Jakarta, IDM – It was twelve noon when Indonesia Defense Magazine visited the Mandala Wangsit Siliwangi Museum on Jl. Lembong, Bandung. We wanted to trace the journey of the famous Siliwangi Division through the Museum’s collections.
“The Mandala Wangsit Siliwangi Museum used to be the home of a Dutch officer. Later, it was taken over by the Japanese to be used as a hiding place. After Indonesia’s independence, the house was used as the headquarters for the Siliwangi Division and has now changed its function to become a museum,” said Major General Kunto Ari Wibowo, who was the Commander of the Military Regional Command (Kodam) III Siliwangi at the time of our interview.
Oih Solihudin, a guide specially assigned by Kunto, welcomed and accompanied us at the Museum. We started exploring the historical building by browsing the Museum collections from pre-independence, independence and post-independence eras. In the pre-independence period (1918-1944), the Museum displays weapons of the kings and prominent figures in West Java, such as badik, kujang and keris. It also has kentongan and beduk, which were used to gather people and communicate specific signals.
The 1945 independence collections display various weapons confiscated from the Japanese, such as takidanto knee mortars and land mines called bom batok. The first red-and-white Indonesian flag ever hoisted in Bandung can also be seen in this museum.
In the post-independence era (1945- 1949), historical objects, including those belonging to the legendary Siliwangi Division, are displayed in the Museum. The Siliwangi Troop is one of the People’s Security Army divisions formed after Indonesia’s independence. A tiger or “maung” symbolizes the troop, because of its strength, while the name “Siliwangi” is taken from the name of King Padjadjaran, Prabu Siliwangi.
The Siliwangi Division was formed on May 20, 1946, with Colonel A.H. Nasution being its first commander. This division was established to accommodate three divisions in West Java: Division-I, covering the Banten and Bogor Residencies (with a headquarters in Serang), Division-II including Jakarta and Cirebon Residencies (with a headquarters in Linggarjati), and Division-III including Priangan Residency (with a headquarters in Bandung).
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The Museum exhibits traces of the struggle of the Siliwangi Troop, with various objects used as weapons to fight the enemy, such as arrows and sharpened bamboo “bambu runcing”. The average length of bambu runcing is about one meter, and the tip is customarily smeared with deadly snake venom. It also displays weapons such as pistols that the Siliwangi Troop confiscated from occupiers.
The history of the Siliwangi Troop’s struggle began at the battle of Bojongkokosan, Sukabumi, on December 9, 1945. At that time, the Siliwangi platoon, consisting of community troops, such as Hisbullah, Fisabilillah, Barisan Benteng and Pesindo, barricaded a convoy of the Allied Prisoners of War and Internees (APWI ), which was in charge of sending and repatriating prisoners of war. The convoy consisted of hundreds of trucks escorted by Stuart tanks, three units of Thunderbolt aircraft and one Mosquito aircraft.
In the battle of Bojongkokosan, around 50 Allied soldiers were killed and 100 injured. Indonesia lost 28 heroes. “To commemorate the bravery of Indonesian heroes in the Bojongkokosan Battle, the Palagan Bojongkokosan Museum was built. The date of the battle was also named “Siliwangi Fighting Day”. We did not call it “West Java Fighting Day” because there is a saying that Siliwangi are the people of West Java, while the remainder of the Javanese are people “West of Siliwangi,” explained Oih.
The battle of Bojongkokosan led to another event, Bandung Lautan Api or Bandung Sea of Fire, which is depicted in a painting displayed at the Museum. “This painting portrays the Bandung Sea of Fire from the Baleendah highland. It was painted by Ndang Karmas, a soldier of the Student Republic of Indonesia Army (TRIP). After the Proclamation of Independence, he left the military and became a professor at ITB in the Fine Arts Department. He donated almost 90 percent of the paintings in this museum, based on the events he experienced and stories he heard from soldiers,” said Oih.
The Bandung Sea of Fire represented an event when the people and the Siliwangi soldiers burned the city of Bandung, to prevent its occupation by Allied troops and NICA, which delivered an ultimatum to the Indonesian Government to vacate Bandung before midnight on March 24, 1946, and to retreat at least 11 km.
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During its journey, the Siliwangi Division moved from West Java to Yogyakarta, following the conclusion of the Renville Agreement on January 17, 1948, stipulating the territory between Indonesia and the Netherlands colony, which was divided by a demarcation called the “Van Mook Line”. Indonesian soldiers would retreat from areas controlled by the Dutch: West Java and East Java.
The trace of the Siliwangi Troop’s journey from West Java to Yogyakarta can be seen on a relief map of Java Island, a heirloom also exhibited in the Museum. The soldiers took two routes, by land and by sea. When taking the sea route, they had to make a detour through Rembang, since Semarang was still under enemy control. “To keep up their spirits during an arduous journey, they entertained themselves by singing, which led to the creation of the Siliwangi March. ‘Oh, oh, beginilah nasibnya serdadu, diosol-osol dan diadu-adu…’ (This is the fate of soldiers, persuaded and fought against),” Oih sang a line from the song while explaining it significance.
Defeating the Rebels and Long Marching from Yogyakarta to Bandung
After ten months in Yogyakarta – then the nation’s capital – the Siliwangi Division soldiers showcased their power again. They were assigned to defeat the Musso rebels in Madiun. “They were ordered to attack the Musso contingent within 14 days, and thanks to of their outstanding force, they seized control Madiun in just eight days, and Musso was shot dead,” Oih recounted.
However, before they had time to celebrate the victory, several Dutch jet fighters unexpectedly attacked Yogyakarta, on Sunday morning, December 19, 1948. The Dutch had broken the Renville Agreement; this event came to be known as the Dutch Military Aggression II.
This turn of events forced the Siliwangi Division soldiers to retreat to West Java, as ordered by Commander-in-Chief General Soedirman. They long- marched back to their home towns – a 600-kilometer journey; along the way, fighters struggled with hunger, disease, harassment from Dutch soldiers, and terrors from the DI/TII rebellion, led by Sukarmadji Marijan Kartosuwiryo.
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The DI/TII rebellion occurred in Bandung when Siliwangi soldiers moved to Yogyakarta. It proclaimed the Islamic state of Indonesia and prepared to defend its state apparatus. At first, the DI/TII rebellion was considered a ploy to continue the proclamation of independence. However, that was not the case. The DI/TII fought the Republic of Indonesia in addition to fighting the Dutch. “The hostility was confirmed by the attacks on Siliwangi Division soldiers who were on a long march,” said Oih.
When they arrived in West Java, the Siliwangi Troop immediately confronted the DI/TII rebels. Colonel A.H. Nasution ordered the Pagar Betis Operation, in which the military soldiers who were assisted by the people, sieged the DI/TII rebel bases. “One of the aims of this operation was to curb DI/TII movement. The locals actively helped the Armed Forces by building defense posts around the mountain,” explained Oih while showing collections of photos, clothes and flags of the DI/TII rebels.
In this operation, DI/TII leader Kartosuwiryo was captured on Mount Geber on June 4, 1962. Kartosuwiryo had fallen ill during his attempted escape and was arrested without resistance. “He was carried in an ambulance called “Si Gajah”. The ambulance was assembled by the Chevrolet Karoseri General Motor Jakarta factory. Now, it is parked in front of the Museum,” said Oih.
After the defeat of DI/TII, a number of Siliwangi battalions were sent outside the West Java area to help defeat DI/TII Kahar Muzakkar, RMS and PRRI-Permesta. The Siliwangi Division has now changed its name to Military Regional Command (Kodam) III Siliwangi, with Major General Erwin Djatniko as its current Commander. The Kodam III Siliwangi covers the Banten and West Java areas, with the main function of territorial development. Its tasks include enforcing law, discipline and order for military personnel and military civil servants in West Java and Banten. (Ricardo Ronald)