Battle of Manado


The Battle of Manado took place as part of the Japanese offensive to capture the Dutch East Indies. It occurred at Manado on the Minahasa Peninsula on the northern part of Celebes Island, from 11–12 January 1942. The battle was noted as the first time in Japanese history that the country had deployed paratroopers in a military operation.

Background

Minahasa's strategic value

Even though the Minahasa Peninsula does not contain any raw materials or strategic technical installations, its military value remained essential. The sheltered bays of Manado and Lake Tondano provide good bases for seaplanes, as Dutch forces established a Naval Base on the southeast side of Tondano Lake, near Tasoeka. A seaplane base was also established on the southern part of the Lake, near Kakas.
Aside from that, Dutch forces also constructed two airfields nearby. At the Kalawiran village near Langoan, the Menado II/Langoan Airfield was established. When the war broke out, Manado I Airfield, located just east of Manado City at Mapanget, was still under construction.

Japanese invasion plan

As part of Japan's plan to conquer the Netherlands East Indies, particularly the island of Java, air support from southern Sumatra, Kuching, Banjarmasin, Makassar and Kendari was required. Beforehand, however, in order to set up the aforementioned aerial support, specifically in southern Celebes and Banjarmasin, relay fields in Manado, Tarakan and Balikpapan had to be conquered as well.
The seizure of Manado was outlined as part of Japan's Eastern Offensive prong to capture the Dutch East Indies. Responsibility for conducting attacks on this prong falls to the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Order of battle

Japan

Ground forces

Naval units

Netherlands

Ground forces

Dutch plans

The Dutch defense plan for Manado consists of:
  • Defend against a coup de main by the Japanese force
  • Putting up a stiff resistance against the enemy landing; If the fight had led to the destruction of most of the troops, proceed to conduct a guerrilla fight
  • Defense of the Tasoeka naval airbase and Langoan airfield
  • Monitoring of a northern landing area West of the Ajermadidih -Tateloe road
Between May 1940 and December 1941, the Dutch forces in Manado made necessary defense preparation. These preparations consisted of establishing several monitoring services, to which 2 Reserve Corps companies were assigned to conduct these services. In addition, the Dutch also worked to construct several defensive positions. However, due to limited funding, few of these positions were completed by the time the Pacific war broke out.
By 8 December 1941, Schillmöller arranged his troops to be stationed in these positions:
  • Combined Force of Compagnie Menado, Stadswacht Menado and Landstorm Compagnie, one machine gun section and one 75 mm field gun based in Manado. If the Force failed to defend against the enemy landing on the beach, they must delay their advance from Manado to Tomohon via the defense preparations in Tinoor and Kakaskasen
  • A brigade of Radema's A Company stationed at Ajermadidih, with another two brigades stationed at Kema.
  • A Mobile Colonne of 6 trucks mounted with the three 37 mm guns and 4 RK brigades in Poso stationed to defend Lake Tondano
  • An RK brigade at Tasoeka Naval Base
  • An RK brigade, Command of the defense of Lake Tondano and Langoan Airfield stationed at Kakas Seaplane Base
  • 3 RK brigade and an overvalwagen at Langoan Airfield
  • A section of the KV Company stationed in Kakas stationed as reserve
  • KV Company stationed in Langoan as reserve
  • Staff of Schillmöller's Command with an RK company based in Tomohon
For the defense of Langoan airfield and Kakas Seaplane Base, Schillmöller established the Tactical Command Kakas, under the command of Captain W.C. van den Berg. Van den Berg had the available forces at his disposal:
  • Command Post at Kakas
  • Airfield defense by Reserve Korp D-Company under 1st. Lt. J.B. Wielinga:
  • * 1,5 brigade of C-Company as reserve under Wielinga, stationed at his command post in Langoan village
  • * 3,5 brigades of C-Company and the overvalwagen were stationed at Langoan airfield under Sgt-Maj. H.J. Robbemond
  • Seaplane base defense by six brigades of Reserve Korps' C-Company under 1st. Lt. H. Fuchter, supported by the Mobile Colonne
  • Two overvalwagens under of Sgt.-Maj. A.J. ter Voert placed as reserve in Kakas
Finally, to accommodate the guerrilla plan, nine underground warehouses were built to store supplies that will be needed during the action. Remaining Dutch troops will be divided into six sections, where each were assigned to a specific warehouse. The sections are:
  1. Compagnie Menado with European Militia
  2. KV Company with E-Company RK
  3. A company RK
  4. B-company RK
  5. C-company RK.
  6. D-company RK.

    Japanese plans

The Eastern Attack Unit was assigned as the Japanese fleet tasked with capturing Menado. Even though Rear-Adm. Takeo Takagi commanded this force, he left the operation details to Rear-Adm. Raizō Tanaka. The battle plan intends for the Sasebo Combined Landing Force, as well as the Yokosuka 1st Special Naval Landing Force as a paratrooper unit.

Sasebo Combined Special Landing Force

The Sasebo Combined Special Landing Force's mission for the upcoming battle consisted of:
  • Landing at both coasts on the north and south of Manado, envelop the Dutch forces in the town and destroy them, after which they shall leave Menado and advance towards the Kakas Base via Tomohon
  • Landing at Kema and advance towards Tondano lake and Kakas airfield via Ajermadidih
  • Together with the 1st Yokosuka Special Landing Force, which shall drop on the airfield, make a pincer attack on the Dutch forces in the airfield from the east and the west
  • After destroying the Dutch forces in these areas, they shall reassemble in Manado, and prepare for the coming operation to seize Kendari
The Sasebo Force will depart Davao on 9 January, and the land in the early hours of the 11th.

1st Yokosuka Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF)

The 1st Yokosuka SNLF, in conjunction with the Sasebo Force, will carry out a paradrop operation on the enemy airfield at 09:30 A.M. on 11 January with the support of the fighters of the 1st Air Raid Unit. Their objectives are to seize Langoan airfield and the Kakas Seaplane Base, two facilities that will support subsequent Japanese operations for the Dutch East Indies campaign.
The distribution of tasks and actions of each unit, are:
DistributionNo. of personnelMission
1st Drop Group334 paratroopers
Carry out a paradrop on the Langoan airfield on 11 January. Afterwards, the group will be split into two forces:
1. 1st Company will capture the airfield.
2. The 2nd Company and the rest of the force will seize the Kakas seaplane base.
2nd Drop Group173 paratroopersCarry out a paradrop on the Langoan airfield on 12 January.
Kema Unit169 soldiersLeave Davao on the Katsuragi Maru on 6 January.
Upon landing in Kema, they will transport war supplies, before joining the main body.
Tondano Lake Unit22 soldiers
Leave Davao on 11 January on Kawanishi H6K "Mavis" flying boats.
On landing in Lake Tondano, they will join the main body and receive orders.
Menado Unit64 soldiersLeave Davao as separately designated, and transport war supplies.
Afterwards, they will join the main body and receive orders.

The Mitsubishi G3M transport aircraft of the 1st Yokosuka SNLF would fly with an interval of between each company. Carrying 12 paras and seven cargo containers each, 10 planes will carry the 1st Drop Group, while 8 will carry the 2nd Group. The drops would occur at an altitude of and at a speed of.

The battle

Landing on Manado (1st Force)

Following the sighting of Japanese transport ships on 10 January, Schillmöller immediately garrisoned the troops in their quarters as planned. He also ordered Capt. Kroon's Combined Force to occupy the Manado coastlines and guard it against possible landings. On Kroon's left flank, in the Sario District, he placed Masselink's European Militia, while Lt. de Man's Stadswacht dig in on the right. Engineers are placed on standby, waiting for the order to destroy vital installations; NCOs and members of local government were also informed of the looming Japanese landing.
Mori's 1st Sasebo Force landed on the northern and southern coast of Manado at 04:00 A.M on 11 January. Upon hearing reports about the landing, Kroon's Compagnie Menado immediately withdrew to the rear positions at Pineleng and Tinoör, without knowing what is happening on the beach, as Mori's troops overrun the 75 mm gun that was firing at the landing boats. Yet they also ran into stout opposition from Masselink's militias, forcing them to bring all their automatic fire to bear. Japanese pressure forced Masselink to withdraw to Pineleng, only to find that the 1st Force had bypassed them into the town at 05:00, pressing him to move further southward.
When Kroon's troops arrived half an hour later, Mori's troops forced him to withdraw southward along the Manado-Tomohon road to Roeroekan. When Masselink reported his positions to Schillmöller, he ordered him occupy the bridge at Pineleng instead, even though Japanese troops had already occupied it. Masselink eventually continued the retreat, reaching Tinoör by 07:00. After battling the Combined Force, Mori's 1st Force occupied Manado by 08:30. As reports of the landing began to come in, Schillmöller sent 5 RK brigades under Lt. van de Laar in Tomohon to Tinoör to support the retreating Combined Force. Immediately after capturing Manado, Mori advance southward to Tomohon at 09:45, bypassing the Dutch line of retreat.
Soon, Schillmöller pulled three brigades from van de Laar's force back to Tomohon to reinforce the town against a false intelligence about Japanese landing in Tanahwangko, further west of Manado. Despite this withdrawal, van de Laar was reinforced by stragglers from Compagnie Menado and an overvalwagen as well as Stadswacht troops under Lt. de Man. To provide protection against Japanese tanks, Dutch troops swiftly cut down a heavy tree that will fall on the road the moment the tanks came. As Mori's vanguard of four Type 95 tanks approached the town at 10:30, the falling tree and concentrated machine gun fire knocked out three of them and repel Mori's troops. van de Laar's troops hold on to Tinoor until about noon, when the shortage of ammunition forced them back to Kakaskasen.
Now supported by overvalwagens, van de Laar set up a new defensive position just north of Kakaskasen. 1st Force engaged them again at 16:00, but Dutch troops managed to stem their advance and caused substantial casualties before retreating again. Yet, since Mori continues to bypass them, once the Dutch arrived in Tomohon, they found themselves immediately fighting the 1st Force. The Combined Force attempted a defense against the Japanese advance, but they could not stop Mori from seizing Tomohon by 19:30. van de Laar's troops moved eastwards to Roeroekan, arriving at 22:00. By morning of the 12th, Mori advanced to Langoan Airfield by way of Tomohon to Kawangkoan. By 12:30, his troops established contact with the 1st Yokosuka paras and arrived at Langoan and Kakas at 14:00. Dutch forces had, by then, retreated to Amoerang further west, while blowing up bridges and warehouses, making no attempts of counterattack in the meantime.