The British Occupation of Indonesia: 1945-1946

Between 1945 and 1946, Indonesia was occupied by a British-Indian force of approximately 45,000 men. The military occupation of Indonesia bridged the gap between the surrender of Japan and the resumption of Dutch rule. Contrary to previous studies, this book demonstrates that the occupation was neither exclusively pro-Dutch nor pro-Indonesian; nor was it the orderly affair portrayed in the official histories. From first to last, the occupation was chaotic: the British-Indian force was out of its depth, fighting a guerrilla war in a politically complex situation. The author draws on a broad range of sources previously not available to scholars, such as recently declassified government papers and papers in private archives. Additionally, he carried out interviews with protagonists to support his thesis. This is the first work to systematically examine the British occupation of Indonesia. It appeals to scholars of European Imperialism, the Second World War, military history and the history of South and Southeast Asia.