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 the British army. The 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 the 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.
The 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
 The proclamation of Indonesian independence was read at 10.00 a.m. on Friday, 17
August 1945. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of the
Indonesian National Revolution, fighting against the forces of the Netherlands and proDutch
civilians, until the latter officially acknowledged Indonesia's independence in 1949. In 2005,
the Netherlands declared that they had decided to accept de facto 17 August 1945 as
Indonesia's independence date. In a 2013 interview the Indonesian historian Sukotjo, amongst
others, asked the Dutch government to formally acknowledge the date of independence as 17
August 1945. The United Nations, who mediated in the conflict, formally acknowledged the
date of independence as 27 December 1949.
The document was signed by Sukarno (who signed his name "Soekarno" using the
older Dutch orthography) and Mohammad Hatta, who were appointed president and vice
president respectively the following day.
The draft was prepared only a few hours earlier, on the night of 16 August, by
Sukarno, Hatta, and Soebardjo, at Rear-Admiral Maeda (Minoru) Tadashi's house, Miyako-
Dori 1, Jakarta (now the "Museum of the Declaration of Independence", JL. Imam Bonjol I,
Jakarta). The original Indonesian Declaration of Independence was typed by Sayuti Melik.
Maeda himself was sleeping in his room upstairs. He was agreeable to the idea of Indonesia's
independence, and had lent his house for the drafting of the declaration. Marshal Terauchi,
the highest-ranking Japanese leader in South East Asia and son of Prime Minister Terauchi
Masatake, was however against Indonesia's independence, scheduled for 24 August.
While the formal preparation of the declaration, and the official independence itself
for that matter, had been carefully planned a few months earlier, the actual declaration date
was brought forward almost inadvertently as a consequence of the Japanese unconditional
surrender to the Allies on 15 August following the Nagasaki atomic bombing. The historic
event was triggered by a plot, led by a few more radical youth activists such as Adam Malik
and Chairul Saleh, that put pressure on Sukarno and Hatta to proclaim independence
immediately. The declaration was to be signed by the 27 members of the Preparatory
Committee for Indonesian Independence (PPKI) symbolically representing the new nation's
diversity. The particular act was apparently inspired by a similar spirit of the United States
Declaration of Independence. However, the idea was heavily turned down by the radical
activists mentioned earlier, arguing that the committee was too closely associated with then
soon to be defunct Japanese occupation rule, thus creating a potential credibility issue.
Instead, the radical activists demanded that the signatures of six of them were to be put on the
document. All parties involved in the historical moment finally agreed on a compromise
solution which only included Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta as the cosigners in the name of
the nation of Indonesia.
Sukarno had initially wanted the declaration to be read at Ikada Plain, the large open
field in the centre of Jakarta, but due to unfounded widespread apprehension over the
possibility of Japanese sabotage, the venue was changed to Sukarno's house at Pegangsaan
Timur 56. There was no concrete evidence for the growing suspicions, as the Japanese had
already surrendered to the Allies, the declaration of independence passed without a hitch.
The proclamation at 56, Jalan Pegangsaan Timur, Jakarta, was heard throughout the
country because the text was secretly broadcast by Indonesian radio personnel using the
transmitters of the JAKARTA Hoso Kyoku radio station. An English translation of the
proclamation was broadcast overseas.
 The Dutch established The Dutch East India Company (known as the
VOC) in 1602. In that year, the Dutch parliament awarded the VOC a monopoly
on trade and colonial activities in the region at a time before the company
controlled any territory in Java. The Dutch governor-general Jan Pieterszoon
Coen arrived on Java and established Batavia (now Jakarta) as the Dutch
headquarters. Jan Pieterszoon Coen tried to stop the inter-island network of
traders from engaging in international trade. To gain a trade monopoly, the
company allowed cloves to be grown only on the island of Ambon and nutmeg
and mace to be grown only in the Banda Islands. The company destroyed the
spice trees in other places.
In 1619, the VOC conquered the West Javan city of Jayakarta, where
they founded the city of Batavia (present-day Jakarta). The VOC became deeply
involved in the internal politics of Java in this period, and fought in a number of
wars involving the leaders of Mataram and Banten. Following bankruptcy, the
VOC was formally dissolved in 1800, and the government of the Netherlands
established the Dutch East Indies as a nationalized colony. By the early 20th
century Dutch dominance extended to what was to become Indonesia's current
boundaries. The Japanese invasion and subsequent occupation during WWII
ended the Dutch rule and encouraged the previously suppressed Indonesian
independence movement. Two days after the surrender of Japan in August
1945, nationalist leader, Sukarno, declared independence and was appointed
president.The Dutch established The Dutch East India Company (known as the
VOC) in 1602. In that year, the Dutch parliament awarded the VOC a monopoly
on trade and colonial activities in the region at a time before the company
controlled any territory in Java. The Dutch governor-general Jan Pieterszoon
Coen arrived on Java and established Batavia (now Jakarta) as the Dutch
headquarters. Jan Pieterszoon Coen tried to stop the inter-island network of
traders from engaging in international trade. To gain a trade monopoly, the
company allowed cloves to be grown only on the island of Ambon and nutmeg
and mace to be grown only in the Banda Islands. The company destroyed the
spice trees in other places. In 1619, the VOC conquered the West Javan city of
Jayakarta, where they founded the city of Batavia (present-day Jakarta). The
VOC became deeply involved in the internal politics of Java in this period, and
fought in a number of wars involving the leaders of Mataram and Banten.
Following bankruptcy, the VOC was formally dissolved in 1800, and the
government of the Netherlands established the Dutch East Indies as a
nationalized colony. By the early 20th century Dutch dominance extended to
what was to become Indonesia's current boundaries. The Japanese invasion and
subsequent occupation during WWII ended the Dutch rule and encouraged the
previously suppressed Indonesian independence movement. Two days after the
surrender of Japan in August 1945, nationalist leader, Sukarno, declared
independence and was appointed president.

The Battle of Arafura Sea, also known as the Battle of Vlakke Hoek, was
a naval battle in the Vlakke Hoek Bay (Etna Bay) of the Arafura Sea in Western
New Guinea on January 15, 1962 between Indonesia and the Netherlands.
The battle stopped an attempt by the Indonesian Navy to drop off 150
soldiers in Kaimana in Dutch New Guinea for sabotage and to incite the local
population against the Dutch government. Commodore Yos Sudarso was in
charge of the operation at sea, while colonel Murshid commanded the infiltrants
(people who were involved in the operation). Three Indonesian torpedo boats
left the Aru Islands in the middle of the night but were intercepted near the New
Guinea coast by a Dutch Neptune reconnaissance plane, as the Dutch had
anticipated the action for weeks. The torpedo boats responded to the flares sent
off by the plane by shooting at it. The Dutch destroyer HNLMS Evertsen then
joined the scene and sank the KRI Matjan Tutul, commanded by Sudarso. The
other two ships, KRI Matjan Kumbang and KRI Harimau, fled, but one hit a
reef and the other was disabled by shooting. The Evertsen was able to save most
occupants of the Matjan Tutul, but at least three sailors died, among whom was
commodore Sudarso.
The Indonesian action itself was an abject failure and General Nasution
even refused to relay the bad news to Sukarno, forcing colonel Murshid to do
this in person. However, the small battle was partially responsible for the
subsequent involvement of the Soviet Union and United States in the Western
New Guinea dispute, and it is honored in Indonesia by "Ocean Duty Day" (Hari
Dharma Samudera), an annual nationwide day of remembrance. Twelve years
after his death, Yos Sudarso was officially added to the register of Indonesian
heroes of the Revolution, while the KRI Harimau was made into a monument at
the Purna Bhakti Pertiwi museum in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah.
 On August 14,1945, Japan surrendered unconditionally to the Allies. The
news was kept secret by the Japanese army in Indonesia, but Sutan Syahrir, the
youth of Indonesia, knew it through the BBC Radio Broadcasts in London on
August 15,1945. At the same time, Ir. Soekarno and Drs. Moh Hatta returned to
Indonesia from Saigon, Vietnam.
On August 15, at 8 p.m., under the leadership of Chairul Saleh, younger
groups and older groups gathered in the backroom Bacteriology Laboratory
which is located in Jalan Pegangsaaan Timur number 13, Jakarta. The younger
group argued that Indonesia must declare their independence immediately. But
the older group didn’t agree. Because of that, independence should be discussed
on PPKI meeting on August 18, 1945.
Because there was a different opinion between older groups and younger
groups, younger groups brought Soekarno and Hatta to Rengasdengklok in the
early morning of August 16, 1945. Rengasdengklok was chosen because it was
located away from Jakarta. Younger groups tried to push Soekarno and Hatta to
declare Indonesia Independence.
After a long discussion, Soekarno was willing to declare it after returning
to Jakarta. At that moment in Jakarta, Wikana from younger groups and Ahmad
Soebarjo from older groups made negotiations. The result was that the
declaration of Indonesia Independence should be held in Jakarta. In addition,
Tadashi Maeda allowed his place for negotiations and he was willing to
guarantee their safety. Finally, Soekarno and Hatta were picked from
Rengasdengklok.
Text of Proclamation of Indonesia Independence formulated by Soekarno,
Hatta, and Ahmad Subarjo. Once the text was completed and approved, Sajuti
Melik then copied and typed the manuscript using a typewriter.
At first the Proclamation of Indonesia Independence would be read at
Ikada Field. But looking at the road to the Ikada Field was guarded by the
Japanese army. Finally they moved to residence of Soekarno at Jalan
Pegangsaan Timur number 56 Jakarta.
On the day of Friday, August 17 1945, Soekarno read the Proclamation
of Indonesia Independence text and then connected with a short speech without
text. After that, Latif Hendra Ningrat and Soehoed was fluttering the flag which
had been sewn by Mrs. Fatmawati. Then the audience sang Indonesia Raya song
together.
 Japan and the allies of US were involved in the Pacific War. This war
was a part of the world War II that happened in the Pacific areas. Pacific War
was begun with an amphibious by Imperial Japanese army on the northeast
coast of British Malaya. Other attacks by Japanese forces across the Pacific
followed in rapid succession, the largest of them aimed at American naval base
at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attacks of Japanese army were spreading to other
areas around the Pacific, such as the South West Pacific, Southeast Asia, and
China.
After months of brutal war in the Pacific, US army decided to pull a
massive attack on Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two cities were
chosen as targets after exhaustive study by military specialists. This attack was
done in order to void the loss also to force the Japanese to surrender.
On August 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber named Enola Gay loaded
with a devastating of thousands of weapons, known as "Little Boy” took off
from North Field of Tinian of the Mariana Island with Hiroshima as their target.
When the bomber reached Hiroshima, they found the weather conditions to be
ideal. At 08:15 local time, from an altitude of 9,855 meters, "Little Boy” was
released. The bomb was originally aimed the Aioi Bridge, but the wind it off
course and detonated directly over Shima Surgical Clinic. The resulting blast of
"Little Boy” was measured at 13 kilotons of TNT, reducing an area of one mile
in radius to ruin. About 70,000 to 80,000 people were killed immediately.
Not enough with bombing Hiroshima, US army planned to bomb another
city. The second bombing was originally planned to be the city of Kokura,
which housed a major my arsenal, on August 11. The schedule was moved up to
August 9 due to predicted bad weather. The second bombing used B-29 bomber
Bockscar which brought "Fat Man” atomic bomb. Unlike the Hiroshima
bombing, "Fat Man" was already armed when the bomber took off. This
concerned the commander, Major Charles Sweeney as it meant that a big jolt
might detonates the bomb.
As the Bockscar began its approach toward Kokura, it was 70% cloud
covered. He was ordered that the bombardier must be able to visually identify
the target point before easing the bomb, thus he made three runs over Kokura,
expending the precious fuel that be had little of. All three runs failed to give him
the chance to properly identify the target. He then made the decision to go for
the secondary target, Nagasaki. At 11:01, "Fat Man" b was released at the
altitude of 469 meters. The resulting blast was much greater than Little Boy".
About 40,000 to 75,000 people were immediately killed by the explosion valent
to the detonation of 21 kilotons of TNT, and everything within 1 kilometre from
the Ground Zero was reduced to total ruin.