Barely a month ago, the fast progress in the Japanese campaigns across the Pacific had
prompted them to start what was one of their most important operations of the war: the
invasion of the Dutch East Indies.
As we’ve seen, the main objective of this operation was the island of Java, yet the
invaders first needed to take several airports and major towns around it, known to the Japanese
as Java’s Dehors.
Now, the Japanese are on the verge of completing their conquest of these dehors on Borneo,
the Celebes and the Moluccas.
Concurrently, the island of Java was also one of the main links of the Malay Barrier,
and its safety was a huge concern for the ABDACOM.
Seeing that it was to be in huge peril if the cities of Makassar and Banjarmasin fell
to the Japanese, the Allies prepared to fight in any manner they could to keep the Malay
Barrier intact and accomplish their mission to protect the Dutch colony.
The stage was set for a very important battle of the Pacific War.
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Following the events of the last couple of weeks, General Sakaguchi and his detachment
had achieved their second milestone in the Dutch East Indies operation: the conquest
of Balikpapan.
While the Kume Detachment was mopping-up the area, he was now preparing to launch the invasion
of Banjarmasin in conjunction with a naval strike force.
But back on January 28, it was finally decided that he would receive no support from the
IJN and that his main forces would be appointed to support the invasion of Java.
He then formed a strong unit under Colonel Yamamoto Kyohei , built around the main strength
of the 146th Regiment.
The plan for this unit was to rapidly advance towards the city of Banjarmasin after going
ashore at Tanahgrogot, while a small element of the unit under Captain Okamoto Yoshibumi
maneuvered along the coast in small boats to land on the southern area of the city and
capture the Martapura airfield.
On the night of January 30, the Okamoto Unit sailed from Balikpapan and started its advance
southwards.
The following morning, the Yamamoto Unit also departed Balikpapan and reached Adang Bay
by the night of the same day.
After landing, the Yamamoto Unit quickly seized the town of Tanahgrogot on February 1, but
the 60 Dutch soldiers of the local garrison had burnt the town before retreating . This
began the widespread native support for the invaders and culminated with many desertions
on the side of the Dutch . By February 3, all the Japanese forces under Yamamoto had
concentrated on Tanahgrogot, finally starting their overland trek towards Banjarmasin.
At this point, Japanese forces were also very close to capturing the important town of Samarinda.
From Loa Djanan, Captain Monteiro had been tasked with delaying as much as he could the
Japanese advance towards the important Samarinda II airfield, but his mission was a very difficult
one, especially since he wasn't allowed to launch any counterattack.
Furthermore, the Kume Detachment had already captured the oilfields at Sanga Sanga, and
the Japanese were now ready to continue their advance against the town of Samarinda; only
Monteiro’s men stood in their way.
On February 2 though, Dutch forces discovered that another Japanese column was advancing
from Balikpapan towards Mentawir, forcing Monteiro to move again his headquarters, this
time to the town of Tenggarong.
But Colonel Kume was also hot on the heels of the Dutch defenders, capturing Loa Djanan
and Samarinda by February 3 and putting much pressure on Monteiro’s forces.
From Tenggarong, the Dutch soldiers would continue to offer resistance until February
8, when the Japanese forces managed to take the town.
By February 15 though, Monteiro had established new defensive positions at the towns of Benua
Baroe and Kota Bangoen, from where he would continue to delay the advance of the Kume
Detachment until early March.
Although the Samarinda II airfield was an important objective of the Japanese, who wanted
to secure air superiority for when they launched their invasion of Java; time would eventually
tell that it was not needed, as we’ll see in the future.
Back to Banjarmasin, Yamamoto faced an important problem: there were no roads or bridges in
the jungle-covered mountain ranges, making their advance towards Banjarmasin very difficult
. Furthermore, as they clambered up steep mountains, they also had to fend off against
swarms of mosquitoes, land leeches and other insects.
Yet by February 4, the Japanese had reached the town of Moeara Oeja, successfully repulsing
a small Dutch army but failing to quickly pursue them towards Martapura.
In response, the Dutch executed a scorched earth tactic, causing enormous destruction
in the towns east of the Barito River . By February 7, reinforced by two brigades, the
defenders also tried to make a stand at Kandangan , but they ended up retreating to some more
solid defensive positions at Martapura.
At this point, they had destroyed most of the airfields and oilfields in the area to
prevent their employment by the enemy, with the evacuation of Banjarmasin also well under
way.
The Okamoto Unit had also captured the port of Kotabaroe and the northern end of Laut
Island on February 7, then continuing southwards and landing on Banjarmasin the next day, trying
to cut off the defenders’ escape.
Yet by February 9, some Dutch forces had already left East Borneo in boats, heading west towards
Kotawaringin and leaving only a small number of men at the Oelin airfield.
The following morning, an advance party of the Yamamoto Unit finally came out of the
jungles and defeated the small Dutch resistance, capturing Martapura with the aid of the indigenous
people.
That same day, the Okamoto Unit also arrived and captured the Oelin airfield, completing
the conquest of Banjarmasin . Meanwhile in Ambon, the Eastern Detachment
continued their conquest of the island.
General Ito had successfully captured the town of Ambon by February 1, forcing the main
Dutch force under commander Kapitz to surrender and sent not to the Australian defenders and
Dutch soldiers under Lt Colonel Scott to do the same.
This message was lost and the Australians fought on for 2 more days.
With Ambon and the northern side of the peninsula secured, Ito then sent his main forces to
defeat the stubborn Australian defenders to the south, but they could only establish a
foothold on the Nona plateau due to the strong Australian resistance.
On February 2, SNLF marines would launch a strong charge against the Laha airfield, but
the attack made little progress and they suffered many casualties in return.
In the meantime, however, a small Japanese force that had gone through the jungles into
the highlands north of Laha, defeated dozens of enemy troops and prepared to launch a surprise
attack on the airfield.
The following day, this attack was launched into the rear of the surprised Australians,
quickly overcoming their defenses and forcing them to surrender.
That same day, the main units of the Eastern Detachment captured an important highland
in the center of the Nona plateau, getting very close to the southern tip of the peninsula
and finally forcing the rest of the Australian soldiers and Dutch defenders to surrender.
With Ambon now firmly under Japanese hands, Ito would command mopping-up operations for
the next two days, then starting to prepare for the invasion of the island of Timor.
We now take a quick detour towards the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, where two US carrier
task forces under the overall command of Vice-Admiral William Halsey launched aerial raids on February
1, inflicting light to moderate damage on the islands’ garrisons and infrastructure,
destroying 18 aircraft, and sinking or damaging several enemy warships . Concurrently, in
the Philippines, intense fighting continued across the Orion-Bagac Line; but especially
at the Quinauan and Anyasan Point, Japanese and Filipino forces were in a bloody struggle
for control of the coastal points.
Even despite their numerical superiority, the Philippine Scouts and Constabulary forces
were simply not strong enough to push the invaders back, and on February 1, they would
face a serious threat.
Trying to secure control of the Quinauan Point, General Homma sent his last reinforcements
during the night, but they would fail to land at their objective due to the strong aerial
assault of the four remaining P-40s, an intense artillery barrage and the deadly attack of
American PT boats that sunk half the Japanese force and forced them to go ashore at the
Canas Point.
Now completely alone, the 600 Japanese soldiers at Quinauan began to slowly concede territory
at a high cost for the defenders.
And back to the Orion-Bagac Line, the fierce American resistance had taken a heavy toll
on the Japanese soldiers . After nearly a month of continuous fighting, the battered
16th Division and 65th Independent Mixed Brigade were discouraged and battle weary.
Despite this, General Nara persisted with great tenacity in his efforts to break through
the eastern sector of the line.
Alas, his efforts would be in vain, with each attack being repulsed by the Allied defenders.
On the west though, General Morioka fared much better, breaking through the 1st Division’s
jungle positions but having his force split into two pockets behind enemy lines.
In response, General Wainwright launched attack after attack against the Big Pocket, in which
the Japanese could block north-south traffic and hinder the movement of troops westwards,
but they were continually repulsed, with the invaders even expanding towards the west;
only by cutting their supply route behind them could the Americans really threaten the
Big Pocket.
Meanwhile, by February 5, the Filipino forces at Quinauan had been reinforced with a tank
platoon and 70 men from the 21st Pursuit Squadron, under Captain William “Ed” Dyess, successfully
cornering the Japanese to a small area at the edge of the point.
The airmen, led by Dyess, would embark from Mariveles in two armored whaleboats and gunboats
on February 8, then landing on the Agloloma Bay and decimating the remaining Japanese
soldiers that had gone into hiding in some caves.
With opposition at Quinauan Point terminated at last , the Allied defenders then concentrated
on the remaining points that were still under the control of the invaders, finally overtaking
these positions and bringing an end to two entire Japanese battalions by February 13
. On February 6, Morioka prepared to launch a general offensive to reestablish a supply
route with the Big Pocket by employing a recently arrived battalion of the 33rd Regiment.
Initially, the Japanese assault went really well, breaking the main line of the defenders
and getting perilously close to the Big Pocket; yet the efforts of Wainwright’s men eventually
paid off and the invaders’ advance was stopped.
This allowed the Americans to concentrate on reducing these pockets, which came at a
great cost for the defenders.
Even despite the employment of tanks and the establishment of a cordon around the pockets,
the ferocious Japanese could not be subdued.
By January 9 though, the Little Pocket had been abandoned and the men fell into a trap
to the west, where they were completely annihilated.
With his offensive bogged down on both fronts and the Battle of the Points lost, General
Homma had no other choice but to order the withdrawal of all his engaged forces all along
the Orion-Bagac Line to some more secure positions . The soldiers under Nara then began to disengage
and move north, while Morioka tried to support the evacuation of the men at the Big Pocket
with another attack of the 33rd Regiment.
By February 11, the Japanese managed to successfully escape from the Big Pocket under heavy American
pressure.
The almost 400 soldiers would arrive back to friendly soil on the morning of February
15 after a march of four days under enemy lines and through thick jungle.
By February 20, the invaders had completed their withdrawal and Homma was ashamed to
request reinforcements to Tokyo.
The transfer of the 4th Division was then approved, but it would take time to get it
to the Philippines from Shanghai.
In the meantime, the 16th Division and the 65th Independent Mixed Brigade would have
time to reorganize, rest and refit, while a tight blockade would be enforced upon the
Bataan Peninsula so the defenders could not escape, successfully capturing the island
of Mindoro on February 26.
Nonetheless, this was a tremendous victory for the Battling Bastards of Bataan.
Turning back to the Dutch East Indies, the staff of the ABDACOM was very worried about
the rapid progress of the Japanese advance through the Pacific.
The main naval base of the Allied command, based at Soerabaja, was within range of Japanese
aircraft since the fall of Kendari, sustaining a heavy pummeling on a daily basis; and the
battered naval forces of Admiral Hart were definitely outnumbered in the Pacific.
Yet their bold raid on Balikpapan during the start of the battle had a very promising outcome,
so Hart decided to form the ABDA Striking Force, initially consisting of several American
and Dutch warships , led by Dutch Rear-Admiral Karel Doorman.
By February 3, the Allied forces had gathered east of Soerabaja, then preparing to sortie
the following night to head through the Flores Sea towards the Makassar Strait, where they
had learned that the IJN was going to carry out a landing operation.
Hart’s surprise attack was actually very risky, because the Allied fleet had to transit
during daylight, where they could be easily discovered.
Furthermore, Japanese bombers had already sighted them during one of their daily raids,
so the element of surprise was already lost.
During the morning of February 4, Japanese airmen from Kendari finally pinpointed the
exact location of Doorman’s forces near the Kangean Islands, so Vice-Admiral Tsukahara
Nishizo of the 11th Air Fleet launched 36 G4M and 24 G3M bombers to get them.
From the get-go, the Japanese aviators went for the Allied cruisers, dropping bombs over
the Marblehead and the Houston.
Although the Houston skillfully evaded all bombs, the Marblehead was hit hard on the
quarterdeck, suffering heavy damage . The final attacks were then launched against
the Houston and De Ruyter, with all of the bombs missing except for the last one; this
scored a devastating hit over the Houston, causing severe damage on the American cruiser.
By midday, Doorman realized that his forces were in great peril, so he started to retreat
west back to Soerabaja.
The first operation of the ABDA Striking Force had ended in a fiasco, but at least they hadn’t
suffered any sunk ship.
Meanwhile, with the mopping-up of Ambon finally completed, the Japanese invasion fleet commanded
by Admiral Takagi departed Kendari on February 6, escorting the Sasebo Force of SNLF marines
for the conquest of Makassar.
Due to Doorman’s failure at the Makassar Strait, this fleet was only hindered by a
US submarine , which actually managed to sink the destroyer Natsushio.
Despite this, the landings proceeded according to plan on February 9; and soon, the 1000
Dutch soldiers of Colonel Voorman were overwhelmed and forced to retreat into the jungles.
The capture of Makassar marked the fall of the Celebes, where only some small guerrilla
groups continued to operate.
This also left the road to Java open at last, but still there was one major objective that
the Japanese wanted to capture before launching their main offensive: the key airfield of
Palembang in southern Sumatra.
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