Invasion of Sumatra facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Invasion of Sumatra (1942)
Part of the Pacific Theater of World War II
Port facilities at Oosthaven are destroyed to deny their use by the Japanese, 20 February 1942
Date 14 February – 28 March 1942 Location Sumatra, Dutch East Indies Result Japanese victory
Belligerents
Allies  Netherlands  Dutch East Indies  United Kingdom  Australia  United States	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Middle Sumatra: Maj-Gen. Roelof T. Overakker West-Sumatra: Lt. Col. John Blogg North-Sumatra: Col. George Gosenson Rear-Admiral Karel Doorman	Vice-Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa Rear-Admiral Shintarō Hashimoto Rear-Admiral Kakaji Kakuta Lt-Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita Lt-Gen. Hitoshi Imamura

The Invasion of Sumatra was a major attack by Imperial Japanese forces on the island of Sumatra. This happened in the Dutch East Indies (which is now Indonesia) from February 14 to March 28, 1942. It was a big part of the Pacific War during World War II in South-East Asia. The Japanese wanted to capture Sumatra before invading Java. This would help them weaken the Allied forces and open the way to Java. The invasion ended with Japan taking control of the island.

Why Sumatra Was Important

After Japan successfully took over the Malay Peninsula, the Allied forces started moving their soldiers and planes to Sumatra in December 1941. British and Australian bombers were sent there to recover from battles in Malaya. A large group of ships also brought about 3,400 Australian soldiers to Sumatra.

On December 16, the Dutch asked for help to make Sumatra and Java stronger. They planned to set up supply camps in Medan and Pekanbaru. Later, these plans changed. Airfields P1 (Pangkalanbenteng) and P2 (Praboemoelih) near Palembang became the main headquarters for bomber planes. The Japanese had not found P2 yet.

Because the airfields were not in good shape, the move started on December 31. Ground staff arrived in early January. Another airfield was in Oosthaven, which is now Bandar Lampung. Roads were also being built in Medan and Pekanbaru. The Allies needed more anti-aircraft guns. They received twelve Bofors anti-aircraft guns for the Palembang airfields. Eight more guns were placed at oil refineries. However, there was not enough ammunition because Japanese ships had sunk the supply ships.

Operation L: The Main Attack

The first Japanese air raid on Sumatra happened on February 6. It hit the P1 airfield at Palembang. The Allies lost two Blenheim bombers and four Hurricanes. Two other Hurricanes were damaged. On the ground, two Buffalos were destroyed. The Allies shot down only one Japanese plane. In response, the Allies started bombing Japanese areas at night. They also protected ships carrying refugees from Singapore.

For this attack, called "Operation L," the Japanese army moved soldiers from Hong Kong to Cam Ranh Bay in Indo-China. On February 9, eight transport ships left with soldiers. They were protected by a cruiser, four destroyers, and other ships. Rear Admiral Shintarō Hashimoto led this group. Their goal was to invade Bangka and Palembang.

The next day, Rear Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa followed with more ships. This included his flagship cruiser, the Chōkai, and an air group. Rear Admiral Kakaji Kakuta led the air group, which had the aircraft carrier Ryūjō. On February 11, the main invasion force followed with thirteen transports.

On February 13, Japanese planes sank a Dutch tanker ship. Four Dutch submarines were waiting nearby but could not reach the Japanese fleet. Japanese planes from the Ryūjō attacked Allied ships carrying refugees. They damaged a British cruiser, which had to leave. The Japanese kept attacking with planes from the Ryūjō and land-based bombers. They sank two Allied tankers and other smaller ships. They also damaged another tanker and two transport ships.

Paratroopers Land

At 8 AM on February 14, Palembang was warned about a large Japanese air attack. All Allied planes were busy protecting ships and could not be reached by radio. First, Japanese bombers attacked airfield P1. Then, their fighters shot at targets on the ground. Soon after, 260 Japanese paratroopers landed at P1. They came from a captured airfield in Malaya. A second wave of 100 paratroopers landed near the refinery, west of P1.

Only 150 British anti-aircraft soldiers, 110 Dutch soldiers, and 75 British ground defense men were at P1. The Japanese used vehicles to block roads. Small gunfights broke out. Some Allied planes managed to refuel and fly to the hidden P2 airfield. The headquarters also moved to P2.

By afternoon, the situation was stuck. The British still held the airfield but were running out of ammunition. A false report of more Japanese paratroopers made the British commander decide to leave the airfield and town. The next day, 100 more Japanese landed at the refinery. After a fierce fight, the defenders pushed the Japanese back. But the refinery was badly damaged and on fire.

Naval Battles and Retreat

Meanwhile, the Japanese fleet under Vice Admiral Ozawa moved north of Bangka. This was to protect the Japanese landings. A small group landed on Bangka. The main Japanese forces landed near Palembang, at the mouth of the Musi river. They moved along the river towards the town. The Dutch had not defended the river mouth, thinking it was useless against ship artillery.

Japanese planes then saw the ABDA fleet, led by Rear Admiral Karel Doorman. This fleet included Dutch, British, and Australian cruisers and destroyers. They had gathered in Lampung Bay and left on February 14. They hoped to stop the Japanese invasion fleet north of Bangka Island. But Japanese planes attacked the ABDA fleet all afternoon on February 15. This made Doorman pull his ships back south before they could even see the Japanese invasion fleet.

British planes from P2 also spotted the Japanese invasion fleet. Early on February 15, Allied planes tried to attack the Japanese ships. But they were met by Japanese planes in fierce air battles. At P2, news arrived about the Japanese paratroopers at P1. The commander started preparing to leave the airfield. However, later news said P1 had not been given up. So, the planes that returned were prepared for a new attack that night.

In the morning fog, Allied fighter planes attacked the Japanese who were landing at the Musi river mouth. Japanese planes soon left the battle. This allowed the Allies to hit the Japanese transport ships directly. Twenty landing craft were sunk, and hundreds of Japanese soldiers were killed. Allied Hurricanes also attacked unprotected landing craft on Bangka's southwest beach.

The Dutch command ordered the destruction of oil and rubber supplies. Ferries on the Musi river were also to be destroyed. The defenders of P1 were told to retreat quickly. On the night of February 15, Japanese units that survived the air raid reached Palembang. They joined the paratroopers at P1 and the refinery.

Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, the Supreme Commander of ABDA, ordered a retreat to Oosthaven on February 15. Several small ships were waiting there. On February 17, about 2,500 British air force members, 1,890 British soldiers, 700 Dutch soldiers, and 1,000 civilians were evacuated by twelve ships. An Australian ship, the Burnie, protected the retreat. It also destroyed harbor facilities and oil tanks. A smaller ship stayed longer to pick up any late refugees.

By this time, the Japanese had fully taken Palembang. They also destroyed oil refineries at two smaller locations. Small troop ships moved up the river to Menggala.

All remaining Allied planes that could fly left on February 16. The airfield staff went by sea to India. The Japanese did not immediately advance to Oosthaven. So, a special group went ashore there on February 20. They saved airplane spare parts and destroyed other useful facilities. On February 24, the Japanese reached Gelumbang.

Operation T: Fighting Continues

The Allied units left on Sumatra were mainly from the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL). They moved to the middle and northern parts of the island. The Dutch planned to take back Palembang and push the Japanese off the island. But the Japanese chased them quickly from Palembang. This Japanese group had about 750 men.

The Dutch forces, led by Major C.F. Hazenberg, had only about 350 soldiers. They were spread out and could only fight delaying actions. This allowed the better-trained Japanese to advance quickly. After three weeks, the Japanese were finally stopped at Moearatebo on March 2. Heavy rains made the rivers very high, which helped Dutch reinforcements arrive. This delay gave Dutch commanders time to bring in more units.

From March 3 to 7, there were fierce fights as Japanese units tried to cross the river. Dutch spies reported that the Japanese had many dead and wounded. They said the Japanese group now had only about 200 men. Major Hazenberg decided to counterattack on the night of March 8–9. They gathered boats with supplies and ammunition.

However, on March 8, news arrived that Java had surrendered. All attack plans had to be stopped. Sumatra depended on supplies from Java. So, the Dutch decided to play defense. West Sumatra had to be given up. Only a small part of the north would be held as long as possible, until soldiers could be evacuated by sea.

During their retreat, the KNIL units destroyed all airfields and harbor facilities. They moved to defensive positions at the south entrance of the Alice (Alas) valley. They planned to hold back the Japanese there for as long as possible. If these positions fell, they planned to fight a guerrilla war from the surrounding areas. However, this was difficult because the people of Sumatra did not help the Dutch. Instead, they sometimes told the Japanese where the Dutch were.

This was clear when the Dutch wanted to move about 3,000 Europeans and Christian civilians to refugee camps. A Muslim uprising happened shortly after the Japanese landings. This stopped the Dutch from moving the civilians.

Operation T began on February 28. Twenty-seven transport ships with 22,000 soldiers of the Imperial Guard sailed from Singapore. They were split into four groups. They were protected by cruisers, destroyers, and other ships. The Allies had no air or sea defense at this time. So, the Japanese reached north Sumatra without any problems.

On March 12, the Kobayashi Detachment took Sabang Island and the airfield at Koetaradja without a fight. The Yoshida Detachment landed south of Idi. Their job was to take the Lantja and Pangkalan Brandan oilfields. Then, they would move south towards Medan and pressure the Dutch there. The main Japanese force landed near Tandjoengtiram. They were to drive along the Pematang Siantar-Balige-Taroetoeng Highway. This would cut off any Dutch forces trying to leave Medan. They also planned to drive north to Medan and take its airfield.

Sumatra fell on March 28. Dutch Major General R. T. Overakker and 2,000 soldiers surrendered near the town of Kutatjane in North Sumatra. Many Allied prisoners were forced by the Japanese to build a railroad line between Pekanbaru and Moera.

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