The Yogyakarta and Surakarta Offensive (Indonesian: ''Serangan Oemoem'') were two major offensives during the

Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution, or the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during Aftermath of WWII, postw ...

. The offensive started with

General Offensive of 1 March 1949 The General Offensive of 1 March 1949 ( id, Serangan Umum 1 Maret 1949) was a military offensive during the Indonesian National Revolution where the city of Yogyakarta was held by Indonesian troops for six hours. This played an important role ...

and the

Siege of Surakarta The siege of Surakarta was a military campaign during the Indonesian National Revolution. The Indonesian Republican forces ( TNI) briefly infiltrated the city of Surakarta (also known as Solo) before being repulsed by Dutch special forces (RST) ...

. Each proved a major boast for the morale of the TNI despite major defeats in both actions.

General Offensive of 1 March 1949

In early 1949, Hamengkubuwono IX conceived the idea of a major offensive to be launched against

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...

and the Dutch troops occupying it. The purpose of this offensive was to show to the world that

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

still existed and that it was not ready to surrender. The Offensive caught the Dutch by surprise. For his part, Hamengkubuwono IX allowed his palace to be used as a hide out for the troops. For 6 hours, the Indonesian troops had control of Yogyakarta before finally retreating. The offensive was a moral success, inspiring demoralized troops all around Indonesia. The battle contributed to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

call for the release of Indonesian political prisoners under the Dutch and considerably successful in showing the world the Indonesian struggles still exist. In 29 June 1949, the Dutch later withdrew from Yogyakarta after pressure from the United Nations.

Surakarta insurgency

The Indonesian officers and Pakubuwono XII, strategically planned to use the opportunity before the ceasefire announced by Sudirman, to gain position and seize the enemy's position in Surakarta. The attack was directly supported by Pakubuwono XII by hiding several Indonesian troops in his palace. The planned attack was intended to let the Dutch know that Indonesia still had fangs. The Dutch were shocked by this attack, and ended with the failure of the Royal Dutch Army to defend Surakarta, shaking the confidence of the Dutch Parliament in the performance of its troops. This forced the Dutch prime minister to accommodate the demands of the Indonesian delegation as a condition before they were willing to attend the Round Table Conference.

Aftermath

This last battle of the RST showed again the qualitative superiority of the KST/RST on the Indonesian nationalist fighters. The leader of the raid on Surakarta on August 7, 1949 was Lieutenant Colonel Slamet Riyadi. To commemorate this event, the main street of the city of Surakarta was renamed "Brigadier General Slamet Riyadi Street".

References

{{Indonesian National Revolution Conflicts in 1949 Indonesian National Revolution 1949 in Indonesia