Indonesia Reoccupied Yogyakarta

VIVAnews – After the Dutch second military aggression against Indonesia on 19 December 1948, many began to question the existence and the sovereignty of Indonesia.

The Dutch invasion of 1948 caused the arrest and exile of nearly all of Indonesian leaders and it was proved to be disastrous for the young republic. The Dutch even stated a false claim to the world that the government and the army of Indonesia had ceased to exist.

To regain the national honor and prove the existence of Indonesian state to the world, a number of Indonesian military commanders held a conference in Mount Sumbing and Banaran, Central Java in mid February 1949. At the meeting, they all agreed that a serious military action against the Dutch was needed to undermine the Dutch false claim.

On 19 February 1949, Colonel Bambang Sugeng, then Military Governor and Chief of Staff of the Third Army Division, ordered Lieutenant Colonel Soeharto, Commander of Wehrkreis III/X Brigade, to lead an attack against the Dutch in late February or early March 1949.

At the same time, Col. Sugeng asked for assistance from other army commanders in Solo and Magelang to ambush and halt the Dutch reinforcements going into Yogyakarta, thus preventing the Indonesian troops under Soeharto being outmaneuvered and outflanked by the Dutch.

Accordingly, Lieut. Col. Soeharto led the Indonesian troops to attack the Dutch positions in Yogyakarta on 1 March 1949. The Dutch, who was totally surprised by the attack, only gave minor resistance. Most of their troops shut themselves up in their forts and barracks until reinforcements arrived.

At 6 a.m., Soeharto and his victorious army entered Yogyakarta and for six hours the republicans were in full control of the capital. After proving to the world the existence of the Republic of Indonesia, Soeharto and his army retreated to the countryside, thus allowing the Dutch to reoccupy the city. 

Within minutes, this heroic offensive was broadcasted to the world and the international community began to realize that the Republic of Indonesia did in fact still exist.  Later on, the United Nations began to take notice of the situation in Indonesia and led to ordering the Netherlands to cease its police action and to re-embark on negotiations.