(Old page) East Indies Crisis - do not edit: Difference between revisions

It was thus on the '''4th of May 1952''' that across the Johor sultanate, the Dutch administrators, civilians, policemen and KNIL garrisons were all ambushed and killed. Marking the start of what would become known as the Johor rebellion.

With the success of the neutralization of KNIL & DEI government forces in the sultanate, it was hoped that this would at first provide them with a strong position. It was the belief that the Netherlands would not be able to deploy the forces needed to deal with them. They were wrong. News reached Batavia that Johor had rebelled and neutralised the DEI her ability to quell the rebellion in the region on a local level. What the rebels did not know, was that Batavia was under a great deal of pressure from the Netherlands, as the DEI was the primary source of raw, cheap natural resources for the rebuilding of the Netherlands. Thus the Hague could not tolerate any form of rebellion, they could not allow the loss of what was in essence their temporary economic liveline, in rebuilding the Netherlands.

[[File:Dutch soldiers landing in Malaya during the 1950 emergency.jpg|thumb|The 9th Batavian regiment disbarking nnear Johor prior to the start of the deaestation of Johor]]

Governor-General Martien van der Goot in the early hours of the '''5th of May''' knew that his hands where tied he knew that he only had one job, crushing the rebellion. He also understood that it was vital for this to occur and that there could be no restrictions. He understood that should Johor succeed they would have a wider rebellion on their hand. As shown from recently released documents Governor-General Martiem van der Goot thus ordered, the commander of the KNIL Lieutenant-Generaal J.A. Vetter, the following:

“Make an example out of these rebels kill them all.”

It was an order that the veteran commander, a veteran of countless expeditions, the Corean expedition, the Rhine front, the east asian expeditions in the GW, would follow to the letter. It must be understood that the KNIL in 1952 was an organisation that was different from itself in 1935. Experience in the Corean war, the great war all had created a battle-hardened organisation that was brutally efficient in the way it carried out its operations than what was the norm in the regular Dutch military, with the exception of the Royal Dutch Marines and the Korps Speciale Stoot Troepen.

[[File:KNIL soldiers of the 9th Batavian regiment fighting.jpg|thumb|233x233px|Soldiers of the 9th Regiment in Johor, firing from their positions.]]

The KNIL send with immediate haste the 9th Batavian regiment that landed on the old island in front of Johor. There they fought with the local National Republicans for around 6 days, it was slow but steady but eventually, the island was fully secured. It was then that the city was further surrounded by the lands and a combined push was made leading to the slow but steady degradation of the fighting capabilities of Johor. What is seen as a mistake by the rebels is that they attempted to meet the KNIL in open battle, something that led to heavy losses on their side. A the end of the month, the city had been breached the rebellion had quickly turned to urban warfare, fighting block by block, house per house, street by street leading to the destruction of the city.

[[File:Walking past it all.jpg|thumb|KNIL soldiers with a Stier Panzerkannon, routing out the last of the resistance in the city. ]]

[[File:Walking past the ruins.jpg|thumb|A soldier of the 9th Regiment walking in Johor, 12th of may 1952.]]

It is here that rumours & speculation runs wild, because it was during the destruction of the city that the term “Butchering of Johor” came to be. KNIL soldiers showed little mercy and did not care and saw all locals as rebels resulting in wide-scale destruction & depopulation. It was also here that, to this day is a controversial topic, it is said KNIL death squats moved into the palace and eliminated the royal family in its entirety, not just killing them but slowly burning them alive while by some accounts raping the numerous female members of the royal family, the latter remains disputed.

the devestation/Butchering of Johor to this day is seen as the principal event that led to the EIC. As this led the National republicans to flee to Russia and to train become better organised and spread their movement.