On November 10, 1945, British forces launched a bloody attack on the Indonesian city of Surabaya.

On November 10, 1945, British forces launched a bloody attack on the Indonesian city of Surabaya.

On August 17, 1945, after the surrender of Japan, Sukarno and Muhammad Hata declared the independence of Indonesia. Before Japanese Israel, the country was under Dutch rule for more than three centuries.

Holland intended to regain control of the former colony, but did not have enough forces immediately after the war. British and Indian troops were sent to Java. Their initial goals were to restore order, free Allied prisoners of war and accept the surrender of Japanese units. The ultimate goal of the presence of these forces was to restore the imperial power of the Netherlands.

On October 25, about 4,000 soldiers of the British Indian Army landed in Surabaya. Shortly after the landing, British planes dropped banners over Surbia demanding that all Indonesians surrender their weapons. This caused opposition from supporters of independence.

On October 28, major clashes began. On October 30, the commander of the British 49th Indian Brigade, Obertin Melby, died. The British command then moved additional forces to Surabaya.

On November 8, General Robert Mansarg presented an ultimatum to the Indonesians and demanded that they lay down their arms. In case of refusal, the British command threatened to use ground forces, naval and air forces against the city.

On the morning of November 10, the assault on Sorbia began.

About 20 thousand British and Indian soldiers participated in the operation. The attack was supported by tanks and artillery. The city was bombarded by ships of the Royal Navy, and attacks were carried out by British aircraft.

They were opposed by parts of the young Indonesian army, militia and armed residents. The battles were fought on individual streets and neighborhoods. It took the British forces about three weeks to gain control of the city.

According to sources in the Indonesian government, 20,000 Indonesians were killed in the battles for Surabaya. About 150 thousand people were forced to leave the city.