Saturday, December 18, 1948
Busyness at Andir Airport, Bandung, reached its peak as the night wore on. As the date approached, whether this was chosen deliberately or just by coincidence, 18 C-47 Dakota transport aircraft belonging to the Luchtvaart Militaire, Royal Dutch Air Force, began to rumble. Tearing the silence of the night. As if that wasn't enough, the noise was also caused by dozens of jeeps passing by, transporting army logistics, ranging from food to weapons that would be used by the para-compagnie troops of the Special Troepen Corps (KST) or special airborne troops. Between the roar of plane engines and jeeps, soldiers could be heard shouting, giving orders or coordinating with their colleagues. A command sometimes had to be repeated twice amidst the noise of the engine. Message after message flowed through his neck veins as if they were about to jump out. However, the soldiers really enjoyed the atmosphere. The roar of the engine warms up the plane and triggers their adrenaline.
The cool end-of-year air, even for European skin, did not make the eyes of the people inside the airport dim, and they curled up under the warm weekend blanket. This is a coolness that ignites the spirit, especially after hearing Lieutenant General Simon Spoor's speech in a hangar.
"You have been selected for the decisive action," the 46 year old man's voice was loud and firm.
As a graduate of the Koninlijke Militaire Academie in 1923 in Breda, the command staff school in 1929 in The Hague and having taught at his alma mater before being trusted to become commander of the Koninlijke Nederlands Indisch Leger (KNIL) as well as head of the Dutch East Indies War Department, he was already adept at fueling soldiers' enthusiasm. Never mind in the cold air, even in the middle of a snowstorm, a soldier's spirit will burn.
Moreover, in front of him now stand 432 of the best KST personnel who can fill their own spirits amidst battered morale and can make accurate decisions in difficult situations. They are trained for this and this morning will be an opportunity to prove that their training has been successful. Apart from that, it was also an opportunity for Spoor's skills in designing operational strategies which had been completed months earlier. If this failed, or did not produce maximum results, then not only would his career be at stake, his target of regaining control of the Dutch East Indies would be buried.
Standing in front of hundreds of soldiers, General Spoor wore a leather jacket, hat, and a gun tucked at his waist. He wanted to look like the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Pacific, General Douglas McAthur and started with the way he dressed on the battlefield.
As he looked at the hundreds of KST soldiers lined up neatly in front of him, he remembered the nights he spent in Batavia planning this strategy. He didn't want it all to go to waste. Not for himself, especially not for his country.
“You were parachuted into Maguwo before dawn. The target is to free Yogya from the hands of extremists and arrest Soekarno and his followers..."
The end of the speech was the beginning of Operatie Kraai or Operation Crow to seize Yogyakarta, as well as destroy the Indonesian National Army spread across Central Java and East Java in one blow. Dozens of motorized Black Crows will attack Maguwo and other military bases in Yogya, then be followed by land forces and support from the navy. This is indeed a joint operation that is targeted to be completed in one blow.
After finishing perfecting the operation plan, one of his staff asked whether three months was enough to clear Yogya and its surroundings from extremist interference, Spoor answered confidently; “I wish it was much shorter!”
He was sure it could be shorter. Before the briefing, Spoor checked his strength list again. There was artillery support in the form of mortars and Hewitzer cannons. There are 80 Willys 1944 MB jeeps, 300 REO & GMC trucks to transport troops and logistics, 50 Humber panzers, 20 Stuart tanks.
Meanwhile, for air support, they deployed no less than 87 aircraft consisting of Mitchell B-25 bombers, Mustang P51 and Kittyhawk P40 attack aircraft, Dakota C47 and Lockheed 12 transport aircraft, and Spitfire hunting aircraft.
"Even if all the extremist fighting forces were combined, they would still not be able to match our strength," said General Spoor to Lieutenant Colonel Van Beek, who now serves as KST commander. His subordinates agreed and had the same belief regarding the speed at which their targets would be successful.
Now comes the time to prove whether his belief will be proven or not. Before the troops dispersed to their respective planes, General Spoor glanced at his men randomly. Every time he released soldiers into battle, he often asked himself, who and how many of his men would die in this battle.
When his troops started to move, he had not yet found the answer. Thoughts like that often crossed his mind and there was always no definite answer and he didn't want to get the answer. From the sure steps of the soldiers, from the din of their voices, from the roar of the plane's engines, from the readiness that had been in place for months, and from the clever plans he had drawn up to deceive the enemy militarily and politically, he caught the signal of victory. And that put him at the height of his excitement.
Excerpt from 693 Km Jejak Gerilya Jenderal Sudirman's novel by @ayijufridar.
