Under the Shadow of Curfew: Urban Combat in the Aftermath of the First Dutch Offensive (1947-1949)

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-624-6_28How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Indonesian Revolution; Asymmetric Warfare; Urban Combat; Malang Post-Occupation

Abstract

The Indonesian War of Independence is associated with asymmetric warfare, particularly in urban areas such as Semarang, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, and Malang. However, few historical studies have examined in detail how urban guerrilla resistance concluded, based on eyewitness memories. Cities, with their narrow streets and alleys, drainage systems and underground sewers, concrete walls, and the darkness of kampung neighborhoods, posed distinct challenges for military operations. This contrasts with conventional open-field warfare typically characterized by deserts, forests, and coastlines. This article examines the forms of resistance carried out by fighters of the Republic of Indonesia after the city of Malang was occupied by the Dutch. The analysis draws on archival documents, newspapers, and oral sources. The destruction of factories, warehouses, shops, and workshops diminished the asset value of their owners. This loss and devaluation of assets slowed the economic recovery and the restoration of security in Malang following the occupation. Meanwhile, urban guerrilla actions, sabotage, armed criminality, and targeted killings prevented economic activities in occupied areas returning to normal. The article focuses on how this asymmetric warfare was portrayed in the local newspaper, how resistance was conducted through the city’s alleyways and passageways, and how it is remembered in eyewitness accounts. The Dutch military victory and the subsequent establishment of a municipal government in Malang, along with the imposition of a curfew in 1948, did not in themselves bring an end to urban guerrilla resistance.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - R. Reza Hudiyanto
AU  - Ismail Lutfi
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/19
TI  - Under the Shadow of Curfew: Urban Combat in the Aftermath of the First Dutch Offensive (1947-1949)
BT  - Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on History, Social Sciences, and Education (ICHSE 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 408
EP  - 423
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-624-6_28
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-624-6_28
ID  - Hudiyanto2026
ER  -