3 Sep 1899

Dutch East Indies
15 Jan 1942

Dutch East Indies
  • Five American B-17 bombers landed at Lho Nga (Lhoknga) airfield near the northwestern tip of Sumatra, Dutch East Indies after receiving damage during a raid Japanese forces at Sungei Patani Airfield, Kedah, Malaya. After temporary repairs, they would return to Malang Airfield in Java, Dutch East Indies. ww2dbase [Lhoknga, Sumatra | CPC]
7 Feb 1942

Dutch East Indies
14 Feb 1942

Photo(s) dated 14 Feb 1942
Light Tank Mk VIB of 3rd Hussars, British Army on the wharf at Oosthaven (Bandar Lampung), Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, 14 Feb 1942
15 Feb 1942

Dutch East Indies
  • 100 additional Japanese paratroopers arrived at Palembang, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, helping with the securing oil refineries and other facilities. 200 kilometers to the south, British troop transport Ocrades arrives at Oosthaven with 3,400 Australian troops, but the ship would continue on to Java without disembarking the troops. North of Palembang, Japanese troops disembarked at the mouth of the Musi River; the British RAF interfered by attacking the landing with over 50 aircraft, sinking 20 landing craft and killing 100 Japanese. Finally, in the Bangka Strait, Japanese naval gunfire sank British tug HMS Yin Ping; 50 were killed, 25 survived. USS Stewart was attacked by aircraft several times, but did not sustain damage. ww2dbase [Stewart | Dutch East Indies Campaign, Sumatra | Sumatra | CPC]
16 Feb 1942

Dutch East Indies
  • USS Stewart was detached from the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command force that attempted to interfere with Japanese movements in northern Sumatra, Dutch East Indies. She arrived at Ratai Bay in southern Sumatra to refuel. ww2dbase [Stewart | Raitai Bay, Sumatra | CPC]
28 Feb 1942

Dutch East Indies
  • The Singaporean ship Ban Ho Guan (Captain Van der Berg) was sailing under the British flag). She was previously Dutch-owned and named De Haan. As she was evacuating people from Padang, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies she was torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-4. The captain and a few people survived but it was estimated that over 250 people on board lost their lives. ww2dbase [Padang, Sumatra | HM]
28 Mar 1942

Dutch East Indies
6 May 1943

Photo(s) dated 6 May 1943
Crew of Japanese submarine I-29 posing with Subhash Chandra Bose shortly before Bose disembarked at Sabang, Sumatra, occupied Dutch East Indies, 6 May 1943
19 May 1943

Dutch East Indies
  • Kamoi departed Sibolga, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies; she would arrive at Padang to the south later on the same day. ww2dbase [Kamoi | Sibolga, Sumatra | CPC]
20 May 1943

Dutch East Indies
  • Kamoi took on 2,400 tons of cement at Padang, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies. ww2dbase [Kamoi | Padang, Sumatra | CPC]
21 May 1943

Dutch East Indies
9 Jul 1943

Dutch East Indies
  • Comandante Cappellini (Aquilla III) arrived at Sabang just off the northern tip of Sumatra island, occupied Dutch East Indies, at 1515 hours; her fuel tanks were nearly empty when she pulled into port. ww2dbase [Comandante Cappellini | Sabang, Sumatra | CPC]
10 Jul 1943

Dutch East Indies
  • Comandante Cappellini (Aquilla III) departed Sabang, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies at 1935 hours, escorted by Italian sloop Eritrea. ww2dbase [Comandante Cappellini | Sabang, Sumatra | CPC]
25 Aug 1943

Dutch East Indies
27 Aug 1943

Dutch East Indies
9 Sep 1943

Dutch East Indies
  • Upon hearing the news that Italy had surrendered, Italian transport submarine Comandante Cappellini (Aquilla III), in port at Sabang, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, attempted to request permission to leave port under the guise of a training exercise. The request was denied by the Japanese leadership. When the submarine's commanding officer Walter Auconi met with Vice Admiral Hiraoka Kumeichi of the 9th Base Unit at Sabang, the Japanese officer suggested surrender, which the Italian complied. ww2dbase [Comandante Cappellini | Sabang, Sumatra | CPC]
10 Sep 1943

Dutch East Indies
  • The Japanese Navy turned over the Italian transport submarine Comandante Cappellini, captured at Sabang, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies on the previous day, to Germany. ww2dbase [Comandante Cappellini | Sabang, Sumatra | CPC]
13 Sep 1943

Dutch East Indies
20 Dec 1943

Dutch East Indies
22 Dec 1943

Dutch East Indies
29 Dec 1943

Dutch East Indies
19 Apr 1944

Dutch East Indies Photo(s) dated 19 Apr 1944
Japanese oil tanker, destroyer, and harbor facilities burning after being attacked by Allied aircraft during Operation Cockpit, Sabang, Sumatra, 19 Apr 1944Sabang airfield under attack, Sabang, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, 19 Apr 1944.
10 Jun 1944

Dutch East Indies
13 Jun 1944

Dutch East Indies
1 Jan 1945

Dutch East Indies
  • Fairey Firefly Fighters from the No. 1770 Squadron FAA, recently arrived in Ceylon to join the British Pacific Fleet, attacked the Japanese-held oil refineries at Pangkalan Brandan, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies using rocket projectiles (RP). ww2dbase [Firefly | Pangkalan Brandan, Sumatra | AC]
4 Jan 1945

Dutch East Indies
  • In Operation Lentil, in British aircraft attacked oil refineries at Pangkalan Brandon, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies. ww2dbase [Sumatra | CPC]
1 Jun 1945

Dutch East Indies
  • Kuroshio No. 2, formerly known as landing ship No. 149, was sunk by a US submarine off Sumatra, Dutch East Indies. ww2dbase [No. 101/103-class | Sumatra | CPC]
8 Jun 1945

Dutch East Indies
  • Kamikaze picked up 853 crew and 400 passengers (army troops), survivors of cruiser Ashigara, off Sumatra, Dutch East Indies. ww2dbase [Kamikaze | Sumatra | CPC]
16 Jul 1945

Dutch East Indies
  • Submarine HMS Vigorous (Lieutenant N. R. Wood, RN) damaged a Japanese coaster with gunfire off northwest Sumatra, Dutch East Indies. The gun crew reported 25 hits. ww2dbase [Sumatra | HM]
24 Aug 1945

Dutch East Indies
  • The Anglo-Dutch Civil Affairs Agreement, generally agreed in 1944, was formally signed into effect. It called for the island of Sumatra to be turned over to the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration. ww2dbase [Sumatra | CPC]
15 Sep 1945

Dutch East Indies
  • Teuku Daud Cumbok, governor of Lammeulo in Aceh in northern Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, contacted Allied authorities, explaining why war-time collaboration with the Japanese was necessary and expressing his sentiment against the Indonesian nationalist movement. ww2dbase [Sumatra | CPC]
17 Sep 1945

Dutch East Indies
  • Ethnic tensions between Indonesians and Chinese broke out in violence in Medan and Pematang Siantar in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. While ethnic Indonesians largely wanted independence from the Dutch, they feared that the ethnic Chinese would betray them by siding with the Dutch when the colonial administration would return. ww2dbase [Sumatra | CPC]
3 Oct 1945

Dutch East Indies
  • Teuku Hasan, the governor of Sumatra, Republic of Indonesia, began to stir anti-Dutch sentiments in Sumatra. ww2dbase [Sumatra | CPC]
13 Oct 1945

Dutch East Indies
  • Anti-Dutch tensions broke into violence in Medan, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies. Louis Mountbatten would consider (and soon approve) additional reinforcements for Sumatra. ww2dbase [Medan, Sumatra | CPC]
15 Oct 1945

Dutch East Indies
  • The Pemuda PUSA organization in Aceh, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies took control of the Acehnese youth nationalist movement and declared support for Teungku Daud Beureu'eh's anti-Dutch judicial decision (fatwa). Daud Beureu'eh and three other prominent Islamic scholars had described the uprising against Dutch colonialism as a holy crusade (jihad fi sabilillah). ww2dbase [Aceh, Sumatra | CPC]
25 Oct 1945

Dutch East Indies
  • 4,000 Indian troops of 49th Brigade, under the command of Brigadier General A. W. S. Mallaby, landed at Surabaya, Java and Palembang, Sumatra in the Dutch East Indies, tasked to escort recently liberated prisoners of war. They entered the city from the north and within 48 hours would secure various positions as far south as the Ngagel Industrial Estate. They faced nationalist fighters armed with everything from bamboo spears to captured Japanese machine guns. ww2dbase [Palembang, Sumatra | CPC]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds

Search WW2DB
Famous WW2 Quote
"Goddam it, you'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me!"

Captain Henry P. Jim Crowe, Guadalcanal, 13 Jan 1943


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!