City of Bandung sacrificed all to defend independence
City of Bandung sacrificed all to defend independence
By Johannes Simbolon
JAKARTA (JP): It was Sunday evening, March 24, 1946. The 200,000 inhabitants of the southern part of Bandung knew they wouldn't sleep that night. A hasty evacuation would start in a matter of hours. Everywhere people were packing their most valuable things -- the fewer the better. The war could be very long and extra weight on one's shoulders wouldn't help.
"I only had the clothes I was wearing that day. Most of the people did the same thing," Mashudi, 75, a retired army general and former West Java governor, told The Jakarta Post.
The exodus started about 8 p.m. The people burned their houses with all their effects still inside. They tried to blow up public buildings to deprive the British and Dutch, who had taken control of the northern part of Bandung, of their use.
Bandung, as the song Hallo, Hallo Bandung composed during the period says, was "already in a sea of fire."
It was Bandung's first entry in the new book of Indonesian history. It is known for its people who were willing to sacrifice all they had for the country's independence. Only Surabaya, according to some historians, outshone Bandung in heroism.
Scorching the earth was the inhabitants' solution to the lingering uncertainty they felt in the wake of World War II. President Sukarno and vice president Mohammad Hatta declared Indonesia's independence on Aug. 17, 1945. Several weeks later, the Allies, led by Indian-British troops, came to Indonesia to strip the Japanese of their weapons, free allied prisoners of war and internees, and restore law and order. They arrived in Bandung on Oct. 12, 1942. Yet, Bandung's youths didn't trust them because the Dutchmen wore the uniforms of the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration. They thought the soldiers intended to restore Dutch power. The youth saw only two alternatives: "freedom or death".
Spirits were very high. Bandung and its surrounds teemed with militia groups, which all had their own names, turf, weapons and rules. Among them were Hizbullah-Sabilillah, Pesindo, API Troop, Pasukan Istimewa (Select Troop), Beruang Merah (Red Bear), KRIS, Barisan Merah Putih (Red-White Troop), Peloupassy troop and Rebel Group. There was also a more organized force called People Order Military (TKR). It was formed by the nascent Republic of Indonesia, and was later renamed TRI, TNI and finally ABRI. Its then chief of staff was General Oerip Soemohardjo, and its West Java commander was Col. AH Nasution. The militia groups also had their own leaders, who didn't recognize Nasution's authority.
Nasution recalls in his memoir, Memenuhi Panggilan Tugas Vol. 1, that he once installed one of his men to head the Bogor regiment. The Bogor militia leader quickly sent the man back, saying, "If he brings us weapons we'll name him our commander. If he brings nothing, this is not the place he fits in."
Weapons were in great demand. Youths scoured Java in search of weapons, continually attempting to rob captured Japanese weapon caches. The most strongly-armed was Pasukan Istimewa, largely made up of Batak youths. They had modern weapons like carbines, pistols and grenades seized from the Japanese. The most desperate of all were no doubt the Hisbullah. They wear forced to arm themselves with bambu runcing (sharpened bamboo) because they lacked modern weaponry.
Bandung was known as a melting pot even before independence. This gave the resistance movement color but divided the militias along ethnic lines. The Pasukan Istimewa were mainly Batak; the Peloupassy Troop, were Malukus led by Peloupassy; KRIS, was made up of North Sulawesi youths commanded by Kodongan; and Barisan Merah Putih, of men from Padang and were led by Rais.
The chain of command and organization was weak, illustrated by everyone's reluctance to follow Nasution and Pesindo's split into the Tobing and Sudarman battalions. The loosest militia of all was Pasukan Istimewa, it held almost daily elections to choose a commander.
It is remarkable that they were able to coordinate the fiery withdrawal from Bandung.
In December 1945, about four months before the pullout, all the natives living in the northern part of Bandung were ordered by the local British commander, Brig. Gen. MacDonald, to move to the southern part of the city. The order followed clashes between the NICA and resistance groups attempting to steal Japanese weapons. The militias only pulled out after being attacked from the air. For several months afterwards, Bandung was split in two. The north was inhabited by the Dutch and the south, literally the other side of the tracks, by the natives.
In the weeks preceding the burning of Bandung, British logistics lines from Bogor were continuously attacked, despite Prime Minister Sjahrir's order to cease fire after the British had protested. Angered, the British troops bombed all the villages along the line. The militias in southern Bandung took revenge by shelling the north. The British returned fire and issued an ultimatum on March 22, 1946, giving the militias 48 hours to leave the city.
Sjahrir sent his men to Bandung to deal with the independent militias. All the commanders declared it impossible to pull out thousands of people in that short period. Nasution then went to negotiate with the new British commander, General Hawthorn. He was flown to Jakarta on a British aircraft to hear directly from Sjahrir. Sjahrir insisted the militia withdraw because they couldn't match the British troops and needed to save their strength for future struggles.
Nasution returned to Bandung the day after, March 24, and landed at the British base. Hawthorn offered him 100 trucks for the evacuation. Nasution turned them down. On arriving at his base in the south, he received an anonymous letter from Yogyakarta, then the capital of Indonesia. Some say it was from General Oerip, it read: "Every inch of the motherland must be defended."
He rounded up all the militia leaders to discuss the matter. There were three alternatives. The first was to pull out as Sjahrir had instructed, leaving the civilians behind as in Jakarta and Bogor. The second was to fight house to house as Surabayans had done in November, 1945. The third alternative was to burn or flood (by blowing up the dam) the city. At 2 p.m., Nasution decided on the scorched earth policy. Everyone had to leave the city before midnight. Guerrilla warfare was planned for the future.
The decision was aired on the radio and spread through the grapevine. Several hours later, Bandung burned itself.
"I've never seen such a feeling of togetherness in my life. The nation was still six months old. But all the people had already sensed they were part of it, willingly burning or leaving their property behind for its sake," said Mashudi, then Pesindo chairman.
A few Dutch sympathizers remained.
Nasution notes in his book: "I am still moved by the memory of the Monday eve of March 24, 1946. The soldiers burned down their base, barracks and important premises, many people set their own houses ablaze. All the roads from south of Cimahi up to Ujungberung in the east were packed with the evacuees, mainly on Dayeuhkolot and Margahayu roads, tens of thousands were carrying a paucity of their belongings they could save. It drizzled throughout the night, the sky was crystal clear because of the sea of fire and the shootings and explosions filled the air."
The evacuees and freedom fighters sought refuge in neighboring villages, where they were fed and housed by the villagers for months. They later spread throughout Java, but faced hostility from other militias, who considered the burning of Bandung as cowardly.
"When I visited Surabaya to search for weapons about one month later, a young soldier jailed me for two days because he thought all Bandung youths were wrong for not defending the city," former Attorney General Soegih Arto, then a captain, told the Post.
The militiamen who remained around Bandung failed in their desire to regain the city, a wish best expressed by a verse in Hallo, Hallo Bandung, "Let's recapture it (Bandung)." They did not return until the Dutch gave up Indonesia late in 1949.
"On their return to Bandung, some people went insane to find they could not regain their former properties," said Mashudi.