BATTLE OF SURABAYA

On 10 November, Indonesia celebrates Hari Pahlawan or Heroes

Day in remembrance of the Battle of Surabaya which started on that
very date in the year 1945. The bloody battle took place because
Indonesians refused to surrender their weaponry to British army.
British Army at that time was part of the Allied Forces. The defiant
Bung Tomo is the well-known revolutionary leader who played a very
important role in this battle.

It all started because of a misunderstanding between British troops

in Jakarta and those in Surabaya, under the command of Brigadier
A.W.WS. Mallaby. Brigadier Mallaby already had an agreement with
Governor of East Java Mr. Surya. The agreement stated that British
would not ask Indonesian troops and militia to surrender their
weapons.

However, a British plane from Jakarta dropped leaflets all over

Surabaya. The leaflet told Indonesians to do otherwise on 27 October
1945. This action angered the Indonesian troops and militia leaders
because they felt betrayed.

On 30 October 1945, Brigadier Mallaby was killed as he was

approaching the British troops’ post near Jembatan Merah or Red
Bridge, Surabaya. There were many reports about the death, but it
was widely believed that the Brigadier was murdered by Indonesian
militia. Looking at this situation, Lieutenant General Sir Philip
Christison brought in reinforcements to siege the city.

In the early morning of 10 November 1945, British troops began

to advance into Surabaya with cover from both naval and air
bombardment. Although the Indonesians defended the city heroically,
the city was conquered within 3 days and the whole battle lasted for 3
weeks. In total, between 6,000 and 16,000 Indonesians died while
casualties on the British side were about 600 to 2000.

Battle of Surabaya caused Indonesia to lose weaponry which

hampered the country’s independence struggle. However, the battle
provoked Indonesian and international mass to rally for the country’s
independence which made this battle especially important for
Indonesian national revolution.

Task 2: Answer the following questions briefly based on the text

above.

Tugas 2: Jawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan berikut dengan singkat

berdasarkan teks di atas.

1. What is the passage about?

The passage is about the battle of Surabaya.

1. Tentang apakah teks itu? Teks itu tentang pertempuran Surabaya.

2. When did the battle take place?

10 November 1945.

2. Kapan pertempuran itu terjadi? 10 November 1945.

3. Where did it happen?

It happened in Surabaya.

3. Di mana itu terjadi? Itu terjadi di Surabaya.

4. What caused the battle? Draw a diagram that shows

chronologically the events that led to the battle.

4. Apa yang menyebabkan pertempuran? Gambarlah diagram yang

menunjukkan secara kronologis peristiwa yang menyebabkan
pertempuran.

5. What do think about the Indonesian military power compared to

that of the British army at that time?

The British Army was more powerful and modern, and had more
complete weaponry. Surabaya was attacked from the sea, land, and
air.

5. Apa pendapat Anda tentang kekuatan militer Indonesia

dibandingkan dengan tentara Inggris pada waktu itu? Tentara Inggris
lebih kuat dan modern, dan lebih lengkap persenjataan. Surabaya
diserang dari laut, darat, dan udara.
6. What made the Indonesians dare to face the British army military
aggression?

The spirit to defend the country’s independence encouraged

Indonesian freedom fighters to fight the aggressors.

6. Apa yang membuat orang Indonesia berani menghadapi agresi

militer tentara Inggris? Semangat untuk mempertahankan
kemerdekaan negara mendorong orang Indonesia pejuang
kemerdekaan untuk melawan agresor.

7. Did the Indonesian lose or win the battle? Why do you think so?

Indonesia lost the battle because the number of victims or casualties

in Indonesian side is bigger, and Surabaya was finally occupied by the
British Army

7. Apakah orang Indonesia kalah atau memenangkan pertempuran?

Mengapa menurut Anda begitu? Indonesia kalah dalam pertempuran
karena jumlah korban atau korban di pihak Indonesia lebih besar, dan
Surabaya akhirnya ditempati oleh Tentara Inggris.

8. How did the battle influence the national revolution at that time?

The battle provoked Indonesian and international community to rally

to support the independence movement of Indonesia.

8. Bagaimana pertempuran mempengaruhi revolusi nasional pada

waktu itu? Pertempuran itu memicu komunitas Indonesia dan
internasional untuk bergabung mendukung gerakan kemerdekaan
Indonesia.
9. Who was the prominent figure in the battle? What did he do?

Bung Tomo invigorated the freedom fighters to bravely fight the

British Army

9. Siapa tokoh terkemuka dalam pertempuran? Apa yang dia lakukan?

Bung Tomo menyegarkan pejuang kebebasan untuk berani melawan
Tentara Inggris

10.Indonesia had gone through many battles. Why do you think the
date of the Battle of Surabaya is used as a momentum to
commemorate our hero’s contribution?

The Battle of Surabaya was fierce and bloody. The freedom fighters
and people fought hand in hand till death heroically and many died in
the battle. To commemorate their sacrifice, the day when the battle
took place was commemorated as the Heroes Day

10. Indonesia telah melalui banyak pertempuran. Menurut Anda

mengapa tanggal Pertempuran Surabaya digunakan sebagai
momentum untuk memperingati kontribusi pahlawan kita?
Pertempuran Surabaya sengit dan berdarah. Para pejuang
kemerdekaan dan orang-orang berjuang bergandengan tangan
sampai mati secara heroik dan banyak yang mati dalam pertempuran
itu. Untuk memperingati pengorbanan mereka, hari di mana
pertempuran itu berlangsung diperingati sebagai Hari Pahlawan

11.Describe in one word the Indonesians who defended their city at

that time.

Heroic, or courageous, or fearless, patriotic, brave, etc

11. Jelaskan dalam satu kata orang Indonesia yang mempertahankan
kota mereka pada waktu itu. Heroik, atau berani, atau tak kenal
takut, patriotik, berani, dll

12.Do you think that the information in the text is clear?

Apakah menurut Anda informasi dalam teks ini jelas?

13.Have you read other texts that tell about similar events? What are
they?

Pernahkah Anda membaca teks lain yang menceritakan tentang

peristiwa serupa? Apakah mereka?