Operation TRIKORA
Encyclopedia
Operation TRIKORA was an Indonesia
n military operation which aimed to seize and annex the Dutch
overseas territory of Netherlands New Guinea
in 1961 and 1962. As a result, the Netherlands agreed
on 15 August 1962 to hand over Western New Guinea to Indonesia.
became fully independent as Indonesia in December of 1949, the Dutch retained sovereignty over western New Guinea
, and took steps to prepare it for independence as a separate country. After its independence until 1961, Indonesia attempted to gain control of Western New Guinea through the United Nations without success. On 19 December 1961, Indonesia's President Sukarno
announced that Indonesia would annex the territory by force.
On 15 January 1962 the infiltration phase of Operation TRIKORA began with three Indonesian motor torpedo boats attempting to land troops on the south coast of Western New Guinea. The force was detected by a Dutch Neptune aircraft and one of the torpedo boats was sunk by an intercepting Dutch Navy vessel. Over the next eight months, the Indonesian forces managed to insert 562 troops by sea and 1154 by air drops. The inserted Indonesian troops conducted guerilla operations throughout Western New Guinea from April 1962 onwards, but they were largely militarily ineffective.
Indonesian military activity continued to increase in the area through mid-1962 in preparation for the second phase of the operation. The Indonesian airforce began to fly missions in the area from bases on surrounding islands and Soviet-supplied Tupolev Tu-16 Badger
bombers armed with AS-1 Kennel / KS-1 Kometa anti-ship missiles were deployed in anticipation of an attack against the HNLMS Karel Doorman
.
On 13 and 14 August 1962, air drops of Indonesian troops were staged from Sorong in the Northwest to Merauke in the Southeast as a diversion from an amphibious assault against the Dutch military base at Biak Island by a force of 7000 paratroops, 4500 Marines and 13 000 Army troops. Dutch patrol aircraft detected the invasion force and alerted their command. On 15 August, recognising the Indonesians' resolve to take Western New Guinea and not wanting to engage in a protracted conflict involving jungle warfare on the other side of the world, the Dutch government signed an agreement to hand over Netherlands New Guinea and the invasion was called off.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n military operation which aimed to seize and annex the Dutch
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
overseas territory of Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea refers to the West Papua region while it was an overseas territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1949 to 1962. Until 1949 it was a part of the Netherlands Indies. It was commonly known as Dutch New Guinea...
in 1961 and 1962. As a result, the Netherlands agreed
New York Agreement
The Agreement between the Republic of Indonesia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands Concerning West New Guinea , also known as the New York Agreement, was a treaty signed between Indonesia and the Netherlands on the political status of West New Guinea...
on 15 August 1962 to hand over Western New Guinea to Indonesia.
Background
When the rest of the Dutch East IndiesDutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
became fully independent as Indonesia in December of 1949, the Dutch retained sovereignty over western New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, and took steps to prepare it for independence as a separate country. After its independence until 1961, Indonesia attempted to gain control of Western New Guinea through the United Nations without success. On 19 December 1961, Indonesia's President Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
announced that Indonesia would annex the territory by force.
Indonesian military operations
Operation Trikora was to unfold in three phases, infiltration, exploitation and consolidation, all under cover of the Indonesian Air Force. The plan called first for the insertion of small bands Indonesian troops by sea and by air drop who would then draw Dutch forces away from areas where the exploitation phase would stage full scale amphibious landings and paratroops operations to seize key locations. The consolidation phase would then expand Indonesian control over the whole of Western New Guinea.On 15 January 1962 the infiltration phase of Operation TRIKORA began with three Indonesian motor torpedo boats attempting to land troops on the south coast of Western New Guinea. The force was detected by a Dutch Neptune aircraft and one of the torpedo boats was sunk by an intercepting Dutch Navy vessel. Over the next eight months, the Indonesian forces managed to insert 562 troops by sea and 1154 by air drops. The inserted Indonesian troops conducted guerilla operations throughout Western New Guinea from April 1962 onwards, but they were largely militarily ineffective.
Indonesian military activity continued to increase in the area through mid-1962 in preparation for the second phase of the operation. The Indonesian airforce began to fly missions in the area from bases on surrounding islands and Soviet-supplied Tupolev Tu-16 Badger
Tupolev Tu-16
The Tupolev Tu-16 was a twin-engine jet bomber used by the Soviet Union. It has flown for more than 50 years, and the Chinese license-built Xian H-6 remains in service with the Chinese air force.-Development:...
bombers armed with AS-1 Kennel / KS-1 Kometa anti-ship missiles were deployed in anticipation of an attack against the HNLMS Karel Doorman
HNLMS Karel Doorman (R81)
HNLMS Karel Doorman was a Colossus-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The ship was the British HMS Venerable before she was sold in 1948 to the Netherlands as a light attack carrier. In 1960 she was involved in the decolonization conflict in Western New Guinea with Indonesia...
.
On 13 and 14 August 1962, air drops of Indonesian troops were staged from Sorong in the Northwest to Merauke in the Southeast as a diversion from an amphibious assault against the Dutch military base at Biak Island by a force of 7000 paratroops, 4500 Marines and 13 000 Army troops. Dutch patrol aircraft detected the invasion force and alerted their command. On 15 August, recognising the Indonesians' resolve to take Western New Guinea and not wanting to engage in a protracted conflict involving jungle warfare on the other side of the world, the Dutch government signed an agreement to hand over Netherlands New Guinea and the invasion was called off.