Chapter Twenty: The Battle of Mianlan
On June 21, the Indonesian Army's garrison in Kota Subulussalam, North Aceh Regency was defeated and the remaining soldiers retreated to Banda Aceh.
The Battle of Miancheng City has begun...
I can see clearly from the air that the rot is spreading all over the huge corpse of Pingran City, house by house, trench by trench, with soldiers in various uniforms searching, destroying and killing.
The desperate struggle of human beings has ended, and extinction has just awakened. Every building, every living thing has been destroyed in an unprecedented thorough manner.
The waves of death washed over this ancient city, pounding against the northern and western walls. The cotton rose looked dead.
In the scorching and bloody summer of 1959, Major Lai Man Sze, a pilot of the South Vietnam Air Force, flew his reconnaissance plane over the skies of Plei Me, taking photographs while leaving behind a true account of the Battle of Plei Me.
Medan, once very prosperous and full of vitality, is the largest city in Sumatra, Indonesia, and the capital of North Sumatra province.
Located in the northeastern part of Sumatra, on the banks of the Asahan River, Gunung Sitoli is inhabited by ethnic groups such as the Nias people, Malays and Chinese, with the latter making up more than 19%, mostly engaging in industry, commerce and trade.
On June 30, 1959, the vanguard regiment of a Marine Corps brigade dispatched by the South Vietnam Federation, led by Regimental Commander Wang Hui and Deputy Regimental Commander Zhang Yongjun, launched the prelude to the strategic offensive on Sumatra Island.
The defenders of Marawi were remnants of the Indonesian Army's 6th Armoured Brigade and 11th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, under the command of Colonel Baramono.
At this moment, the Indonesian garrison in Mau Hau has become a turtle in a jar. The remaining 6,000 Indonesian troops have received news that it is impossible to receive external support for a short time.
To the north, one side has been occupied by the Free Aceh Movement's First Brigade. The Indonesian military in nearby Meulaboh and the city of Cot Girek are engaged in a fierce battle with the Free Aceh Movement's Second Brigade, unable to spare any attention.
In "Father's War - Notes on the Investigation of Sumatran Independence", historian Zhang Dongpan wrote: "The Indonesian army besieging Medan was indeed a turtle in a jar, but the turtle in the jar is not meat that has been delivered to one's mouth. To kill or pull out the turtle is a dangerous task, as anyone who likes to eat soft-shelled turtles knows - those creatures bite and won't let go."
It must be said that Colonel Paramo's tactical level was indeed unique, he knew it was impossible to do so, but in a situation where the chances of winning were slim, he was able to deploy his 6,000 troops in an orderly manner, without concentrating all his forces on a single city, but instead expanding his defenses as much as possible outside the city, setting up a multi-layered defense system, posing a severe challenge to my attacking forces.
Opening up dusty archives reveals that clearing out Indonesian military bases outside of Kompien City has left the attacking forces of the South Huah Republic scratching their heads.
July 31, 1959 issue of the wartime propaganda magazine "Wenyue Bao" carried an article from the front line titled "Longpan Huju's Mianlan - A Key to North Sumatra".
As for Menglan City, the situation is not extremely precarious, but the surrounding plantations are shaped like a horseshoe, mutually supporting each other as horns, and in reality it is a place that is easy to defend but hard to attack.
Another article in the same periodical, "The Victory of Merdeka Won with Blood and Flesh", wrote - At the beginning of July, our army again successively captured more than 20 outlying plantations with lightning speed. As a result, the outer defenses of Merdeka were completely lost. However, even if the cunning rabbit has three burrows, after all, the Indonesian army was defeated and fled in disarray. From the 5th, this main stronghold ten miles northeast of the city fell into our hands.
Repeatedly entangled, bloody battles, the Indonesian army, which had become the last arrow of a strong crossbow, retreated step by step, losing ground one after another, and the entire defense line was finally left with only one stronghold - Medan City.
According to the summary of the battle: "The remaining enemy fled south in a hurry, and its main force formed a mixed unit, led by Colonel Parma, who defended the city of Medan. The city is the most fortified fortress in North Sumatra, with strong fortifications and fortresses, fully prepared for food and ammunition, ordered to hold out until the end of October, waiting for reinforcements to arrive."
In more than two years, Indonesian military has built solid fortifications in the area and also tunnels for easy access.
Outside each position, electrified barbed wire was laid out, supplemented by landmines and bamboo stakes.
On July 7, Wang Hui Zhong ordered a fierce attack on the enemy's position for the first time.
The attacking force consisted of a battalion of Acehnese National Army troops, supported by a light tank platoon from the South Moluccan Federal Marine Corps.
The officers and men of the Aceh National Army shouted to kill, wave after wave, charging at the enemy. Many companies didn't even see the shadow of the Indonesian army before they fell down, dead and wounded, with blood flowing like a river.
Originally estimated, the outer Indonesian troops did not exceed 1,000 people and would not become an insurmountable barrier.
Who would have thought that these extremely crazy supervisors had no intention of letting the front-line troops survive. Desperate battles, the combat effectiveness that was sparked by being forced to fight to the death, exceeded expectations.
Wang Hui ordered a temporary halt in the attack, regrouping his troops and waiting for artillery support.
On July 10, the artillery of the Marine Corps also launched a carpet bombing with four-barreled 107mm rocket guns, and for a time, the cannon fire shook the sky and the earth trembled.
The Indonesian military's supposedly impregnable stronghold is beginning to totter.
Combat report records - the barren position, unable to provide cover for infantry in front of Indonesian bunkers, also exposed Indonesian bunkers and fortifications to rocket artillery fire. In the face of a powerful three-dimensional offensive, the Indonesian army's move to clear the line of sight by cutting down trees on the mountain was a foolish move that backfired.
The bombardment continued next, with the 105mm main gun of the light tank joining in the barrage, and the Indonesian army's front-line positions became a scorched earth.
To minimize casualties, the new weapons began to be equipped with the Arakan Army at the fastest speed, including powerful flamethrowers and rocket launchers.
Especially this flamethrower, a dragon of fire, long-range injection, in an instant, can burn the stubborn enemy to a crisp.
Combat Report - The cunning enemy was finally burned to a crisp by flamethrowers.
This thing was used for the first time on the Indonesian battlefield, with a temperature of over 2,000 degrees when burning, and a range of up to 60 yards. The defending enemy was solved by this new weapon.
We know that unless the enemy's strongholds are smashed and the enemy is totally annihilated, it is impossible to occupy the positions.
On July 18, the Free Aceh Movement cleared all Indonesian military barriers outside the city, annihilating over 1,000 enemy troops, but at a cost of nearly 3,000 casualties.
One side of the siege was principled, that is, to try not to destroy the appearance of this beautiful city. On the contrary, the defending side was unprincipled and would rather burn jade and stone together without hesitation. The cotton land city was thus step by step on the brink of mortal danger.
A fierce alley battle has begun.
On July 20, the battle broke out, and the most primitive and oldest method was used. The assault team of the attacking side rushed in from the blast hole.
The Indonesian military flag on the building fluttered in the wind, chasing soldiers, fleeing personnel, wounded soldiers falling to the ground, curses, roars, and screams of close combat mixed together in a tense and intense melee.
They were locked in a stalemate, with both sides suffering heavy losses before a temporary lull.
The city of Marawi has been reduced to rubble and is scarred all over, but the Indonesian military is still stubbornly holding on, refusing to surrender.
On August 2, the highest commander of the Indonesian Army in Medan, Colonel Maludin Simbolon was killed by a bomb. The headless Indonesian army elected an interim commander and continued to resist stubbornly, but the Acehnese National Army was unaware of this.
The Acehnese people flooded into this city like a tide.
In general, when a city is broken, the defending army either surrenders or breaks through. However, the remaining Indonesian troops had no intention of doing so, and the crippled soldiers who were bandaging their broken legs and feet continued to struggle desperately and fight to the death.
Every street, every house, and every construction project has changed hands several times, repeatedly sawing back and forth, with flesh and blood competing.
Due to the heavy casualties on both sides, corpses were scattered all over the ground, and could be seen everywhere. It was in the midst of scorching summer heat, with the weather being extremely hot, the bodies had rotted, emitting a foul odor that was hard to bear.
Luckily the South China Sea's Marine Corps had prepared masks and other anti-odor items, so the Aceh National Army was inspired to turn around and engage in a fierce battle with the Indonesian military.
On August 12, the last stronghold of Indonesian military was taken over by GAM.
On August 14th at 10:00 am, the sound of gunfire gradually subsided in the already ruined city of Mianyang, and the Battle of Mianyang came to an end.
After 45 days of bloody fighting, more than 7,600 Indonesian troops were killed, except for 2,550 who were captured, the rest were annihilated, and a small number committed suicide.
The Azhar National Army captured 15 artillery pieces, 50 machine guns, 4,000 rifles, 14 cars, and 7 wireless transmitters. More than 5,000 officers and soldiers were killed in action. Although the city of Medan was reduced to ashes, it will eventually be recaptured.
The news spread and Aceh was jubilant everywhere.
In the bitter and epic struggle for independence, Cot Girek was the first fortified county town of the Indonesian military to be recaptured by the Free Aceh Movement, greatly boosting the determination of the Acehnese people to fight for their independence.
Sukarno locked himself in the presidential office, a platoon of presidential guards stood guard outside the door, they had been strictly ordered by Sukarno not to let anyone enter.
Sukarno had not rested for many days, his eyes were filled with bloodshot.
He strained his eyes open, using a red cloth to wipe the Browning in his hand again and again. The green gun body was wiped clean. He put the muzzle into his mouth, trying it out, just right.
At this moment, he only needs to gently pull the trigger, and he will become the first incumbent president in Indonesian history to drink a bullet on the presidential throne.
A few seconds later, the barrel was hot with excitement, crazy Habi Bi still hesitated whether to shoot or not. His expressionless face did not notice that the barrel in his mouth was going in and out, how indecent it was.
News of Medan, Indonesia's third-largest city, being lost has spread like wildfire and caused a national uproar.
The capital city of Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Bandung and Solo have witnessed massive anti-Sukarno demonstrations with a staggering number of three million people.
The Indonesian People's Association has informed Sukarno and asked him to give an account to the people of the whole nation.
It's already a done deal for him to step down.
The only uncertainty is whether it will be tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
