Siliwangi Division
Encyclopedia
The Siliwangi Division or KODAM VI/Siliwangi (later re-numbered KODAM III/Siliwangi) is the name of a formation of the Indonesian Army
. The Division was formed during the Indonesian National Revolution
by what was then known as the People's Security Army (TKR). It was stationed in West Java
where much of its membership was recruited, and bore the name of a 15th Century kingdom located in this area and of that kingdom's King Siliwangi
. it became a Territorial Division (Tentara & Territorium) on 24 July 1950, and a military regional command, or KODAM, in 1959.
Since May 1946 the division was commanded by then-colonel Abdul Haris Nasution
and his adjutant was Umar Wirahadikusumah
, and slightly later Amirmachmud
was the Division Commander's Chief of Staff. Kemal Idris
was also among the division's officers. All of these would play a significant role in Indonesia's military and political life during the coming decades.
Under the terms of the cease-fire agreement of January 1948 known as the Renville Agreement
, the Siliwangi Division was obliged to evacuate West Java
and hand it over to the Dutch, and to move over to Central Java
. During this lull in fighting the colonial troops, the Division was involved in the bloody crackdown on the Communists at Madiun
, in the course of which thousands were killed.
In December 1948 the Dutch army launched the surprise attack known as Operation Kraai, swiftly capturing the Indonesian provisional capital at Yogyakarta and most Indonesian territory. The Siliwangi Division at that time conducted a fighting retreat back to its original position in West Java
, where its men had their social milieu and were familiar with the terrain, and which was therefore the best suited for this unit to conduct guerrilla warfare in. Despite the division's recent anti-Communist record, this action came to be known as the Long March Siliwangi, for the famed Long March
of Mao Zedong
's Chinese Communist Party. On arrival in West Java the division fought both the Dutch and the rebellious DI/TII.
In 1953 Nasution wrote a book called the Fundamentals of Guerrilla Warfare, based on his own experience of fighting and organizing guerrilla warfare, which would become one of the most studied books on guerrilla warfare along with Mao's works on the same subject matter.
Poncke Princen
, a former Dutch colonial soldier who went over to the Indonesian rebels, took part in that "Long March" and was appointed a staff officer in the Division.
On January 23, 1950, a rebel group called Angkatan Perang Ratu Adil (APRA) led by Captain Raymond Westerling
attempted to seize Bandung
during the APRA Coup d'état
. Lt. Col. Lembong and 93 other Indonesian soldiers and officers were killed. On January 24, 1950, the rebels tried to attack Jakarta
, but the rebellion was quashed in a fierce battle in Pacet, near Jakarta. Sultan Hamid II
was arrested, but Capt. Westerling managed to escape to Singapore
(then still a British colony).
In late 1951 the Division was described as being 'a loose umbrella for five infantry brigades (each of which had up to four infantry battalions) strung across the western third of Java.' The post of commander of Tentara & Territorium III, the territorial military command encompassing west Java, was in effect synonymous with control of the division.
Battalion 530 of the Siliwangi Division was involved in the 30 September Movement
events in 1965. Following the later overthrow of Sukarno and the installation of the Indonesian "New Order" under Suharto, the Siliwangi Division's then commander, HR Dharsono, belonged to a faction dubbed by scholars as "New Order Radicals". Together with Kemal Idris
and with Sarwo Edhie Wibowo
of KODAM II/Bukit Barisan (Sumatra
), this group wanted political parties
to be dismantled and replaced with non-ideological groups which emphasized development
and modernization
.
"Factionalism within the army leadership, once a severe problem, no longer disrupted operations in the early 1990s. Traditional divisional identification continued to have some significance, however, especially in regard to that developed in the former Siliwangi, Diponegoro, and Brawijaya divisions, which covered western, central, and eastern Java, respectively, during the war of independence and the years immediately thereafter. The detachment of the Jakarta area from the control of the Siliwangi division and the restructuring of the army from a divisional basis to the territorial Kodam system diffused the powers of the divisions and eliminated warlordism."
Indonesian Army
The Indonesian Army , the land component of the Indonesian Armed Forces, has an estimated strength of 328,517 regular personnel. The force's history began in 1945 when the Tentara Keamanan Rakyat "Civil Security Forces" served as paramilitary and police.Since the nation's independence struggle,...
. The Division was formed during the Indonesian National Revolution
Indonesian National Revolution
The Indonesian National Revolution or Indonesian War of Independence was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between Indonesia and the Dutch Empire, and an internal social revolution...
by what was then known as the People's Security Army (TKR). It was stationed in West Java
West Java
West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
where much of its membership was recruited, and bore the name of a 15th Century kingdom located in this area and of that kingdom's King Siliwangi
King Siliwangi
Siliwangi is a legendary great king of the Sunda kingdom in West Java. The kingdom flourished between 669 to 1759 AD. He brought the kingdom greatness and prosperity. Some accounts of his life are taken from the Pantun Sunda oral tradition that describe his reign as a glorious era for the Sundanese...
. it became a Territorial Division (Tentara & Territorium) on 24 July 1950, and a military regional command, or KODAM, in 1959.
Since May 1946 the division was commanded by then-colonel Abdul Haris Nasution
Abdul Haris Nasution
In this Indonesian name, the name "Nasution" is a family name, and the person should be referred to by the family name "Nasution".Abdul Haris Nasution was an Indonesian general who was twice appointed Army Chief of Staff and who escaped an assassination attempt during the...
and his adjutant was Umar Wirahadikusumah
Umar Wirahadikusumah
was the fourth Indonesian Vice President; he served from 1983 to 1988.-Early life:Umar Wirahadikusumah was born on 10 October 1924 to Raden Rangga Wirahadikusumah and Raden Ratnaringrum...
, and slightly later Amirmachmud
Amirmachmud
Amirmachmud was an Indonesian Military General who was an eyewitness to the signing of the Supersemar document transferring power from President Sukarno to General Suharto.-Early life:...
was the Division Commander's Chief of Staff. Kemal Idris
Kemal Idris
Ahmad Kemal Idris , was a prominent Indonesian Army general during the 1950s and 1960s. He was an Indonesian guerrilla leader during the Indonesian National Revolution, who in 1949 was involved in continued resistance to the Dutch forces after they occupied Yogyakarta.Poncke Princen, the Dutch...
was also among the division's officers. All of these would play a significant role in Indonesia's military and political life during the coming decades.
Under the terms of the cease-fire agreement of January 1948 known as the Renville Agreement
Renville Agreement
The Renville Agreement was a United Nations Security Council brokered political accord between the Netherlands who were seeking to re-establish their colony in South East Asia, and Indonesian Republicans seeking to secure Indonesian independence during the Indonesian National Revolution...
, the Siliwangi Division was obliged to evacuate West Java
West Java
West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
and hand it over to the Dutch, and to move over to Central Java
Central Java
Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...
. During this lull in fighting the colonial troops, the Division was involved in the bloody crackdown on the Communists at Madiun
Madiun
Madiun is a city in the western part of the province of East Java Indonesia, an agricultural centre. It is the capital of the regency of the same name....
, in the course of which thousands were killed.
In December 1948 the Dutch army launched the surprise attack known as Operation Kraai, swiftly capturing the Indonesian provisional capital at Yogyakarta and most Indonesian territory. The Siliwangi Division at that time conducted a fighting retreat back to its original position in West Java
West Java
West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
, where its men had their social milieu and were familiar with the terrain, and which was therefore the best suited for this unit to conduct guerrilla warfare in. Despite the division's recent anti-Communist record, this action came to be known as the Long March Siliwangi, for the famed Long March
Long March
The Long March was a massive military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Communist Party of China, the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the Kuomintang army. There was not one Long March, but a series of marches, as various Communist armies in the south...
of Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
's Chinese Communist Party. On arrival in West Java the division fought both the Dutch and the rebellious DI/TII.
In 1953 Nasution wrote a book called the Fundamentals of Guerrilla Warfare, based on his own experience of fighting and organizing guerrilla warfare, which would become one of the most studied books on guerrilla warfare along with Mao's works on the same subject matter.
Poncke Princen
Poncke Princen
Johan Cornelis Princen , better known as Poncke Princen, was a Dutch anti-Nazi fighter and colonial soldier...
, a former Dutch colonial soldier who went over to the Indonesian rebels, took part in that "Long March" and was appointed a staff officer in the Division.
On January 23, 1950, a rebel group called Angkatan Perang Ratu Adil (APRA) led by Captain Raymond Westerling
Raymond Westerling
Raymond Pierre Paul Westerling , nicknamed the Turk, was a Dutch military officer. He waged a bloody occupation campaign in Sulawesi during the Indonesian National Revolution after the Second World War, and staged a coup d'état in Bandung and Jakarta in January 1950.-South Sulawesi:Westerling...
attempted to seize Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
during the APRA Coup d'état
APRA Coup d'état
The APRA Coup d'état was a coup d'état by Raymond Westerling's Legion of Ratu Adil to capture Bandung and Jakarta, and to overthrow Sukarno’s unitary Republic of Indonesia. Westerling sought to preserve the federal Republic of the United States of Indonesia, which retained the support of the...
. Lt. Col. Lembong and 93 other Indonesian soldiers and officers were killed. On January 24, 1950, the rebels tried to attack Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, but the rebellion was quashed in a fierce battle in Pacet, near Jakarta. Sultan Hamid II
Sultan Hamid II
Sultan Hamid II, born Syarif Abdul Hamid Alkadrie was the last Sultan of Pontianak and the only President of the State of West Kalimantan from 1946 to its disestablishment in 1950. He was the eldest son of Sultan Syarif Muhammad Alkadrie...
was arrested, but Capt. Westerling managed to escape to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
(then still a British colony).
In late 1951 the Division was described as being 'a loose umbrella for five infantry brigades (each of which had up to four infantry battalions) strung across the western third of Java.' The post of commander of Tentara & Territorium III, the territorial military command encompassing west Java, was in effect synonymous with control of the division.
Battalion 530 of the Siliwangi Division was involved in the 30 September Movement
30 September Movement
The Thirtieth of September Movement ) was a self-proclaimed organization of Indonesian National Armed Forces members who, in the early hours of 1 October 1965, assassinated six Indonesian Army generals in an abortive coup d'état. Later that morning, the organization declared that it was in control...
events in 1965. Following the later overthrow of Sukarno and the installation of the Indonesian "New Order" under Suharto, the Siliwangi Division's then commander, HR Dharsono, belonged to a faction dubbed by scholars as "New Order Radicals". Together with Kemal Idris
Kemal Idris
Ahmad Kemal Idris , was a prominent Indonesian Army general during the 1950s and 1960s. He was an Indonesian guerrilla leader during the Indonesian National Revolution, who in 1949 was involved in continued resistance to the Dutch forces after they occupied Yogyakarta.Poncke Princen, the Dutch...
and with Sarwo Edhie Wibowo
Sarwo Edhie Wibowo
Sarwo Edhie Wibowo was one of Indonesia's most famous Generals.-Early life:Sarwo Edhie was born in Purworejo, Central Java to a family of civil servants working for the Dutch Colonial Government. As a child, he learned silat as a form of self-defense...
of KODAM II/Bukit Barisan (Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
), this group wanted political parties
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
to be dismantled and replaced with non-ideological groups which emphasized development
Development studies
Development studies is a multidisciplinary branch of social science which addresses issues of concern to developing countries. It has historically placed a particular focus on issues related to social and economic development, and its relevance may therefore extend to communities and regions...
and modernization
Modernization
In the social sciences, modernization or modernisation refers to a model of an evolutionary transition from a 'pre-modern' or 'traditional' to a 'modern' society. The teleology of modernization is described in social evolutionism theories, existing as a template that has been generally followed by...
.
"Factionalism within the army leadership, once a severe problem, no longer disrupted operations in the early 1990s. Traditional divisional identification continued to have some significance, however, especially in regard to that developed in the former Siliwangi, Diponegoro, and Brawijaya divisions, which covered western, central, and eastern Java, respectively, during the war of independence and the years immediately thereafter. The detachment of the Jakarta area from the control of the Siliwangi division and the restructuring of the army from a divisional basis to the territorial Kodam system diffused the powers of the divisions and eliminated warlordism."