| Australian occupation of British Borneo and the Netherlands East Indies | |
|---|---|
| Part of the aftermath of World War II | |
 Soldiers of the Australian 2/31st Battalion passing through the town of Bandjermasin in Borneo as they took responsibility for the area from the Japanese on 17 September 1945 | |
| Location | British Borneo and the eastern islands of the Netherlands East Indies |
| Objective | Post-war occupation |
| Date | 1945–1946 |
| Executed by | Morotai Force |
Units of the Australian military occupied the eastern islands of the Netherlands East Indies in the period between the end of the Pacific War in August 1945 and the re-establishment of the Dutch colonial government in the region in early 1946. While British-led forces in Java and Sumatra became drawn into the Indonesian National Revolution, the Australian Government and military successfully managed to avoid being caught up in the conflict.
Background
editFollowing the surrender of Japan, the Australian Forces in Borneo and Morotai came under the overall command of the British-led South East Asia Command (SEAC) from on 15 August 1945. SEAC was led by Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten.[1] At this time, there were just under 50,000 Australian soldiers stationed in Borneo, most of whom were members of the 7th and 9th Divisions.[2]
The Indonesian National Revolution began on 17 August 1945, with the issuing of a Proclamation of Indonesian Independence by the nationalist forces. The Dutch intended to re-assert their colonial rule, however, with SEAC supporting this.[citation needed] The Australian Government led by Prime Minister Ben Chifley favoured decolonisation in the aftermath of World War II.[3] Many Australians supported the Indonesian independence movement, and some trade unionists took actions to disrupt shipments of supplies for the Dutch military in the NEI from September 1945.[4][5]
Policies
editPrior to the Japanese surrender, it was intended that SEAC would occupy all of the NEI with Australians not playing a significant role in this effort.[6] SEAC was taken by surprise by the Japanese surrender, however, and lacked the resources to rapidly occupy Borneo and the eastern NEI. The Australian forces in Borneo and Morotai were well-placed to take these duties, and the Australian Government agreed to accept initial responsibility for them. At this time, it was expected that the British would occupy the western section of the NEI between August and October 1945, and relieve the Australians in the eastern section as soon as their resources permitted.[7][8] The Australian Government decided that the occupation should be limited to actions necessary to liberate Allied prisoners of war and prevent unrest and the spread of diseases, with the military handing over control to British or Dutch civil authorities as rapidly as possible.[4][9] No attempt would be made to occupy all of the eastern NEI, with the Australians concentrating on key islands and cities.[4] Little planning had been undertaken in Australia for the occupation prior to the Japanese surrender.[2]
The occupation involved reinstating Dutch colonial rule. Mountbatten told the commander of the Australian Army General Sir Thomas Blamey that his forces should not give Indonesian nationalists any grounds to believe that their claims to independence were recognised. To do so, the Australians were to work with the Japanese forces in the region rather than Indonesian groups.[8] This would include Japanese troops being permitted to administer the areas of the NEI not under Australian or Dutch control.[10]
The occupation
editForces
editRelationship with the independence movement
editAftermath
editRandom links, etc, to be worked in
editReferences
editCitations
edit- ^ Haslck 1970, p. 602.
- ^ a b Grant 2020, p. 49.
- ^ York, Barry (14 August 2015). "Merdeka! Indonesia's Independence – 70th anniversary". Museum of Australian Democracy. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ a b c Hasluck 1970, p. 603.
- ^ Grant 2020, p. 53.
- ^ Grant 2014, p. 176.
- ^ Hasluck 1970, pp. 602–603.
- ^ a b Grant 2014, p. 177.
- ^ Spector 2007, p. 209.
- ^ Grant 2014, p. 178.
Works consulted
edit- Gin, Ooi Keat (2013). Post-War Borneo, 1945-1950: Nationalism, Empire and State-Building. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0415559591.
- Grant, Lachlan (2014). Australian Soldiers in Asia-Pacific in World War II. Sydney: NewSouth. ISBN 9781742231419.
- Grant, Lachlan (Winter 2020). "One Job Left to Do". Wartime (91): 48–53. ISSN 1328-2727.
- Hasluck, Paul (1970). The Government and the People 1942–1945. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 4 – Civil. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. 6429367X.
- Horner, David (1982). High Command. Australia and Allied strategy 1939-–1945. Sydney: Allen & Unwin with the assistance of the Australian War Memorial. ISBN 0868610763.
- Long, Gavin (1963). The Final Campaigns. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1 – Army. Canberra: Australian War Memorial.
- Spector, Ronald H. (2007). In the Ruins of Empire: The Japanese Surrender and the Battle for Postwar Asia. New York: Random House. ISBN 9780375509155.
- Stanley, Peter (1997). Tarakan. An Australian Tragedy. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1864482788.