General Offensive of 1 March 1949

General Offensive of 1 March 1949
Part of Indonesian National Revolution
Date 1 March 1949 Location Yogyakarta Result Dutch tactical victory Indonesian strategic & diplomatic victory
Belligerents
Tentara Republik Indonesia	Royal Netherlands Army Royal Netherlands East Indies Army
Commanders and leaders
Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX Colonel Bambang Sugeng Colonel Abdul Haris Nasution Lieutenant colonel Suharto	Major general Dirk Reinhard Adelbert van Langen Major general Meyer Lieutenant colonel J.M. v/d Berge
Strength
10,000-30,000	2,000-3,000
Casualties and losses
300 soldiers were killed and 53 policemen killed	3 soldiers were killed and 3 policemen, 14 soldiers got injured

Marker stone of the demarkation line for the Dutch retreat from Yogyakarta.

The General Offensive of 1 March 1949 was an offensive during the Indonesian National Revolution.

Background

Frustrated at negotiations with the Republic and believing it weakened by both the Darul Islam and Madiun insurgencies, the Dutch launched a military offensive on 19 December 1948 which it termed 'Operatie Kraai' (Operation Crow). By the following day it had conquered the city of Yogyakarta, the location of the temporary Republican capital. By the end of December, all major Republican held cities in Java and Sumatra were in Dutch hands. The Republican President, Vice-President, and all but six Republic of Indonesia ministers were captured by Dutch troops and exiled on Bangka Island off the east coast of Sumatra. In areas surrounding Yogyakarta and Surakarta, Republican forces refused to surrender and continued to wage a guerrilla war under the leadership of Republican military chief of staff General Sudirman who had escaped the Dutch offensives. An emergency Republican government, the Pemerintahan Darurat Republik Indonesia (PDRI), was established in West Sumatra.

The Offensive

In early 1949, Hamengkubuwono IX conceived the idea of a major offensive to be launched against Yogyakarta and the Dutch troops occupying it.^[1] The purpose of this offensive was to show to the world that Indonesia still existed and that it was not ready to surrender. The idea was suggested to General Sudirman, the Commander of the Indonesian Army and received his approval. In February 1949, Hamengkubuwono IX had a meeting with then Lieutenant Colonel Suharto, the man chosen by Sudirman to be the field commander for the offensive. After this discussion, preparations were made for the offensive. This involved intensified guerilla attacks in villages and towns around Yogyakarta so as to make the Dutch station more troops outside of Yogyakarta and thin the numbers in the city itself. On 1 March 1949 at 6 am, Suharto and his troops launched 1 March General Offensive. The Offensive caught the Dutch by surprise. For his part, Hamengkubuwono IX allowed his palace to be used as a hide out for the troops. For 6 hours, the Indonesian troops had control of Yogyakarta before finally retreating. The Offensive was a moral and diplomatic success, inspiring demoralised troops all around Indonesia, as well as proving to the United Nations that the Indonesian army still existed and were capable of fighting. On the other hand, the offensive had demoralized the dutch forces, because they never thought that Indonesian forces could assault and control the city, even for a few hours.

Aftermath

The United Nations already adopted United Nations Security Council Resolution 63 on 24 December 1948,^[2] in response to a report by the Committee of Good Offices the Council called upon the parties to cease hostilities and to release the President of the Republic of Indonesia and other political prisoners arrested since 18 December 1948. On 29 June 1949 Yogyakarta was cleared under pressure of the United Nations

The Offensive in Indonesian history

In Indonesia the offensive is described as a major success in which the world was shown that the TNI was not easily defeated because strong local people support and favour. In reality, it showed the Dutch propaganda about their superiority is incorrect, the Dutch military superiority over the Indonesian Army occur only in urban areas but prove to be incompetent, know nothing and fight reluctantly in guerrilla warfare. The Dutch military superiority in armament and technology reduce by lack of European personnel and thin supply line make them heavily rely on Indigenous KNIL soldiers who start to doubt their colonial cause and begin defection to Republican side before and after the offensive. The Indonesian attack, later known in Indonesia as Serangan Oemoem (new spelling: Serangan Umum, 'General Offensive'), is commemorated by a large monument in Yogyakarta. It is commemorated every year on 1 March as "Six hours in Jogja".

References

1. "Universitas Gadjah Mada:Historian: Idea on 1 March General Offensive was from Kraton". ugm.ac.id. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
2. ODS Team. "ODS HOME PAGE" (PDF). un.org. Retrieved 8 March 2015.