Dutch East Indies campaign

The Netherlands East Indies campaign of 1941-42 was the short-lived defence of the Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia) by Allied forces, against invasion by the Empire of Japan in World War II. The rich oil resources of Indonesia were a major Japanese objective during the war. The campaign and subsequent three and a half year Japanese occupation contributed to the end of Dutch colonial rule in Indonesia.

General Hisaichi Terauchi (also known as Count Terauchi), who was the commander of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group, began the campaign with attacks against Borneo: on December 16, 1941, Japanese forces successfully occupied Miri, an oil production centre in northern Sarawak.

Dutch, Australian, British and United States forces fought the Japanese during the campaign. From January 1, 1942, Allied forces in South East Asia formed the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM), under the British General Archibald Wavell. ABDACOM's control of the "Malay Barrier" (also known as the "East Indies Barrier") was considered vital to the Allies' global strategy. However, Japanese advances over the next several weeks split the Allied forces, and ABDACOM was dissolved on February 25. Allied operations in Indonesia (except Sumatra) were later controlled by the South West Pacific Area command, under General Douglas MacArthur.

The campaign includes

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Netherlands East Indies Campaign
Burton, John (2006). Fortnight of Infamy: The Collapse of Allied Airpower West of Pearl Harbor. US Naval Institute Press. ISBN 159114096X. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
Drea, Edward J. (1998). In the Service of the Emperor: Essays on the Imperial Japanese Army. Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-1708-0. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

Further reading