Hallo … Hallo Bandung

A couple of days before and after the deadlocked meeting between Soekarno and Van Mook held on October 23, 1945, two Allied brigades, each led by Brigadier Bethell and Brigadier General Mallaby landed respectively in Semarang and Surabaya. But long before the meeting, on October 12, the Allied troops headed by Brigadier MacDonald had already arrived in Bandung.

Tacitly supporting the Dutch’s grand hidden agenda to re-colonize the country, in the last week of October, Hawthorn, the Allied commander for Java-Madura-Bali, showered pamphlets in numerous big cities, ordering people to surrender their arms unconditionally. People everywhere were furious, igniting sporadic and frontal clashes between the Allied troops and local combatants.

On November 17, having troubled with people’s reactions and having learned Surabaya dramatic lessons, the Allies changed the strategy and played soft approaches. In Bandung, Brigadier General MacDonald annulled Hawthorn’s order to disarm local people, which, for the time being, appeased the heated confrontation.

Under such a “peaceful” condition, the Allied troops took the opportunity to occupy and establish the headquarters in the northern part of the city.  Everywhere,  the Allies, together with NICA acting behind the scene, always executed the same pattern. Once they freed  Dutch detainees from the prisoner camps, they armed them and together, disturbing peace and order in the city provoking classes with the regular Army (TRI) and local combatants.

Then, there came again the ultimatum, which made the situation deteriorating.  Wanting to secure the headquarters, on November 27, MacDonald gave a warning to West Java governor, ordering for the removal of all troops and combatants from the North Bandung area. He set up the deadline as of November 29 at noon, or his forces would arrest them and shoot dead those bringing firearms.

Following the ultimatum, most people living in North Bandung moved to the south crossing the railway demarcation line. Some of the Indonesian armies created enclaves and stayed to keep fighting the Allies. The burden of Bandung people became more substantial as the Allies’ offensive attacks were followed by big floods inundated the city. Bandung citizens suspected NICA agents to have broken down the Cikapundung northern water gates converting the town into a big lake, which took hundreds of human lives.

Notwithstanding, the Indonesian army and young combatants’ attacks didn’t subdue. Facing the intensified attacks from the Indonesian side, on December 6, the Allies deployed 3 F 51 Mustang and 2 B-25 in bombing the city, while on the ground, the British Ghurka troops backed up by tanks breaking through the Republican barricades. The bombing was continued until the turn of  1946 but didn’t stop the sporadic battles that took place at the front line along the railway boundary, which mostly still under the Republican army’s control.

On March 20, 1946, the Allies resumed the bombing launched from a couple of B-25 this time directed to Tegalega and surrounding areas, causing the death of many women and children. Besides, they deployed i1000 troops moving on power wagons, jeeps covered by battle tanks moving to the strategic place in the south of the city. However, these maneuvers didn’t deter Sumarsono’s battalion, who then changed their frontal battle into sporadic guerrilla strikes. At their surprise, a band of Ghurka troops led by Captain Mirza, who was lowness in spirit on the unclear purpose of the war they engaged, joined the local battalion with all their armaments and vehicles.

The Allies started to be uneasy and felt losing face as they were facing “never-ending” battles. From then on, they decided not to deal anymore with Bandung local government but with Central Government in Jakarta. Their strategy seemed to bear the fruits as the Indonesian Government preferred to have a soft diplomatic approach rather than physical confrontations advocated by TRI.

On March 23, 1946, Deputy Prime Minister Syafruddin Prawiranegara and West Java Commander, Major General Didi Kartasasmita, came to Bandung conveying the order of Sutan Sjahrir, the Prime Minister, for TRI to retreat from the city. The British side, on the other hand, would guarantee to respect de facto the local Government.

Wanting to clarify the order, in the afternoon, Colonel A.H. Nasution, TRI 3^rd Division Commander, and General Kartasasmita went to Jakarta to meet Sutan Sjahrir in person who advised Nasution to execute the order without delay.  Back to Bandung the day after, Nasution explained the local Government and military commanders that for strategic interest, all Bandung citizens should empty the city at that very evening. Besides, people were strictly forbidden to destroy or burn any buildings.

Having received such an outrageous order, Bandung City Mayor Syamsurizal aired his speech declaring that the people and the civilian Government would stay. However, nobody observed his speech and began instead to flow out of the city.  Jogjakarta’s high commanders seemed to be low in spirit with the situation. They sent a cable (without a precise address) to Bandung military commanders, asking them to defend every inch of the land they stood.

Notwithstanding, Nasution ordered the citizens to make the exodus out of the city, but this time asking people to raze the city. TRI burnt their headquarters while the citizen did the same thing fire their houses. Around 200,000 homeless people made a colossal exodus to peripheral areas carrying only the least properties they could bring. Despite the rainy night, people could see from far away distance sea of fires burning the city.

This dramatic Bandung’s sea of fires was memorized in the famous song: “Hallo … hallo Bandung”. It was during this hectic situation that Mohammad Toha and Ramdan, two young members of the Indonesian militia, made a suicidal bombing that shattered the Allies’ ammunition warehouse at Dayeuh Kolot shaking the whole city and faraway surroundings.

Having a stronghold in Bandung south area, the Allies established three days-airlift bringing in 2500 Dutch troops from Jakarta. The Allies transferred the control of the city to Dutch V Brigade, which happened to be more aggressive and fierce than their predecessors. From that day on, the Indonesian combatants had to confront with their Dutch foes engaging in actual everlasting battles.