A Dutch Glenn Martin bomber is loaded with British bombs during the type's service in the Far East.
When talking about Dutch Borneo 1941-1942, we often forget those less-known battles and places in Borneo, which were, although generally playing a minor, almost non-important role in the Netherlands East Indies Campaign 1941-1942, also scenes of fierce and bloddy battles betwen the Japanese and Dutch-British troops. Not many has been written about this terrible jungle battles in Borneo in 1941-1942, so I am hoping that this small section here will help in any way to those people who are seeking for new information about this forgotten part of history of World War II in the Southeast Asia, either this be a WWII researchers or just a common people, searching for their lost relatives.
Samarinda was in 1942 a small, sleepy town with several small oil fields in the nearby vicinity, on the east side of Borneo Island, several miles north of Balikpapan. In the town of Samarinda was stationed a small Dutch KNIL garrison under command of KNIL Captain G.A.C. Monteiro. The garrison consisted of:
� KNIL Infantry Company
� Motorised Detachment with 2 armored cars
� Artillery Battery (3 x 75mm L/30 guns)
� Machine-Gun Squad
� Machine-Gun Squad
� Mortar Platoon
� Mortar Platoon
� Mobile Auxiliary First Aid Platoon
The town of Samarinda was occupied by the Japanese troops after battle of the Netherlands East Indies was already over. There was also a small riverfleet of small ships armed with KNIL troops with ant-tank rifles etc., what made advancing for the Japanese very difficult.
Note The armored cars are open-topped motor cars fitted with armored plates ("Overvalwagens").
The Samarinda II airfield was probably one of the most extraordinary places in the whole Dutch East Indies in 1941-1942. Before the war, the Dutch KNIL Army prepared a dozen of so called "secret airfields", to where the planes should be transfered in case of the war, so that they wouldn't be caught on ground and destroyed by a sudden Japanese air attacks. The Samarinda II airfield was one of these airfields and it was located deep into Borneo jungle, between the towns of Longiram and Melak.
The KNIL garrison at Samarinda II airfield was under command of KNIL Major G. du Rij van Beest Holle and numbered approximately 500 men. The garrison consisted of following units:
� KNIL Infantry Company
� Anti-Aircraft Battery (4 x 40mm guns)
� Anti-Aircraft Machine-Gun Platoon (AAMG)
� Mobile Auxiliary First Aid Platoon
� Militie Detachment with 5 independent squads with approximately 75 men
The KNIL Air Force at Samarinda II airfield consisted of several Martin bombers, Buffalo fighters, Lockheed Longstars, flying in the vicinity, keeping contact with HQ on Java Island and staff. The Samarinda II airfield commander was KNIL Air Force Major L.C.A van Dam. On the airfield were stationed following units:
Ie Vliegtuiggroep (1st Group)
� 1-VI.G.I (Bomber Squadron) with 11 WH-3 Glenn Martin bombers, commanded by KNIL Air Force Captain W.F.H. van Rantwijk
Ve Vliegtuiggroep (5th Group)
� I- 1.VI.G.V. (Fighter Squadron) with 4 B-339D Brewster Buffalo fighters, commanded by KNIL Air Force 1st Lieutenant P.A.C. Benjamins
� II-1-VI.G.V (Fighter Squadron) with 4 B-339D Brewster Buffalo fighters, commanded by KNIL Air Force 2nd Lieutenant J.N. Droog
On 28 January 1942 two other Dutch Brewter Buffalos were shot down and the Dutch command agreed to evacuate this air base, but it was decided that the airfield garrison would stay there because USA has promised to deliver 1000 fighters!! Most of the KNIL troops went to have themselves captured by the Japanese. They were however small parties that went to fight on in the jungle, but they were all overwhelmed and usually executed by the Japanese. The Japanese also payed the Dajaks (native people which were extremly violent and hastily towards the Dutch) to search for KNIL soldiers and to kill them.
After all was over a small group of 15 KNIL soldiers from Samarinda II Air Base separated themselves from the main group to fight a guerilla war. This didn't work exactley good. They were found in early June and all shot except two soldiers. In April 1942 they went underground with the Dajaks until they were turned over by the same natives to the Japanese. The Japanese let them alive. The local representative of state in Longiram went inland with some KNIL soldiers, but they were soon forced to search protection with the Dajaks. They turned them over and all were executed. In Samarinda four local representatives of state lost their heads. The KNIL detachment in the city itself reached Samarinda II Air Base, but lost most of the native soldiers due to desertion.
There was no resistance when the Japanese troops arrived at Samarinda II Air Base. The ground commander received orders from the AKH on Java on 8 March 1942 to capitulate the next day, and not to destroy any weapons, equipment, or the airfield. The air commander flew to Samarinda to turn over the airfield to the Japanese on 9 March 1942. The Japanese troops finally arrived at Samarinda II airfield on 19 March 1942.
The Japanese did not use the Samarinda II airfield, as the supply situation was very difficult (about 160 kilometers from Balikpapan through pretty difficult terrain). They did take that which was useful, and left a small infantry detachment to keep one landing strip cleared for emergency use.
In Pontianak was stationed a Dutch Naval Air Station with Naval Air Group GVT-1 with 3 flying boats Dornier Do-24K. The Dutch KNIL Army garrison in Pontianak was under command of KNIL Lieutenant Colonel D.P.F. Mars and numbered approximately 500 men. Dutch forces in West Borneo consisted of following units:
� West Borneo KNIL Garrison Battalion
� Stadswacht Infantry Company (ca.125 men) in Pontianak
� Anti-Aircraft Battery (2 x 40mm guns) plus some AA machine-guns
� Mobile Auxiliary First Aid Platoon
� Stadswacht Detachment (ca. 50 men) in Singkawang
� Stadswacht Detachment (unknown strength) in Sintang
They transported themselves with a small boats and one larger freighter. They moved towards the town of Sambas. The town of Pontianak was finally occuped by the Imperial Japanese troops on 29 January 1942.
Note KNIL Lieutenant Colonel D.P.F. Mars was Dutch territorial commander for West Borneo area (Territoriaal Commando Westerafdeling van Borneo)
Some sources mention the Tambelan Islands in the Karimata Strait as a first bit of land of the Dutch East Indies Archipelago occupied by Imperial Japanese Forces on 27 December 1941. This remains, however, a bit dubious. Few other documents indicate that the first Dutch territory attacked was Terempa Island in the Anambas Group. It was the first step in a concentrated effort to eliminate the string auxiliary seaplane support bases operated by the Dutch Naval Aviation. According to these sources the Terempah Village on Terempa Island was heavily bombed and strafed by Japanese aircraft on 14 December 1941. Among the casualties were 40 dead, mainly Indonesian civilians and 100 wounded with a great deal of material damage. Much of the village was virtually destroyed. The remaining villagers were evacuated by the Dornier flying boats of the Naval Air Group GVT-3 to Tandjong Pinang in the Riouw Archipelago shortly afterwards.
The Anambas Islands were occupied by the Imperial Japanese troops on 26 January 1942. They were used as an advanced naval base and according to some references also as a seaplane base for Malaya and Dutch East Indies Campaigns. The Natuna Islands were probably taken shortly afterwards.
The town of Pemangkat was occupied by the Imperial Japanese troops on 27 January 1942, after they had carried out an amphibious landing in the vicinity of the town.
In Sambas was stationed a Dutch Naval Air Station with Naval Air Group GVT-4 with 3 flying boats Dornier Do-24K. The town of Sambas was occupied by the Imperial Japanese troops on 27 January 1942.
The Dutch KNIL Air Force has built a secret airfield near the town of Ledo, which is named in Allied sources as Singkawang II airfield. There had been stationed some Dutch air force units in December 1941, but were soon, after first Japanese air strikes, retreated to Sumatra Island. The airfield commander was KNIL Air Force Captain C. Terluin and had following units on the airfield:
� 2-VI.G.I (Bomber Squadron) with 11 WH-3A bombers, commanded by KNIL Air Force Captain R. De Seneport Domis
� 1-VI.G.V (-) (Fighter Squadron) with 5 B-339D fighters, commanded by KNIL Air Force 1st Lieutenant A.A.M. Van Rest
The Singawang II airfield, located near the town of Ledo, was occupied by the Imperial Japanese troops on 27 January 1942.
The town of Sintang was occupied by the Imperial Japanese troops on 16 February 1942. In the city was stationed a Stadswacht Detachment (unknown strength).
There had been no real rapport between the imposing Dutch and various indigenous people of Borneo, although organised with the view of colonial exploitation, this did not allow for the pride and dignity of the many tribes involved. Dutch Borneo was better administrated than Sarawak, but the government organisation, limited as it was, took slight notice of the customs and lives of the local people.
During the Second World War when the Japanese military moved into the area there was an uprising at Putussibau in central Borneo, near the Sarawak border, and the local people murdered the Dutch administrator. Lieutenant Davijd, of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, was stationed at Sintang on the Kaupas River, west Borneo, and went to the troubled region under orders to rectify the unrest.
He sorted out the problem at Putussibau and on returning received the bad news that Dutch troops had capitulated to the Japanese. He refused to surrender, went back to Putussibau with three European Non-Commissioned Officers and a civilian. And there during mid March 1942, Lieutenant Davijd formed a guerilla group and held out at Putussibau for three difficult and desperate months.
By the end of June the Japanese sent a force of 200 troops against the tiny stronghold, Davijd, seven men and two women escaped, intending to cross a high mountain range and arrive on the east coast of Borneo 270miles away. As the journey came to the source of the Mahakam River the ten refugees heard that Samarinda had fallen to the Japanese.
Lieutenant Davijd moved his minuscule column back to the upper reaches of the Kaupas River, where they settled down until October. Then the party was set upon by Punan Dayaks, killing all the men and bringing two women prisoners to the Japanese, plus the lifeless bodies of the men, to the Japanese occupying Putussibau.
Here, in an example of Japanese unpredictable behaviour that one warrior should show to another, the dead men were buried with full military honours. And so ended one Dutch attempt to, not only carry out guerilla operations, but to escape from colonial Borneo now occupied by an imperial Asian force.
The town of Pangkalanboeoen was occupied by the Imperial Japanese troops on 9 March 1942, when Dutch KNIL garrison surrendered at the Kotawarangin airfield, near the town of Pangkalanboeoen.