akhirnya,

pada tanggal 23 Februari, mereka diperintahkan home.48

Meskipun hilangnya Jawa kebobolan oleh semua kecuali Belanda, ada keengganan untuk bertindak atas asumsi ini. Untuk melakukannya akan menciptakan kesan bahwa Amerika dan Inggris yang desersi sekutu Belanda mereka. Pada tanggal 20, oleh karena itu, Kepala Gabungan, menyatakan bahwa “setiap hari diperoleh sangat penting,” diarahkan Wavell untuk membela Jawa “dengan resolusi maksimal” dan tidak menarik atau menyerahkan salah satu pasukan di sana. Untuk meminimalkan hilangnya pasukan Sekutu di Jawa, Kepala khusus dilarang Wavell dari memperkuat pulau yang lebih lanjut, tetapi memberinya keleluasaan untuk menggunakan kekuatan angkatan laut dan pesawat Amerika di Australia saat ia berpikir best.49

Bahkan saat ini petunjuk segar sedang diterima di ABDACOM, Jepang sedang membuat eksekusi mereka mustahil. Pada tanggal 19, mereka mendarat di ujung selatan Bali, segera ke timur Jawa. Keesokan harinya mereka mendarat di Timor, setengah dari yang setengah Belanda dan Portugis. Pengendalian pulau-pulau, terletak di antara Jawa dan barat laut Australia, menyelesaikan isolasi Jawa, ditempatkan Jepang darat pejuang dalam jangkauan pemboman pangkalan Belanda di Surabaya, dan membuat bala bantuan lebih lanjut dari Australia mustahil.

. pada tanggal 23 Februari

telah diperintahkan untuk Tjilatjap, di pantai selatan Jawa,

dengan muatannya dari tiga puluh dua dirakit P-40 dan pilot mereka. Pada tanggal 27, hampir dalam pandangan Jawa, itu ditemukan oleh pesawat patroli Jepang dan tenggelam. The SeaWitch kargo dengan 27 P-40 dalam memegang nya telah meninggalkan Fremantle pada saat yang sama, tetapi berlayar secara terpisah dan membuat jalan berhasil ke Jawa. Ini tiba di sana pada malam invasi dan P-40, masih crated, yang dibuang ke laut untuk mencegah mereka capture.55

Sementara itu Jepang telah menyelesaikan persiapan mereka untuk invasi Jawa. D-hari ditetapkan untuk

udara pengintai menegaskan bahwa lapangan udara tidak layak untuk digunakan. Markas Air kemudian membuat pengaturan untuk persediaan akan turun dan hari berikutnya tiga Blenheims dari Singapura, dimodifikasi untuk membawa kontainer, berhasil menjatuhkan £ 900 persediaan di lapangan terbang.

yang 23 Februari

di Kenamboi, di mana mereka kembali bersatu dengan C dan Perusahaan D.

Februari, 24 1942

Filght Jepang menyerang dan bombardement Kemajoran Batavia, Buitenzorg Semplak dan Kalijati lapangan terbang.

Selasa, 24 Februari

Steamers Indragiri (592grt), NAM YONG (1345grt), dan BOERO (7135grt) berangkat Tandjong Priok untuk Colombo.

_____

Belanda steamer KOTA RADJA (7117grt) tenggelam oleh bom Jepang di Surabaya.

Belanda light cruiser Heemskerk berangkat Colombo untuk Trincomalee untuk memulai amunisi dan melanjutkan ke Hindia Belanda. Dia kemudian meninggalkan Trincomalee hari berikutnya untuk Selat Sunda dengan pengiriman semua, tapi dialihkan ke Tjilatjap pada tanggal 26. Pada tanggal 1 Maret, dia dan perusak ISAAC Sweers diperintahkan untuk kembali ke Kolombo.

Rabu, 25 Februari

British heavy cruiser EXETER, Australia light cruiser PERTH dan British perusak ENCOUNTER, ELECTRA dan JUPITER berangkat Tanjong Priok untuk bergabung kekuatan Laksamana Petugas Belanda di Surabaya. Australia light cruiser HOBART juga diperintahkan untuk berlayar, tetapi tidak selesai pengisian bahan bakar. Sebaliknya ia bergabung dengan Angkatan mencolok Barat dengan kapal penjelajah ringan Danae, DRAGON dan perusak Tenedos dan SCOUT. Kelompok EXETER tiba di Surabaya pada 0330/26th dan berlayar di 1900 hari itu.

_____

Kapal selam Jepang I.58 tenggelam kapal Belanda BOERO (7135grt) selatan Selat Sunda. Awak 70, dengan tidak ada korban.

_____

. Dengan pembuatan Jepang siap untuk serangan terakhir di Jawa,

Jenderal Wavell berpaling kepada atasannya untuk instruksi baru. Perintah mereka untuk mentransfer komando Jawa kepada Belanda dan menarik, tetapi untuk mempertahankan ABDACOM dan menjaga markasnya utuh. Kapan dan di mana ia akan pergi ditinggalkan kepadanya. Pasukan darat “untuk siapa ada lengan” adalah untuk tetap dan terus melawan, namun angkatan udara yang bisa beroperasi dari pangkalan-pangkalan di luar Jawa dan pasukan lain “yang tidak bisa berkontribusi untuk pertahanan” itu harus ditarik, Amerika dan Australia untuk pergi ke Australia . Jenderal Brett adalah untuk kembali ke Australia, ketika dirilis oleh Wavell, untuk memimpin pasukan AS there.50

Komandan ABDA tidak setuju dengan program ini. Yang dia inginkan adalah pembubaran ABDACOM, semua alasan untuk keberadaannya telah menghilang. Burma, ia menunjuk keluar, sudah dipisahkan dari teater ABDA dan pertahanan Jawa adalah masalah lokal, terbaik ditangani oleh Belanda sendiri. Jika Filipina, yang telah pernah benar-benar berada di bawah kekuasaannya, diambil alih oleh Amerika lagi dan barat laut Australia oleh Australia, katanya kepada Chiefs, ia bisa menyerahkan pasukannya yang tersisa ke Belanda dan meninggalkan daerah dengan

25 February.51

Rekomendasi ini sejalan dengan solusi yang diusulkan oleh Kepala Staf Inggris untuk pembentukan dua daerah di Timur Jauh, yang berada di bawah kendali Amerika dan memasukkan Australia, wilayah yang lain meliputi British India dan Samudera Hindia. Belanda menentang seperti solusi karena takut akan berarti akhir dari bantuan Sekutu di Hindia Belanda. “Demi Tuhan,” tulis Belanda Gubernur Jenderal untuk Marshall, “mengambil keputusan yang kuat dan aktif dan tidak berhenti mengirim bahan dan laki-laki.” 52

Masih ingin menghindari munculnya meninggalkan sekutu mereka, AS Chiefs terus menentang pembubaran ABDACOM. Namun dalam pengakuan atas fakta bahwa Wavell telah kehilangan kepercayaan dari Belanda dan jelas ingin menarik keluar, mereka sepakat untuk pembubaran markas besarnya dan transfer ke India, meninggalkan kontrol daerah ABDA kepada Belanda. Dan agar Belanda harus berpikir bahwa Amerika telah membuat pengaturan ini untuk syirik komitmen mereka, Marshall meyakinkan gubernur Belanda bahwa pasukan kemudian perakitan di Australia yang “mencari kesempatan untuk masuk ke pertempuran ABDA” dan akan “melanjutkan dukungan penuh dari Belanda komandan dalam perjuangan mereka megah “53.

Pada tanggal 25

General Wavell menyerahkan komando kepada Belanda dan meninggalkan untuk India di mana Jenderal Brereton sudah pergi untuk mengatur kekuatan udara Amerika. Langkah ini ditempatkan MacArthur teknis di bawah Belanda, tapi ia sudah diberitahu bahwa “karena situasi khusus Anda semua prosedur dalam kasus Anda tetap sebagai sebelum ini.” 54 Beban membela Jawa kini tepat di Belanda. Kekuatan mereka, dengan pengecualian unit tanah minor (termasuk batalion artileri Amerika), unit angkatan laut Amerika dan Inggris, dan kekuatan AS-Australia tempur kecil, terdiri seluruh perintah.

Masih ada kemungkinan bahwa pejuang bisa dibawa melalui laut, meskipun rute feri udara telah ditutup oleh kejang Jepang Timor. Untuk tugas ini ditugaskan pesawat Langley tender,

Kamis, 26 Februari

Konvoi MR.5 berangkat Madras dengan kapal uap ERINPURA (5143grt), ETHIOPIA (5574grt), KAROA (7009grt) dan VARSOVA (4701grt) dikawal oleh Dorsetshire cruiser berat, yang berangkat Trincomalee pada tanggal 26. Konvoi dan pengawalan tiba di Rangoon pada tanggal 3 Maret.

_____

Steamer Ashridge adalah kapal terakhir yang berangkat Tandjong Priok, dikawal melalui Selat Sunda oleh STRONGHOLD penghancur

Kembali di Balikpapan, Jepang mengumpulkan warga sipil dan tahanan yang baru ditangkap perang. Mereka menunda dendam dijanjikan mereka sampai

Pada tanggal 27 Februari 1942,

Dan kemudian ada Pertempuran Laut Jawa dari 27 Februari-1 Maret 1942. Belanda Ruyter kapal perang dan Jawa terkena torpedo Jepang, mereka tenggelam dengan kerugian besar kehidupan. Sekutu kehilangan pertempuran ini.

japanese perusak Inazuma meluncurkan 93 torpedo jenis tombak panjang terhadap kapal-kapal sekutu dalam Pertempuran Kedua Laut Jawa

Frank tampak keluar dari Fort Menari untuk melihat armada kecil kapal penjelajah Sekutu dan perusak – Amerika, Inggris, Belanda, dan Australia – mengepul melalui Fairway Barat:

… Teropong mengambil garis ramping abu-abu kamuflase, mencuri melalui kabut fajar keluar ke laut terbuka. Kami gagah Angkatan Laut berlayar ke keterlibatan terakhir mereka dengan musuh, untuk menanggung beban serangan besar. [11]

Di Laut Jawa armada ABDA berani menyerang kapal perang Jepang yang lebih kuat mengawal pasukan invasi Jawa Timur, berharap untuk menerobos dan menenggelamkan kapal angkut pasukan.

Orang Jepang, dengan senjata berat mereka dan maju “Panjang Lance” torpedo, mengusir mereka pergi setelah menimbulkan kerugian yang parah.

Di antara kapal tenggelam adalah

andalan Belanda, kapal penjelajah ringan De Ruyter.

Dia turun dengan 345 dari krunya, termasuk Waran Officer Frans Anton Boerman, Frank ayah mertua.

Baca selengkapnya

Belanda cruiser De Ruyter
Ditetapkan: 1933. Diluncurkan: 1935. Ditugaskan: 1936
Tujuh 150-mm senjata pada perpindahan 6442-ton
Crew: 435

Dalam Pertempuran Laut Jawa pada tanggal 27 Februari 1942, De Ruyter adalah unggulan dari Petugas belakang-laksamana Belanda Karel, dengan bendera nya kapten Eugène Lacomblé (yang sebelumnya bertugas di kapal sebagai letnan). Di lepas pantai utara Jawa dari armada ABDA terkejut pada malam hari oleh skuadron Jepang yang terdiri dari kapal penjelajah Nachi berat dan Haguro didukung oleh 14 kapal perusak.

De Ruyter diduga dihantam torpedo Jepang tunggal Lance panjang pada sekitar 23:30 dan tenggelam pada 02:30 hari berikutnya dengan hilangnya 345 orang, termasuk Petugas Laksamana dan Kapten Lacomblé. Kecelakaan nya ditemukan setelah perang dan menyatakan kuburan perang, dengan hanya lonceng kapal (sekarang di Kloosterkerk di Den Haag) sedang pulih.

Pertempuran Laut Jawa

Pada bulan Februari 1942, Sekutu membentuk “Angkatan Menyerang Gabungan” angkatan laut untuk perlindungan Jawa.

The “Angkatan Menyerang Timur”, yang terdiri dari kapal penjelajah Belanda dan Jawa De Ruyter, AS heavy cruiser Houston, kapal Inggris Exeter, dan kapal penjelajah Australia Perth, ditempatkan di bawah komando Laksamana Karel Doorman Belanda Belakang. “Angkatan Timur mencolok” juga termasuk perusak Witte de With dan Kortenaer (RNN), JD Edwards, Alden, John Ford dan Paul Jones (USN), dan Jupiter, Electra dan Encounter (RN).

Pada tanggal 27 Februari,

Kekuatan penjaga pintu itu berlayar dari Surabaya untuk mencegat Jepang “Timur Angkatan Invasion”, yang terdiri dari empat kapal penjelajah dan kapal perusak 14, mengawal 41 kapal transportasi. Pada sekitar 4 pm, dua kekuatan bertemu dalam pertempuran yang berlangsung lebih dari malam. Outgunned, kekuatan Petugas itu dapat melibatkan armada invasi, yang melarikan diri ke utara sementara kapal escort yang menekan serangan mereka.

Korban Sekutu berat.

Laksamana Petugas

hilang bersama kedua kapal penjelajah Belanda dan hampir semua awak mereka.

The Exeter rusak parah oleh shell-api, dan tenggelam bersama dengan Encounter perusak mengawal nya dua hari kemudian. Di antara kapal lain yang bergerak, Kortenaer, Jupiter dan Electra semuanya tenggelam, dengan banyak kehilangan kehidupan. Armada invasi Jepang ditunda, tetapi tidak dicegah dari membuat mendarat di Jawa pada tanggal 28 Februari. Para penjelajah hidup, Houston dan Perth, tenggelam pada malam hari yang sama ketika mereka mencoba untuk mundur ke Ceylon, setelah bertemu dengan “Angkatan Invasi Barat” Jepang di Selat Sunda.

Laksamana Petugas andalan De Ruyter di jangkar sesaat sebelum pertempuran di Laut Jawa.

Baca lebih lanjut tentang Laksamana Karel dorman

Rear-Admiral K.W.F.M. Petugas, RNN

Karel Willem Frederik Marie Petugas

Lahir Utrecht April 23, 1889 – Meninggal di papan light cruiser De Ruyter, 28 Februari 1942

Meskipun Karel Doorman adalah anak dari seorang perwira tentara, ia bergabung dengan kursus petugas di Institut Angkatan Laut pada tahun 1906, yang ia selesai dengan sukses empat tahun kemudian. Setelah beberapa tahun di Hindia Belanda, ia kembali ke Belanda untuk menjadi salah satu pelopor dalam penerbangan angkatan laut Belanda. Meraih sayapnya pada tahun 1915, dan apa yang diikuti merupakan periode yang bergejolak di lapangan udara angkatan laut De Kooy sampai 1921, di mana ia selamat 33 pendaratan darurat. Lalu, ia pergi ke Akademi Angkatan Laut Tinggi untuk mempelajari seni perang angkatan laut. Ia dikirim ke NEI untuk terakhir kalinya pada tahun 1937, di mana ia menjadi Komandan Dinas Naval Air selama tahun sebelum perang terakhir. Menjadi seorang penerbang sendiri, dia mengerti nilai dari Air Service terlatih dan dilengkapi dengan Naval (istilah Belanda yang benar adalah Luchtvaartdienst Kelautan, atau MLD) dan di bawah komandonya, yang MLD menjadi hanya itu.

Pada Juni 1940, ia diberi perintah dari Skuadron Hindia Belanda berlayar di laut, yang biasanya mencakup sebagian besar armada permukaan Belanda. Meskipun disentri diabaikan mulai bermain tak lama sebelum dimulainya Perang Pasifik, ia mempertahankan perintah dan juga diberi komando Angkatan Menyerang Gabungan pada tanggal 3 Februari 1942. Idenya adalah untuk menggunakan ini awal-koleksi Belanda, Amerika, kapal perang Inggris dan Australia untuk menyerang dan menghancurkan konvoi invasi Jepang. Selama bulan Februari, pasukan itu membuat sejumlah sorties, yang biasanya tidak berhasil karena intervensi udara Jepang. Itu hanya datang ke pukulan selama Pertempuran Selat Badung, ketika Angkatan Sekutu menyerang angka unggul empat kapal perusak Jepang dan transportasi, sayangnya tanpa banyak keberhasilan. Sebagai imbalannya, Jepang berhasil menenggelamkan kapal Piet Hein dan merusak kapal lainnya.

Setelah pertempuran ini, sudah jelas bahwa langkah berikutnya akan invasi pulau Jawa. Sesuai dengan perintah Laksamana Helfrich, Petugas terus menyapu laut Jawa dengan kekuatan-Nya, sampai armada invasi Jepang akhirnya terlihat pada tanggal 27 Februari. Meskipun dua kekuatan itu kurang lebih sama dalam hal kekuatan, Sekutu terhambat oleh kurangnya sistem komunikasi yang baik, pengintaian udara dan sisanya selama beberapa bulan terakhir. Kedua kapal penjelajah ringan Jawa dan unggulan Petugas itu, De Ruyter terkena dan tenggelam oleh torpedo, mengambil korban berat di antara kru kelelahan. Hal ini diyakini Petugas, staf dan komandan De Ruyter itu, Komandan EEB Lacomblé memilih untuk tetap di papan sebagai kapal itu tenggelam.

Untuk menghormati Petugas Laksamana, hanya dua kapal induk Belanda dan terakhir, sebuah kapal baru yang dinamai menurut namanya. Selain itu, ia adalah salah satu dari orang-satunya yang dibuat di Knights Orde Militer kelas 3 William. [1]

Peringkat
Taruna kelas 1 [2] 24 Agustus 1910
Letnan 24 Agustus 1912
Letnan Komandan-November 1, 1920
Komandan 1 Februari 1933
Kapten September 6, 1937
Rear-Admiral 16 Mei 1940
Postingan [3]
Pesisir pertahanan kapal Hr.Ms. Tromp dan Hr.Ms. De Ruyter 1910 – 1913
Cahaya cruiser Hr.Ms. Noord Brabant April, 1914 – 1915
Instruktur Pilot 1916 – 1917
Komandan Petugas, Naval Airbase De Mok 18 Agustus 1917 –
Perwira Pertama, Naval Airfield De Kooy – 1920
Komandan Officer, Naval Airfield De Kooy 1920 – 1921
Mahasiswa Belanda Naval War College November 2, 1921 – 1923
Staf Officer, Departemen Angkatan Laut, Weltevreden (Java) 1923-1926
Gunnery Officer, pesisir pertahanan kapal Hr.Ms. Zeven Provincien 14 Mei 1926 – Januari 1928
Kepala MLD Departemen Teknis, The Hague March 12, 1928 – 14 Juli 1928
Perwira Pertama, Naval Airfield De Kooy 14 Juli 1928 – November 2, 1931
Komandan Officer, minelayer Hr.Ms. Prins van Oranje 1932 – 1932
Komandan Officer, perusak Hr.Ms. Witte de With 1933 – 1933
Komandan Officer, perusak Hr.Ms. Evertsen dan Kelompok Destroyers 1 1934 – 1934
Kepala Staf, Den Helder angkatan laut basis Juni, 1934 – September 4, 1937
Komandan Officer, kapal penjelajah ringan Hr.Ms. Sumatra 25 Oktober 1937 – 15 Juni 1938
Komandan Officer, kapal penjelajah ringan Hr.Ms. Java 15 Juni 1938 – 13 Agustus 1938
Komandan Officer, Naval Air Service NEI 17 Agustus 1938 – 5 Mei 1940
Komandan Officer, NEI Skuadron 17 Juni 1940 – 27 Februari 1942
Komandan Officer, Angkatan Menyerang Gabungan 3 Februari 1942 – 27 Februari 1942

Penghargaan
Belanda Knight di Orde Militer William (MWO.3)
Knight dalam Ordo Singa Belanda (NL)
Petugas di Orde Orange Nassau (ON.4)
Service Medal untuk perwira angkatan laut, selama 30 tahun pelayanan (XXX)
Mobilisasi Palang 1914-1918 (Mk)
Perak asing 5th Palang kelas, Orde Virtuti Militairi (Polandia)

————————————————– ——————————

[1]: Yang lainnya adalah Kapten JP van Helsdingen, pilot pesawat tempur angkatan udara dari KNIL. Dia tewas dalam aksi pada tanggal 5 Maret 1942.
[2]: The pangkat letnan muda belum diperkenalkan saat ini.
[3]: Untuk lebih menyeluruh, meskipun romantis, deskripsi karir Petugas itu, buku “Ik val aan, volg Mij” oleh Anthony van Kampen (Diterbitkan oleh CV UITGEVERIJ, Amsterdam, 1947), dianjurkan membaca.

De Ruyter hilang dalam pertempuran bersama dengan Petugas dan 344 dari awaknya.

Java Belanda cruiser mendapat serangan dari pesawat Jepang pada bulan Februari 1942.

Baca info lebih lanjut

Nasib misterius Cornelius Blaak dan PK-AFZ
Beberapa bulan yang lalu kami menerima permintaan dari seorang kerabat pilot Belanda KNILM Cornelius Blaak. Putra satu-satunya sekarang 80 tahun dan tahu sedikit tentang kematian ayahnya pada bulan Februari 1942.

Blaak adalah pilot KNILM DC-3 PK-AFZ, yang mendarat di Sumatera setelah tersesat di akhir penerbangan dari Broome ke Batavia. Meskipun mereka selamat dari pendaratan, Blaak dan tiga anggota awak tewas segera setelah itu. Keluarga telah menerima beberapa informasi dari Wrecks Pasifik sangat baik organisasi secara per:
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/dc-3/ph-afz.html

Maskapai sejarah Belanda spesialis Richard Pflug ditanya apakah ia bisa menumpahkan cahaya apa pun lebih lanjut mengenai insiden ini. Dia menjawab dengan berikut pada bulan November 2011:

Menurut apa yang saya baca,

di malam 26/27th dari Februari 1942

PK-ALT, PK-ALO dan PK-AFZ meninggalkan Broome dengan tujuan Bandung.

Malam itu ada angin yang sangat kuat membuat pesawat melayang. Hanya PK-ALO berhasil sampai ke Bandung. PK-ALT dan melayang-AFZ tentu saja.

Operator radio on board PK-ALT ingat teknik dari pelatihan yang disebut “dorongan bantalan” untuk mendapatkan garis dasi di Bandung. Meskipun statis berat ia bisa mendapatkan beberapa bantalan pada Bandung, namun tidak dapat menentukan apakah itu NE atau SW Bandung.

Mereka memutuskan untuk terbang 15 menit karena Selatan. Dengan tidak ada tanah di mata berbalik 180 derajat dan menemukan Prinsen Island dan Krakatau. Operator radio PK-ALT mencoba untuk mengirimkan informasi ini kepada koleganya Pieter Pronk pada PK-AFZ.

Meskipun mekanik dari PK-ALT dimuat 400 liter bahan bakar di atas berat take-off diijinkan dari DC-3, hasil hanyut dan mencari tanah adalah bahwa mereka memiliki bahan bakar yang cukup untuk membuat ke Andir dan sekitar 2:00, 9 beberapa setengah jam setelah Broome kiri, mereka mendarat di Kamajoran dengan tangki hampir kosong.

PK-AFZ pernah tiba …..

Setelah perang nasib PK-AFZ dan awaknya diselidiki oleh pemerintah Belanda. Bagian ekor ditemukan di dekat Tandjung Batoe. Menurut wawancara dengan penduduk setempat kru selamat mendarat darurat hampir tanpa cedera. Pada sebuah desa terdekat mereka mencoba untuk mengatur sebuah perahu untuk sampai ke Palembang. Mereka mengkhianati kepada pasukan Jepang dan pada 1 Maret tentara menyerang tempat persembunyian mereka. Dalam berikut tembak-menembak dua anggota awak tewas. Seorang anggota awak ketiga dipukul di bahu, melarikan diri ke sungai dan tenggelam mungkin. Operator radio Pieter Pronk berhasil melarikan diri dan berhasil kembali ke desa, namun kemudian disampaikan ke patroli Jepang lewat dan dipenggal kepalanya pada tanggal 4 Maret.

Tampaknya ada salinan penyelidikan penuh dalam arsip Belanda. Dokumen ini mungkin sangat berguna, jika anda tertarik saya akan mencoba untuk mendapatkan memegang salinan dokumen ini.

Richard adalah jenis cukup untuk mengunjungi arsip Belanda, dan menjawab dengan ini pada tanggal 23 Desember 2011:

Senin lalu saya mengunjungi Institut Belanda untuk Dokumentasi Perang (NIOD) dan menyalin file mereka pada PK-AFZ, berisi surat kepada Plesman (CEO KLM), De Bruijn (Manajer Operasional KNILM) janda pilot Nieuwdorp, sertifikat kematian dari anggota awak, dll Salah satu surat sebagian besar ditulis dalam bahasa Inggris.

Menurut laporan awak bisa mendapatkan pesawat di tanah utuh. Sebuah lokal menawarkan jasanya untuk membantu mereka, melainkan terorganisir massa untuk merampok mereka karena mereka berada dalam kepemilikan uang. Diduga dua anggota awak tewas, satu terluka namun tenggelam di rawa ketika mencoba melarikan diri. Pronk itu ditangkap terluka dan dirawat dengan baik oleh menangkap Jepang-nya. Tapi batalion harus pindah, mereka memutuskan ia adalah beban dan memenggal kepalanya. Jadi itu adalah cerita yang cukup dramatis dan menyedihkan!

Keluarga Blaak sangat senang untuk menerima dokumen. Mereka tidak tahu surat-surat dan dokumen yang ada.

Seperti Richard menyebutkan, keluarga Blaak sangat senang menerima informasi ini. Berikut adalah kata-kata dari bahasa Inggris bagian dari laporan dalam arsip Belanda, yang disebut di atas:

Amsterdam, 7 November 1946

Tanggal 26 Februari 1942, pesawat PK-AFZ melaksanakan transportasi amunisi reguler dari Broome, Australia ke Batavia sebagai titik tujuan. Karena itu, tidak ada pertanyaan tentang pengalihan ke lapangan terbang lain. Kondisi atmosfer yang buruk. Ada angin sakal monsoon biasa dari (yang) arah Barat. Badai di wilayah Batavia melakukan kontak radio dengan tanah mungkin, baik dari Bandoeng atau Batavia.

Selain itu, total black-out membuat mustahil untuk membuat keluar Batavia, lampu hanya dapat dinyalakan saat tepat di atas lapangan terbang, sehingga kapten te Roller, melakukan penerbangan yang sama di bawah kondisi atmosfer yang sama, juga melewati lapangan udara Batavia, tetapi oleh Insiden mampu memeriksa posisinya (di lingkungan Isle of Krakatou dan – memiliki bahan bakar 1200L lebih onboard – bisa kembali dengan selamat pesawat Mr Blaak yang tidak memiliki tank kabin sebagai Mr te Roller memiliki dan tampaknya telah membuat pendaratan darurat di. South East pantai Sumatera, dekat Palembang Kajoe Agoung, ternyata di muara sungai.

Operator nirkabel Batavia tampaknya telah mendengar SOS lemah sinyal yang dikirim oleh Pronk operator nirkabel di papan pesawat dan kemudian dilaporkan bahwa kru mendarat dengan selamat. Saran untuk penerbangan penyelamatan dengan pesawat amfibi bisa pada waktu itu tidak ditindaklanjuti. Nasib buruk dari awak menjadi terkenal setelah itu dan apa-apa tentang pesawat itu sendiri telah mendengar sejak itu. Tidak ada puing-puing yang ditemukan kemudian atau dilaporkan telah ditemukan.

Ini adalah tanggal 1946. Para sertifikat kematian adalah tanggal September 1947, jadi mungkin beberapa informasi lebih lanjut akhirnya diterima, seperti yang dirangkum oleh Richard di atas

February.28th, 1942

Pertempuran di laut Jawa,

kapal perang “de Ruyter”,

“Jawa”

“Kortenaer”

HMS Electra

Dan

perusak HMS “Jupiter” dibakar dan

HMS “Evertsen” dari Angkatan Laut Belanda rusak selama naik ke Australia pada Sunda selat.

Pada malam hari para dai Nippon tentara mendarat di Pulau Jawa dengan 18 ribu dengan 100 pantser ringan dengan dasar di Merak.XVI th divisi tentara

Baca info lebih lanjut pertempuran laut java

BATTLE OF THE SEA JAWA

27TH Februari 1942

IJN Haguro April 1936
(Courtesy of Irootoko Warna Foto Digital)

PERTH meninggalkan Batavia pada tanggal 24 untuk Surabaya untuk bergabung dengan armada Amerika-Inggris-Belanda-Australia gabungan (ABDA) di bawah komando Laksamana Belanda Karel Doorman. Kapal-kapal itu tidak dilakukan bersama-sama sebelum dan komunikasi dan sinyal antara kapal sangat canggung. Armada meninggalkan Surabaya pada malam tanggal 26 Februari untuk mencari Armada Invasi Jepang tetapi tidak dapat menemukan mereka.

Keesokan harinya kapal Jepang dilaporkan ke utara dan pada kontak 16:12 adalah made.The pertempuran telah berjuang dalam dua tahap

SORE.
Untuk bagian awal dari pertempuran Jepang berada di luar jangkauan senjata PERTH, tetapi pada 4:25 dia menembaki kapal perusak Jap off busur starboad nya. Pada 04:37 dia datang di bawah api intens dan akurat dari 8 Jepang “kapal penjelajah NACHI dan Haguro.

HMS Exeter

dipukul di 17:14 dan segera kehilangan kecepatan dan PERTH terpaksa berbelok dengan cepat untuk menghindari tabrakan.

PERTH segera berputar EXETER meletakkan tabir asap pelindung.

Pada 17:40 HMS ELECTRA

terkena tembakan dan tenggelam segera setelah. Pada 17:45 pada NACHI dan Haguro muncul melalui tabir asap tersebut. The kapal penjelajah ringan Naka dan perusak bahkan lebih dekat.

Dalam baku tembak, PERTH tampaknya telah mencetak hits di Haguro

ກ

1.January 1942

JAPANESE PRISONERS,

captured on Bataan, being led blindfolded to headquarters for questioning.

until by 10 January

General Yamashita stood at the gates of Kuala Lumpur, on the west coast of Malaya, which his 5th Division captured the next day.

heavily camouflaged Toyota KB Truck and a type 97 tankette moving on a poorly pavemented road of malaya (1942)

art work showing tanks of the japanese army 6th Tank Regiment commanded by tank commander Colonel Kawamura attacking the british in malaya 1942

January,11^th.1942

by Admiral Stark,

who, on 11 January, a day after

General Wavell arrived in Batavia with General Ter Poorten

but before he assumed command, reviewed the critical situation in the Far East and raised the question of diverting ships from the less critical North Atlantic route to the Pacific.

In this he had the support of General Marshall and Admiral King, but the British, in the belief that Singapore would hold and anxious for the Americans to relieve then in Iceland and Ireland, sought other ways to find the ships.

Japanese landings in British territory at

Singapore

The Japanese Campaign and Victory 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942: Lieutenant-General Percival and his party carry the Union Jack on their way to surrender Singapore to the Japanese.

The Japanese landing off the west coast of British North Borneo, 1942

February 19^th.1942

The Japanense boombardement Buitenzorg(Bogor) semplak airfield and in the midday attack Bandung Andir airfield

Gubernor General Tjarda vsn Stoukerborough with his Chief of Staf Ter Porten moved from Batavia to Bandung and they stayed at Mei Ling Villa which owned by the Tionghoa Volkraad (house of representative)’s member H.H. Kan

February ,19^th.1942

In a major engagement above Semplak on 19 February 1942, eight Dutch Brewster fighters intercepted a formation of about 35 Japanese bombers with an escort of about 20 Zeros. The Brewster pilots destroyed 11 Japanese aircraft and lost four Brewsters; two Dutch pilots died.^[33]

February 20^th.1942.

This put Surabaya within range of enemy bombers. From Kendari,

Friday, 20 February

BATTLE OF BADOENG STRAIT

Allied ships were in two groups. The first were Dutch cruisers DE RUYTER, JAVA, Dutch destroyers PIET HEIN and the American JOHN D FORD, and POPE. Dutch destroyer BANCKERT was part of the force, but ran aground at the mouth of Tjilatjap harbour and could not proceed.

The second group was Dutch cruiser TROMP from Surabaya and American destroyers STEWART, PARROTT, JOHN D EDWARDS and PILLSBURY from Ratai Bay.

STEWART was damaged by Japanese gunfire, with one enlisted man killed and the executive officer LT C B Smiley and one enlisted man wounded. JOHN D EDWARDS had one enlisted man wounded. PIET HEIN (Lt Cdr J M L I Chompff) was lost with all but 33 of her crew and TROMP was badly damaged.

_____

Convoy SM.3 departed Batavia unescorted with British steamers ADRASTUS (7905grt), CITY OF MANCHESTER (8917grt), MARELLA (7475grt), Dutch PHRONTIS (6181grt) and Norwegian PROMINENT (2282grt). Steamers CITY OF MANCHESTER and PROMINENT proceeded to Tjilatjap and the rest of the convoy to Fremantle.

_____

Convoy SJ.5 departed Batavia with British steamers ANGBY (786grt), FILLEIGH (4856grt), JALAKRISHNA (4991grt), LULWORTH HILL (7628grt), SILVERLARCH (5064grt), YOMA (8131grt) and Norwegian HAI LEE (3616grt). Escort at the start was by heavy cruiser EXETER, destroyer STRONGHOLD and Indian sloop JUMNA. The ships proceeded to Colombo, arriving independently between 28 February and 6 March.

_____

Battleship WARSPITE arrived at Sydney, NSW, after refitting in the United States.

_____

Destroyer NIZAM departed Colombo for the west coast of Sumatra to evacuate personnel. Patrol vessel PANGKOR of the China Force was also sent to evacuate personnel. NIZAM was recalled on the 21st for escort duties.

_____

Australian minesweeper BALLARAT evacuated important stores and completed the destruction of port facilities and abandoned equipment at Oosthaven on the 20th.

_____

Japanese submarine I.65 sank steamer BHIMA (5280grt) in 7-47N, 73-31E. Crew of 68, two passengers, all rescued.

_____

Steamer KOOLAMA (4068grt) was sunk by Japanese bombing off Wyndham, West Australia.

_____

Dutch steamer TOBELO (983grt) was sunk by Japanese bombing at Kupang.

_____

Steamer JALAKRISHNA (4991grt) was damaged by Japanese bombing in the Dutch East Indies.

Saturday, 21 February

Convoy SJ.6 departed Tandjong PrioK with steamers MANGOLA and THEPASTRIN NAWA (3260grt) for Fremantle and KIANG (1451grt), JALAVIHAR, ELSA, STRAAT SOENDA (6439grt) and GENERAAL VAN DE HEYDEN (1213grt) for Colombo.

_____

Convoy SJ.7 departed Tandjong Priok with troopship ORCADES (23,456grt), carrying 3768 troops and refugees, escorted by destroyer ELECTRA to the 22nd and Australian light cruiser HOBART to the 23rd, when the convoy dispersed and the escorts detached. ORCADES arrived at Colombo on the 27th.

Americans providing reinforcements for Australia.⁴⁶

Washington agreed with Wavell’s estimate of the probable loss of Java. Reinforcement was evidently futile and the wisest course, the Combined Chiefs thought, would be to send at least one of the Australian divisions to Burma and the other to Australia. It was clear also that the fall of Java would split the ABDA area and make a co-ordinated defense of its eastern and western extremities impossible. The British therefore suggested that Burma be taken out of ABDACOM and transferred to their command in India, a proposal that the U.S. Chiefs and General Wavell, who had always believed Burma was an integral part of the Indian command, readily accepted. This was accomplished formally

on 21 February.⁴⁷

Sunday 22, February

LANGLEY and SEA WITCH, carrying crated aircraft, were detached to Java. LANGLEY was lost and SEA WITCH was able to escape after delivering her cargo at Tjilatjap.

LANGLEY was sunk by Japanese bombing. Only sixteen crew and passengers were lost. The survivors were picked up by WHIPPLE and EDSALL. WHIPPLE then scuttled LANGLEY.

The convoy arrived at Colombo on 5 March.

_____

Patrol vessel PANGKOR departed Batavia to evacuate personnel from Sibolga and Ongha, then proceeded to Colombo.

_____

Boom defence vessels BARRIER, BARLANE and BARRICADE departed Batavia for Colombo and patrol vessels CIRCE and MEDUSA for Fremantle, via Tjilatjap.

_____

Convoy SJ.8 departed Tandjong Priok with EDENDALE (1659grt) for Fremantle and FU KWANG (1559grt), TINOMBO (872grt) and ROOSEBOOM (1035grt) for Colombo.

_____

Japanese submarine I.58 sank Dutch steamer PIJNACKER HORDIKJ (2982grt) south of Tjilatjap.

Monday, 23 February

Norwegian steamer BELITA and Norwegian collier WOOLGAR departed Colombo for Batavia, escorted until the 25th by destroyer NIZAM and minesweeper BATHURST. The merchantmen proceeded independently for Batavia until recalled.

_____

Convoy SM.4 departed Tandjong Priok with steamer SPRINGDALE (1579grt) for Fremantle and SEIRSTAD and PERAK (1188grt) for Colombo. The ships proceeded independently after Sunda Strait.

The plan for sending the Australian divisions to Burma, however, came to naught. Concerned over the defense of their own country, the Australians persistently refused, despite strong appeals from Churchill and Roosevelt, to permit the diversion of these divisions to Burma, and finally,

on 23 February, they were ordered home.⁴⁸

Though the loss of Java was conceded by all except the Dutch, there was a reluctance to act on this assumption. To do so would create the impression that the Americans and British were deserting their Dutch allies. On the 20th, therefore, the Combined Chiefs, asserting that “every day gained is of importance,” directed Wavell to defend Java “with the utmost resolution” and not to withdraw or surrender any of the troops there. To minimize the loss of Allied troops in Java, the Chiefs specifically prohibited Wavell from reinforcing that island further, but did give him discretion to use his naval forces and American planes in Australia as he thought best.⁴⁹

Even as these fresh instructions were being received at ABDACOM, the Japanese were making their execution impossible. On the 19th, they landed on the southern tip of Bali, immediately to the east of Java. Next day they landed on Timor, half of which was Dutch and half Portuguese. Control of these islands, lying between Java and northwest Australia, completed the isolation of Java, placed Japanese land-based fighters within bombing range of the Dutch base at Surabaya, and made further reinforcements from Australia impossible.

. on 23 February

had been ordered to Tjilatjap, on the south coast of Java,

with its cargo of thirty-two assembled P-40′s and their pilots. On the 27th, almost within sight of Java, it was spotted by Japanese patrol planes and sunk. The freighter Seawitch with 27 P-40′s in her hold had left Fremantle at the same time, but sailed separately and made its way successfully to Java. It arrived there on the eve of invasion and the P-40′s, still crated, were dumped into the sea to prevent their capture.⁵⁵

Meanwhile the Japanese had completed their preparations for the invasion of Java. D-day was set for

air reconnaissance confirmed that the airfield was unfit for use. Thereupon Air Headquarters made arrangements for supplies to be dropped and the following day three Blenheims from Singapore, modified to carry containers, successfully dropped 900 pounds of supplies on the airfield.

the 23rd February

at Kenamboi, where they were re-united with C and D Company.

February,24^th,1942

Japanese filght attacked and bombardement Kemajoran Batavia, Semplak Buitenzorg and Kalijati airfield.

Tuesday, 24 February

Steamers INDRAGIRI (592grt), NAM YONG (1345grt), and BOERO (7135grt) departed Tandjong Priok for Colombo.

_____

Dutch steamer KOTA RADJA (7117grt) was sunk by Japanese bombing at Surabaya.

Dutch light cruiser HEEMSKERK departed Colombo for Trincomalee to embark ammunition and proceed to the Dutch East Indies. She then left Trincomalee the next day for Sunda Strait with all despatch, but was diverted to Tjilatjap on the 26th. On 1 March, both she and destroyer ISAAC SWEERS were ordered to return to Colombo.

Wednesday, 25 February

British heavy cruiser EXETER, Australian light cruiser PERTH and British destroyers ENCOUNTER, ELECTRA and JUPITER departed Tanjong Priok to join Dutch Admiral Doorman’s force at Surabaya. Australian light cruiser HOBART was also ordered to sail, but had not completed refuelling. Instead she joined a Western Striking Force with light cruisers DANAE, DRAGON and destroyers TENEDOS and SCOUT. The EXETER group arrived at Surabaya at 0330/26th and sailed at 1900 that day.

_____

Japanese submarine I.58 sank Dutch steamer BOERO (7135grt) south of Sunda Strait. Crew of 70, with no casualties.

_____

. With the Japanese making ready for the final assault on Java,

General Wavell turned to his superiors for new instructions. Their orders were to transfer command of Java to the Dutch and withdraw, but to maintain ABDACOM and keep his headquarters intact. When and where he would go was left to him. Ground forces “for whom there are arms” were to remain and continue the fight, but air forces that could operate from bases outside Java and other troops “who cannot contribute to defense” were to be withdrawn, the Americans and Australians to go to Australia. General Brett was to return to Australia, when released by Wavell, to command the U.S. forces there.⁵⁰

The ABDA commander did not agree with the program. What he wanted was the dissolution of ABDACOM, all reason for its existence having disappeared. Burma, he pointed out, had already been separated from the ABDA theater and Java’s defense was a local problem, best handled by the Dutch themselves. If the Philippines, which had never really been under his control, were taken over by the Americans again and northwest Australia by the Australians, he told the Chiefs, he could turn over his remaining forces to the Dutch and leave the area by

25 February.⁵¹

This recommendation was in line with the solution being proposed by the British Chiefs of Staff for the establishment of two areas in the Far East, one to be under American control and to include Australia; the other a British area encompassing India and the Indian Ocean. The Dutch opposed such a solution for fear it would mean the end of Allied assistance in the Netherlands Indies. ‘For God’s sake,’ wrote the Dutch governor-general to Marshall, “take the strong and active decisions and don’t stop sending materials and men.”⁵²

Still anxious to avoid the appearance of abandoning their allies, the U.S. Chiefs continued to oppose the dissolution of ABDACOM. But in recognition of the fact that Wavell had lost the confidence of the Dutch and obviously wanted to pull out, they agreed to the dissolution of his headquarters and his transfer to India, leaving control of the ABDA area to the Dutch. And lest the Dutch should think that the Americans had made this arrangement to shirk their commitments, Marshall assured the Dutch governor that the forces then assembling in Australia were “seeking opportunity to enter the ABDA battle” and would “continue their full support of the Dutch commanders in their magnificent fight.”⁵³

On the 25th

General Wavell turned over command to the Dutch and left for India where General Brereton had already gone to organize an American air force. This move placed MacArthur technically under the Dutch, but he had already been told that “because of your special situation all procedures in your case remain as heretofore.”⁵⁴ The burden of defending Java was now squarely on the Dutch. Their forces, with the exception of minor ground units (including an American artillery battalion), American and British naval units, and a small U.S.-Australian fighter force, composed the entire command.

There was still a chance that fighters could be brought in by sea, though the air ferry route had been closed by the Japanese seizure of Timor. To this task was assigned the aircraft tender Langley,

Thursday, 26 February

Convoy MR.5 departed Madras with steamers ERINPURA (5143grt), ETHIOPIA (5574grt), KAROA (7009grt) and VARSOVA (4701grt) escorted by heavy cruiser DORSETSHIRE, which departed Trincomalee on the 26th. The convoy and escort arrived at Rangoon on 3 March.

_____

Steamer ASHRIDGE was the last steamer to departed Tandjong Priok, escorted through the Sunda Strait by destroyer STRONGHOLD

Back in Balikpapan, the Japanese rounded up civilians and the newly captured prisoners of war. They delayed their promised vengeance until

On February 27^th,1942,

And then there was the Battle of the Java Sea from 27 February to 1 March 1942. The Dutch warships Ruyter and Java were hit by Japanese torpedoes; they sunk with a huge loss of life. The Allies lost this battle.

japanese destroyer Inazuma launching a type 93 long lance torpedo against allied ships in the Second Battle of the Java Sea

Frank looked out from Fort Menari to see a small fleet of Allied cruisers and destroyers – American, British, Dutch, and Australian – steaming through the Western Fairway:

…the binoculars pick up the sleek outlines in camouflage grey, stealing through the mist of dawn out into the open sea. Our gallant Navy sailing to their last engagement with the enemy, to bear the brunt of the great onslaught. [11]

In the Java Sea the ABDA fleet boldly attacked the more powerful Japanese warships escorting the East Java invasion force, hoping to break through and sink the troop transports.

The Japanese, with their heavier guns and advanced “Long Lance” torpedoes, drove them off after inflicting severe losses.

Among the vessels sunk was

the Dutch flagship, the light cruiser De Ruyter.

She went down with 345 of her crew, including Warrant Officer Frans Anton Boerman, Frank’s father-in-law.

Read more

Dutch cruiser De Ruyter
Laid down: 1933. Launched: 1935. Commissioned: 1936
Seven 150-mm guns on a 6442-ton displacement
Crew: 435

In the Battle of the Java Sea on 27 February 1942, De Ruyter was the flagship of the Dutch rear-admiral Karel Doorman, with his flag captain Eugène Lacomblé (who had previously served on board the ship as a lieutenant). Off the north coast off Java the ABDA fleet was surprised at night by a Japanese squadron consisting of the heavy cruisers Nachi and Haguro supported by 14 destroyers.

De Ruyter was supposedly hit by a single Japanese Long Lance torpedo at about 23:30 and sank at 02:30 the next day with the loss of 345 men, including Admiral Doorman and Captain Lacomblé. Her wreck was found after the war and declared a war grave, with only the ship’s bell (now in the Kloosterkerk in the Hague) being recovered.

Battle of the Java Sea

In February 1942, the Allies established a naval “Combined Striking Force” for the protection of Java.

The “Eastern Striking Force”, comprising the Dutch cruisers Java and De Ruyter, the US heavy cruiser Houston, the British cruiser Exeter, and the Australian cruiser Perth , was placed under the command of Dutch Rear Admiral Karel Doorman. “Eastern Striking Force” also included the destroyers Witte de With and Kortenaer (RNN), J.D. Edwards, Alden, John Ford and Paul Jones (USN), and Jupiter, Electra and Encounter (RN).

On February 27,

Doorman’s force sailed from Surabaya to intercept the Japanese “Eastern Invasion Force”, which comprised four cruisers and 14 destroyers, escorting 41 transport vessels. At about 4 pm, the two forces met in a battle which lasted much of the night. Outgunned, Doorman’s force was unable to engage the invasion fleet, which escaped to the north while the escort vessels were pressing their attack.

Allied casualties were heavy.

Admiral Doorman

was lost along with both of the Dutch cruisers and almost all of their crews.

The Exeter was badly damaged by shell-fire, and was sunk along with its escorting destroyer Encounter two days later. Among the other destroyers engaged, Kortenaer, Jupiter and Electra were all sunk, with considerable loss of life. The Japanese invasion fleet was delayed, but not prevented from making a landing on Java on 28 February. The surviving cruisers, Houston and Perth, were sunk on the evening of the same day as they attempted to withdraw to Ceylon, having encountered the Japanese “Western Invasion Force” in the Sunda Strait.

Admiral Doorman’s flagship De Ruyter at anchor shortly before the battle of the Java Sea.

Read more about Admiral Karel dorman

Rear-Admiral K.W.F.M. Doorman, RNN

Karel Willem Frederik Marie Doorman

Born Utrecht April 23, 1889 – Died on board light cruiser De Ruyter February 28, 1942

Although Karel Doorman was the son of an army officer, he joined the officer’s course at the Naval Institute in 1906, which he completed successfully four years later. After some years in the Netherlands East Indies, he returned to Holland to become one of the pioneers in Dutch naval aviation. He earned his wings in 1915, and what followed was a turbulent period at the naval airfield De Kooy until 1921, during which he survived 33 emergency landings. Then, he went to the High Naval Academy to study the art of naval warfare. He was sent out to the NEI for the last time in 1937, where he became the Commanding Officer of the Naval Air Service during the last prewar years. Being an aviator himself, he understood the value of a well-trained and well-equipped Naval Air Service (the correct Dutch term is Marine Luchtvaartdienst, or MLD) and under his command, the MLD became just that.

In June 1940, he was given command of the Netherlands East Indies Seagoing Squadron, which normally included the bulk of the Dutch surface fleet. Although a neglected dysentery started to play up shortly before the start of the Pacific War, he retained command and was also given command of the Combined Striking Force on February 3, 1942. The idea was to use this scratch-collection of Dutch, American, British and Australian warships to attack and destroy Japanese invasion convoys. During the month of February, the force made a number of sorties, which were usually unsuccessful due to Japanese aerial intervention. It only came to blows during the Battle of Badung Strait, when a numerically superior Allied Force attacked four Japanese destroyers and a transport, unfortunately without much success. In return, the Japanese managed to sink the destroyer Piet Hein and damage several other ships.

After this battle, it was clear that the next step would be the invasion of Java island. In compliance with Admiral Helfrich’s orders, Doorman continued to sweep the Java sea with his force, until the Japanese invasion fleet was finally sighted on February 27. Although the two forces were more or less equal in terms of strength, the Allied were handicapped by the lack of a good communication system, aerial reconnaissance and rest during the past few months. Both the light cruisers Java and Doorman’s flagship, De Ruyter were hit and sunk by torpedoes, taking a heavy toll among the exhausted crews. It is believed Doorman, his staff and De Ruyter’s commanding officer, Commander E.E.B. Lacomblé chose to remain on board as the cruiser sank.

In honor of Admiral Doorman, the only two Dutch aircraft carriers and lastly, a new frigate were named after him. In addition, he was one of only persons who were made Knights in the Military Order of William 3rd class. ^[1]

Ranks
Midshipman 1st class ^[2]	August 24, 1910
Lieutenant	August 24, 1912
Lieutenant-Commander	November 1, 1920
Commander	February 1, 1933
Captain	September 6, 1937
Rear-Admiral	May 16, 1940

Postings ^[3]
Coastal defence ship Hr.Ms. Tromp and Hr.Ms. De Ruyter	1910	–	1913
Light cruiser Hr.Ms. Noord Brabant	April, 1914	–	1915
Pilot Instructor	1916	–	1917
Commanding Officer, Naval Airbase De Mok	August 18, 1917	–
First Officer, Naval Airfield De Kooy		–	1920
Commanding Officer, Naval Airfield De Kooy	1920	–	1921
Student Netherlands Naval War College	November 2, 1921	–	1923
Staff Officer, Ministry of Navy, Weltevreden (Java)	1923	–	1926
Gunnery Officer, coastal defence ship Hr.Ms. Zeven Provinciën	May 14, 1926	–	January, 1928
Head MLD Technical Department, The Hague	March 12, 1928	–	July 14, 1928
First Officer, Naval Airfield De Kooy	July 14, 1928	–	November 2, 1931
Commanding Officer, minelayer Hr.Ms. Prins van Oranje	1932	–	1932
Commanding Officer, destroyer Hr.Ms. Witte de With	1933	–	1933
Commanding Officer, destroyer Hr.Ms. Evertsen and Group Destroyers 1	1934	–	1934
Chief of Staff, Den Helder naval base	June, 1934	–	September 4, 1937
Commanding Officer, light cruiser Hr.Ms. Sumatra	October 25, 1937	–	June 15, 1938
Commanding Officer, light cruiser Hr.Ms. Java	June 15, 1938	–	August 13, 1938
Commanding Officer, Naval Air Service NEI	August 17 1938	–	May 5, 1940
Commanding Officer, NEI Squadron	June 17, 1940	–	February 27, 1942
Commanding Officer, Combined Striking Force	February 3, 1942	–	February 27, 1942

Awards
Dutch	Knight in the Military Order of William (MWO.3) Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion (NL) Officer in the Order of Orange Nassau (ON.4) Service Medal for naval officers, for 30 years’ of service (XXX) Mobilization Cross 1914-1918 (Mk)
Foreign	Silver Cross 5th class, Order Virtuti Militairi (Poland)

[1]: The other was Captain J.P. van Helsdingen, a fighter pilot of the KNIL airforce. He was killed in action on March 5, 1942.
[2]: The rank of sublieutenant had not yet been introduced at this time.
[3]: For a more thorough, albeit romanticized, description of Doorman’s career, the book “Ik val aan, volg mij” by Anthony van Kampen (Published by C.V. Uitgeverij, Amsterdam, 1947), is recommended reading.

De Ruyter was lost in the battle along with Doorman and 344 of its crew.

The Dutch cruiser Java under attack from Japanese aircraft in February 1942.

Read more info

The mysterious fate of Cornelius Blaak and PK-AFZ

Some months ago we received a query from a relative of Dutch KNILM pilot Cornelius Blaak. His only son is now 80 years old and knew very little about his father’s death in February 1942.

Blaak was the pilot of KNILM DC-3 PK-AFZ, which crash-landed in Sumatra after getting lost at the end of a flight from Broome to Batavia. Although they survived the crash landing, Blaak and three crew members were killed soon afterwards. The family had received some information from the excellent Pacific Wrecks organisation as per:
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/dc-3/ph-afz.html

Dutch airline history specialist Richard Pflug was asked if he could shed any further light on this incident. He replied with the following in November 2011:

According to what I read,

in the night of 26/27th of February 1942

PK-ALT, PK-ALO and PK-AFZ left Broome with destination Bandung.

That night there were very strong winds making the planes drift. Only PK-ALO made it to Bandung. PK-ALT and -AFZ drifted of course.

The radio operator on board PK-ALT remembered a technique from training called “impulse bearing” to get a tie line on Bandung. Despite heavy static he was able to get some bearing on Bandung, but was unable to determine if the were NE or SW of Bandung.

They decided to fly 15 minutes due South. With no land in sight the turned 180 degrees and found Prinsen Island and Krakatau. The radio operator of PK-ALT tried to transmit this information to his colleague Pieter Pronk on PK-AFZ.

Although the mechanic of PK-ALT loaded 400 litres of fuel over the allowed take-off weight of the DC-3, the result of the drifting and searching for land is that they have insufficient fuel to make it to Andir and around 2.00 AM, some 9 and a half hours after the left Broome, they touch down at Kamajoran with almost empty tanks.

PK-AFZ never arrived…..

After the war the fate of PK-AFZ and its crew was investigated by the Dutch government. The tail section was found near Tandjung Batoe. According to interviews with locals the crew survived the emergency landing almost unscathed. At a nearby village they tried to organise a boat to get to Palembang. They were betrayed to Japanese forces and on March 1st soldiers attacked their hideout. In the following shoot-out two crew members were killed. A third crew member was hit in the shoulder, escaped to the river and presumably drowned. Radio operator Pieter Pronk managed to escape and made it back to the village, but later was delivered to a passing Japanese patrol and beheaded on March 4th.

There seems to be a copy of the full investigation in a Dutch archive. This document might be very useful; if you are interested I will try to get hold of a copy of this document.

Richard was kind enough to visit the Dutch archives, and replied with this on 23rd December 2011:

Last Monday I visited the Dutch Institute for War Documentation (NIOD) and copied their file on PK-AFZ, containing letters to Plesman (CEO of KLM), De Bruijn (Manager Operations of KNILM) the widow of pilot Nieuwdorp, the death certificates of the crew members, etc. One letter is largely written in English.

According to the reports the crew was able to get the plane on the ground largely intact. A local offered his services to help them, but instead organized a mob to rob them as they were in possession of money. Allegedly two crew members were killed; one was wounded but drowned in a swamp while trying to flee. Pronk was captured wounded and treated well by his Japanese captures. But the battalion had to move on, they decided he was a burden and beheaded him. So it’s a pretty dramatic and sad story!

The family of Blaak was very happy to receive the documents. They didn’t know these letters and documents existed.

As Richard mentions, the Blaak family was very happy to receive this information. Here is the wording of the English section of the report in the Dutch archives, referred to above:

Amsterdam, 7th November 1946

On February 26th, 1942, the aircraft PK-AFZ carried out a regular ammunition transport from Broome, Australia to Batavia as its point of destination. There was therefore no question of a diversion to another airfield. Atmospheric conditions were bad. There was the ordinary monsoon headwind from (the) Western direction. Thunderstorms in the Batavia region made radio contact with the ground impossible, either from Bandoeng or Batavia.

Besides, total black-out made it impossible to make out Batavia, lights could only be turned on when immediately above the airfield, so that captain te Roller, doing the same flight under the same atmospheric conditions, also passed the Batavia airfield, but by incident was able to check his position (in the neighbourhood of the Isle of Krakatou and – having 1200L more fuel onboard – could return safely. Mr Blaak’s aircraft had no cabin tanks as Mr te Roller had and seems to have made a forced landing on the South East coast of Sumatra, near Palembang at Kajoe Agoung, apparently in the estuary of the river.

Batavia’s wireless operator seems to have heard weak S.O.S. signals sent by wireless operator Pronk on board of the aircraft and later it was reported that the crew landed safely. Suggestions for a rescue flight with an amphibious aircraft could at that time not be followed up. The ill fate of the crew became known afterwards and nothing about the aircraft itself has been heard ever since. No debris were found afterwards or reported to have been found.

This was dated 1946. The death certificates were dated September 1947, so presumably some further information was eventually received, as summarised by Richard above

February.28^th,1942

The battle in Java sea,

the battle ship “de Ruyter”,

”Java”

”Kortenaer”

HMS Electra

And

destroyer HMS “Jupiter” were burned and

HMS “Evertsen” from Dutch Navy broken during boarding to Australia at Sunda straits.

At the night the dai Nippon army landing at Java Island with 18 thousand of with 100 light pantser with basic at Merak.XVI th army division

Read more info the battle of java sea

BATTLE OF THE JAVA SEA

27TH FEBRUARY 1942

IJN Haguro April 1936
(Courtesy of Irootoko Digital Color Photos)

PERTH left Batavia on the 24th for Surabaya to join the combined American-British-Dutch -Australian fleet ( ABDA ) under the command of Dutch Admiral Karel Doorman. The ships had not exercised together before and communications and signalling between ships was very awkward. The fleet left Surabaya on the night of 26th February to search for the Japanese Invasion Fleet but were unable to locate them.

The next day Japanese ships were reported to the north and at 4.12pm contact was made.The battle was fought in two stages

AFTERNOON.
For the early part of the battle the Japanese were out of range of PERTH’s guns but at 4.25pm she opened fire on Jap destroyers off her starboad bow. At 4.37pm she came under intense and accurate fire from the Japanese 8″ cruisers NACHI and HAGURO.

HMS EXETER

was hit at 5.14pm and immediately lost speed and PERTH was forced to swerve quickly to avoid a collision.

PERTH immediately circled EXETER laying a protective smokescreen.

At 5.40pm HMS ELECTRA

was hit by gunfire and sank soon after. At 5.45pm the NACHI and HAGURO appeared through the smokescreen. The light cruiser NAKA and destroyers were even closer.

In the exchange of fire, PERTH appeared to have scored hits on HAGURO

but this was incorrect. At 6.30pm the Japanese retired and were lost from view.

IJN Nachi

NIGHT
At 7.15pm

a Japanese aircraft dropped flares illuminating PERTH

and the other ships and fifteen minutes later PERTH

opened fire on destroyers delivering a torpedo attack on her port side.

The destroyerHMS JUPITER hit

what was thought to have been a Dutch mine and exploded and sank at 9.25pm.

PERTH passed by survivors from HMS ELECTRA at 10.15pm

but was under orders not to stop and attempt rescue.

At 10.30pm

PERTH and HOUSTON once again began an exchange of fire

With

NACHI and HAGURO and at the same time the IJN destroyers delivered another torpedo attack.

The allied cruisers were steaming in line ahead led by De RUYTER,

Then

PERTH, HOUSTON, JAVA.

Just after 11pm

NACHI and HAGURO fired torpedoes hitting both JAVA and De RUYTER.

JAVA blew up

an with appalling explosion. Her stern broke off and she sank in fifteen minutes with

the loss of of over 500 men.

PERTH had to swerve violently to avoid colliding with De RUYTER. De RUYTER stayed afloat

for nearly another two hours before sinking.

Admiral Doorman and 344 of his crew were lost in the sinking.

PERTH and HOUSTON now broke off the action and headed for Tanjong Priok, the port of Batavia.

IJN Naka 1942

De Ruyter

Java

Kortenaer

WWII Cruiser HMS Exeter Found

The Heavy Cruiser that fought like a Lion in World War Two

The HMS Exeter – public domain

The Royal Navy’s Heavy cruiser HMS Exeter had a brief but legendary war service. In her 18-months of War she helped kill the Graf Spee and fought the Japanese.

It can be argued Battleships really started World War One. The Anglo-German naval arms race was the kindling to the fire that erupted all of the Europe in that Great War. At Versailles, Germany, vanquished in combat, was to rid herself of most of her Great High Seas Fleet, keeping only a few old tubs. In the inter-war period she was allowed to build a class of 16,000-ton ‘pocket-battleships’ -essentially very large cruisers with a battleship’s guns. The pocket battleships were to be the scourge of the sea in the event of war, ranging the globe sinking merchantmen by the dozens. One of these, the Admiral Graf Spee, engaged in the legendary Battle of the River Plate with three British cruisers and eventually scuttled herself on a bluff. In this battle the cruiser HMS Exeter, with her 8-inch guns, was the only ship that could make effective hits on the German battleship’s armor. One of these hits by the Exeter effectively wrecked the Graf Spee’s boiler room and caused her to withdraw and seek repairs.

These cruisers, the Ajax, Exeter and Achilles earned everlasting naval fame in this running battle in 1939.

All went onto very different fates. The HMS Ajax, a 7000-ton Leander class light cruiser, went on to fight in the Pacific and then in the Battle of Normandy before being broken up and scrapped in 1949. The HMS Achilles, a sister ship of the Ajax also finished the war and, in the service of the Royal New Zealand Navy, was eventually scrapped in 1976 after decades of peacetime service. The HMS Exeter, a 10,000-ton heavy cruiser of the York class, was severely damaged in the battle with the Graf Spee but was repaired in time to see combat in the Pacific.

As a member of the ABDA “Fleet that God Forgot” that fought the Imperial Japanese Navy under impossible odds in 1942, HMS Exeter was lost. She was heavily damaged in the Battle of the Java Sea and was ordered away to limp home. Finding herself just days later in combat with four Japanese cruisers and five destroyers and only supported by a pair of destroyers herself she was sunk 90 miles off Bawean Island in what is now Indonesia on March 1st, 1942 after a terrific gunfight. She has just been found after being lost at sea for over sixty years. Her wreck shows signs of the battle and it remains as a final testament to her short wartime service. Her last commander, RN Captain Oliver Loudon Gordon MVO, survived the war in a Japanese POW camp in published a memoir entitled “Fight It Out” published in 1957

Battle of the Java Sea

In February 1942, the Allies established a naval “Combined Striking Force” for the protection of Java. The “Eastern Striking Force”, comprising the Dutch cruisers Java and De Ruyter, the US heavy cruiser Houston, the British cruiser Exeter, and the Australian cruiser Perth , was placed under the command of Dutch Rear Admiral Karel Doorman. “Eastern Striking Force” also included the destroyers Witte de With and Kortenaer (RNN), J.D. Edwards, Alden, John Ford and Paul Jones (USN), and Jupiter, Electra and Encounter (RN).

On February 27, Doorman’s force sailed from Surabaya to intercept the Japanese “Eastern Invasion Force”, which comprised four cruisers and 14 destroyers, escorting 41 transport vessels. At about 4 pm, the two forces met in a battle which lasted much of the night. Outgunned, Doorman’s force was unable to engage the invasion fleet, which escaped to the north while the escort vessels were pressing their attack.

Allied casualties were heavy. Admiral Doorman was lost along with both of the Dutch cruisers and almost all of their crews. The Exeter was badly damaged by shell-fire, and was sunk along with its escorting destroyer Encounter two days later. Among the other destroyers engaged, Kortenaer, Jupiter and Electra were all sunk, with considerable loss of life. The Japanese invasion fleet was delayed, but not prevented from making a landing on Java on 28 February. The surviving cruisers, Houston and Perth, were sunk on the evening of the same day as they attempted to withdraw to Ceylon, having encountered the Japanese “Western Invasion Force” in the Sunda Strait.

Admiral Doorman’s flagship De Ruyter at anchor shortly before the battle of the Java Sea. De Ruyter was lost in the battle along with Doorman and 344 of its crew. 305837

The Dutch cruiser Java under attack from Japanese aircraft in February 1942. 305183

1942

Friday 27, February

Pertempuran Laut Jawa

Pada bulan Februari 1942, Sekutu membentuk “Angkatan Menyerang Gabungan” angkatan laut untuk perlindungan Jawa. The “Angkatan Menyerang Timur”, yang terdiri dari kapal penjelajah Belanda dan Jawa De Ruyter, AS heavy cruiser Houston, kapal Inggris Exeter, dan kapal penjelajah Australia Perth, ditempatkan di bawah komando Laksamana Karel Doorman Belanda Belakang. “Angkatan Timur mencolok” juga termasuk perusak Witte de With dan Kortenaer (RNN), JD Edwards, Alden, John Ford dan Paul Jones (USN), dan Jupiter, Electra dan Encounter (RN).

Pada tanggal 27 Februari, kekuatan Petugas itu berlayar dari Surabaya untuk mencegat Jepang “Timur Angkatan Invasion”, yang terdiri dari empat kapal penjelajah dan kapal perusak 14, mengawal 41 kapal transportasi. Pada sekitar 4 pm, dua kekuatan bertemu dalam pertempuran yang berlangsung lebih dari malam. Outgunned, kekuatan Petugas itu dapat melibatkan armada invasi, yang melarikan diri ke utara sementara kapal escort yang menekan serangan mereka.

Korban Sekutu berat. Petugas Laksamana hilang bersama kedua kapal penjelajah Belanda dan hampir semua awak mereka. The Exeter rusak parah oleh shell-api, dan tenggelam bersama dengan Encounter perusak mengawal nya dua hari kemudian. Di antara kapal lain yang bergerak, Kortenaer, Jupiter dan Electra semuanya tenggelam, dengan banyak kehilangan kehidupan. Armada invasi Jepang ditunda, tetapi tidak dicegah dari membuat mendarat di Jawa pada tanggal 28 Februari. Para penjelajah hidup, Houston dan Perth, tenggelam pada malam hari yang sama ketika mereka mencoba untuk mundur ke Ceylon, setelah bertemu dengan “Angkatan Invasi Barat” Jepang di Selat Sunda.

Laksamana Petugas andalan De Ruyter di jangkar sesaat sebelum pertempuran di Laut Jawa. De Ruyter hilang dalam pertempuran bersama dengan Petugas dan 344 dari awaknya. 305837

Java Belanda cruiser mendapat serangan dari pesawat Jepang pada bulan Februari 1942. 305183

1.942

Friday 27 Februari

BATTLE OF THE SEA JAWA

Destroyer JUPITER (Lt Cdr NVJT Thew) tenggelam oleh kapal perusak Jepang. Lima peringkat tewas dan satu meninggal dari luka sementara Sementara S / Lt AL Cato RNZNVR, Lt (E) VD Hodge OBE, Taruna MG Rivington RNR, Lt JWR Spedding DSC dan delapan puluh enam peringkat yang hilang. Cdr Thew, Gunner (T) ED Furneaux dan 45 peringkat selamat, namun 27 dari peringkat meninggal ketika tawanan perang.

Destroyer ELECTRA (Cdr CW Mei) tenggelam oleh kapal perusak Jepang. Cdr Mei, Lt R Jenner-Fust OBE, Lt EA Coale, Lt (E) F McLeod, S / R Lt Harga RNR, sementara Lt HW Davies RNVR dan 102 peringkat hilang. Yang selamat, S / Lt SH Cruden RNVR dan empat peringkat yang ditawan oleh Jepang dari air, dan Gunner (T) TJ Cain, Surgeon Lt WRD Seymour dan empat puluh tiga peringkat dijemput oleh kapal selam Amerika S.38 pada 0315 / 28. Saat tiba di tempat kejadian, S.38 diserang oleh ENCOUNTER perusak, tapi tidak rusak. Satu Peringkat meninggal karena luka setelah tiba di Jawa, dan 10 peringkat terluka ditinggalkan di Surabaya dan kemudian ditangkap. Tujuh tewas saat tawanan perang.

Empat puluh selamat dari JUPITER dan 42 dari ELECTRA berangkat Tjilatjap pada awal Maret VERSPECK kapal Belanda dan tiba di Australia pada 10 Maret.

Belanda perusak Kortenaer tenggelam oleh kapal perang Jepang. ENCOUNTER mengambil 113 korban dan membawa mereka ke Surabaya.

Belanda cahaya kapal penjelajah De Ruyter dan JAWA tenggelam oleh kapal perang Jepang. British Sementara Lt W A. Jackson dan RNVR Sementara Acting S / Lt WG Jenkins RNVR, di kapal De Ruyter berhasil diselamatkan dan membuat tawanan perang.

_____

Australia light cruiser HOBART, British cahaya kapal penjelajah Danae dan DRAGON, British perusak Tenedos, SCOUT dan Evertsen Belanda berangkat Priok Tanjong pada 2330, dengan perintah bahwa jika tidak ada musuh yang terlihat, mereka akan pensiun melalui Selat Sunda ke Ceylon. Awal pada tanggal 28, Evertsen menjadi terpisah dan kembali ke Tanjong Priok. Pada tanggal 1 Maret, pasukan tiba di Padang untuk memulai evacuatees, dengan HOBART dan Danae mengambil di papan 648 dan 319 pengungsi, masing-masing. Kapal-kapal, DRAGON kurang, tiba di Kolombo pada tanggal 5 Maret. DRAGON tiba pada 6.

_____

Belanda light cruiser Tromp, setelah kerusakan oleh kapal-kapal Jepang pada 20th/21st tersebut, berangkat Surabaya untuk perbaikan di Fremantle.

_____

Seaplane lembut Amerika LANGLEY (CDR RP McConnell) tenggelam oleh bom Jepang 75miles SSE dari Tjilatjap. Enam belas awak dan penumpang yang hilang – LT WC Bailey, Waran R Officer. Curtis, lima prajurit dan sembilan penumpang, dan 11 tamtama terluka. The 308 korban dijemput oleh AS perusak Whipple dan EDSALL, setelah Whipple bergegas LANGLEY.

_____

Kapal selam Jepang I.53 tenggelam kapal Belanda MOESIE (913grt) 25 mil dari Banjoewangi.

_____

Steamer NAM YONG (1345grt) tenggelam oleh kapal selam Jepang di Samudera Hindia pada 15-55s, 108-05E. Guru dan empat awak membuat tawanan perang.

28 Februari, Sabtu

Lt Cdr AH Terry DSC, perintah diketahui dan Bertindak Bedah Cdr T. Stevenson OBE, MB, BCH, mantan SULTAN II, hilang pada tanggal 28 (posted April 1946).

_____

Kapal selam Jepang I.53 tenggelam CITY OF MANCHESTER steamer (8917grt) di 8-16S, 108-52E. Awak 115, 21 penembak dan satu penumpang, dengan tiga awak hilang dan enam diduga ditangkap. I.53 juga tenggelam steamer PARIGI Belanda (1172grt) dalam 8s, 109E.

_____

Jepang kapal selam I.58 rusak tanker BRITISH HAKIM (6735grt) sepuluh km sebelah selatan dari Pulau Putri, Selat Sunda, dan mengawal Jumna sloop dan minesweeper WOOLLONGONG serangan balik. Kapal tangki WAR SIRDAR, juga dengan konvoi ini, dibom dan dibakar. Dia terdampar di Pulau Agenielien, sebelah barat laut dari Batavia dalam 5-31, 106-36E, dan menyatakan total kerugian pada tanggal 1 Maret.

_____

Kapal selam Jepang I.4 tenggelam kapal BAN Belanda HO GUAN (1693grt), yang sedang dalam perjalanan dari Padang ke Tjilatjap, selatan Bali.

_____

Steamer Tomohon Belanda (983grt) tenggelam oleh kerajinan permukaan Jepang off Tjilatjap. Awak 30 diselamatkan.

Pada 28 Februari 1942

Belanda yang dipimpin pasukan, didukung oleh sekitar 5500 Inggris, Australia 3000 (yang Blackforce ringan dilengkapi brigade infanteri), dan 750 orang Amerika (a Texas National Guard unit yang melekat pada Blackforce), bertemu invasi Jepang pulau di Teluk Banten / Merak dan Eretan Wetan (Jawa Barat) dan di Kragan (Jawa Timur).

Hari itu dua terakhir Qantas terbang perahu ditambatkan di Chilacap (Jawa Tengah) melakukan penerbangan terakhir mereka, penuh dengan pengungsi sipil, ke Broome di Australia Barat.

Di Bandung, Peterson mengunjungi wanita Australia yang telah memutuskan untuk tetap dengan keluarga mereka dan memberikan bantuan dana bagi mereka yang membutuhkannya. Staf lokal Austrade ini menyembunyikan Trade Commission dokumen, menutup kantor dan dicairkan sampai akhir pendudukan Jepang

Diperkirakan bahwa konvoi akan mencapai perairan Jawa awal

pada tanggal 27.

Buru-buru ia membuat rencananya untuk memenuhi serangan dengan kekuatan angkatan laut menyedihkan rendah dipimpin oleh

Laksamana K. W. F. M. Petugas.

Petugas Semua telah adalah 2 kapal penjelajah berat, salah satunya Houston USS, 3 kapal penjelajah ringan, dan 11 kapal perusak.

Kontak antara kekuatan yang berlawanan datang tak lama setelah 1500 dari tanggal 27, dan perjuangan yang dimulai kemudian berkobar sepanjang siang dan malam. Pada saat pertempuran Laut Jawa selama Sekutu telah kehilangan setengah kapal mereka, termasuk unggulan dan Petugas Laksamana. Orang Jepang tidak kehilangan vessel.56 tunggal

28 Februari.

Mendukung invasi adalah kekuatan terbesar dari kapal perang Jepang yang belum dirakit untuk operasi amfibi. Di dalamnya ada empat kapal perang, yang dipimpin oleh

Laksamana Nobutake Kondo,

sebuah kelompok yang dipimpin oleh pembawa Laksamana Nagumo Pearl Harbor ketenaran, dan dua kekuatan serangan, masing-masing saat ini jauh diperkuat.

Pendekatan Jepang hati-hati ditelusuri oleh Sekutu, dan

Laksamana Helfrich, pengganti Hart sebagai komandan angkatan laut Sekutu,

Selama beberapa hari berikutnya

Jepang menyelesaikan kontrol mereka terhadap pendekatan udara dan laut ke Jawa. Dari lingkaran mereka basis mengelilingi pesawat patroli pulau terus mengawasi konstan sementara pembom menyelesaikan penghancuran lapangan udara Sekutu dan instalasi militer.

Pada saat yang sama

armada perang yang kuat berkisar perairan Laut Jawa untuk memburu sisa-sisa dari armada Sekutu yang dibagi antara Surabaya dan Batavia, mencari beberapa cara untuk membuat mereka melarikan diri ke Samudera Hindia.

Pertarungan terakhir dimulai pada malam 28 Februari

Ketika

yang berat kapal penjelajah USS Houston

dan

H.M.S. Exeter,

disertai dengan

kapal penjelajah ringan H.M.A.S. Perth

dan dua kapal perusak,

mencoba menyelinap melalui Selat Sunda, antara Jawa dan Sumatera.

Orang Jepang telah menutup selat dan kapal-kapal perang Sekutu berlayar ke dalam perangkap.

Malam itu, dalam pertempuran yang kuat yang berlangsung lewat tengah malam,

Houston

dan

Perth

turun.

Pada 28 Feb 1942

invasi Jepang pulau di Bantam Bay /

Merak

dan Eretan Wetan (Jawa Barat) dan di Kragan (Jawa Timur).

Selama Pertempuran Laut Jawa pada 28 Februari 1942

Pertempuran di Pasifik diangkat oleh Amerika, dan Sekutu, yang terdiri dari pasukan dari NZ, Australia dan Inggris. Juga militer KNIL yang melarikan diri dari Jepang ke Australia berperan. Dalam perjuangan yang menyakitkan yang biaya banyak nyawa, tiap pulau ditaklukkan. Hindia Belanda namun itu diabaikan karena target adalah Jepang

Sedikit perahu yang digunakan dalam Pertempuran Laut Jawa

Hari itu dua terakhir Qantas terbang perahu ditambatkan di Chilacap (Jawa Tengah) melakukan penerbangan terakhir mereka, penuh dengan pengungsi sipil, ke Broome di Australia Barat.

Meskipun Belanda telah terkonsentrasi pasukan yang tersisa tanah di Jawa, terutama di bagian barat pulau, masalah itu tidak pernah diragukan. Orang Jepang bergerak cepat pedalaman, membelah Tentara Belanda di pulau dan mengisolasi para pembela menjadi kelompok-kelompok kecil.

Untuk Sekutu jatuhnya Jawa ditandai hilangnya Barrier Melayu,

“Posisi defensif dasar”

di Timur Jauh. Makna strategis kehilangan ini sangat besar. Tidak hanya Sekutu kehilangan sumber daya Hindia dan garis mereka komunikasi utara, tetapi mereka menemukan diri mereka dalam posisi berbahaya, dibagi menjadi dua daerah dan diancam oleh invasi.

Pintu gerbang ke Samudera Hindia dan Australia mengungkapkan dan India berada dalam bahaya yang mengerikan. Dan Sekutu sakit mampu kehilangan kapal, pesawat, dan laki-laki yang turun dalam pertahanan heroik Malaya, Singapura, dan India.

Kekalahan ABDACOM adalah, dalam arti,

hasil tak terelakkan dari kelemahan Sekutu.

Tidak ada waktu untuk berkumpul di daerah sangat terpencil dari sumber pesawat pasokan yang cukup untuk mengikuti dominasi Jepang udara.

Meskipun bala bantuan yang memadai untuk tugas ini dialokasikan oleh Kepala Gabungan Staf, hanya menetes, hampir tidak cukup untuk mengganti kerugian, mencapai tujuan.

Kapal perang yang mungkin telah menantang penjajah terlibat dalam tugas-tugas lain, dan ketika mereka akhirnya disusun menjadi sebuah kekuatan mencolok gabungan itu sudah terlambat.

Dalam enam minggu keberadaannya

ABDACOM pernah memiliki kesempatan untuk menguji validitas pertentangan Jenderal Marshall bahwa perintah terpadu akan “menyelesaikan sembilan-persepuluh dari kesulitan kita.”

Tapi pelajaran penting tentang perintah Sekutu dapat dipelajari dari perbedaan pendapat dan perbedaan yang menandai keberadaan singkat ABDACOM dan ini tidak hilang ketika tiba saatnya untuk membangun perintah lainnya di kemudian perang.

Sementara kampanye Java sedang berlangsung,

Jepang telah mendorong untuk mengambil Sumatra Utara dan Burma pusat, sehingga mengkonsolidasikan kendali mereka dari wilayah selatan dan memotong China off dari sekutunya.

Dari Singapura, sepuluh hari setelah benteng jatuh,

datang pasukan untuk mengambil Sumatra Utara.

Dengan kedatangan mereka pembela pulau melarikan diri ke Jawa pada waktunya untuk bergabung melawan sana, dan akhirnya menyerah.

Baca selengkapnya

Menakjubkan Australia: Beryl Stevenson (nee Beryl Spiers dan kemudian Beryl Daley) adalah seorang penulis steno muda dari New South Wales yang menjabat sebagai sekretaris jenderal dua Inggris di Singapura dan Jawa dan kemudian bekerja untuk Jenderal George Brett di Melbourne dan Jenderal George Kenney di Brisbane , Port Moresby, Hollandia dan Filipina. Dia ditugaskan sebagai letnan di Angkatan Darat Amerika Serikat dan naik ke pangkat mayor

Kereta Api pahlawan burma Mayor James ‘Jake’ Jacobs dari AIF 2nd, Letnan-Komandan Mackenzie Gregory dari RAN (yang berada di jembatan HMAS Canberra ketika ia diserang oleh Jepang dalam Pertempuran Savo Island), dan Letnan Penerbang Rex T. Barber dari USAAF (pilot yang membunuh Laksamana Yamamoto di udara) … hanya tiga dari puluhan cerita hidup diceritakan dalam Fury Pacific

Hari berikutnya, Maret,

Exeter tenggelam di lepas pantai Kalimantan.

Sementara itu konvoi Jepang telah datang untuk pendaratan. Dalam perjalanan konvoi diserang oleh tiga kapal selam dan pesawat yang tersisa dari angkatan udara Sekutu, sekitar sepuluh pembom cahaya dan lima belas pejuang, dan mengalami beberapa kerusakan. Namun pendaratan itu dilakukan tanpa kesulitan yang serius, dan pagi dari 1 orang Jepang yang mengkonsolidasikan posisi mereka dan dengan cepat memperluas beachheads

Sementara itu C dan D Perusahaan dibagi menjadi tiga kelompok marching. Perusahaan Staf tiba sebagai pertama di Sampit pada 1 Maret 1942.

Pada Maret 1942

komandan Angkatan Darat Amerika Serikat Angkatan di Timur Jauh diperintahkan untuk pindah ke Australia oleh Presiden Amerika Serikat. Pasukan dari Amerika Serikat mulai tiba di Australia

————————————————– ——————————

Invasi Jawa

BATTLE OF THE JAVA SEA

Destroyer JUPITER (Lt Cdr N V J T Thew) was sunk by Japanese destroyers. Five ratings were killed and one died of wounds while Temporary S/Lt A L Cato RNZNVR, Lt (E) V D Hodge OBE, Midshipman M G Rivington RNR, Lt J W R Spedding DSC and eighty six ratings were missing. Cdr Thew, Gunner (T) E D Furneaux and 45 ratings survived, but 27 of the ratings died while prisoners of war.

Destroyer ELECTRA (Cdr C W May) was sunk by Japanese destroyers. Cdr May, Lt R Jenner-Fust OBE, Lt E A Coale, Lt (E) F McLeod, S/Lt R Price RNR, Temporary Lt H W Davies RNVR and 102 ratings were lost. Of the survivors, S/Lt S H Cruden RNVR and four ratings were taken prisoner by the Japanese from the water, and Gunner (T) T J Cain, Surgeon Lt W R D Seymour and forty three ratings were picked up by American submarine S.38 at 0315/28th. On arriving on the scene, S.38 was attacked by destroyer ENCOUNTER, but not damaged. One rating died of wounds after arriving in Java, and 10 wounded ratings were left at Surabaya and later captured. Seven died while prisoners of war.

Forty survivors from JUPITER and 42 from ELECTRA departed Tjilatjap in early March on Dutch steamer VERSPECK and arrived in Australia on 10 March.

Dutch destroyer KORTENAER was sunk by Japanese warships. ENCOUNTER picked up 113 survivors and took them to Surabaya.

Dutch light cruisers DE RUYTER and JAVA were sunk by Japanese warships. British Temporary Lt W A. Jackson RNVR and Temporary Acting S/Lt W G Jenkins RNVR, on board DE RUYTER were rescued and made prisoners of war.

_____

Australian light cruiser HOBART, British light cruisers DANAE and DRAGON, British destroyers TENEDOS, SCOUT and the Dutch EVERTSEN departed Tanjong Priok at 2330, with the orders that if no enemy were sighted, they would retire through the Sunda Strait to Ceylon. Early on the 28th, EVERTSEN became separated and returned to Tanjong Priok. On 1 March, the force arrived at Padang to embark evacuatees, with HOBART and DANAE taking on board 648 and 319 evacuees, respectively. These ships, less DRAGON, arrived at Colombo on 5 March. DRAGON arrived on the 6th.

_____

Dutch light cruiser TROMP, after being damages by Japanese ships on the 20th/21st, departed Surabaya for repairs at Fremantle.

_____

American seaplane tender LANGLEY (CDR R P McConnell) was sunk by Japanese bombing 75miles SSE of Tjilatjap. Sixteen crew and passengers were lost – LT W C Bailey, Warrant Officer R . Curtis, five enlisted men and nine passengers, and 11 enlisted men wounded. The 308 survivors were picked up by US destroyers WHIPPLE and EDSALL, after which WHIPPLE scuttled LANGLEY.

_____

Japanese submarine I.53 sank Dutch steamer MOESIE (913grt) 25 miles from Banjoewangi.

_____

Steamer NAM YONG (1345grt) was sunk by Japanese submarine in the Indian Ocean in 15-55S, 108-05E. Master and four crew made prisoners of war.

28 February, Saturday

Lt Cdr A H Terry DSC, command unknown and Acting Surgeon Cdr T . Stevenson OBE, MB, BCH, formerly of SULTAN II, were lost on the 28th (posted April 1946).

_____

Japanese submarine I.53 sank steamer CITY OF MANCHESTER (8917grt) in 8-16S, 108-52E. Crew of 115, 21 gunners and one passenger, with three crew lost and six presumed captured. I.53 also sank Dutch steamer PARIGI (1172grt) in 8S, 109E.

_____

Japanese submarine I.58 damaged tanker BRITISH JUDGE (6735grt) ten miles south of Princess Island, Sunda Strait, and escorting sloop JUMNA and minesweeper WOOLLONGONG counter-attacked. Oiler WAR SIRDAR, also with this convoy, was bombed and set afire. She was beached on Agenielien Island, northwest of Batavia in 5-31S, 106-36E, and declared a total loss on 1 March.

_____

Japanese submarine I.4 sank Dutch steamer BAN HO GUAN (1693grt), which was en route from Padang to Tjilatjap, south of Bali.

_____

Dutch steamer TOMOHON (983grt) was sunk by Japanese surface craft off Tjilatjap. Crew of 30 rescued.

On 28 February ,1942

Dutch-led forces, supported by about 5500 British, 3000 Australians (the lightly equipped Blackforce infantry brigade), and 750 Americans (a Texas National Guard unit attached to Blackforce), met the Japanese invasion of the island at Bantam Bay/Merak and Eretan Wetan (West Java) and at Kragan (East Java).

That day the last two Qantas flying boats moored at Chilacap (Central Java) made their final flight, full of civilian refugees, to Broome in Western Australia.

In Bandung, Peterson visited Australian women who had decided to remain with their families and distributed cash to those who needed it. Austrade’s local staff hid Trade Commission documents, closed the office and disbursed until the end of the Japanese occupation

estimated that the convoys would reach Javanese waters early

on the 27th.

Hurriedly he made his plans to meet the attack with a woefully inferior naval force led by

Rear Adm. K. W. F. M. Doorman.

All Doorman had were 2 heavy cruisers, one of them the USS Houston, 3 light cruisers, and 11 destroyers.

Contact between the opposing forces came shortly after 1500 of the 27th, and the fight that began then raged throughout the afternoon and into the night. By the time the battle of the Java Sea was over the Allies had lost half their ships, including the flagship and Admiral Doorman. The Japanese had not lost a single vessel.⁵⁶

28 February.

Supporting the invasion was the largest force of warships the Japanese had yet assembled for an amphibious operation. In it were four battleships, led by

Admiral Nobutake Kondo,

a carrier group led by Admiral Nagumo of Pearl Harbor fame, and the two attack forces, each now considerably reinforced.

The approach of the Japanese was carefully traced by the Allies, and

Admiral Helfrich, Hart’s successor as Allied naval commander,

During the next few days

the Japanese completed their control of the air and sea approaches to Java. From their circle of bases surrounding the island patrol planes kept constant watch while bombers completed the destruction of Allied airfields and military installations.

At the same time

the powerful battle fleet ranged the waters of the Java Sea to hunt down the remnants of the Allied fleet which were split between Surabaya and Batavia, seeking some way to make their escape into the Indian Ocean.

The last fight began on the night of 28 February

When

the heavy cruisers USS Houston

and

H.M.S. Exeter,

accompanied by

the light cruisers H.M.A.S. Perth

and two destroyers,

tried to slip through Sunda Strait, between Java and Sumatra.

The Japanese had already closed the strait and the Allied warships sailed into a trap.

That night, in a vigorous battle which lasted past midnight,

the Houston

and

Perth

went down.

On 28 Feb 1942

Dutch-led forces, supported by about 5500 British, 3000 Australians (the lightly equipped Blackforce infantry brigade), and 750 Americans (a Texas National Guard unit attached to Blackforce), met

the Japanese invasion of the island at Bantam Bay/

Merak

and Eretan Wetan (West Java) and at Kragan (East Java).

During the Battle of the Java Sea on 28 February 1942

The battle in the Pacific was taken up by the Americans, and the Allies, consisting of troops from NZ, Australia and Great Britain. Also the KNIL military who escaped from the Japanese to Australia played a part. In a painful struggle which cost many lives, island by island was conquered. The Dutch East Indies however was skipped because the target was Japan

Little boats used in the Battle of the Java Sea

That day the last two Qantas flying boats moored at Chilacap (Central Java) made their final flight, full of civilian refugees, to Broome in Western Australia.

Though the Dutch had concentrated their remaining ground forces in Java, mostly in the western portion of the island, the issue was never in doubt. The Japanese moved inland rapidly, splitting the Dutch Army on the island and isolating the defenders into small groups.

For the Allies the fall of Java marked the loss of the Malay Barrier,

”the basic defensive position”

in the Far East. The strategic significance of this loss was enormous. Not only did the Allies lose the resources of the Indies and their lines of communications northward, but they found themselves in a perilous position, split into two areas and threatened by invasion.

The gateway to the Indian Ocean lay open and Australia and India were in dire danger. And the Allies could ill afford to lose the ships, planes, and men that went down in the heroic defense of Malaya, Singapore, and the Indies.

The defeat of ABDACOM was, in a sense,

the inevitable outcome of Allied weakness.

There was no time to assemble in an area so remote from the sources of supply sufficient aircraft to contest Japanese domination of the air.

Although reinforcements adequate for this task were allocated by the Combined Chiefs of Staff, only a trickle, barely enough to replace losses, reached its destination.

The warships that might have challenged the invaders were engaged in other tasks, and when they were finally organized into a combined striking force it was already too late.

In the six weeks of its existence

ABDACOM never had a chance to test the validity of General Marshall’s contention that a unified command would “solve nine-tenths of our troubles.”

But important lessons about Allied command could be learned from the disagreements and differences which marked the brief existence of ABDACOM and these were not lost when the time came to establish other commands later in the war.

While the campaign for Java was in progress,

the Japanese had pushed on to take northern Sumatra and central Burma, thus consolidating their control of the southern area and cutting China off from its Allies.

From Singapore, ten days after that fortress had fallen,

came the troops to take northern Sumatra.

With their arrival the defenders of the island fled to Java in time to join the fight there, and eventually to surrender.

Read more

Amazing Australian: Beryl Stevenson (nee Beryl Spiers and later Beryl Daley) was a young shorthand writer from New South Wales who served as secretary to two British generals in Singapore and Java and later worked for General George Brett in Melbourne and General George Kenney in Brisbane, Port Moresby, Hollandia and the Philippines. She was commissioned as a lieutenant in the United States Army and rose to the rank of major

Burma Railway hero Major James ‘Jake’ Jacobs of the 2nd AIF; Lieutenant-Commander Mackenzie Gregory of the RAN (who was on the bridge of HMAS Canberra when she was attacked by the Japanese in the Battle of Savo Island), and Flight Lieutenant Rex T. Barber of the USAAF (the pilot who killed Admiral Yamamoto in mid-air)… just three of the dozens of vivid stories told in Pacific Fury

Next day, March,

the Exeter was sunk off the coast of Borneo.

Meanwhile the Japanese convoys had come in for the landing. On the way the convoy was attacked by three submarines and the remaining planes of the Allied air force, about ten light bombers and fifteen fighters, and suffered some damage. But the landing was accomplished without serious difficulty, and by morning of the 1st the Japanese were consolidating their positions and rapidly expanding the beachheads

In the meantime were C and D Company split into three marching groups. The Staff Company arrived as first in Sampit on 1st March 1942.

In March 1942

the commander of the United States Army Forces in the Far East was ordered to move to Australia by the President of the United States. Troops from the United States began arriving in Australia

The invasion of Java
(Click map to enlarge)

On March 1^st,1942

the Japanese landed at four points on the north coast of Java: Merak, Bantam Bay, Eretenwetan, and Kragan.

The invaders encountered occasionally heavy resistance as they advanced across the island, but wherever the Allies stood, the enemy smashed them, drove them back, or simply outflanked them. The colonial government fled the capital, Batavia, for the relative safety of Bandung. On March 8 the Dutch leadership, demoralized and fearful of possible Japanese reprisals against civilians, ordered the military forces to surrender. [12]

Soldiers of the Japanese 2nd Division celebrate their landing at Merak

Photo Source: The Dutch East Indies Campaign

48th Division landing trucks at Kragan

Photo Source: The Dutch East Indies Campaign

The Japanese Army enters Surabaya

Photo Source: Netherlands Institute for War Documentation

Dutch soldiers surrender on Java

Photo Source: The Dutch East Indies Campaign

Read more

The Battle of Java (Invasion of Java, Operation J)

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.

ABDA Order of battle

Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger (KNIL Army): Lieutenant-General Hein Ter Poorten

1st KNIL Infantry Division: Major-General Wijbrandus Schilling^[2]
2nd KNIL Infantry Division: Major-General Pierre A. Cox
3rd KNIL Infantry Division: Major-General Gustav A. Ilgen
British troops (ca. 5,500 men): Major-General Sir Hervey D.W. Sitwell^[3]
US troops (ca. 750 men:) Major-General J.F. Barnes
Australian troops (ca. 3000 men): Brigadier Arthur S. Blackburn.^[4]

Forces

The Japanese forces were split into two groups:

the Eastern Force,

with its headquarters at Jolo Island in the Sulu Archipelago, included the 48th Division and the 56th Regimental Group.

The Western Force,

based at Cam Ranh Bay, French Indochina included the 2nd Division and the 230th Regiment (detached from the 38th Division).

The Allied forces were commanded by the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) commander, General Hein ter Poorten.^[5]

Although the KNIL forces had, on paper, 25,000 (mostly Indonesian) well-armed troops, many were poorly trained. The KNIL forces were deployed in four sub-commands: Batavia (Jakarta) area (two regiments); north central Java (one regiment); south Java (one regiment) and; east Java, one regiment.

The British, Australian and United States units were commanded by British Major GeneralH. D. W. Sitwell.^[3]

The British forces were predominantly anti-aircraft units: the 77th Heavy AA Regiment, 21st Light AA Regiment and 48th Light AA Regiment. The only British armoured unit on Java was a squadron of light tanks from the British 3rd Hussars.^[6] Two British AA regiments without guns, the 6th Heavy AA Regt and the 35th Light AA Regiment were equipped as infantry to defend airfields. The British also had transport and administrative units.

The Australian formation — named “Blackforce” after its commander, Brigadier Arthur BlackburnV.C.^[7] —

included the Australian 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion, the Australian 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion, a company from the Royal Australian Engineers, a platoon from the 2/1st Headquarters Guard Battalion,^[8]

about 100 reinforcements diverted on route to Singapore, a handful of soldiers who had escaped from Singapore following its fall to the Japanese, two transport companies, a casualty clearing station, and a company headquarters unit. Blackburn decided to re-organise his troops as an infantry brigade. They were well-equipped in terms of Bren guns, light armoured cars, and trucks, but they had few rifles, submachineguns, anti-tank rifles, mortars, grenades, radio equipment or Bren gun carriers. Blackburn managed to assemble an HQ staff and three infantry battalions based on the 2/3rd Machine Gun, the 2/2nd Pioneers, and a mixed “Reserve Group”. The only U.S. ground forces in Java, the 2nd Battalion of the 131st Field Artillery (a TexasNational Guard unit) was also attached to Black Force.^[9]

West Java Campaign

West Java Campaign from Merak and Bantam Bay

After discussing the war preparation on 21 January with the commander of the 3rd Fleet and inspected the 48th Division at Manila, Lieutenant General Hitoshi Imamura received an order to attack Java on 30 January.

The convoy consisted of 56 transport ships with troops aboard from 16th Army Headquarters, 2nd Division and 230th Infantry Regiment. The convoy left Cam Ranh Bay at 10:00 on 18 February, and the commander-in-chief Lieutenant General Hitoshi Imamura was aboard on the transport ship Ryujo Maru. The convoy escort was under the command of Rear Admiral Kenzaburo Hara.^[12]

At 23:20 on 28 February, the transport ships carrying the Nasu and Fukushima detachments commenced landing operations at Merak. Ten minutes later they were joined by the other transport ships; the one carrying the Sato detachment dropped anchor at Bantam Bay. By 02:00 on 1 March, all ships had reached their designated positions. The KNIL Merak Coastal Detachment, made up of a section from the Captain F.A.M. Harterink’s 12th KNIL Infantry Battalion, machine-gunned the invaders but was quickly defeated.

On 1 March, the invaders set up new headquarters at Serang. The troops of the 2nd Division led by Lieutenant-General Masao Maruyama were divided into the following detachments:

Nasu Detachment: Major-General Yumio Nasu
Fukushima Detachment: Colonel Kyusaku Fukushima
Sato Detachment: Colonel Hanshichi Sato

The Nasu detachment was ordered to capture Buitenzorg to cut the escape route from Batavia to Bandoeng. The Fukushima and Sato Detachments would in the meanwhile head for Batavia through Balaradja and Tangerang.

On 2 March, the Nasu detachment arrived at Rangkasbitung and continued to Leuwiliang, 15 mi (24 km) west of Buitenzorg. The Australian 2/2nd Pioneer and 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalions were positioned along a riverbank at Leuwiliang and put up a vigorous defence. Highly accurate volleys from “D” Battery, U.S. 2/131st Field Artillery, destroyed many Japanese tanks and trucks. Blackforce managed to hold up the Japanese advance for two full days before being forced to withdraw to Soekabumi, lest it become trapped by Japanese flanking manoeuvres, and was ordered to retreat to Soekabumi. Around the same time, the Fukushima and Sato units headed westwards to Madja (Maja) and Balaradja (Balaraja). They found many of the bridges already destroyed by the retreating Dutch and were forced to find other routes; some units took the opportunity to make for Buitenzorg.

On 4 March, Ter Poorten decided to withdraw his forces from Batavia and Buitenzorg to reinforce the defence of Bandoeng. The following evening Dutch troops in Batavia surrendered to the Sato Detachment. By dawn of 6 March, the Japanese troops had attacked Buitenzorg, which was guarded by the 10th Company, KNIL 2nd Infantry Regiment; 10th Company, 1st Infantry Regiment; Landstorm troops and a howitzer unit. In the morning Buitenzorg was occupied, while a large number of Allied soldiers had retreated to Bandoeng. The Nasu Detachment pursued them through Tjiandjoer and (Tjimahi), entering the city on 9 March. The Shoji Detachment also entered Bandoeng on the same day, arriving from the north, having travelled via Lembang.

West Java Campaign from Eretan Wetan

On 27 February, the unit 230th Infantry Regiment, led by Colonel Toshishige Shoji, separated from the main convoy and landed on 1 March, at Eretan Wetan, near Soebang on the northern coast of West Java. The unit’s objectives were to capture the important Kalidjati airfield and weaken the Allied air arm, while the 2nd Division attacked Batavia.

At dawn on 1 March, nine Brewster and three Glenn Martins from the KNIL Air Force, together with 12 Hurricanes from the 242nd and 605th RAF Squadrons, carried out attacks on Japanese troops at Eretan Wetan. Using motor vehicles, the Japanese rapidly advanced to Soebang. At noon, the Kalidjati airfield was finally occupied following a tenacious defence carried out by 350 British troops. Meanwhile, other Japanese units led by Major Masaru Egashira bypassed Allied defences and headed for Pamanoekan (Pamanukan), and from then on to (Tjikampek), where they were able to cut the road link between Batavia and Kalidjati.

The fall of Kalidjati airfield greatly alarmed the Dutch, who set about planning hasty and ill-prepared counterattacks. On 2 March, a KNIL armoured unit (the Mobiele Eenheid), commanded by Captain G.J. Wulfhorst with approximately 20 tanks, and supported by the 250 men of Major C.G.J. Teerink’s 5th KNIL Infantry Battalion, launched a counterattack against the Shoji unit outside Soebang. The attempt initially went well, but in the afternoon the attack was repulsed. Afterwards, the main force of the Japanese 3rd Air Brigade arrived at Kalidjati airfield.

By the night of 7 March, Japanese troops had arrived at the plateau of Lembang, which is only 5 mi (8.0 km) north from Bandoeng. At 10:00 on 8 March, Major-General Jacob J. Pesman, the commander of Stafgroep Bandoeng,^[13] met Colonel Toshishige Shoji at the Isola Hotel in Lembang and surrendered.

Japenese Order of battle

2nd Division: Lt. Gen. Masao Maruyama^[14]

Nasu Detachment: Maj. Gen. Yumio Nasu
- 16th Infantry Regiment
- 1st Battalion of 2nd Field Artillery Regiment
- 1st Company of 2nd Engineer Regiment
- Two motor transport companies
Fukushima Detachment: Col. Kyusaku Fukushima
- 4th Infantry Regiment
- 2nd Battalion of 2nd Field Artillery Regiment
- 5th Anti-Tank Battalion
- 2nd Company of 2nd Engineer Regiment
Sato Detachment: Col. Hanshichi Sato
- 29th Infantry Regiment
- 2nd Tank Regiment
- 1st Company of 2nd Field Artillery Regiment
- 2nd Engineer Regiment
Shoji Detachment: Col. Toshishige Shoji^[15]
- 230th Infantry Regiment
- One mountain artillery battalion
- One engineer company
- One anti-tank battalion
- One light tank company
- One anti-aircraft battery
- Two independent engineer companies
- One platoon of the Bridge Material Company
- One motor Transport Company
- Part of the 40th Anchorage Headquarters
- Part of the Airfield Battalion

East Java Campaign

Moving eastward

The East Java campaign was composed of the 48th Division from the Philippines. On 8 February, the 48th Division departed from Lingayen Gulf, Luzon Island (Philippines) protected by the 4th Destroyer Squadron. On 22 February, the convoy arrived at Balikpapan and the Sakaguchi Detachment joined the 48th Division aboard the ships.

On 25 February, the convoy left Balikpapan, and sailed southward to Java. On 27 February, the ABDA fleet under command of Rear-Admiral Karel Doorman was detected and attacked by the 5th Destroyer Squadron and other units of the 3rd Fleet in the Battle of the Java Sea. The Japanese won the battle and at 00:15 on 1 March, the fleet landed in Kragan, a small village in East Java, approximately 100 mi (160 km) west of Surabaya.

The 3rd (Motorised) Cavalry Squadron of the 1st Dutch KNIL Cavalry Regiment, under the command of Ritmeester C.W. de Iongh, resisted the landing force but was quickly subdued.^[16]

Meanwhile, the flying boat Dornier X-28 of the 6th GVT (Groep Vliegtuigen or Aircraft Group) from MLD, B-17 bombers of the U.S. 7th Bomber Group, A-24 dive bombers of the U.S. 27th Bomb Group and Vildebeest torpedo-bombers from the 36th RAF Squadron worked round the clock to harass the invaders.

After landing, the 48th Division was divided into:

Imai Unit (Right Wing): Colonel Hifumi Imai
Abe Unit (Left Wing): Major-General Koichi Abe
Tanaka Unit (Tjepoe Raiding Unit): Colonel Tohru Tanaka
Kitamura Unit (Bodjonegoro Raiding Unit): Lieutenant Colonel Kuro Kitamura

Moving southward

The Sakaguchi Detachment from Balikpapan joined the East Java Invasion fleet as well. After landing, they were divided into three units with one battalion each: Kaneuji Unit, Major Kaneuji commanding; Yamamoto Unit: Colonel Yamamoto commanding; and Matsumoto Unit, Lieutenant Colonel Matsumoto commanding; these units moved south with the objective to occupy Tjilatjap in order to capture the harbour and block the retreat to Australia. In one week, they advanced rapidly and overcame all Dutch army defence found in Blora, Soerakarta, Bojolali, Jogjakarta, Magelang, Salatiga, Ambarawa and Poerworedjo. The Kaneuji and Matsumoto Detachments moved through the mainland, captured Keboemen and Purwokerto, north of Tjilatjap on 8 March. The Yamamoto Unit fanned out along the beach and mounted a two-pronged attack, entering Tjilatjap on 8 March. By then, however, the Dutch had withdrawn to Wangon, a small town located between Purwokerto and Tjilatjap. On the following day, Major-General Pierre A. Cox — the Dutch Central Army District commander — surrendered his troops to the Japanese.

Any expectation of reinforcement from America was dashed

on March 1

by the news of Japanese landings on Java.

Japanese Order of battle

48th Division: Major-General Yuitsu Tsuchihashi^[17]

Imai Unit (Right Wing): Colonel Hifumi Imai, commander of the 1st Formosan Infantry Regiment
- 1st Formosan Infantry Regiment
- One mountain artillery battalion
- One engineer company
Abe Unit (Left Wing): Major-General Koichi Abe
- 48th Infantry Group Headquarters
- 47th Infantry Regiment
- One mountain artillery battalion
- One engineer company
Tanaka Unit (Tjepoe Raiding Unit): Colonel Tohru Tanaka
- 2nd Formosan Infantry Regiment
- One mountain artillery battalion
- One engineer company
Kitamura Unit (Bodjonegoro Raiding Unit): Lieutenant Colonel Kuro Kitamura
- 48th Reconnaissance Regiment

Sakaguchi Detachment: Major-General Shizuo Sakaguchi^[18]

Yamamoto Unit: Colonel Yamamoto
- 1st Battalion of the 124th Infantry Regiment
Kaneuji Unit: Major Kaneuji
- 2nd Battalion of the 124th Infantry Regiment
Matsumoto Unit: Lieutenant Colonel Matsumoto
- 3rd Battalion of the 124th Infantry Regim

MARET.. 1st, 1942

(1) Pagi-pagi hari ini,

Dai Nippon pasukan mendarat di Jawa dan berhasil tanpa perjuangan oleh pasukan DEI (KNIL) dan orang-orang Indonesia asli diterima Frces DN sampai dengan bendera nasional DN dan Indnesian karena propaganda Nippon Dai sebelum perang bahwa Indonesia akan Independen ketika mereka menduduki Indonesia,

Tentara dari Divisi 2 Jepang merayakan pendaratan mereka di Merak

Sumber Foto: The Hindia Belanda Kampanye

Pada saat yang sama, Tiga Dai Nippon Angkatan wilayah Landing di Jawa:

perusak Jepang membombardir pasukan sekutu selama invasi dari Hindia Belanda.

(A) Banten Beach at Merak

Tipe 96 awak Gun 25mm mengamati pemboman angkatan laut di pantai selama invasi Belanda timur indies

kapal pendarat daihatsu mengangkut tentara dari pasukan arahan khusus angkatan laut selama invasi Ducht timur indies

Pasukan angkatan laut Jepang menembak di dalam kapal pendarat melawan pasukan Belanda selama invasi od belanda makan indies

Tipe 95 ha-go light tank di Merak

dengan rute

Peta Serangan Banten 1.942

Merak-Serang-Rangkasbitung-daerah Leuwiliang-Buitenzorg (Bogor)-Kragilan-Tanggerang-Batavia

khusus angkatan laut mendarat marching infanteri kekuatan (Belanda timur indies, Desember 1941)

prajurit mendarat SNLF di Belanda timur indies (1942)
Pasukan Jepang melintasi jembatan selama
mereka maju menuju Batavia Maret 1942

di bawah pimpinan

komandan-in-chief 16 Dai Nippon pasukan Lt.Gen.Hitoshi Immamura,

dengan

Divisi 2 di bawah Komandan May.Gen. Maruyama,

dan

Divisi ke-49 di bawah Komandan May.Gen Tsuchi Hashi,

Brigade juga di bawah komandan

May. gen.Sakaguchi

dan satu Resiment bawah komandan

Col, Shoji.

Let.Col. Noguchi

komandan tank

Deskripsi
komandan tank Letnan Kolonel Noguchi dari Resimen Recon 2 dilengkapi dengan 16 Type 97 Tankettes selama Kampanye Pulau Jawa Maret 1942

tangki awak

Deskripsi
Tangki Jepang kru dengan 94 tankette jenis mereka

tankette

seorang komandan tank Jepang menerima tipenya 94 tankettes (Belanda timur indies 1942)

Komandan marinir pasukan payung Jepang kolonel Toyoaki Horiuchi (Belanda timur indies, 1942)

japanese perwira militer Genjirou Inui, ia berjuang di java, phillipines dan Guadalcanal, kemudian dia kembali ke Jepang untuk sisa perang

Deskripsi
tyep 94 tankette melewati sungai

(B) Eretan Wetan dekat Indramajoe

Catatan Dr Iwan

Dr Iwan hanya mengunjungi pantai dekat Eretan sekat desa Losarang dan Indramjoe di Minggu 21 September 2012, Eretan beacch sekarang menjadi

Tourist bwach (Pantai wisata ), tidak ada yang tahu bahwa pada 1 maret 1942 tentara dai nippon mendarat disana,sehingga tak ada turis dari jepang berkunjung disana,dengan info ini diharap turis dari jepang akan berdoa disana untuk parea leluhurnya yang mendarat di panati eretan. dan dari villiage ini mengunjungi rute ke Subang dan Kalidjati.

(Sakit 4) The Dutch Peta Vintage dari Indramjoe daerah pendaratan Dai Nippon 1942, caption Indramajoe peta 1.942

bca info lebih lanjut

invasi Eretan Kulon

Para editor dari Perang mengunjungi situs dari invasi Jepang Jawa dua kali, sekali untuk meneliti pada tahun 2008 dan sekali untuk film pada tahun 2009. Di bawah dua fragmen daripadanya dari Blog of War.
Jakarta, 20 Desember 2008

[Penelitian] pagi dengan mobil dari Bandung ke utara. Perjalanan melalui pegunungan dan perkebunan teh. Tujuannya adalah pantai di mana Jepang mendarat pada akhir Februari 1942. Itu terjadi di berbagai tempat di pantai utara Jawa.

Saya memilih Eretan Wetan. Ini adalah sebuah desa nelayan, maka dalam setiap pemandu wisata dan ada cerita yang bagus tentang pejabat Van der Plas Belanda.

Saya berharap itu sedikit seperti ketika, dengan pantai berpasir yang indah datar dan pohon-pohon palem. Sehingga terlihat setidaknya pada newsreel Jepang dari tahun 1942. Ketika kami mendekati pantai, awan menggantung rendah. Sebuah hujan tropis saat makan siang, menghadap tempat penampungan.

Eretan Wetan adalah berlumpur setelah semua hujan. Mencari orang-orang tua. Sebaiknya di atas 70 tahun – invasi 64 tahun yang lalu. Kami akan pergi ke Pak Agus Salim, kemudian 6 tahun, sekarang hampir buta dan agak tuli.

Dia ingat orang Jepang sangat baik. Mereka datang di tengah malam. Ketika pagi dia berani pergi ke luar, ia melihat aliran tentara Jepang dengan pedang. Mereka hanya turun datang ke darat.

Tidak, bukan di Eretan Wetan, namun di desa tetangga. Ini disebut Eretan Kulon. Hal ini dikonfirmasi oleh orang lain. Mengapa dalam standar Lou de Jong adalah salah, tidak tahu. Biasanya, ini semacam fakta dengan dia sepenuhnya benar.

Eretan Kulon adalah kumpulan rumah tersebar. Sementara kita di samping mobil untuk keraguan, adalah Ms Wan Li mendekati. Ado, suara melengking, tapi sangat membantu. Dia menuntun kita di sepanjang jalan tanah ke laut.

Dari kejauhan saya melihat semua yang ada bekerja pada tanggul. Pekerja berbaring batu basalt, laut berombak dan menghemat hampir berakhir. Saya sangat ingin tahu tentang pantai tropis mimpi saya.

Pak Karsam datang menghampiri, memperkenalkan dirinya sebagai wakil lingkungan. Dia terus pengawasan yang ketat pada tanggul. Dia adalah 65 dan ya, ketika ia masih muda, masih pantai yang luas. Dia menunjuk Atik, “Sampai ketemu di sana nanti rig? Pantai itu setengah. Dan Jepang datang ke darat. “

Rig ini terletak sekitar 5 km dari pantai. Kali ini adalah tempat bersejarah ditelan laut. Oh, yang mungkin lebih baik dari pantai berpasir. Aku datang kembali ke sini, dengan Trip Rob.

Jakarta, 19 Maret 2009

[Syuting] Dari Linggarjati kita berkendara utara untuk menangkap mana kekuatan invasi Jepang mendarat di Jawa. Hal ini dekat desa Eretan Kulon.

Terakhir kali saya berbicara dengan Mr Atik dan Karsam, ketua dewan desa. Kemudian itu adalah pembicara antusias. Sekarang dia agak gugup oleh kamera dan semua tanggapan resmi terhadap pertanyaan dari Rob.

Setelah berbicara sementara sedikit longgar. Untungnya, karena lingkungan di sini masih indah. Jacko film kecuali laut desa. Sertakan tukang cukur keliling.

Teks: Gerda Jansen Hendriks

ກ

invasie Eretan Kulon

De redactie van De Oorlog bezocht de plaats van de Japanse invasie op Java twee maal, één keer om te researchen in 2008 en één keer om te filmen in 2009. Hieronder twee fragmenten daarover uit het Weblog van De Oorlog.

Jakarta, 20 december 2008

[Research] Vanmorgen met de auto vanuit Bandung recht naar het noorden. Tocht door bergen en theeplantages. Doel is het strand waar de Japanners zijn geland, eind februari 1942. Dat gebeurde op verschillende plekken aan de noordkust van Java.

Ik heb gekozen voor Eretan Wetan. Het is een vissersdorpje, het komt in geen enkele toeristengids voor en er is een mooi verhaal over van de Nederlandse ambtenaar Van der Plas.

Ik hoop dat het nog een beetje is als toen, met fraai vlak zandstrand en palmbomen. Zo ziet het er tenminste op het Japanse bioscoopjournaal van 1942 uit. Naarmate we de kust naderen komen de wolken lager te hangen. Een tropische stortbui tijdens de lunch, met uitzicht op een schuilhokje.

Eretan Wetan is modderig na alle regen. Op zoek naar oude mensen. Het liefst boven de 70 jaar – de invasie is 64 jaar geleden. We komen terecht bij meneer Agus Salim, toen 6 jaar, nu bijna blind en een beetje doof.

Hij herinnert zich de Japanners heel goed. Ze kwamen midden in de nacht. Toen hij ’s morgens naar buiten durfde, zag hij een stroom van Japanse soldaten, met zwaarden. Ze waren iets verderop aan land gekomen.

Nee, niet in Eretan Wetan, maar in het aangrenzende dorp. Dat heet Eretan Kulon. Het wordt door anderen bevestigd. Waarom het in het standaardwerk van Lou de Jong verkeerd staat, geen idee. Meestal zijn dit soort feitelijkheden bij hem geheel juist.

Eretan Kulon is een verzameling verspreid staande huizen. Terwijl wij naast de auto staan te twijfelen, komt mevrouw Wan Li aangelopen. Veel drukte, een schelle stem, maar zeer behulpzaam. Ze loodst ons langs modderpaden naar de zee.

Vanuit de verte zie ik al dat er daar wordt gewerkt aan een dijk. Arbeiders leggen basaltblokken, de zee is woelig en slaat er bijna overheen. Ik vraag me vertwijfeld af hoe het zit met mijn gedroomde tropische zandstrand.

Meneer Karsam komt aanlopen, stelt zich voor als de buurtvertegenwoordiger. Hij houdt een oogje in het zeil bij de dijk. Hij is 65 en ja hoor, toen hij jong was, was hier nog een breed strand. Hij wijst aan Atik: ‘Zie je daar verderop dat booreiland? Het strand liep tot halverwege. En daar kwamen de Japanners aan land.’

Het booreiland ligt zo’n 5 kilometer uit de kust. Deze keer is de historische plek door de zee verzwolgen. Ach, dat is misschien nog wel mooier dan een zandstrand. Ik kom hier weer terug, met Rob Trip.

Jakarta, 19 maart 2009

[Filmen] Vanaf Linggadjati rijden we naar het noorden om vast te leggen waar de Japanse invasiemacht in Java aan land kwam. Het is bij het dorpje Eretan Kulon.

Vorige keer hebben Atik en ik gesproken met meneer Karsam, de voorzitter van de dorpsraad. Toen was het een enthousiaste prater. Nu wordt hij toch wat zenuwachtig door de camera en geeft hele formele antwoorden op de vragen van Rob.

Na een tijdje praten wordt het wat losser. Gelukkig maar, want de omgeving hier blijft prachtig. Jacko filmt behalve de zee ook het dorp. Onder meer de rondtrekkende kapper.

Tekst: Gerda Jansen Hendriks

(C) Krangan Rembang Jawa tengah,

48 mendarat truk Divisi Kragan

Sumber Foto: The Hindia Belanda Kampanye

Armada Dai Nippon Naval Forces mencapai pantai Krangan, sebuah desa antara Rembang dan Lasem, sekitar 160 km sebelah barat dari Soerabaja.
Detasemen Sakaguchi dari Balikpapan bergabung dengan armada invasi. Setelah mendarat dibagi menjadi 3 unit dengan 1 batalyon Resimen Infanteri 124th:
(C.1) Col.Yamamoto, 1 Unit Batalyon.
(C.2) Walikota Kaneuji, unit Batalion 2.
(C.3) Let.Col.Matsimoto, unit batalion 3.
Dalam satu minggu, mereka maju pesat dan mengatasi semua tentara Belanda membela di Blora, Solo, Boyolali-Yogja, Magelang dan Ambarawa
Peta tersebut akan digambarkan

Unit Tanaka diperintahkan untuk menduduki Tjepoe (Cepu) untuk mengamankan ladang minyak di sana dan Unit Kitamura untuk menduduki Bodjonegoro, dekat Tjepoe. Seluruh unit merencanakan serangan dua cabang di Surabaya dari barat melalui Lamongan dan dari selatan melalui Jombang dan Mojokerto.

Unit Tanaka menduduki Tjepoe pada tanggal 2 Maret,

yang 2 Maret 1942

THE DAI NIPPON MILITARY OCCUPATION JAVA ISLAND

1942

COLLECTION

officer of the special naval landing force, Major Uroku Hashimoto using his binoculars during the invasion of the dutch east indies (january 1942)

Japanese landings

The Japanese 2d Division celebrates landing at Merak, Java, 1 March 1942. (Sectie Militaire Geschiedenes Landmachstaf)

Japanese troops move through Java. (Sectie Militaire Geschiedenes Landmachstaf)

The Japanese 2nd Division landed at Merak, 1 March 1942

Japanese bicycle infantry moving through Java.

The Japanese troops landed at three points on Java on 1 March. The West Java invasion convoy landed on Bantam Bay near Merak and Eretan Wetan. The West Java convoy had previously fought in the Battle of Sunda Strait, a few hours prior to the landings.^[10]

Meanwhile, the East Java invasion convoy landed on Kragan after having successfully defeated the ABDA fleet in the Battle of the Java Sea.^[11]

(1)March,1th,1942

March 1st’1942 :”Dai Nippon Occupation Indonesia This Day”

1.MARCH. 1^st, 1942

(1) Early in the morning this day,

Dai Nippon forces landing in Java and succeeded without any struggle by DEI forces(KNIL) and Indonesia Native people accepted DN Frces with up the DN and Indnesian national flag because Dai Nippon propaganda before the war that Indonesia will Independent when they occupied Indonesia,

Soldiers of the Japanese 2nd Division celebrate their landing at Merak

Photo Source: The Dutch East Indies Campaign

At the same time, Three Dai Nippon Forces Landing area in Java:

japanese destroyer bombarding allied forces during the invasion of the Dutch East Indies.

(a) Banten Beach at Merak

Type 96 25mm Gun crew observing the naval bombardment on the beach during the invasion of the dutch east indies

daihatsu landing craft transporting soldiers of the special naval landing force during the invasion of the ducht east indies

japanese navy troops firing inside a landing craft against dutch troops during the invasion od the dutch eats indies

type 95 ha-go light tanks in Merak

with route

Banten attack Map 1942

Merak-Serang-Rangkasbitung-Leuwiliang-Buitenzorg(Bogor)-Kragilan-Tanggerang-Batavia

special naval landing force infantryman marching (dutch east indies, december 1941)

soldiers of the SNLF landing in the dutch east indies (1942)

Japanese troops crossing a bridge during
their advance towards Batavia, March 1942

under the command of

the commander-in-chief 16th Dai Nippon forces Lt.Gen.Hitoshi Immamura,

with

the 2nd Division under Commander May.Gen. Maruyama,

and

the 49th Division under Commander May.Gen Tsuchi Hashi ,

also Brigade under commander

May. gen.Sakaguchi

and one Resiment under commander

Col, Shoji.

Let.Col. Noguchi

tank commander

Description

tank commander Lieutenant Colonel Noguchi of the 2nd Recon Regiment equipped with 16 Type 97 Tankettes during the Java Island Campaign, March 1942

tank crew

Description

japanese tank crew with their type 94 tankette

tankette

a japanese tank commander receiving his type 94 tankettes (dutch east indies 1942)

Commander of the japanese marines paratroopers colonel Toyoaki Horiuchi (dutch east indies, 1942)

japanese army officer Genjirou Inui, he fought in java, phillipines and guadalcanal, then he returned to japan for the rest of the war

Description

tyep 94 tankette passing through river

(b) Eretan Wetan near Indramajoe

Dr Iwan Note

Dr Iwan just visit Eretan beach near Losarang village and Indramjoe at Sunday 21 september 2012, eretan beacch now became

the Tourist bwach(Pantai wisata), no obe know that in march 1st 1942 The Dai Nippon forces landed there and one day the Japanese will praying for their ancestor who ever landing there, and from these villiage visit the route to Subang and Kalidjati.

read more info from dutch researches

invasion Eretan Kulon

The editors of The War visited the site of the Japanese invasion of Java twice, once to researching in 2008 and once to film in 2009. Below two fragments thereof from the Blog of War.
Jakarta, December 20, 2008

[Research] morning by car from Bandung straight north. Journey through mountains and tea plantations. The aim is the beach where the Japanese landed in late February 1942. That happened in various places on the north coast of Java.

I chose Eretan Wetan. It is a fishing village, it is in any tourist guide and there is a nice story about the Dutch official Van der Plas.

I hope it’s a bit like when, with beautiful flat sandy beach and palm trees. So it looks at least on the Japanese newsreel from 1942. As we approached the shore, the clouds hang lower. A tropical downpour during lunch, overlooking a shelter.

Eretan Wetan is muddy after all the rain. Looking for old people. Preferably above 70 years – the invasion 64 years ago. We’ll go to Mr. Agus Salim, then 6 years, now almost blind and a bit deaf.

He remembers the Japanese very well. They came in the middle of the night. When morning he dared go outside, he saw a stream of Japanese soldiers with swords. They were just down come ashore.

No, not in Eretan Wetan, but in the neighboring village. It’s called Eretan Kulon. It is confirmed by others. Why in the standard of Lou de Jong is wrong, no idea. Usually, this kind of facts with him entirely correct.

Eretan Kulon is a collection of scattered houses. While we beside the car to doubt, is Ms. Wan Li approached. Ado, a shrill voice, but very helpful. She guides us along dirt paths to the sea.

From afar I see all that there is working on a dike. Workers lay basalt boulders, the sea is choppy and saves almost over. I’m desperately wondering about my dream tropical beach.

Mr. Karsam comes over, introduces himself as the neighborhood representative. He keeps a watchful eye on the dike. He is 65 and yes, when he was young, was still a wide beach. He points to Atik, “See you there later that rig? The beach was halfway. And the Japanese came ashore. “

The rig is located about 5 km from the coast. This time is the historical place swallowed by the sea. Oh, that is perhaps better than a sandy beach. I come back here, with Rob Trip.

Jakarta, March 19, 2009

[Filming] From Linggadjati we drive north to capture where the Japanese invasion force landed in Java. It is near the village Eretan Kulon.

Last time I talked with Mr. Atik and Karsam, the chairman of the village council. Then it was an enthusiastic talker. Now he is somewhat nervous by the camera and all formal responses to the questions of Rob.

After a while talk is a little looser. Fortunately, because the environment here remains beautiful. Jacko films except the sea the village. Include the itinerant barber.

Text: Gerda Jansen Hendriks

48 mendarat trick

(ill 4) The Vintage Dutch Map of Indramjoe Dai Nippon landing area 1942,caption Indramajoe map 1942

(c) Krangan Rembang middle Java,

48th Division landing trucks at Kragan

Photo Source: The Dutch East Indies Campaign

The fleet of Dai Nippon Naval Forces reach the Krangan coast ,a village between Rembang and Lasem, about 160 km west of Soerabaja.
The Sakaguchi detachment from Balikpapan joined this invasion fleet. After landing divided into 3 units with 1 battalion of 124th Infantry Regiment :
(c.1) Col.Yamamoto,1st Battalion unit.
(c.2) Mayor Kaneuji, 2nd Battalion unit.
(c.3) Let.Col.Matsimoto,3rd battalion unit.
In one week ,they advanced rapidly and overcome all Dutch army defended in Blora ,Solo ,Bojolali-Yogja ,Magelang and Ambarawa
the Map will illustrated

The Tanaka Unit was ordered to occupy Tjepoe (Cepu) to secure the oilfields there and the Kitamura Unit was to occupy Bodjonegoro, near Tjepoe. The whole unit planned a two-pronged attack on Surabaya from the west through Lamongan and from south through Djombang and Modjokerto.

The Tanaka Unit occupied Tjepoe on 2 March,

the 2nd March 1942

Information on KNILM evacuation flights via Broome & Derby from Richard Pflug

The following was sent some months ago by Richard Pflug, summarising information in Dutch language sources.

There is some good detail on the KNILM evacuation flights which took place

around 2nd March 1942.

This was at the peak of the USAAF evacuation and the Broome aerodrome was crowded to capacity, mainly with huge B-17s.

Some of the Dutch aircraft arrived right at this time, and were directed north to the small field at Derby. This was the only known use of Derby during the evacuations.

According to what I read the KNILM/KLM management was well prepared for the evacuation. For instance they asked Shell to direct an oil tanker with aviation fuel to the port of Broome.

They also ordered spare parts to be delivered in Australia (but these were impounded by the US Army).

Although the government was in charge of making the passenger lists some crew members were able to “smuggle” colleagues on board.

Captain Evert van Dijk for instance took KLM chief radio engineering C.R. Klooster on his second round trip with him as his “co-pilot”, while the man was not on the official evacuation list.

On the second group of planes, radio operator Hans Pool gets his friend Dick Sweitser (who got wounded when DC-3 PK-AFW was shot down over East Borneo on January 24th) on board DC-5 PK-ADC.

When Captain Van Messel arrives in Broome on March 2nd 1942 with DC-5 PK-ADB he asks if Japanese reconnaissance planes have been sighted over Broome recently.

It is confirmed that an unidentified plane has passed at high altitude.

Based on earlier experiences with airfields on Java, he is pretty sure this means a Japanese attack is eminent within 48 hours and decides to leave Broome as soon as possible.

B17s from the 7th and 19th group however get priority with refuelling. With much persuasion Van Messel and his colleague Reyers with the L14 PK- AFP manage to get refuelled and leave.

Captain Deenik with DC-5 PK-ADD has less luck. He is advised to go on to Derby and get refuelled there for the further flight to Daly Waters.

According to the book “De Douglas DC-5 – een kort maar bewogen bestaan” (translation: The Douglas DC-5 – a short but moving history) by Pieter C. Kok, Captain Dirk Rab with DC-5 PK-ADC, nearing the Australian coast heads for a course just few degrees more south of Broome, just after dawn on the morning of March 2nd he locates the small coral reefs “Rowley Shoals” and turns east to Broome.

When he arrives he also gets the advice to go on to Derby for refuelling for the flight to Daly Waters.

Flying time will be some 40 to 45 minutes. The tanks of the DC-5 are nearly empty, but fearing a Japanese attack they decide to take the risk. About 30 minutes out, with Derby in sight, both engines begin to sputter and eventually stop.

Captain Rab manages to land the plane safely in a field with long alang-alang grass. They are stranded without fuel, water and food. And without power from the generators from the engines they are also unable to send an S.O.S.

According to the story mechanic John Gijzemijter thinks up a creative way to get out an S.O.S.

When they get the tail of DC-5 down, the last bit of remaining fuel flows to the lowest point in the tank. And with this they might be able to start up an engine for a few seconds, power up the radio equipment and send an S.O.S. The passengers and crew manage to carefully pull down the tail with their weight and muscle power. Gijzemijter manages to get an engine running and radio operator Lambrechtsen sends the S.O.S. and position of the plane. The signal is picked up in Broome.

DC-2 PK-AFL with Gerrit Jan Schippers arrives in Broome at about 10.00 AM, after a flying time of 7 hours 5 minutes.

They hear PK-ADC is missing but the radio transmission has been received. It takes 2 and half hours to get the plane checked and refuelled. With food and an open drum of water held in place by an American soldier, PK-AFL takes off to look for the stranded DC-5.

Seeing a DC-5 at Derby Schippers thinks PK-ADC managed to reach the destination and touches down at 13.35. He learns that the DC-5 is PK-ADD. 8 minutes later he is back in the air, sees a flare and then is able to spot the camouflaged PK-ADC.

He touches down gently not to spill the water in the open drum, but while taxiing he makes a sharp turn, the soldier loses his balance and the drum tips over.

After transferring fuel both planes head back to Broome. PK-AFL reaches Broome at 15.40 and the crew is instructed to go on to Port Hedland.

Schippers takes off again at 18.00 hours. PK-ADC stays at Broome for the night.

(2) All of the West Java Postal office were closed not opretated inculding Tjiandjoer.

Front Capitulation cover 1942

Back Capitulation cover 1942

(1ll.5) Postally free postally used Geadvisers (Registered) cover with Commander of the forces and the Departmen of War’s chief (Commandant Leger en hoofd departement van Oorlog ) official Headquaters Stamped send from The Dutch East Indie Forces Head Quaters Bandoeng CDS Bandoeng Riaow Str 27.2.42, arrival Cds Tjiandjoer 28.2.42 and after that the post office closed, open after capitulaition CDS Tjiandjoer 4.4.42 Onafgeh. and ret.afzd handwritten postmark (Cann’t delivered and return to sender) , arrived back CDS Bandoeng 6.4.42 (during dai nippon occupation0 to Dai Nippon Forces Headquaters in java .(The very rare Dai Nippon capitulation Postal History collection from the DEI forces headquaters back to Dai nippon forces Bandoeng Headquaters only one ever seen, if the collecters have the same collectins please send information via comment-Dr iwan S.)
Caption : capitulation cover 1942

Dai Nippon Army Landed at Merak, and other area

(3)March,3th.192

The latest used of DEI Imprint revenue 1942 on the document of money storting 2500 guiler at DEI Bank Wscompto Buitenzorg(now bogor), the owner told that after storting the money he left his house and all his belonging nothing left when he back in May 1942 ,all his belonging were robbery . In the document there written at may ,5^th 1942 the money get back from the vabk and keep in his house, Same with postal service in May 1942 did not operated,sarting agai at May 1942. This collections belonging to my friend Mr Gunawan from Bogor,thank you Mr Gunawa for your informations

The same imprint DEI revenue 1942 used in september 1942 used by the Japanese school look below.

while

the Kitamura Unit occupied Bodjonegoro on 3 March.

The Japanese proceeded further and overwhelmed the Dutch defences at the Ngawi Regency, Tjaroeban (Caruban), Ngandjoek, Kertosono, Kediri and Djombang.

At Porong, near Surabaya, the Dutch infantry from 8th, 13th Battalion, 3rd Cavalry Unit and the American 131st (Texas) “E” Field Artillery Regiment gave fierce resistance to the incoming Japanese.

Eventually the Allied troops under Major-General Gustav A. Ilgen had to retreat to the island of Madura upon the completion of demolition of the city’s infrastructure.

Wyndham raid photo received via WA historian Kevin Gomm

WA author / historian Kevin Gomm sent this fascinating photo of the burnt out DH-84 Dragon at Wyndham aerodrome.

The damaged civil hangar is visible in the background.

This was all a result of the 3rd March strafing by a squadron of Zeroes, mirroring the attack on Broome.

Indeed a more well known series of photos was taken of the Broome raid wreckage and can be viewed via the Australian War Memorial online collection.

However this particular photo is not from that same series, although it must have been taken at a similar time, very soon after the raid and before the wreckage was cleared up. It actually appeared in a Sydney newspaper (The Daily Telegraph), just after Wyndham was raided for a second time, on 24th March 1942. Strangely the photo never featured in the West Australian newspaper, which would seem the obvious candidate.

Kevin Gomm has extensively researched all of the WWII attacks on WA, as well as maritime events.

He has visited all of the attack sites and has a detailed knowledge of anything surviving from the wartime years.

His book Red Sun on the Kangaroo Paw documents each of the Japanese raids and attacks on WA during WWII.

It is currently being re-released as a 70th Anniversary 1942-2012 Commemorative Edition.

The book is available from http://www.helveticapublishing.com – indeed the site is well worth a visit, concentrating solely on WA military history.

March.2^nd.1942.

At midnight March 3rd

the positions of the planes of the second group are:

Lockheed L14 – PK-AFP – Captain A. Reyers – Alice Springs
Douglas DC-5 PK-ADB – Captain G. van Messel – Alice Springs
Douglas DC-5 PK-ADC – Captain M.S. Rab – Broome
Douglas DC-5 PK-ADD – Captain P.A. Deenik – Daly Waters
Douglas DC-2 PK-AFL – Captain G.J. Schippers – Port Hedland
Douglas DC-2 PK-AFK – Captain F. van Breemen – emergency strip near Daly Waters (he can’t find Daly Waters after sunset. Using his landing lights and finds this strip with two crossed “runways” of mowed grass some 600 metres long. And after three attempts manages to make a precautionary landing)

In the early morning of March 3rd the crew and passengers of PK-ADC have breakfast on the airfield (where according to the story there are no more non-alcoholic drinks available. Just beer). Just before the attack begins PK-ADC is the first plane of the day to get take-off clearance. As they receive the air raid warning on the radio, they go down to treetop level, to escape attention

(3)March,4^th.1942

On 4 March,

MacArthur split this command and created a separate Visayan Force under Brig. Gen. Bradford C. Chynoweth.

japanese soldiers observing smoke coming from a american position during the battle of bataan

Sharp remained in command of Mindanao, the only island south of Luzon on which a major Japanese force had landed.⁵³ This move was probably designed to permit General Sharp to devote all his energies to the defense of Mindanao, the base from which MacArthur still hoped to mount a counteroffensive against the Japanese.

But careful as he had been in making

these arrangements (to go into effect the day after his departure), and briefing the force commanders and new deputy chief of staff, MacArthur neglected one thing — to inform the War Department. Whatever the reasons, the result was utter confusion.

type 95 ha-go tank of the japanese army 7th tank regiment using fouliage for camouflage (phillipines 1942)

The War Department assumed that Wainwright, the senior officer in the islands, was in command of all forces in the Philippines as MacArthur had been, and addressed him as such.

japanese tank crew man posing with a knock out american tank (phillipines 1942)

But the messages, intended for Wainwright and marked for the commander in the Philippines came to Beebe who had no recourse but to refer them to MacArthur, then en route to Australia. Beebe’s position was an embarrassing one and he urged his chief repeatedly to clear up the matter with Washington. But to no avail. MacArthur remained silent and the War Department uninformed.⁵⁴.

Batavia have declared as the open city

The Dutch government at London ordered DEI Governor Tjarda military handed over power to General ter Porten and DEI Govenor General Dr van Mook domiciled in Australia

(4)March,5th.1942

Batavia(Jakarta) occupied by dai Nippon Army

lead by Let.General Immamura

A Japanese soldier outside oil tanks near Jakarta destroyed by Dutch forces in March,5th. 1942

Dai Nippon tanl entering Batavia(Jakarta) march.5^th.1942

Japanese tanks with infantry entering Batavia, March 1942

The other was Captain J.P. van Helsdingen, a fighter pilot of the KNIL airforce. He was killed in action on March 5, 1942

Batavia fell on the March,5^th 1942

without a struggle, after the government moved inland to Bandoeng. It was not safe even there, for the Japanese closed in on this mountain retreat and by the 8th were in position to attack the remnants of the Dutch Army defending it. The next morning the Dutch surrendered and the fight for Java was over.⁵⁷

For the Japanese, the conquest of the Indies was the crowning achievement of the war. It realized their long-cherished dream of empire. The rich resources of Southeast Asia, the oil, rubber, and manganese needed for war and for the control of Asia, were now in their possession. And all this had been won in three months.

On this day Ciater and the north area of Subang occupied by the Dai Nippon military army.

Read more

The Last day Of Batavia

(Setyawati Soelaiman,the private notes during Dai nippon Occupation)

Alpha

We will be very sorry if he would fall, he was a young adept, I still see it last time when batavia would have been invaded by the armies of Dai Nippon d I still to RH building (hoogeschool Recht, High School of Law)

I saw some friends who are still busy studying, in a room that has been a faculty library literature “How Optimik” I thought, when I see my future keruang Prof.Soepomo dressed in cloth and blankon . He was assigned to lead the Faculty of Law and is to be received stamps of the Japanese at the time the building was occupied,

On the road a truck stop, look Prof Kemperts Bernet, Professor Werthiem and several other professors. they are held hands up has regards . Jakarta City Fall afternoon (8-3.42 not right, the right day 5-3.48).

All of the Netherlands, Britain and Australia are uniformed prison. The first days are still a lot of unrest so that we do not dare go home kerumahkarena we heard that when the army occupied Shanghai dai nippon been many robberies and rapes,

in Batavia was not so.
When some soldiers looted warehouses Dai nippon act strongly against the leader of a robbery. Rape does not sound happen but the hosts dai nippon bring the Korean people as the troops advanced, they were assigned to take the vehicles to the invasion of Bandung.Mobil of my father was also taken.

When the situation had died down, I dare to ride bicycles to visit Ida ross who lived not far from the factory Salemba Amfiun near the college of Medicine.

We talked about the situation at that time and we asked what would happen next before the surrender by the Japanese army, the head of the family have bought and keeping rice at home, because there is no yangtahu whether the father will still be retained in office and whether his family and still be able to eat later .
On another day I saw a long line of white people. There is already a beard and did not seem clean. The legend says that the prisoners were told to walk away from Glodok prison to prison struiswijk (now Salemba prison)
I think that the professor and professor Bernet Kempers = other professors in the row.

Women of Europe and Australia was soon taken prisoner j8uga and finally put into special camps for their camp.
They are still able to prove themselves that they were Indo, so the descent was a native ditangkap.Karena not overrun the state archives of people who find evidence of it.
Mrs. Bernet Kempert and two sons captured as well, with the other ladies, they stay away from her husband.
Professor Bernet Kempert living in camps in Java, but there are some other scholars anaara Bok van de Casparis Neckeren and taken to Burma and Thailand to work to make a fire road Railway
. Thankfully they survived in captivity so that Prof. Bernet Kempert can gather with his family. They are still embedded in the Lord and perhaps prof Bernet Kampert, Bob van de Casparis Heekeren and retained this earth to be a teacher kita.karena archaeologists have not time for them to go and they who teach us how to protect and have our own cultural heritage.

We are very disappointed that the Government of Japan’s occupation would not hold the school to humanoris. Which may be passed is the school of law, medicine and dentistry and engineering,
At the Museum held courses in Javanese and Sanskrit and several other lectures by Professor Poerbatjeraka and some other figures. I heard from friends that read the room museum that is not a nice thing because it is often heard cries of people being tortured by Professor Kempetei dibekas room because of the high School of Law has become the headquarters Kenpetei.
I heard that when the building was occupied by some Japanese soldiers throwing a book from our library kempert prof sought out the window.
Mrs Dr de Jong our lecturers in Dutch seventeenth century to the present menyelamatkannya.Pak Prijono also said: “Lady, lady’s life remembered”

Original info

Kami akan sangat menyesal kalau ia akan gugur , ia masih muda cakap, Saya masih melihatnya terakhir kali m ketika batavia sudah akan diserbu oleh Balatentara dai Nippon . saya masih kegedung R.H(Recht hoogeschool,Sekolah tinggi Hukum) saya melihat beberapa teman yang masih sibuk belajar , dalam ruangan yang telah menjadi Perpustakaan Fakultas sastra”Betapa Optimik” pikir saya, ketika saya keruang depan saya melihat Prof.Soepomo yang berpakaian kain dan blankon. Ia ditugaskan untuk memimpin Fakultas Hukum dan ialah yang akan menerima prang-orang Jepang pada saat gedung tersebut diduduki,

Di jalan sebuah truk berhenti ,nampak Prof Bernet Kemperts,Professor Werthiem dan beberapa professor lainnya . mereka mengacungkan tanggan sebagai salam . Sore itu Kota Jakarta Jatuh(8-3.42 not right,the right day 5-3.48) .

Semua orang belanda ,Inggris dan australia yang berseragam dipenjarakan. Hari-hari pertama masih banyak kerusuhan sehingga kami tidak berani pulang kerumahkarena kami dengar bahwa ketika Shanghai diduduki tentara dai nippon terjadi banyak perampokan dan perkosaan, ternyata di Batavia tidak begitu.

Ketika beberapa gudang dirampok tentara Dai nippon bertindak dengan keras terhadap pemimpin perampokan .Perkosaan tidak terdengar terjadi/ tetapi Balatentara dai nippon membawa orang Korea sebagai pasukan terdepan , mereka ditugaskan mengambil kendaraan-kendaraan untuk penyerbuan ke Bandung.Mobil ayah juga dibawa.

Ketika keadaan sudah mereda , saya berani naik sepeda untuk mengunjungi Ida nasution yang tinggal di salemba tidak jauh dari pabrik Amfiun dekat perguruan tinggi Kedokteran. Kami mengobrol tentang keadaan pada saat itu dan kami bertanya apakah yang akan terjadi nanti sebelum penyerahan oleh tentara Jepang , para kepala keluarga sudah membeli dan menyoimpan beras dirumah,karena tidak ada yangtahu apakah Ayah masih akan dipertahankan dalam jabatannya dan dan apakah keluarganya masih dapat makan nanti.

Pada hari yang lain saya melihat suatu barisan panjang orang kulit putih,. Ada yang sudah berjenggot dan kelihatannya tidak bersih. Konon kabarnya para tahanan disuruh berjalan kaki dari penjara Glodok ke penjara struiswijk(sekarang Penjara salemba)

Saya pikir bahwa professor Bernet Kempers dan profesor=profesor lain berada dalam barisan itu.

Wanita-wanita eropa dan Australia tidak lama kemudian ditawan j8uga dan akhirnya dimasukkan kedalam Kamp kamp khusus untuk mereka .

Mereka yang masih dapat membuktikan dirinya bahwa mereka orang Indo, jadi keturunan seorang pribumi tidak ditangkap.Karena itu arsip negara diserbu orang-orang yang mencari bukti itu.

Nyonya Bernet Kempert dan kedua putranya ditawan juga, dengan nyonya-nyonya lainnya ,mereka tinggal jauh dari suaminya.

Prof Bernet Kempert tinggal dalam kamp di Jawa tetapi ada beberapa orang sarjana anaara lain Bok van Neckeren dan de Casparis yang dibawa ke Burma dan Thailand untuk bekerja membuat jalan Kerata api

.Syukurlah mereka bertahan dalam tawanan sehingga Prof Bernet Kempert dapat berkumpul lagi dengan keluarganya. Mereka masih dipayungi oleh Tuhan dan mungkin prof Bernet Kampert, Bob van heekeren dan de Casparis masih dipertahankan dibumi ini untuk menjadi guru para arkeolog kita.karena belum waktunya mereka pergi dan merekalah yang mengajar kita bagaimana melindungi dan memiliki warisan budaya kita sendiri.

Kami sangat kecewa bahwa Pemerintah Pendudukan Jepang tidak mau mengadakan sekolah untuk humanoris. Yang boleh diteruskan adalah sekolah hokum,Kedokteran dan kedokteran gigi serta tehnik,

Di Museum diadakan kursus-kursus dalam bahasa Jawa dan sansekerta dan beberapa kuliah lain oleh Profesor Poerbatjeraka dan beberapa tokoh lainnya. Saya dengar dari teman-teman bahwa bahwa membaca diruangan Museum bukan merupakan hal yang menyenangkan karena seringkali terdengar teriakan orang yang sedang disiksa oleh Kempetei dibekas ruangan Profesor karena Gedung Sekolah tinggi Hukum sudah menjadi markas Kenpetei.

Saya dengar ketika gedung itu diduduki beberapa serdadu jepang melempar-lemparkan buku dari perpustakaan kami yang diusahakan prof kempert keluar jendela.

Ny Dr de Jong dosen kami dalam bahasa Belanda abad ke XVII ingin menyelamatkannya.Pak Prijono yang hadir juga mengatakan;”Nyonya, ingat nyawa nyonya”.

Netherlands East Indies

Lt. August Deibel of 2-VLG-V with his Buffalo (serial B-3110) at RAF Kallang, early 1942. He shot down two Nakajima Ki-27 fighters on 12 January before being wounded and having to bail out himself.^{[N 8]}^[23]

The Militaire Luchtvaart van het Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger (“Military Air Service of the Royal Netherlands East Indian Army”, ML-KNIL) had ordered 144 Brewster B-339C and 339D models, the former with rebuilt Wright G-105 engines supplied by the Dutch and the latter with new 1,200 hp (895 kW) Wright R-1820-40 engines Brewster purchased from Wright. At the outbreak of war, only 71 had arrived in the Dutch East Indies, and not all were in service. A small number served briefly at Singapore before being withdrawn for the defense of Java.

As the Brewster B-339 aircraft used by the ML-KNIL were lighter than the modified B-339E Brewster Mark Is used by British, Australian, and New Zealand air forces, they were able at times to successfully engage the Japanese Army Ki-43 “Oscar”, although both the “Oscar” and the Japanese Navy’s A6M Zero still out-climbed and out-turned the B-339 at combat altitudes (the Zero was faster as well).^[32]

Brewster Buffalos of the ML-KNIL

Apart from their role as fighters, the Brewster fighters were also used as dive bombers against Japanese troopships. Although reinforced by British Commonwealth Brewster Mk I (B-339E) aircraft retreating from Malaya, the Dutch squadrons faced superior numbers in the air, and were too few in number to stem the advance of Japanese ground forces.

The Brewsters flew their last sortie on 7 March. Altogether, 17 ML-KNIL pilots were killed, and 30 aircraft shot down; 15 were destroyed on the ground, and several were lost to misadventure. Dutch pilots claimed 55 enemy aircraft destroyed.^[30] Two Dutch pilots, Jacob van Helsdingen and August Deibel, scored highest with the Buffalo with three victories each.

Following the surrender of the Netherlands East Indies on 8 March 1942, 17 ML-KNIL Buffalos were transferred to the USAAF and RAAF in Australia (

The Fall of Java Island, March 1942

Bombardment of Soerabaja by the Japanese planes.
The naval establishment is seen on the left of the canalised
River Mas on the right is the Royal Dutch Naval Air Station Perak

Destruction of ammo stacks in Soerabaja, March 1942

March,6^th.1942

Batavia(Djakarta) Occupied by Dai Miltary Army

Japanese bicycle troops entering Batavia, March 1942

Enemy troops reached Surabaya

on the March, 6^th.1942 ,

(hans semethini)

fighting their way into the suburbs in the Wonokromo district and advancing along the Surabaya River towards the Gunungsari golf course.

The Samethinis must have heard the artillery fire from American defensive positions, but this ceased on the 7th as Allied resistance crumbled.

From the direction of the port and naval base came the sound of heavy explosions. Black smoke clouds billowed from burning oil stocks and war material, set ablaze to deny them to the invaders.

Japanese enter surabaya

From Sampit boats were sent to pick up C Company, while D Company was ordered to halt at Kotabesi. C and Staff Company marched from Sampit south but on March 7th 1942

they got word that the Japanese troops had landed 14 km south of them. A platoon of C Company was sent on a reconaissance mission but very soon they came under fire. As the British soldiers had very little ammunition, they broke off contact and returned back to Sampit.

On March,7^th.1942

Thhe Dai Nippon Miltary Order no 1

Undang-undang balatentara Dai Nippon tentang Menjalankan Pemerintahan di tetapkan di Djakarta (Alamsjah,1987)

On this day, the Dai Nippon army occupied Lembang and at this city there were a meeting between Dai Nippon army led by Shoji with the DEI army

at Isola Hotel(three photos)

The JDai Nippon ultimate Dutch east Indie Army, If they don’t surrender without condition ,in 24 housr, Bandung will attacked to dawn.

Cadets and instructors of the ML-KNIL at Andir, Java Island

At the same time, the last filght from Andir flight Field Buah Batu North Bandung city to Australia by KNIL flight DC 3 Widevaal DEI Governor General

Dr van Mook ,

Dr van der Plass and commandant KNIL Maj.Gen.l.H.van Oyen.

the first Kalidjati Capitulations’s meeting in 7^th at night night

was also attended by

Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer

the Governor-General Tjarda van Starkenborg , the official starting date of March 4, 1942 no longer served as the highest pamnglima Armed Forces (also has awarded the Dutch East Indie General governorship

Dr. van Mook to

and gave the position

General Hein ter Poorten

the commander of the Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger

at that meeting were considered by the Dutch as a mere military surrender,

It is increasingly becoming important due to so many people think and believe that the events of the Dutch capitulation to the Japanese surrender were total military both civil and after March 8th, 1942 that is no longer the Government of the Netherlands East Indies and indeed the fact like that

History thus shows that there is Dutch East Indies government in exile

March.7^th.1942

Capitulation Dai nippon at Kalidjati military airport, The Dutch Armed Forces surrender

(1) The House of capitulation’s Meeting now

(a) Interior still same meubeleur

(b)Exterior

(2)The Position of the capitulations meeting participant.

Painted by DR R.Hoesein,given to Dr Iwan.

Photographs from different angles on the Dutch capitulation to the Japanese in the House Kalidjati dated March 8, 1942 at 15,99-16.00 this picture without the governor present Tjarda9Tjarda General dated March 7, 1942 evening, no pictures, no paintings of the Japanese officer who looks light light-DrIwan notes)

A. Army Gen. Dai Nippon Edo
B. Jenderasl Immamura

C. Chief of staff Seikagura Okazari
D. Translator one
E. Translator two
F. Army Chief of Staff of the Netherlands bekkers

G. Gen. H.T er Poorten
H. Colonel P.C.Manel
X Japan’s officers

Army Gen. Dai Nippon Edo
B. Jenderasl Immamura

C. Chief of staff Seikagura Okazari
D. Translator one
E. Translator two

X Japan’s officers

Original info

Foto dari sudut yang berbeda tentang kapitulasi Belanda kepada jepang di Gedung Kalidjati tanggal 8 Maret 1942 jam 15,99-16.00 gambar ini tanpa gubernur Jendral Tjarda9Tjarda hadir tanggal 7 Maret 1942 malam,tak ada foto,yang ada lukisan dari opsir Jepang yang kelihatan lampu yang menyala-DrIwan notes)

B. Jenderal Edo Angkatan darat Dai Nippon
C. Jenderasl Immamura
D. Kepala staf Seikagura Okazari
E. Penterjemah satu
F. Pertejemah dua
G. Kepala Staf Tentara Belanda bekkers
H. Jenderal H.Ter Poorten
I. Colonel P.C.Manel

X Perwira-perwira Jepang

(c)The Original Photos

Let General Hitoshi Immamura the command of Dai nippon Army

had the cpitulation Meeting at kalidjati army port March 7th at night ,Immamura didnot want to meet with the ex DEI Govenorgeneral Tjarda

But the meeting was cancancelled because Gen. Yamashita did not want to tolk with ex Governor General who did not have the Military power anymore. Let Gen Ter Poorten surrender without notice to Dai Nippon Army at Kalijati in first meeting 7^th 1942 and they went back and Let Gen Immamura asked Ter Poorten to announce about surrender in the morning 8^th 1942 and will back at 10.00 am to Kalidjati with bring the list of DEI army power.

On the March, 8^th 1942

(hans semethini),

at 9:00 a.m.,

General Ter Poorten, commander-in-chief of Dutch forces, surrendered all of Java to the Japanese.

(correction this info not true,please more info below-Driwan note)

At 11:00 p.m.,

(this was in surabaya and in bandung 6.30 am Driwan note )

NIROM, the radio network of the Netherlands East Indies, concluded its final broadcast:

“We are closing now. Farewell until better times. Long live the Queen!”

The night deepened and Surabaya passed into a shadow that was to prevail, even under the brightest noonday sun, for the next three and a half years.

Oil stocks torched by retreating Dutch forces in Surabaya
Source: The Dutch East Indies Campaign

Read the study about this situation by DR Ong Hok Ham below.

DEI Army surrender which announced at the newpaper morning

March,8th,1942

AT 09:00 ON 8 MAR,

THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF of the Allied forces,

Ter Poorten, announced the surrender of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army in Java. In news paper and radio.

and

the second meeting at Kalidjati 10,00 am

with bring the list of DEI army powers. Immamura write in his memoir that they have sign the capitulation acta which never seen anymore (lost),

and at March 8^th 1941 at 13.00 am at Kalidjati airfield there was the second meeting t only with the command od DEI Army General Ter Porten and Kastaf Col Bakkers

after meeting they made a photo in the front of the meeting house which still exist now with the same meubelueur. look the photos below.

(c1) Interior

Recording of the signing of the capitulation agreement.
On the left is Lt-General H. Ter Poorten.
The man scratching his nose is Lt-Col P.G. Mantel
Java, March 1942

Situation now

(c2) exterior

After the signing of the capitulation.
In the centre Lt-General Imamura,
right Major-General Bakker and Lt-General Ter Poorten.

very difficult to find the original clear photos of the kalidjati capitulation meeting, all the pictures were taken by Dr Huesein at the location now which given to me not so clear, who have the original clear photos please show us. I just found more clear picture above

situation now

Read more about Kalidjati Capitulation

(DR,Dr Roesdy Hoesein, and DR Ong Hok Ham,thesis,)

8 March 1942 is the day of the Dutch East Indies government nai gray because it was the day the determination of the fate of who will rule later in Indonesia.
Housed in a non-commissioned at one home environment Kalidjati airfield (near the West Java Earring) has held a historic meeting between the Netherlands and Japan where it was agreed that the Dutch royal army led by Lieutenant General Hein ter Poorten Surrender unconditionally to the Dai Nippon army 16^th under the leadership

Let. Gen. Hitoshi Immamura.

March 8 meeting

(corrections the first meeting in 7^th night-Dr iwan notes)

was also attended by

Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer

Dr. van Mook to-note Dr. Iwan)

and gave the position

General Hein ter Poorten

the commander of the Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger

at that meeting were considered by the Dutch as a mere military surrender,

It is increasingly becoming important menginggat so many people think and believe that the events of the Dutch capitulation to the Japanese surrender adlah total meliter both civil and after March 6, 1942 that is no longer the Government of the Netherlands East Indies and indeed the fact like that

History thus shows that there is Dutch East Indies government in exile .

(Dr Iwan has a collection of letters, documents KNIL troops from Java flee to Australia through the following Hollandia, now Jayapura in Papua west to Brisbane Australia and settled in camp Casino, is one the evidence of the Dutch East Indies government in exile and also the commander of the KNIL also be in Australia when the military hand over power, notes Dr. Iwan)

How to actually sit up the issue of events, many experts who studied up to now but still can not answer completely, the problem is the lack of documents about the events ini.Berbeda owned by British capitulation to the Japanese in Singapore, where there are documents and photographs complete.

Events do not get caught missing Kalijati rimbanya documents and photographs of these events is very little left.

Many authors have revealed this incident from both the Dutch and the Japanese. For example, General Immamura never written much in the memory of this event. Of the Netherlands has recently written a book called “tot Vaarwel Tijden Battery” by JE Bijkerk, then the book “Indie Onder Japanasche” by WHdEllias Indonesia as well as from the DR Ong Hok Ham write a dissertation for the degree requirements of the 1968 literature, ie a book titled “The collapse of the Dutch East Indies”

However the summary it remains to clarify whether the event was just a military penuerahan or delivery of the Dutch East Indies government both de facto and de Jure.

This becomes important because one of the reasons why the Dutch are still felt to stay in power and returned by the Allies to re-colonize Indonesia.
From the writings of the chroniclers as an example of such can be described as follows:
Dr Ong Hok Ham Thesi
Page 264

Capitulasi meeting room now still same

General Imamura

Commander (Immamura) addressed: “What Toean surrender unconditionally”

Governor-General mengelengkan head to answer: “No.”

Immamura: “If the Lord does not speak as the Supreme Commander of the master dating why here”

(Since negotiations stalled Immamura considered leaving the Netherlands for 10 minutes)

(page 266)
After 10 minutes of finished Immamura told the governor General (EX) Tjarda: “I do not want to talk about civil government, the host did not seem to have the ultimate power to answer (my claims), I now forbid the master speak a word of the moment and I just speaking to the Commander of the army “

When Immamura repeated his demand once again,

Ter Poorten

accept to give up on behalf of all the Dutch East Indies.

Governor-General (ex) and then said: “Because of this decision (which is the submission Army), not including my power, then I will leave the room and go” and he stood

SOURCE
J.E. Bijkers
(The bridge has been translated by the publishers see page 316)

Ten minutes had passed, when Immamura with his entourage had to go back once more spatial GB (Governor General) tries to give the city of Bandung, but now looks at all the Japanese generals had lost his temper, although he remains respectful: ‘It seems the better I do not spoke again with diplomats and legal experts, but the next will deal with the military masters “.
(This is the fault of General Immamura, he just wanted to talk and seek military matters and submission of the Armed Forces. So he has achieved what he wanted. Immamura sejogyanya must survive on the surrender of the Indian total belanda.Jadi including “Country”, yet perhaps the time he did not realize, this is not de facto mean a lot, but in so doing the Governor General has received what the government desired in London / Prime Minister Gerbrandy)

Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy
(Ex governor general) Tjada van Stockenborogh feel so yugasmya has ended. She calmly said: “Because here will be dealt with purely military matters, I want to leave this chair. But if you still want to talk about the interests of Mr. People, I am willing for it “

Told later that, in principle, Ter Poorten took delivery of the Dutch East Indies Army unconditionally to Japan and will be broadcast via Nirom (Nederlansch Omroep Maatschapij Indie Radio) Radio Dutch East Indies on the news about the date of delivery of the next day 9 (correction dated 8) in March 1942. And then at 13:30 Ter Poorten have to come back to bring dafter Kalidjati Dutch East Indies Army forces, after which he signed a statement.

The next day’s broadcast at 6:30 Nirom what prompted the Japanese and at (h) one afternoon Ter Poorten and his staff were in Kalidjati back.

Recording of the signing of the capitulation agreement.
On the left is Lt-General H. Ter Poorten.
The man scratching his nose is Lt-Col P.G. Mantle
Java, March 8th 1942

In his memoirs General Immamura states that both parties signed the surrender documents are composed of two g-one in Japanese and Dutch about 13:20 hours time Java, from the Dutch Present-General and Chief of Staff H.Ter Poorten Maj.Jen. Bakkers, Let.Kol. Mantle and Captain JDThijn as an interpreter. Still not clear whether the date of 9 (correction 8) in March 1942 in Kalidjati dditanda indeed have such a protocol signed surrender of the Dutch to the Japanese?

A source of scientific history in the Netherlands believe that it never happened. Immamura own generals later (later) insisted that the document existed. Maybe when the recapitulation of Japan to the Netherlands in 1946, many documents were destroyed and burned so that the Japanese side can not prove it now.
(See photo outside the building after th the signing of the capitulation agreement from the Netherlands to Japan during the day, Dr Iwan Notes)

After the signing of the capitulation.
In the center Lt-General Imamura,
Major-General right Bakker and Lt-General Ter Poorten.

The historic building (in Kalidjati) still stand tall, well groomed with a neat (and tidy). This building was once used but now the Air Force Air Force and local government initiatives (local government) as a museum of local dimnfaatkan Dutch capitulation to the Japanese.

According to the Base Commander (Air) Mat. Let.Kol aviator Sadjad Hasan, now has many visitors who come there especially foreigners, especially the Japanese Veteran Kalidjati every year each perinagtan Kai Japanese invasion of Java ang bring their children and grandchildren. Merka will reminisce and tell to the generation of the event below. It seems that the Netherlands is less use of it.

There is a local government’s plans for more mengalang Local tourism potential of this sort of warning about the Second World War as Santosa Island of Singapore (English to Japanese capitulation of Bataan and Corregidor or in the Philippines)

Dr. Iwan’s Note
In the Books “Bandoeng”, I read that the incident was on March 7, 1942 night, Immamura ban photo taken, fortunately there is a painting made by a Japanese officer where the evening meeting looks a lamp lighting

Thank You Dr Roesjdi Hasan for your amazing Info of Kalidjati Capitu;lation and I hope the more info will informed you,also for another collectors and scholar historian please comment and send more info

Original info

8 maret 1942

adalah hari kelabu bagi pemerintah Hindia belanda karena hari itu adalah hari penentuan tentang nasib siapa yang akan berkuasa kemudian di Indonesia.

Bertempat disebuah rumah bintara dalam lingkungan lapangan terbang Kalidjati(dekat subang Jawa barat) telah diadakan pertemuan bersejarah antara pihak Belanda dan Jepang dimana telah disepakati bahwa tentara kerajaan belanda yang dipimpin oleh Letnan Jendral Hein ter Poorten Menyerah tanpa syarat kepada Balatentara dai Nippon ke 16 dibawah pimpinan Letenan Jenderal Hitoshi Immamura.

Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer

Pertemuan tanggal 8 Maret ini juga dihadiri oleh gubernur Jenderal Tjarda van starkenborgh yang resminya terhitung tanggal 4 Maret 1942 tidak lagi menjabat sebagai pamnglima tertinggi Angkatan Perang(juga telah menyerahkan jabatan gubernur Jenderal Hindia bdelanda kepada Dr van Mook-catatan dr Iwan) dan telah menyerahkan jabatan tersebut pada Jendral ter Poorten sehingga pertemuan ini dianggap oleh pihak belanda sebagai penyerahan militer semata,

Hal ini semakin menjadi begitu penting menginggat banyak orang menganggap dan meyakini bahwa peristiwa kapitulasi belanda kepada jepang adlah penyerahan total baik meliter maupun sipil artinya setelah 6 Maret 1942 tidak ada lagi Pemerintah Hindia Belanda (di Indonesia yang ada pemerintahan pengasingan di australia)dan memang kenyataannya.demikian.

Sejarah kemudian menunjukkan yang ada adalah Pemerintihan hindia belanda dalam pengansinga dibawan gubernur General Dr van Mook di Australia.(Dr Iwan memiliki koleksi dokumen surat jalan tentara KNIL menuju Brisbane Australia liwat Hollandia,sekarang Jayapura Papua barat menuju Australia dan bermukim di camp Casino, ini salah satu bukti adanya pemerintahan Hindia belanda dalam pengasingan dan juga komandan KNIl juga berada di Australia saat penyerah kekuasaan militer ini-catatan Dr Iwan)

Bagaimana sebenarnya duduk pesoalan kejadian, banyak ahli yang meneliti sampai sekarang namun tetap tidak dapat menjawab dengan tuntas, masalahnya adalah kurangnya dokumen-dokumen dimiliki tentang peristiwa ini.Berbeda dengan kapitulasi Inggris kepada jepang di singapura ,dimana ada dokumen dan foto-foto lengkap .

Peristiwa kalijati dokumennya hilang tidak ketahuan rimbanya dan foto-foto peristiwa tersebut sangat sedikit yang tersisa.

Banyak penulis telah membeberkan peristiwa ini baik dari pihak Belanda maupun pihak Jepang. Misalnya Jenderal Immamura pernah menulis memorinya dan banyak menyebut peristiwa ini . Dari pihak Belanda baru-baru ini ditulis sebuah buku berjudul “Vaarwel tot Batere Tijden” oleh J.E. Bijkerk , kemudian buku “Indie Onder Japanasche” oleh W.H.d.Ellias demikian juga dari pihak Indonesia DR Ong Hok Ham menulis sebagai disertasinya untuk persyaratan gelar sarjana sastra tahun 1968, Yaitu buku berjudul “Runtuhnya Hindia Belanda”

Namum semuanya tetap sumir untuk menjelaskan apakah peristiwa itu hanya sekedar penuerahan militer atau penyerahan Pemerintah hindia Belanda baik de fakto dan de Jure.

Hal ini menjadi menjadi penting karena menjadi salah satu alas an kenapa pihak Belanda masih merasa tetap berkuasa dan kembali dengan pihak sekutu untuk menjajah kembali Indonesia.

Dari tulisan para penulis sejarah sebagai contoh misalnya dapat diuraikan sebagai berikut :

Thesi DR Ong Hok Ham

Halaman 264

General Imamura

Panglima(Immamura) menyapa:”Apa toean menyerah tanpa syarat”

Gubernur Jenderal mengelengkan kepala untuk menjawab:”Tidak”

Immamura:”Jika Tuan tidak bicara selaku Panglima tertinggi mengapa tuan datang kesini”

(Karena perundingan dianggap macet Immamura meninggalkan pihak Belanda selama 10 menit)

(halaman 266)

Setelah 10 menit selesai Immamura mengatakan kepada gubernur Jendral(EX) Tjarda :” Saya tidak mau berbicara tentang pemerintahan sipil ,tuan rupanya tidak memiliki kekuasaan tertinggi untuk menjawab(tuntutan saya), Saya sekarang melarang tuan berbicara satu katapun dari saat ini dan saya hanya berbicara dengan Panglima tentara”

Ketika Immamura mengulangi tuntutannya sekali lagi, Ter Poorten menerima untuk menyerah atas nama seluruh Hindia Belanda.

Gubernur Jenderal(ex) lalu mengatakan :” Karena pengambilan keputusan demikian(yang dimaksud penyerahan Tentara), tidak termasuk kekuasaan saya,maka saya akan meninggalkan ruangan dan pergi” lalu ia berdiri

SUMBER

J.E. Bijkers

(sudah diterjemahkan oleh penerbit Jembatan lihat halaman 316)

Sepuluh menit baru saja berlalu ,ketika Immamura dengan para pengiringnya telah masuk lagi keruangan sekali lagi GB(Gubernur General) mencoba untuk menyerahkan kota Bandung , tetapi sekarang tampak sekali jendral Jepang itu telah kehilangan kesabarannya, walaupun ia tetap hormat:’ Tampaknya lebih baik saya tidak berbicara lagi dengan diplomat dan ahli hokum, tetapi selanjutnya akan berhubungan dengan pihak militer tuan-tuan”.

(ini merupakan kesalahan dari Jenderal Immamura , dia hanya mau berbicara dan mengusahakan soal –soal militer dan penyerahan Angkatan Perang. Jadi dia telah mencapai apa yang diinginkannya . Immamura sejogyanya harus bertahan pada penyerahan total Hindia belanda.Jadi termasuk”Negeri” , namum mungkin pada saat itu dia tidak menyadari , Defacto hal ini tidak berarti banyak,tetapi dengan demikian Gubernur General telah mendapatkan apa yang dikehendaki pemerintah di London/Perdana Menteri Gerbrandy)

Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy

(Ex Gubernur general)Tjada van Stockenborogh merasa dengan demikian yugasmya telah berakhir .Dengan tenang ia berkata:” Karena disini akan ditangani soal-soal militer murni , saya ingin meninggalkan Kursi ini,. Namun jika Tuan masih ingin membicarakan kepentingan Penduduk , saya bersedia untuk itu”

Diceritakan kemudian bahwa pada prinsipnya Ter Poorten menerima penyerahan Tentara Hindia belanda tanpa syarat kepada Jepang dan akan menyiarkannya melalui NIROM( Nederlansch Indie Radio Omroep Maatschapij) Radio hindia belanda tentang berita tentang Penyerahan tersebut besok hari tanggal 9 (koreksi tanggal 8) Maret 1942. Dan selanjutnya pada pukul 13.30 Ter Poorten harus datang kembali ke Kalidjati membawa dafter kekuatan Tentara Hindia Belanda , setelah itu ia menanda tangani suatu keterangan.

Esok harinya NIROM jam 6.30 memang menyiarkan apa yang diminta pihak Jepang dan pukul(jam) satu siang Ter Poorten beserta staf sudah berada di Kalidjati kembali.

Recording of the signing of the capitulation agreement.
On the left is Lt-General H. Ter Poorten.
The man scratching his nose is Lt-Col P.G. Mantel
Java, March 8^th 1942

Dalam memoirnya Jenderal Immamura menyatakan bahwa kedua pihak menanda tangani dua dokumen penyerahan yang disusun g-masing dalam bahasa Jepang dan Belanda kurang lebih jam 13.20 waktu Jawa, Dari pihak Belanda Hadir Jenderal H.Ter Poorten dan Kepala Staf Maj.Jen. Bakkers, Let.Kol. Mantle dan Kapten J.D.Thijn selaku penterjemah . Masih tidak dapat dipastikan apakah tanggal 9 (koresksi 8) Maret 1942 di Kalidjati memang benar telah dditanda tangani semacam protocol penyerahan dari Belanda kepada jepang ?

Suatu sumber sejarah Ilmiah di Negeri Belanda yakin bahwa hal itu tidak pernah terjadi . Jenderal Immamura sendiri belakangan (kemudian) bersikeras bahwa dokumen itu pernah ada . Mungkin ketika rekapitulasi Jepang kepada belanda pada tahun 1946 banyak dokumen yang dihancurkan dan dibakar sehingga pihak Jepang tidak dapat membuktikannya sekarang.

( Lihat foto di luar gedung setelah enanda tanganan kalitulasi dari Belanda kepada jepang disiang hari-Dr Iwan Notes)

After the signing of the capitulation.
In the centre Lt-General Imamura,
right Major-General Bakker and Lt-General Ter Poorten.

Gedung bersejarah tersebut( di Kalidjati) masih berdiri tegak, terawat dengan apik(baik dan rapi) . Gedung ini pernah dipakai AURI tetapi sekarang atas prakarsa AURI dan PEMDA(pemerintah daerah) setempat dimnfaatkan sebagai museum kapitulasi belanda kepada Jepang.

Menurut komandan Pangkalan (Udara) Kalijati .Let.Kol penerbang Hasan Sadjad, sekarang sudah banyak pengunjung yang dating kesana terutama orang asing , pihak Veteran Jepang terutama Kalidjati Kai setiap tahun tiap perinagtan invasi Jepang ke Jawa ang membawa anak dan cucu mereka . Merka akan bernostalgia dan bercerita pada generasi dibawahnya tentang peristiwa tersebut .Nampaknya pihak Belanda kurang memanfaatkannya.

Ada rencana pihak Pemerintah daerah Setempat untuk lebih mengalang potensi turisme ini kurang lebih semacam tempat peringatan Perang dunia Kedua seperti dipulau santosa Singapore (kapitulasi Inggris kepada jepang atau Bataan dan Corregidor di Filipina)

Catatan dr Iwan

Dari Buku Bandung, saya membaca bahwa kejadian ini pada tanggal 7 Maret 1942 malam hari,Immamura melarang diambil photo, untung ada sebuah lukisan yang dibuat oleh opsir Jepang dimana rapat malam hari terlihat adanya penerangan lampu

Dai Nippon Bicycle army troops entering Batavia(now Jakarta)

Japanese bicycle troops entering Batavia, Java Island, Dutch East Indies, March 8th 1942

Japanese bicycle troops entering Batavia, March.8^th, 1942

Bandung and Surabaya and all Java occupied by Dai Nippon army

(3).March,9^th.1942

After capitulation Kalijati, General h.Ter Porten became POW

Look his Identity Card below

The 9th of March,

when we were in the recreation-room from our boarding-school while all the girls were looking through the windows into the streets,

the Japanese entered Malang.

Henny and I stood there together.

They came on bicycles or were just walking. They looked terrible, all with some cloth attached at the back of their caps, they looked very strange to us. This was a type of Japanese we had never seen before. Much later I learnt that many Koreans also served as shock-troops in the Japanese Army.

The nuns went to the chapel to pray for all those living in the Dutch East Indies. But the Dutch East Indies is lost forever.

Dutch a forbidden language

My father found it too dangerous for my mother and youngest sister Jansje to stay with him at Sumber Sewu, because there were still small groups of Australian, English and Dutch military fighting in the mountains in East Java against the Japanese troops, notwithstanding the fact that the Dutch East Indies government and Army had surrendered.

My mother and Jansje came to stay at our boarding school [at Malang], where there were small guest rooms. We all stayed inside the building, only the Indonesians working for the nuns went outside to do the shopping.

A few days later we received the order that all Dutch schools had to be closed down, so several parents came to take their daughters. The school looked empty and abandoned. We all felt very sad, our happy schooldays were over.

Dutch became a strictly forbidden language. Luckily we had a huge library at school so I had lots of books to read in those days.

A few weeks later my father phoned my mother and said that the four of us should return to Sumber Sewu as he had heard that Malang was no longer a safe place for us to stay.

I was really very happy to be back home. Rasmina, our cook, and Pa Min, our gardener, were happy to have my mother back again. There was absolutely nothing to fear on the plantation, the “Indonesians” (actually Javanese and Madurese) on the plantation were nice as ever and we didn’t see any Japanese soldiers around.

Indeed we were safer at Sumber Sewu. Life began to feel like a vacation,

I started walking with my father again and visited the local kampung (village) and since we had no more newspapers to read, I started reading several of my parent’s books.

We received a Japanese flag, together with the order that the flag had to be respected and had to hang in the garden in front of our house.

My father no longer received his salary, just like all the other Dutch, British, Americans and Australians, living in Indonesia. All our bank accounts were blocked; no one was even allowed to touch their own money.

We still had rabbits and eggs to eat, and several vegetables my mother and Pa Min had planted long before the war in the kitchen garden, and we had many fruit trees.

The thought that we might have to leave Sumber Sewu made me feel very sad. To me this plantation was a real paradise on earth, with its pond in front of the house with the two proud banyan trees, the lovely garden my mother and Pa Min had made, the kitchen where Rasmina made so many delicious meals. The sounds early in the morning, and the sounds in the evening were also very special, I can still remember them so well.

Of course we hoped that this Japanese occupation would soon be over. My father had broken the seal of the radio, hoping that he could get some more news from outside Java.

My mother and her three daughters.

The 8th of March 1942, the Dutch Army on Java surrendered to the Japanese Army

(info from Elizabeth Van Kampen)

Destination Railroad

Photo Source: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942

Shortly afterwards the downtrodden, defeated and humiliated remnants of the Royal Netherlands Indies Army and Allied Forces are bundled off to Batavia, for all we know to work in a large camp. A hastily scribbled note to Lisa, telling her of our moving and not to worry, is taken by a friendly Indonesian, bless him, who promises to deliver it. How am I to know that shortly after our departure, Lisa too will put put into a concentration camp with our little baby Mary-Em!

After arrival at Batavia, our heads are shaved and a number pinned on our uniforms. Sonei, the Jap commander, is confronted with a man who has refused to be shaved. Calmly he takes this man by the hand and leads him to a chair under a glaring electric globe. Guards pin the arms down. Then Sonei himself winds some hair locks round and between the scissor blades, their points resting on the scalp, and forcibly jerks them up. A scream of pain from the wriggling victim, a bloody patch where a bunch of hair is torn out by the roots. The operation is repeated until the head turns into a red pulp and the unconscious man is carried away. Naturally we all have to witness it. A creature like Sonei must have an audience watching, as a final touch to heighten the pleasure of inflicting pain. The most horrifying part of the ghastly performance is that Sonei’s face had not for a moment lost its expression of loving care while manipulating the instrument. How sweet it would be to slowly kill this gentleman, with similar meticulous care. But would we? Would we lower ourselves to his level?

Capt. Kenichi Sonei (postwar photo)

Photo Source: Netherlands Institute for War Documentation

After everyone is shaven we fall in for roll-call. It is then that we finally hear what our lot is to be: transport to Singapore, then to Thailand to work on the construction of a railroad from Bangkok right through the jungle of Thailand to Moulmein in Burma. As work-slaves no doubt. The fall down the hill has truly begun.

We may have lost our hair, dignity, self-respect, but there is one thing we stubbornly hang on to – a firm belief in the ultimate superiority of the Allied Forces. They will win in the end, come what may. The Jap knows, feels this, and how he hates it. How he loathes this undefeatable belief which he reads in our eyes looking down on him. Most of us are taller than him, whatever his rank in the Imperial Army. Standing upright, we have to lower our eyes to look at the enemy when addressed by him. It stirs up an inferiority complex than can manifest itself only in a frenzy of kicking and punching. But all the time those eyes keep looking down on him, until they become glazed with pain and the victim of the day is brought down. To break that hated spirit, shatter that incredible, white man’s morale, is their daily aim. Very little is left untried by the cowards to achieve that end. Yes, cowards, no matter what has been said about the high fighting morale of the Japanese forces. Anyone among them who is capable of doing this to defenseless people is of the same base quality of which cowards are made. False rumours about landings or victorious operations by the Americans are spread among our men by the Japs themselves, by dropping a hint or casual remark. The object, of course, is to stimulate optimism, only to cut it down again by contrary evidence. A system adopted from the German Gestapo to drive us to frustration.

Image Source: eenlevenverloren.nl

There is the black day when two escapees, mere boys, are captured and brought before the closed ranks to die. Tied up to the barbed wire fence, they are blindfolded and then butchered with bayonets. Their pitiful groans are blotted out by the hoarse shrieks from the thrusting, lunging robots who do their work according to some weird ritual: two thrusts in the throat, two in the belly and finally two in the heart. At another time a captured soldier is tied to a post, condemned to perish at the hand of a one-man firing squad. The bespectacled Nip is unable to do his job properly whilst the doomed man possesses a horrifyingly strong constitution. Time after time the shots ring out, sending wood splinters flying through the air from the post he is strapped to. All the time the victim remains standing on his feet, crying for water, until suddenly his legs fold and he sags forward in the ropes, into merciful death.

Two days later, in the middle of the night, there is the sound of a rifle being fired. A shouting of men, lights are switched on and doors flung open. From the barbed wire fence between two sheds hangs a prisoner, dead, shot between the eyes. Nearby stands a Nip guard, rifle in the crook of his arm. He explains that he found the prisoner trying to escape over the wire, ignoring an order to stand back. We do not believe that. We think that the man, on his way to the latrines, had been forced at gunpoint to step close to the fence on the pretext of something or other, and then shot in cold blood. But who is to know? Even Sonei seems to have doubts, for he orders the guard to disarm himself and step into the office. Sonei closes the door with one hand, unbuckling his belt with the other. The sound of leather on skin and the moans are music to our ears. Sonei seems a man of principles. One may torture or kill a prisoner of war for a little or big thing he is guilty of, but first there must be legal proof of his “crime.”

The C.I.C.
Photo of Lt. General Hein ter Poorten in Japanese captivity
Image Source: Tropenmuseum Collection, via Wikipedia

On the day of departure to Singapore our former Governor-General and also our Chief-in-Command of the Dutch Forces, both with heads shaven, are placed on top of our gear piled in the lorry. The message of this reads, that’s all they are good for, only to look after the rank-and-files’ baggage. But we know that these top-ranking men had been offered a place in the last airplane to Australia, and that both had declined. That is good enough for us to regard them still as G.G. and C.I.C. [1]

Image Source: Geheugen van Nederland / The Museon

Like cattle for the meat market, we are loaded into the ‘ tween decks and the lower holds of a former Dutch freighter moored alongside the customs wharf of Batavia’s harbour. Packed like peas in a pod, with hardly room to turn around. The odour of sweating bodies is sickening. Fortunately when we are out on the open sea a number of our men are sent to the upper deck, bringing some relief to the others down below. The situation worsens when the vessel starts to roll and many become seasick, splattering vomit on their fellow prisoners.

Then, look, a man gets out an old, battered accordion and begins to play. Holy cow, can he play! Many turn to look at him and listen to evergreen tunes and airs known all over the world. First a few start to sing, faltering at the beginning. But then they catch on and others join in. The voices take on the beat of the accordion, feeling one another out. More follow, and more, into a massive choir of prisoners singing with heart and soul. Angry orders are yelled down from the bridge but for once they are ignored. To the men this is the one way to fight the fear of the unknown future, to hit back at the enemy. Hundreds of voices sing in praise of the green hills of England and Ireland, the white beaches of Australia, the fair dunes of Holland and the bonnie lads of Scotland. And this choir, this multiplied scream of hope and longing, this prayer rises from the bottom of the cattle ship, soaring upwards, high above the upper deck where bullet-heads gaze down in amazement. Rising higher yet, above the masts and gliding seagulls and the drifting clouds, into the blue sky. Is there Someone to hear us?

After two days we disembark at Singapore and are taken to the A.I.F. and Changi camps. Our group is assigned to the A.I.F. sector, mainly populated by Australian prisoners of war, in whose hands the entire management rests. The only time a Nip is seen is on a work detail outside the camp’s perimeter. Food, of course, is scarce but at least orders in hated Japanese are not being screamed at us. Instead there is the calm, friendly Australian tongue telling us the rules and do-nots of the camp. One may even ask questions. There is also a clean place to eat and sleep. There are benches under palm trees on the lawn where one may watch a game of cricket. A man strolls up to me, offering his hand to shake, a man wiry and deeply tanned, in his middle thirties with firm features and blue eyes. Jack, of the Australian Engineers Corps, welcomes me into the workshop to become a carpenter’s hand. No experience in the trade is required. Cutting axe-handles is all there is to be done. On the first day I am observed and assessed. The verdict seems favourable and, in typical Australian manner, I am taken into their midst with good humoured profanity. One of Jack’s mates is a short man with big hands, hands enormously strong, they say. In the months that follow Jack becomes a close friend. Evenings after supper we play cards in the workshop compound or listen to stories, tall and short, about the Outback, the fishing, the drinking and of course the horse races. It’s good to be with them, hearing them talk of their great love, Australia.

Christmas Eve, 1942. The garrison church, a weather-beaten shed with holes in the roof, is packed. The small, well-kept lawn in front is crowded with listeners. Visible through the open windows is the tree, adorned with tin stars and a few candles. “Silent Night, Holy Night” brings a knife through my heart. I want to run away from it all.

The name “Lisa” tattooed on my right arm brings me fully awake early on Christmas morning. What happened? I remember that we had a little celebration with my Aussie mates in the workshop after church, that each of us got a pint of fair dinkum Amontilado sherry, well matured all these months hidden in the soil under the flooring. I must have got drunk. Jack confirms it, adding that they felt that each of the guests should have a little memento of the gathering. Anyway I didn’t seem to have objections; I had already passed out when they started on me.

My brother Han is reported seen in the hospital area of Changi. On my way there, good care is taken to salute the Sikh guards in the correct manner. Calling themselves “Free Indians,” they have gone over to the enemy. A mean lot they are, worse than the Japs when it comes to finding an excuse for bashing us up. A chapel stands further down the road, its door open. Inside, an Aussie on a step ladder repairing the stained-glass window says “Howdy” without looking up from his work. On an impulse, I take a seat before the small altar and bow my head. But words will not come. Do I still believe? Then it all wells up, gushing forth into violent prayer. A moment later I am outside again, feeling much relieved. Han is not in the hospital and, thanks to the Lord, not in the ever growing plot of mounds of freshly dug soil. Back in my camp Han runs to meet me at the gate, and all is well.

“The wizard on the accordion”
Han Samethini (circa 1941)

Photo Source: Han Samethini Collection

Han, the wizard on the accordion as he is known, is craving to try his hand again on the keyboard of a piano. He hasn’t touched one in donkey years. We find the officer in charge of entertainment, sporting a fierce martial moustache, supervising a Shakespeare play performed in the open air theatre. First he attempts to ignore us, but we plant ourselves right in front of him.

“Yes?” with contempt in his eyes for the two foreigners who dare to interrupt his listening. We tell him.

“Yes, of course that’s a piano there on the stage – but not for amateurs, thank you. However, there’s another one in the church which could be made available at some time or other. But mind, none of this swing music. We do not permit jazz in church.”

The chappie is pathetic. Not wishing to waste another word on the empire builder, we return to our section, which happens to border on the entertainment grounds. Han takes the old “squeeze box” from the hook, accepting a tailor-made cigarette from one of the boys who anticipates what is coming. Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond is followed by When Irish Eyes Are Smiling and Beautiful Dreamer. When he gets to Tipperary, everyone in the open air theatre has walked out on the Bard to join us in the great sing-song, led by the amateur.

A few days later Han is gone again, up north. Then, at bed time, the news is circulated about an American landing on Java, with not only the exact date also the details of the number of warships and aircraft. Could this be the real thing? The boys of the work shop have access to certain channels. A clandestine radio has been mentioned in a very roundabout way by Jack himself. Let’s check with him. It is pitch dark now, but I know the way blindfolded.

First, down the steps leading to the rear of the barracks. Here is the foot path to the latrines – yes, here they are, no need to see, they smell fitfully. And here now are the clotheslines. Careful, don’t bump your head on the posts (ouch! – here’s one). A few more strides, now turn sharply to the right to get by the garbage incinerators (a feeble glow of burning cinders, that’s it). Circle and up the hill path screened by a bamboo hedge. Yes, that’s the foliage, more darkly outlined in the night. From the summit of the hillock the silhouette of the workshop is easily made out in the distance against the brighter night sky. Going down, one is quickly absorbed in the blanket of darkness. Here is the foot of the hill. Now across the “little meadow”, as it’s called by the boys, where bullfrogs have their domain. Quickly sliding down, I step carefully through wet grass – goodness, what a racket the frogs are making tonight. Another hundred yards or so and the plank over the ditch should be reached, right in front of the workshop. Good grief, the grass in the darkness is so slippery….Blast it! A soft, clammy thing moves under my foot sole – damn frogs. My breathing goes too fast. Calm down. Wait, that plank must be here, or here. Let me feel with my foot. The ditch is pretty deep, Jack had said. Nothing. Must have gone in the wrong direction. Damn it, how to get back in such darkness?

A hand is pressed with great force on my mouth, the other pinning my arms down. My heart skips a beat or two before enough senses are recovered to throw my body weight over on one leg, kicking high with the other, backwards and upwards. A whispered four-letter word, and the hand is taken away from my hurting lips. Quickly I call his name, recognizing the big, strong hands. There is a pause. Then, bringing his mouth to my ear, he whispers, “Get the hell out of here. Go back to the Dutch sector as fast and as quiet as possible. Forget what happened tonight. Piss off, but for cripesake, don’t let anyone see you!” Without a sound he is swallowed up in the night. The frogs are clanging like gongs.

It is late when finally, after sneaking back to my sector, I slip under the blanket. For Pete’s sake, what has happened?

The following morning the Dutch section is put into trucks and we are on our way to Singapore. Passing Changi gaol, we notice numerous handkerchiefs waving through the barred window slots. They are white women and children. Women whose lot will be more hazardous because of their sex, but who still can find the time to bid us farewell and good luck.

After several hours waiting at the railway station in Singapore we are loaded, no, pressed, with force and rifle butt into a steel cargo van. So many that I feel every bone and knuckle of bodies pressed hard on my chest, face and back. Unbelief and then fear is taking possession of my mind. In a matter of seconds I am boxed in a great mass of damp, hot flesh. Perspiration bursting from all my pores trickles down my back and stomach in long rivulets. Beneath my feet the wheels start to roll: ding-dong, ding-dong, then faster, ding-dang, ding-dang, ding-dang. It is pitch dark save for a pinpoint of light through a nail hole in the roof. A am completely drenched in my own sweat and theirs. Pressed like sardines a can, it is utterly impossible to move an inch away from wide open mouths blowing stale air into my face. Oh my God, we’ll suffocate. My throat is parched and burning. All about me the stertorous breathing of men fighting for air. And the wheels clang and hammer their ding-dang, ding-dang. Somebody yells, “Open the door, you bloody bastards, murderers!”, his scream vibrating against the hot tin roof. It sets off a general pushing, twisting and kicking. My shoulder is bitten. Howling, loud cursing, blasphemous and foul. Beasts, beset with all the possessive drive to get out at any cost. But nobody can move an inch. The compressed mass of our bodies is our own straight-jacket, keeping us pinned down on the spot where we are. Ding-dang, ding-dang. At last the uncontrolled screaming wears itself out into a hoarse groaning and gasping. The sharp odour of urine and dung of stark fear fills the air. Instinct for self-preservation has silenced us while we try to breathe slowly and sparingly in an attempt to stay alive as long as possible.

Oh God, Lisa, is this the end? With my heart pumping like mad, a cold anger is rising inside me against the rancid smelling, tacky skin of others glued on my face and back. Ding-dang, ding-dang. A little later the pounding of the wheels seems to become slower, and then the train pulls to a halt. An eternity later the bolts rattle and the doors of our oven are pushed aside.

Out we tumble and fall, throwing ourselves into a wonderful wide world filled with sweet, delicious air, as much as we want, in long drawn, panting gulps. A Jap officer has us fall in for numbering. Afterwards he expresses his regrets for the hardship suffered by our group as a result of a misinterpretation of his instructions to use three vans for our group, not just one. He is oh so sorry, but from now on there will be enough room for us and, in the same breath – will four men step forward for a burial? One of our men has been found dead, probably through suffocation or heart failure, take your pick. He must have died standing, shored up by the men jammed in the van. His could have been the body pressed against mine. After the burial our group is divided into three wagon loads with buckets of food and water. First class treatment we call that, putting us in better spirits in spite of what has passed. We have grown hard. Death has become an everyday occurrence, and has lost its awe. The cynical thought crosses my mind that the dead man has followed up on that slogan of the courageous days before the invasion, that one about “better to die standing on our feet than to live further on our knees.”

For days more, all that we hear is the pounding of the wheels, blotting out conversation and even the mind. Only at night the wheels grow silent for an hour or so, while we step down for exercise and victualling. Most of the time is passed in sleeping, which is just as well, with a view of what is in store for us.

We awake to a loud silence. The train is stationary. A moment later the order to alight is given, then we are counted over and over again without giving us any reason for it. The word circulates among us that one of our men has jumped the train. Good luck to him, whoever he may be. He’ll need every bit of that

On 8 March,

after the battle of Sittang Bridge where the Japanese destroyed two Indian brigades, they captured Rangoon, southern terminus of the supply line to China and the port of entry for lend-lease supplies.

Pushing on to the north, they had by mid-March reached the Toungoo-Prome line in central Burma, and though they did not finally gain victory there until early in May they had effectively blockaded China by the time the Indies had fallen.⁵⁸)

1-VLG-IV flying the Curtiss Hawk 75A and 2-VLG-IV flying the Curtiss CW21 (originally)

Now i don´t know if VLG IV just had a surplus of pilots and added the hurricanes and were the only ones flying them (which i guess would make these two squadrons 4-VLG-IV and 5-VGL-IV as 3-VLG-IV was flying the buffallo 339D), or if they drew surplus pilots from wherever available and these 6 names all being from VLG IV is just a coincidence. After all it´s only 6 out of 24, but it´s a start.

Btw: Hamming and Hermans are both mentioned for crashing their Hurricanes during training (presumably between uncrating them and becomming operational on feb 16th) and as 1-VLG- IV and 2-VLG-IV still seem to be flying with their original aircraft at that time these 2 hurricane groups seem to be ´new´ groups… either that or everyone switched planes (which I hardly believe at that stage of the conflict).

These are the two original squadrons of the 4th Fighter Group. They are already in the game and, as you say, Dutch units can not upgrade until way too late. I don’t see a reasonable way to work them into the OOB

One way to upgrade to more modern aircraft is to disband some air units into others. The squadron returns with upgraded aircraft if the original aircraft assigned to it are no longer available in the pool. Hav e a number of

Dutch East Indie ‘s Beaufort

and

PBY squadrons training in May 42.

Need lots of training though…mid to high 20s for exp.

In order to get Hurricanes (and early in 42), the unit needs to have Hurricane as it’s upgrade (think they all upgrade to Kittyhawk…not sure) and no more of the original fighter (339D, Hawk or Demon) in the pool

I am shocked!!

I started up the game just to check… and the whole dutch airforce is a mess!! Actually the whole VLG-IV isn´t even it it!!… there´s VLG-III acting as a fighter group that VLG-IV should be… VLG-I has to many bomber groups… VLG-II has to many bomber groups… and I guess those would be the bombers of what VLG-III should be. And on a first glance I am sure the numbers are wrong too… dear oh dear how ever did I miss that for so long. *sigh* Starting to think a few missing hurricanes is peanuts now.

I am shocked!! I started up the game just to check… and the whole dutch airforce is a mess!!

Actually the whole VLG-IV isn´t even it it!!… there´s VLG-III acting as a fighter group that VLG-IV should be… VLG-I has to many bomber groups… VLG-II has to many bomber groups… and i guess those would be the bombers of what VLG-III should be. And on a first glance I am sure the numbers are wrong too… dear oh dear how ever did I miss that for so long. *sigh* Starting to think a few missing hurricanes is peanuts now.

Our business in the field of fight, Is not to question, but to prove our might.

Militaire Luchtvaart van het Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger (ML-KNIL)
[“Military Aviation of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army”]

ML-KNIL Martin 166 bombers over Malaya in January 1942

ML-KNIL Headquarters at Soerabaja – Java
Commander of ML-KNIL was Colonel E.T. Kengen, later replaced by Lt-General L. H. van Oyen

Air Vice-Marshal Conway Pulford

greeting pilots of the ML-KNIL in Singapore, January 1942.

• Ie Vliegtuiggroep (VLG-I) at Andir airfield, Bandoeng – Java
– 1e Afdeling (1-VLG-I) with 9 Martin 139 WH-3/3A (+2 reserve)
[Patrouille Butner deployed to Tarakan – Dutch Borneo]
– 2e Afdeling (2-VLG-I) with 9 Martin 139 WH-3/3A (+2 reserve)
[Patrouille Cooke deployed to Samarinda II – Dutch Borneo]

• IIe Vliegtuiggroep (VLG-II) at Singosari airfield, Malang – Java
– 1e Afdeling (1-VLG-II) [four patrouille]
with 3 Martin 139 WH-2 and 9 Martin 139 WH-3/3A (+3 reserve)
attached: WH-1 Patrouille with 3 Martin 139 WH-1 (+1 reserve)
[mobilized at Kalidjati airfield from flight school personnel on 10 December 1941 – under command of MLD]

• IIIe Vliegtuiggroep (VLG-III) at Tjililitan airfield, Batavia – Java
– 1e Afdeling (1-VLG-III) with 9 Martin 139 WH-3/3A (+2 reserve)
– 2e Afdeling (2-VLG-III) with 9 Martin 139 WH-2 (+2 reserve)
– 3e Afdeling (3-VLG-III) with 9 Martin 139 WH-3/3A (+2 reserve)
[formed 1 September 1939 by redesignation of 2-VLG-II]
attached: – 7e Afdeling Horizontale Bommenwerpers
with 1 Martin 139 WH-2, 2 Martin 139 WH-3, 6 Martin 139 WH-3A
[formed 1 August 1940 – mobilized 15 December 1941]

• IVe Vliegtuiggroep (VLG-IV) at Maospati airfield, Madioen – Java
– 1e Afdeling (1-VLG-IV) at Maospati airfield, Madioen – Java with 12 Hawk 75A-7
– 2e Afdeling (2-VLG-IV) at Maospati airfield, Madioen – Java with 16 CB-21B
[with four Patrouilles]
– 3e Afdeling (3-VLG-IV) at Maospati airfield, Madioen – Java
[formed upon mobilization with Brewster 339D from school personnel]

• Ve Vliegtuiggroep (VLG-V) based at Semplak airfield, Buitenzorg – Java
– 1e Afdeling (1-VLG-V) with Brewster 339D
– 1 and 2 Patrouilles at Samarinda II – Dutch Borneo
– 3 Patrouille at Singkawang II – Dutch Borneo
– 2e Afdeling (2-VLG-V) with Brewster 339D
– 3e Afdeling (3-VLG-V) with Brewster 339D

• Ambon Patrouille with Brewster 339D (4)
[formed upon mobilization at Maospati airfield, Madieon – Java designated as 4e Patrouille, 2-VLG IV? considered as a detachment from 1-VLG IV? transferred to Laha airfield, Ambon on 3 December 1941]

– Verkenningsafdeling 1 (VkA-1) at Tjikembar airfield – Java
with 12 CW-22 and 1 C.X assigned to ML-KNIL headquarters
– Verkenningsafdeling 2 (VkA-2) at [Djokjakarta – Java]
with 11 CW-22 and 2 C.X assigned to ML-KNIL headquarters
– Verkenningsafdeling 3 (VkA-3) at Kalidjati airfield – Java
with 12 FK-51 attached to First Military Department – formed on mobilization
– Verkenningsafdeling 4 (VkA-4) at Kalidjati airfield – Java
with 12 Lockheed 212 attached to Second Military Department – formed on mobilization
– Verkenningsafdeling 5 (VkA-5) at Kalidjati airfield – Java
with 12 FK-51 attached to Third Military Department – activated on mobilization

• ML-KNIL Depot at Maospati airfield, Madioen – Java
• ML-KNIL Technical Training School at Andir airfield, Bandoeng – Java
• ML-KNIL Flight School at Kalidjati airfield, near Soebang – Java
• ML-KNIL Flight School at Singosari airfield, Malang – Java (Martin 139)

Marine Luchtvaartdienst (MLD)
[“Royal Netherlands East Indies Naval Air Force”]

Headquarters at Soerabaja – Java
• Do24K-2 (1) assigned to Commander MLD

Groepen Vliegtuigen [“Aircraft Groups”]

• GVT-1 with 3 Do24K-1 in Pontianak – West Borneo
• GVT-2 with 3 Do24K-1 in Sorong – New Guinea
• GVT-3 with 3 Do24K-1 in Soerabaja – Java
• GVT-4 with 3 Do24K-1 in Sambas – West Borneo
• GVT-5 with 3 Do24K-1 in Ternate – Moluccas
• GVT-6 with 3 Do24K-1 in Morokrembangan – Java
• GVT-7 with 3 Do24K-1 in Tarakan – East Borneo
• GVT-8 with 3 Do24K-1 in Paeloe Samboe – Sumatra
• GVT-11 with 4 C-XIW – (shipboard – cruisers)
• GVT-12 with 6 T-IVa in Morokrembangan – Java
• GVT-13 with 4 C-XIW – (shipboard – destroyers)
• GVT-14 with 5 T-IVa in Morokrembangan – Java
• GVT-16 with 3 Catalina in Tanjong Priok – Java
• GVT-17 with 3 Catalina in Halong – Ambon

• MLD flying school at Soerabaja – Java
[includes aircraft in reserve or in transit]
– 6 Dornier Wal planes
– 10 Do 24K-1 planes
– 1 Fokker T-IVa plane
– 6 Fokker C-XIVW planes
– 40 Ryan STM planes
– 30 PBY Catalina planes
[includes aircraft in transit]

This is a little OT, but I’m 2/3rd of the way done with 1/72nd scale model of a Hurricane and am now intrigured by this and I am now contemplating finishing the model as an NEIAF example. Does anyone know if they were Mk Is or Mk IIAs or Bs, did they have the trop filter and did they have the orange triangle or tricolor national markings?

BTW, in my mod to Scen 15, and prior to reading this thread, I had already tweaked the data base editor and changed the upgrade path for a couple of the NEIAF Buffalo Squadrons to convert to Hurricanes, if they survive until 07/42.

WAR IN THE PACIFIC: Admiral’s Edition – Air Team Lead

IN PERPETUUM SINGULARIS SEDES

I think alot of this has been addressed in the CHS. When I have time tomorrow I’ll check

I see Mogami already came up with en extensive list closer to reality then is in the game now, but anyway… here´s my 5 cents worth:

As it is now:

B1-VIG-I 10 martin 139 (12) Batavia (Java)
B1-VIG-I 10 martin 139 (12) Batavia (Java)
B3-VIG-I 9 martin 139 (12) Batavia (Java)

B1-VIG-II 9 martin 139 (12) Singkawang (Borneo)
B2-VIG-II 6 martin 139 (12) Samarinda (Borneo)
B3-VIG-II 6 martin 139 (12) Madioen (Java)
B4-VIG-II 4 martin 139 (12) Tarakan (Borneo)
B5-VIG-II 4 martin 139 (12) Malang (Java)

F1-VIG-III 12 75A Hawk (12) Tjilitjap (Java)
F2-VIG-III 6 75A Hawk (8) Bandoeng (Java)
F3-VIG-III 12 CW-21B Demon (16) Bandoeng (Java)
F4-VIG-III 6 CW-21B Demon (8) Soerabaja (Java)
F5-VIG-III 6 Brewster 339D (16) Amboina (Ambon)

VIG-IV does not exist!!

F1-VIG-V 6 Brewster 339D (16) Batavia (Java)
F2-VIG-V 6 Brewster 339D (8) Singkawang (Borneo)
F3-VIG-V 6 Brewster 339D (8) Samarinda (Borneo)
F4-VIG-V 6 Brewster 339D (8) Tarakan (Borneo)

F1-VIG-V 6 Brewster 339D (16) Batavia (Java)
F2-VIG-V 6 Brewster 339D (8) Sinkawang (Borneo)
F3-VIG-V 6 Brewster 339D (8) Samarinda (Borneo)
F4-VIG-V 6 Brewster 339D (8) Tarakan (Borneo)

R1-VIG-VI 9 CW-22 (12) Bandoeng (Java)
R2-VIG-VI 9 CW-22 (12) Djokjakarta (Java)
R3-VIG-VI 10 FK-51 (12) Bandoeng (Java)
R4-VIG-VI 5 FK-51 (8) Tjilitjap (Java)
R5-VIG-VI 8 FK-51 (8) Malang (Java)
R6-VIG-VI 4 FK-51 (8) Djokjakarta (Java)
T7-VIG-VI 8 Locheed 212 (8) Malang (Java)
T8-VIG-VI 8 C60 Loadstar (8) Djokjakarta (Java)

Should be:

B1-VLG-I 11 martin 139 (12) Samarinda (Borneo)
B2-VLG-I 11 martin 139 (12) Singkawan (Borneo)

B1-VLG-II 19 martin 139 (12?) Malang (Java) *7 older models so 12 would be ok
B2-VLG-II 11 martin 139 (8?) Malang (Java) *3 older models so 8 would be ok
B3-VLG-II does not exist
B4-VLG-II does not exist
B5-VLG-II does not exist

B1-VLG-III 11 martin 139 (12?) Singapore (Malay)
B2-VLG-III 11 martin 139 (12?) Bandoeng (Java)
B3-VLG-III 11 martin 139 (12?) Singapore (Malay)
B7(attached)-VLG-III 9 martin 139 (8) Madioeng (Java) *1 older model so 8 would be ok

F1-VLG-IV 12 75A Hawk (12) Batavia (Java)
F2-VLG-IV 16 CW-21B Demon (16?) Bandoeng (Java)
F3-VLG-IV 4 Brewster 339D (8?) Amboina (Ambon)

F1-VLG-V 12 Brewster 339D (12) Samarinda (Borneo)
F2-VLG-V 5 Brewster 339D (8?) Sinkawang (Borneo)
F3-VLG-V 12 Brewster 339D (12) Singapore (Malay)

R1-VLG-VI should be VKA-1 12 CW-22 (12) Djokjakarta (Java)
R2-VLG-VI should be VKA-2 11 CW-22 (12) Djokjakarta (Java)
R3-VLG-VI should be VKA-3 12 FK-51 (12) Bandoeng (Java)
R4-VLG-VI should be VKA-4 12 Lockheed 212 (12) Bandoeng (Java) (Transport in the game)
R5-VLG-VI should be VKA-5 10 FK-51 (12) Bandoeng (Java)
R6-VLG-VI does not exist

T7-VLG-VI should be D-VI-A 19 Lockheed L18-40 (18?) Madioen (Java)
T8-VLG-VI does not exist

Oh.. and might as well add the original point that started this:

F4-VLG-IV (??) 12 Hawker Hurricane II (12) Bandoeng (Java) … arriving 16 Feb. 1942
F5-VLG-IV (??) 12 Hawker Hurricane II (12) Bandoeng (Java) … arriving 16 Feb. 1942

I can see now why the pilots came from VLG-IV, All other fighter pilots were either in Borneo or Malay so it stands to reason these planes were attached to this flightgroup.

(I am assuming they put the ´experienced´ pilots in these planes and gave any other relacement pilots from flightschool or hanging around for whatever other reasons a seat in planes they might actually be fermilliar with)

Mk IIb´s without radio and oxygen equipment. No pictures seem to have been taken, but according to discriptions they were left painted in their original RAf colours, RAF markings painted over with camouflage paint and a handpainted Dutch (red, white, blue) flag added on the tail. Might have been numbered 1 to 24 on the fuselage but thats not completely clear.

Our business in the field of fight, Is not to question, but to prove our might.

Oh and to make it all really nice and confusing… here´s one for the MLD that doesn´t really square up with Mogami´s one:

Dec 1941-Jan 1942:

GVT 1 with 3 Do24 at Pontianak
GVT 2 with 3 Do24 at Sorong
GVT 3 with 3 Do24 at Ambon (later Soerabaja)
GVT 4 with 3 Do24 at Ambon (later Sambas)
GVT 5 with 3 Do24 at Tandjong Priok (later Tondano)
GVT 6 with 3 Do24 at Sedanau (later Morokrembangan)
GVT 7 with 3 Do24 at Morokrembangan
GVT 8 with 3 Do24 at Morokrembangan
GVT 11 with 3 Fokker T.IVa at Kwam (later Morokrembangan)
GVT 12 with 3 Fokker T.IVa at Tarakan (later Morokrembangan)
GVT 13 with 4 Fokker C.XI at Morokrembangan and ships
GVT 14 with 4 Fokker C.XI at Morokrembangan and ships
GVT 16 with 3 PBY at Tandjong Priok
GVT 17 with 3 PBY at Ambon
GVT 18 with 3 PBY at Soerabaja

Flying School at Soerabaja with 10 Dornier Wal, 1 Fokker T.IV, 6 Fokker C.VII-W, 10 Fokker C.XIV-W, 40 Ryan ST, 5 Tiger Moth.
Yes it has been addressed by CHS. We have one more squadron (of transports). We also considered but decided against the MLD Recon Flight with three WH-1.

Also the Flying schools closed on mobilization – personnel used to form the additional squadrons (3rd fighter squadron of each group, 7e Afdeling, some others).

There is a post in the OOB issues thread with the CHS Dutch Air OOB

Forgive me for questioning this – as I do not speak Dutch (and have more than my share of problems with English).

I have noted the two different abbreviations for “Vliegtuiggroep” (Airplane Group):
VIG is used by several references, including Dr. Niehorster’s site and the “Bloody Shambles” series of books
VLG is used by The Dutch East Indies Campaign Website.

I used VIG simply because it was used in the original Scenario 15 OOB.

Please do see the post in Scenario Design / Game Editor, 1.40 OOB Issues, Page 4

Thanks, must have missed that.

To answer the question. Originally the abbreviation would be Vl.G. (Capital V small l for Vliegtuig and G for Group. I think the plroblem arrises because in some print Vl.G (Capital v, small l) looks the same as VI.G (Capital V, capital I).

There is no rule in the Dutch language that would ever abbreviate vliegtuig as vig. instead of vlg.

Not completely true:

There was only one official Transport group (D-VL-A) with the Lockheed L18-40.
The Lockheed 212 was classified as reckon (and as a secundary task transport) and made up VKA-4, am I to understand now that there will be yet another Tranpost group making it 3 while there only was 1 or did I misuderstand?.

VLG I (bomber) and II (bomber) had 2 groups.
VLG III (bomber) had 4 groups of which only the 4th (7th attached) was an additional ad-hoc squadron formed from flightschool personell. (Because 2 groups were send to Singapore making it 2 available groups for Java again)
VLG-IV (fighter) had 3 groups, the 3rd in the proces of being formed as planned but not up to strenght, different then being added ad-hoc.
VLG-V (fighter) had 3 groups, the 3rd in the proces of being formed as planned, not added ad-hoc.

So these 3rd groups were not ´formed from personell from the flying schools when they closed´, these groups were already planned official groups with planes ordered and personell attached in the organisational charts. They were brought up to strenght by adding extra personell (and in the case of VLG-V stripping other brewster squadrons of their spare planes to fill up to strenght because their own ordered planes hadn´t all arrived yet).

Only bringing this up because I would hate to fly groups just formed as a stop gap measure for the next 4 years of the war without them ever being disbanded. (just as I would hate to fly seperate 4 plane ´flights´ for 4 years while irl they would have reunited with their parent squadrons.

I have seen a number of contradictory sources on the squadrons of 2 and 3 Group. Several specifically mention the movement of one of 2nd Group’s squadrons to 3rd Group for the purpose of building a three-squadron group for use in Singapore.

I note that the extra squadron formed at the outbreak of the war is named “7th Squadron” and have decided to go with a total of seven squadrons:
2 in 1st Group
1 in 2nd Group
3 in 3rd Group
7th Squadron

In addition to the Lockheed 212s of VkAfdeling-4 the Dutch operated a number of Lockheed Lodestar L18-40 pure transports. I do not know the source of these aircraft but they are in addition to the force of DC-3s taken over from the civilian air company (KNLM?). These are usually listed as being in “Depot Vliegtuig Afdeling of the ML-KNIL” but I have seen at least one reference placing them in a “6th” squadron and have used VkAfdeling-6 in our OOB. I would appreciate any suggestions for a better name for this unit. The Depot Vliegtuig Afdeling transferred to Australia in February, 1942 and many of these Lodestars ended up with US or Australian forces in Australia:

LT9-07 (c/n 18-2102), radio call sign VHCAA, went to the USAAF as 42-68347 and was operated by Qantas. It served in Australia and New Zealand after the war before going to the USA where it was current in 2004 as N796G.

LT9-08 (c/n 18-2103), radio call sign VHCAB, went to the USAAF as 42-68348 and was operated by Qantas. It was written off on 26 November 1943 at Port Moresby.

LT9-09 (c/n 18-2104), radio call sign VHCAC, went to the USAAF as 42-68349 and was operated by Guinea Airways. It served in Australia and New Zealand after the war and was written off on 10 February 1947 at Palmerston, New Zealand.

LT9-14 (c/n 18-2109), radio call sign VHCAD, went to the USAAF as 42-68350. It was written off either on 14 July 1942 or in January 1944 at Tennant Creek.

LT9-15 (c/n 18-2110) was withdrawn from use in Darwin in March 1942 whilst still in ML-KNIL service.

LT9-16 (c/n 18-2120), radio call sign VHCAE, went to the USAAF as 42-68351 and was operated by Ansett. It was written off on 11 October 1942 at Archerfield.

LT9-17 (c/n 18-2121), radio call sign VHCAF, went to the USAAF as 42-68352 and was operated by ANA. It was written off on 23 February 1944 at Archerfield.

LT9-18 (c/n 18-2122) was written off on 3 March 1942 at Broome whilst still in ML-KNIL service.

LT9-19 (c/n 18-2123), radio call sign VHCAG, went to the USAAF as 42-68353 and was operated by ANA (?). It was written off on 18 August 1942 at Maple.

LT9-21 (c/n 18-2125), radio call sign VHCAH, went to the USAAF as 42-68354 and was operated by ANA. It was written off on 30 November 1942 at Dobodura, New Guinea.

LT9-22 (c/n 18-2126) was written off on 15 February 1942 at Brisbane whilst still in ML-KNIL service.

LT9-23 (c/n 18-2127), radio call sign VHCAI, went to USAAF as 42-68355. It was written off on 18 August 1942 at Maple. Sometimes reported as current as N7001 but that aircraft is c/n 2427.

LT9-24 (c/n 18-2128), radio call sign VHCAJ, went to the USAAF as 42-68356 and was operated by ANA. It was written off on 26 February 1943 at Garbutt.

LT9-25 (c/n 18-2129), radio call sign VHCAK, went to the USAAF as 42-68357 and was operated by Qantas. It was written off on 15 May 1944 at Bundaberg.

Also, the 212s are usually listed as “light transport – used for recon” and Matrix has listed them as transports (with an upgrade to Dakotas). I feel this is appropriate.

So yes, there were three transport groups in the NEI:
Light Transport/Recon 212s of VkAfdeling-4
Lockheed Lodestars of Depot Vliegtuig Afdeling
Impressed DC-3 Civilian aircraft (assignment not known).

Only the first two are included in our OOB.

There is no method to split groups in the scenario editor so the options are:
several small flights
ignore history and only use full squadrons

Matrix has chosen the former and I agree.

Although you did not mention it in your reply, I assume from the data in your post that I should rename the squadrons “VLG” without a period (NOT VL.G) – and I will do so.

As far as I know there were indeed 3 squadrons send to Singapore: 1-VLG-III (bombers), 3-VLG-III (bombers) and 3-VLG-V (fighters).

3-VLG-III was originally the tranfered and renamed 2-VLG-II but that happened way before and had nothing to do with singapore, 2-VLG-II being rebuilt in the meantime to fill VLG-II as a 2 suadron group again.

In my opinion (but i might be wrong here) I, II and II were bombers, IV and V were fighters, VI was your later mentioned transport and that´s why the newly formed bomber ´squadron´ was named 7th (VII) before it was attached/merged with VLG-III to make up a 2 squadron group again.

The Lockheed L18-40´s were formed in D-VL-A (Depot Vliegtuig Afdeling), my guess would be the DC-3´s were added to these and thats why the number is sometimes given as 12 till as high as 19. According to ´official´ listings there were only 12 L18-40´s in depot and maybe another 2 pure training/flightschool which would leave some Dc-3´s to make up the numbers)