Grof geschut: Artillerie en luchtstrijdkrachten in de Indonesische onafhankelijkheidsoorlog, 1945-1949

Abstract

The Indonesian war of independence has long been referred to in the Netherlands by the veiled propaganda term 'police actions'. In reality, it was a proper war in which the Dutch armed forces fought with modern weapons against the troops of the Indonesian Republic, which was proclaimed in 1945. The use of artillery, bombers and naval gunfire was not shunned in the effort to suppress the armed 'insurgency'. In this study, the application of artillery and air forces in this four-year war has been systematically examined for the first time. The research shows that the Dutch troops eagerly used heavy weapons to limit the risks for their own troops. Intimidation of the Indonesian opponent and discouraging the population from supporting the independence struggle were also important motivations, next to reprisals or retaliation. The dissertation provides both statistical overviews and analyses of high-profile battles involving large-scale use of heavy weapons. These show that the effectiveness of the deployment of heavy weapons was highly situationally dependent. Large-scale actions in particular were often a shot in the dark and therefore not very effective. Legacies of violence from the Dutch colonial army (KNIL) and experiences from the recently ended Second World War significantly influenced the way heavy weapons were deployed. Dutch army command and military personnel were often prepared to accept the consequences of the use of heavy artillery, even if large numbers of civilian casualties were involved. Disproportionate and/or indiscriminate use of heavy weapons went largely unpunished during and after the end of the conflict.