Revolution in the City of Heroes: A Memoir of the Battle that Sparked Indonesia's National Revolution

by Soehario Padmodiwiryo, Frank Palmos (Translation)

In October of 1945, newly liberated from almost four years under brutal Japanese control, the people of Indonesia faced great uncertainty. As the British Army attempted to take control of the city of Surabaya, trying to maintain order and deal with the surrender of Japanese personnel, the actions of the British were interpreted by young residents of the city as a plan to restore colonial rule. In response, the youth took up arms and tried to repel the British force. Holding off British reinforcements for two weeks, they battled tanks and heavy artillery with nothing more than light weapons and sheer audacity. Though eventually defeated, Surabaya’s defenders had set the stage for Indonesia’s national revolution.

Revolution in the City of Heroes is an evocative first-hand account of this popular uprising told by Suhario Padmodiwiryo, who at the time was a twenty-four-year-old Indonesian medical student when his studies were cut short by the arrival of the Japanese. He, in turn, became the deputy commander of the local forces fighting in Surabaya, and he remained in the newly formed Indonesian National Army, rising eventually to the rank of general. Revolution in the City of Heroes vividly portrays the chaotic swirl of events in 1945, which inspired many young people to be ready to sacrifice their lives for a great cause. 
Providing a unique, personal take on this significant moment in Indonesian history, Revolution in the City of Heroes will be of interest to anyone curious about the aftermath of World War II and the development of modern Asia.
 

224 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2016

About the author

Suhario Padmodiwiryo, "Hario Kecik" to his friends and family, was born in Surabaya on 12 May 1921. He began a career in medicine but his studies were cut short by the arrival of the Japanese. After his extraordinary experiences as a Deputy Commander of forces fighting in Surabaya in 1945, he stayed in the newly formed Indonesian National Army, rising eventually to the rank of General. Later placed under house arrest by President Suharto, General Suhario published his memoirs in Indonesian in 1995.

Reviews

[A Raz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells stories about the events leading to the Battle of Surabaya in 1945. All Indonesians learned about them at elementary school, know that 10 November is our "Heroes' Day" and Surabaya is regarded as "The City of Heroes". Alas, most of us do not really comprehend the significance of these events due to our "over-simplified" curriculum.

Suhario was one of the Surabayans that witnessed and took part in the struggle to defend Indonesia's Independence from the Dutch (and the British) military aggression after the 1945 proclamation. Initially a medical student, he was forced to join military training when Japan occupied Indonesia. He and many educated Indonesians in Surabaya first tried diplomatic negotiations to fight for Indonesia's legitimacy after the Japanese left and the allied force won the second world war. Later, they tried military means after diplomatic efforts proven futile. His military training later became really important to him when he and his colleagues formulated strategies to defend Surabaya when the British started its offensive in the city.

We learned that Indonesians fought the aggressors with "bambu runcing" or sharpened bamboo. While technically not incorrect, this statement is misleading. Bambu runcing did not win us our independence. As told in the book, Surabayans raided Japanese armouries to obtain rifles, pistols, machine guns or even heavy weaponries such as anti-aircraft guns, mortars, artilleries and anti-tank guns. Ex-PETA (Defenders of the Homeland) soldiers with military background, albeit not as disciplined as the allies and the Japanese, distributed these guns to other Indonesians, including civilians (referred to as the "kampung people" in the book). Many of these civilians could not handle these weapons properly and due to the limited rationing, most of them still used bambu runcing in the end.

Indonesians gained early victories, thanks to its numerical superiority and the lack of British early intelligence and reconnaissance. But the British learned from this initial setback. Of course, despite numerical superiority, Indonesians did not have the training, experience, morale, and discipline to fight the battle-hardened British troops with air and sea support. In the end, it was a British military victory, but Indonesia won the battle politically. The deaths of hundred of thousands of Indonesians during the battle caused British to be pressured by international community. Finally, the British just gave up and did not want to be involved with the Dutch anymore because it was just too costly.

This biography, albeit still not the historically most accurate book depicting the events leading to the battle, gives a lot of details about the emotion, the spirit, the zeal of "arek-arek Suroboyo" (the youths of Surabaya) in defending the independence of Indonesia. Overall, this book is worth-reading for those interested in Indonesia's history.

[!Tæmbuŝu]

Reviewed by Asian Review of Books

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping read. I can't think of a better book for bringing you into the experience of an urban street-fighting revolution