Chapter 9: Garimand
The Battle of Kalimantan began on May 1, 1960 and ended on July 18, 1960. It was the fifth year since the founding of the South China Federation Republic to launch a landing campaign against Indonesian and Malaysian troops on the island of Kalimantan.
The main force of the landing troops of the Republic of South China is composed of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Armored Brigades, the 3rd Marine Brigade, and the 1st Fleet in charge of sea transportation and cover. The operation was commanded by General Jiang Yongtao, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Republic of South China.
The Indonesian military contingent consisted of the 7th Military Area Command and the 22nd Naval Base Defence Unit from the Royal Malaysian Navy.
The Indonesian-Malaysian joint forces judged that the Nanyang Army would first attack Brunei Bay, so the defense focus was shifted from the north and east coasts to the west coast of Brunei and Kuching.
On May 1, 1960, about 6,000 troops of the South Vietnamese Army's 2nd Armored Regiment landed on a small island next to it - Dalat Island.
On the 9th, about 2,200 Indonesian soldiers defending the island retreated to their core positions.
On the 11th, the Indonesian military base was destroyed
On 13 July, Indonesian military resistance ceased.
On June 10, other units of the 2nd and 3rd Armored Brigades of NVA landed at Brunei Bay and then moved south into Sarawak.
On June 20, the South Vietnamese army landed at Ruong Dong in Soc Trang Province and occupied Srok Khmer and the oil fields of Mieu, as well as the areas of Weston and Baufor north of Brunei Bay.
By the end of June, Nanyang controlled 13,000 square kilometers of land near Brunei.
On July 1, the 3rd Brigade of the South China Sea Fleet Marine Corps landed east of Balikpapan.
The garrison of Pulau Batu Pahat consists of about 1,000 personnel from the Royal Malaysian Navy's 22nd Special Base Defence and Security Battalion.
Before landing, the South Vietnamese army conducted a firepower preparation with air force and naval gunfire, and the landing was very smooth.
When advancing in depth, it encountered the tenacious resistance of the Malaysian army. After two weeks of repeated fighting, the Malaysian army withdrew from the area.
On the 18th, the Southern Army captured the Sambuza oil field and then advanced north for 80 kilometers, forcing the Allied forces to retreat to Trimalinda.
In this campaign, the South China Sea Fleet captured Brunei Bay and two naval bases in Balikpapan, seven airfields and rich oil fields.
The Southern Vietnamese army suffered over 1,000 casualties, while the Indonesian-Malaysian coalition forces lost nearly 7,000 men.
The helicopter's rotor was spinning rapidly, creating a strong gust of wind that blew Zhang Li back and forth. Fortunately, she had experience riding this type of high-powered military aircraft before and had put on her hat beforehand; otherwise, her beautiful hair would have been completely disheveled.
Reporter Zhang Li and others got off the plane and had only walked a dozen steps away when the military transport plane behind them slowly took off from the ground.
It's a very critical time, with extremely tight airlift capacity, and there are about 200 special forces soldiers waiting to be transported by these military transport planes, leaving here for the western part of Kalimantan Island, where their enemies need to be eliminated.
Several helicopters came down with reporters carrying cameras on their backs and shoulders, also from the military helicopter were not once or twice big media.
Reporters from 15 media outlets around the world are all old acquaintances, and while observing the remains of the battlefield, they are also waving to each other.
"Hey, Zhang!" Jess and Zhang Li greeted each other, both being big shots in their respective TV stations, having met a few times before.
A typical oriental beauty like Zhang Li is rarely seen in a global focal area and is easily remembered.
"Hey, Jess." Zhang Li replied indifferently, looking around for the reception officer.
This time the journalists came to this smoky and ruined place at the invitation of the Republic of South Huá, to understand the entire battle process that was made public to the whole world.
As for how much they can understand, it depends on their own abilities. Many details need to be dug up by themselves, such as listening to the words of captured Indonesian national army soldiers or observing the scars of war on the ground.
Don't underestimate these media reporters; those who are sent to this battlefield are all military experts.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please get on the bus in order, I will accompany you to conduct an interview with me during my trip." A tall, handsome major officer came out of the tent, waving his hand and shouting to everyone.
Behind the convertible, a fleet of military-style convertibles was parked, one for each media outlet, with a dedicated driver.
"Hello, Colonel." Jess took a few steps forward: "May I have a word with you first?"
Major smiled: "I'd be happy to accept your interview, but unfortunately I arrived here after the battle had ended, so there's no news worth digging up. If you want the latest information, please go ask elsewhere, there are no secrets here and the prisoners of war are being treated humanely."
"Oh, thank you." Jess returned a smile as well. The mouth of the press officer was usually tight-lipped, and he had a deep understanding of this.
A long convoy set off, heading east along the bumpy highway, with destroyed tanks and armored vehicles visible all along the way, or trucks that had been burned down to their skeletons.
Bloodstains are everywhere, but the road has been cleaned up spotlessly, and no corpses can be seen.
The road conditions are not very good, with shell craters every ten or so meters. The photographers are working hard to capture everything under their eyelids. This road can tell people how strong the firepower was that the troops who once stopped here were subjected to.
Zhang Li carefully held the microphone and handed it to Nan Hua Jun's mouth: "Colonel, can you roughly describe the details of this battle?"
The car wasn't going very fast, and it wouldn't have much impact on the interview. The press officer glanced at Zhang Li, a familiar face to him - a beautiful anchorwoman known for her talent and looks, who was the ideal partner for many men.
The scope of interviews with Nanhua TV is wider than other TVs, which is still the oral instruction issued by the Nanhua Military Combat Command.
It is precisely this way that a reporter from Nanfang TV was able to get the opportunity to ride in the same car as the press officer.
"Of course, but it's quite dull to describe."
The news officer introduced in a formal tone: "The main force on the island is the 7th Army of Indonesia, with two divisions and two independent regiments, totaling over 59,000 people. The order they received was to counterattack our army. In the top-secret documents captured from the Indonesian military after the battle, we saw an unbelievable order that I believe you will be interested in."
Zhang Li nodded: "Colonel, what kind of losses did you suffer in defeating them? I saw that the destroyed vehicles and tanks along the way were all weapons of the Indonesian government army. I don't know how the casualties are on both sides?"
"The entire Seventh Army of Indonesia was annihilated, with a specific list not yet compiled, but approximately 14,000 were killed and more than 27,000 wounded, the remaining were all captured, including Major General Hadi Tjahjanto, Commander of the Seventh Army."
The news officer said with a sorrowful but proud expression: "Our losses are very small, 57 people were killed in action, 302 people went missing, and 2,239 people were injured. The entire battle lasted no more than three hours."
Time was approaching noon, the sun was about to rise to the middle of the sky, Hadi sat in the tent with his head down, a bottle of mineral water on the campaign table in front of him, this is the only difference between him and other captured soldiers, no need to bask in the sun and have water to drink.
It's been six hours since the hellish encounter at dawn, but Hardy can't calm down yet. This is the most terrifying scene he has ever experienced, and it's a raid that destroys his inherent beliefs.
Taking advantage of the dawn light, hundreds of helicopters bombed and strafed a 15-kilometer-long camp, destroying most of the Seventh Army's heavy weapons. It is unknown how many soldiers fell under the fiery machine guns.
The helicopter had just left, followed by a stormy rocket artillery attack, plowing the main camp like a field, with the Seventh Army headquarters as the focus of the attack, which was also the location of the two most elite armored divisions.
Three consecutive rounds of artillery fire lasting thirty minutes reduced two armored regiments to nothing but smoke and ash.
Finally, countless tanks and armored vehicles emerged in the golden sunrise on the flank of the Seventh Army, appearing in the sight of all Indonesian soldiers...
Did the battle last for three hours? No, the actual battle lasted only 30 minutes.
After destroying the defensive positions of the Seventh Army's headquarters, the special forces battalion used helicopters to raid the Seventh Army's headquarters and captured almost all high-ranking officers except those who had already become corpses.
Then came the wave of tanks and armored cars charging forward, letting the Indonesians see the shadow of death...
Then there was no more, and the Indonesian Seventh Military Command surrendered.
Hadi stood in the command center, gritting his teeth as he gazed out at the soldiers scattered and sitting on the ground outside. These Chinese soldiers were militia? This intelligence was a huge joke. Compared to them, his own soldiers were the real militia. Were there really militia forces this elite? Were there militia forces with firepower strong enough to completely suppress a regular army unit of division level?
Hadi Tjahjanto compared the Chinese soldiers his troops encountered to Indonesia's most prized special forces, and was saddened by the result: these Chinese soldiers were far more formidable than Indonesia's special forces.
His conclusion is correct, the Indonesian government's special forces and the brave marshal's special soldiers are only the difference between a rookie who has not been on the battlefield and an old soldier who has struggled out of death.
Hadi thought he wasn't particularly brave or skilled in battle, but he also didn't think he was too incompetent. Leading a superior force to a draw should be a stable thing.
But this morning's battle thoroughly shattered his idea, although he couldn't understand where so many seasoned veterans came from, as long as some people were there, he knew that the Indonesian National Armed Forces could not win.
He decisively chose to surrender at a time when victory was nowhere in sight and his life was under threat.
At the same time, he also ordered the 21st Brigade stationed in South Kalimantan and the 33rd Brigade of West Kalimantan to surrender, which was the order of the officer who captured him, Hadianto carried it out without any discount.
But whether those two troops would obey orders and lay down their arms was beyond his power.
The 21st and 33rd Divisions, although nominally under the command of the Garuda Military Command, were in fact beyond his control. They were troops controlled by General Mandala, Commander-in-Chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces.
