The Battle of Surabaya 1945
The Battle of Surabaya in 1945 is one of the most iconic and powerful images of Indonesian nationalism. Fought between British Indian imperial forces and the Indonesian nationalist troops, it is remembered every year on the 10th of November with the Heroes Day celebration as the largest single battle of the Indonesian Revolution. Yet ultimately the battle was a defeat for the Indonesian forces. In this section, we will look at why the battle may have been a tactical loss but ended up as a strategic victory. We will also examine some evidence that the ferocity of the British attack on Surabaya may have been in part a response to Indonesian Nationalist attacks on civilians.
Explaining the significance of the Battle of Surabaya
Why was the Battle of Surabaya so important?
Surabaya was the largest battle of the Revolution and became a national symbol of resistance and Indonesian independence. How did the Indonesian revolutionaries get their weapons? The Japanese commander in Surabaya Shibata Yaichiro armed the Indonesians with Japanese weapons after the Japanese surrender. What happened when the allies arrived? A Dutch navy captain reached Surabaya and Shibata surrendered to him on 3 October I thought Shibata was trying to help the Indonesians? He was but in a clever indirect way. Shibata ordered his forces to give their few remaining weapons to the Indonesians who would in turn responsible for turning them over to the Allies. Unsurprisingly, the Indonesians ‘forgot’ to do this. Why did tension build up in the city?
Around 6000 British Indian troops came on 25 October to evacuate internees. What happened next? Within three days fighting had started after attacks on the British Indian troops. What happened during the early fighting? Around 15 000 Indonesian armed soldiers of the newly formed Indonesian army and local mobs killed many of the British Indian troops Things weren’t looking good for the British then? The entire British imperial force seemed about to be wiped out. How did the British react? The British flew in Indonesian leaders Sukarno and Hatta for negotiations. What happened next? A ceasefire was arranged on 30th October. Why did the fighting start again? Fighting broke out again and the local British commander, Brigadier-General Mallaby, was killed. How did the British revenge Mallaby’s death? The British quietly brought in reinforcements and evacuated the internees. So they did nothing? Quite the opposite, at dawn on 10 November the British troops began a ferocious attack on the city accompanied by air and naval bombardment. Why was the British response so violent? There is evidence that as well as the attacks on Mallaby and his men, the Indonesian republicans had been killing European civilians including women and children. Did the Indonesians fight back? The Indonesians certainly did. They fought heroically or fanatically depending on which side you were on. What was the result of the fighting? The British took three days to conquer half the city but the fighting lasted for three weeks before they won the battle. What was the impact of the violence on the Indonesian population? At least 6000 Indonesians died and thousands more fled the broken city as refugees. Did Sukarno play a big role in the resistance? Not really, he did visit the city on two occasions but left the city assuming it would fall. Did the Indonesians win? The Republicans lost much manpower and most of their heavy weapons in the battle. In the end they were forced out of Surabaya. So if they lost, why is it remembered as a victory for Indonesia? The Indonesian fighters' sacrifice created a nationalist symbol for Revolution. How did the battle change the British? The British decided that they would be neutral in the Revolution and not support the Dutch claim. Was the battle of Surabaya a turning point for the Dutch as well? Yes. Many of the Dutch now realised that their Dutch East Indies empire was lost forever. Before the battle many of the Dutch had honestly thought that the Republic had no real support among the Indonesian people. Afterwards, few thought that this was true any more. How is Heroes’ Day remembered? The 10th November is now remembered as Heroes’ Day (Hari Pahlawan) and there's even an animated movie about the Battle of Surabaya. You can see the trailer for it on Youtube. |
Mystery Cards Task: Do this first
Source A-Sumatran born writer Idrus (1921-1979) who claimed he lived in Surabaya. He wrote ‘Surabaja’ about the battle."Now that the Japanese had armed the revolution...People were drunk with victory…All their self confidence bubbled over like the foam on a beer. Rational thinking declined, people acted like beasts…A new God had arrived, and he was known under various names: bomb, machine gun, mortar…" Source A Questions
Source B - Historian Frank Palmos quoted in the Jakarta Post“No authoritative Indonesian source used Idrus. This was a fictional reconstruction by Jakarta writer Idrus, who pretended he was an eyewitness. He had never been to Surabaya." Source B Questions
Source C-General Mansergh's declaration to the city of SurabayaSource C Questions
Source C-Sutomo "Bung Tomo"‘We extremists and the masses cannot now trust in sweet talk. We distrust every movement they make…It is the masses in their thousands, starved, stripped and shamed by the colonialists who will rise to carry out the revolt….We extremists…would rather see Indonesia drowned in blood… than colonised any more… God will protect us! Merdeka!’ Source D-Idrus describing the 10th November after the British attack.‘…from people’s mouths came the moans of death. The air stank of cordite and human and animal carcasses…Now and then an explosion could be heard, followed by black smoke billowing up into the sky. The rain was full of a dirty black dust which hurt the eyes and heart alike…’ LinksThe untold tale of the Battle of Surabaya -Jakarta Post article which discusses some of the evidence for Republican attacks on civilians before the battle began.
The Battle of Surabaya -Very detailed account of the battle Historian John Palmos view- Especially interesting for his attacks on Idrus as a source |