Politionele acties

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Politionele acties (English: Police actions), also politiële acties,^[1] in its narrowest definition refers to two major military offensives undertaken by the Netherlands on Java and Sumatra against the Republic of Indonesia during its struggle for independence in the Indonesian National Revolution.^[2][3] In Indonesia they are known collectively as the Agresi Militer Belanda (English: Dutch Military Aggressions), although the less common translation Aksi Polisionil is also used.

For a long time in Dutch historiography and discourse, the entirety of the Indonesian War of Independence was referred to by the euphemistic term politionele acties, as used by the government at the time. In the Netherlands, the prevailing impression was that there had only been two distinct, short-term police actions intended to restore Dutch authority over a rebellious overseas territory. This perspective disregards that between the arrival of Dutch troops in March 1946 and the cession of sovereignty in December 1949, a full-scale military occupation and a continuous counterinsurgency had taken place, involving 120,000 conscripts.^[4]

Operation Product

Operation Product took place between 21 July and 5 August 1947.^[2] The Dutch greatly reduced and fragmented Indonesian-controlled territories, with a particular focus on the oil fields and rubber plantations of Sumatra, and the sugar plantations and economic infrastructure of Java.^[5] The offensive excluded an attack on the city of Yogyakarta, wartime seat of the Republican government, due to high expected costs of urban warfare.

The actions of the Mariniersbrigade on Java were further divided into an amphibious landing on Pasir Putih, East Java (Product North), amphibious operations in the Meneng Bay (Product East), and a southward offensive launched from Porong (Product South).^[6]

Operation Kraai

Operation Kraai (Operation Crow) took place between 19 December 1948 and 5 January 1949.^[7] It resulted in the Dutch capture of Yogyakarta, the arrests of much of the Indonesian leadership, and the exile of what remained of the Republican government to Sumatra.^[5]

Actions of the Mariniersbrigade on East Java during this offensive are referred to as Operation Zeemeeuw (Operation Seagull).^[6]

Other operations

Eclipsed by the scale and notoriety of Product and Kraai, other Dutch offensive operations of the Indonesian Revolution include:^[6][8]

• Operation Trackman (Gresik, 10 Augustus 1946)
• Operation Quantico (Gresik, 19 August 1946)
• Battle of Margarana (20 November 1946)
• South Sulawesi campaign (10 December 1946–21 February 1947)
• Operation Ideaal (Mojokerto, 17 March 1947)
• Malang Operation (30 June 1947)
• Operation Carthago (Asembagus, 5 September 1947)
• Operation Albatros (Pacitan, 12 January 1949)
• Operation Otter (Prigi Bay, 7–18 April 1949)
• Paciran Operation (20–28 May 1949)

See also

References

Further reading

• Heijboer, P. (1979). De politionele acties: de strijd om 'Indië', 1945/1949 (in Dutch). Haarlem: Fibula-van Dishoeck. ISBN 9022838722.
• Teitler, G.; Groen, P.M.H. (1987). De politionele acties: afwikkeling en verwerking (in Dutch). Amsterdam: De Bataafsche Leeuw. ISBN 9067071390.
• Jong, L. de (1988). Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in de Tweede Wereldoorlog, volume 12 (in Dutch). The Hague: Sdu.
• Liempt, A. van (1994). Een mooi woord voor oorlog: ruzie, roddel en achterdocht op weg naar de Indonesië-oorlog (in Dutch). The Hague: Sdu. ISBN 9012067014.