Hendrik Johan de Haas was born in Batavia (now Jakarta) on 28 November 1904, the son of Jozef Hendrik de Haas and Johanna Frederika Susanna Jostein. He married Hendrina Maria van der Meer Mohr in Batoeroesa on 2 January 1911. The couple had two children: Robert Johan (born 28 December 1932, died 15 November 1937) and Gustaaf Eduard (born 3 October 1935), who later married Wilhelmina Hofman in Amsterdam in 1962.
De Haas served as an adjudant-onderofficier (warrant officer) in the infantry arm of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL). Following the capitulation of Dutch forces on Java in March 1942, he escaped by disguising himself as an Indonesian. He made several unsuccessful attempts to join Dutch units continuing guerrilla resistance, and later organised a secret mail service between prisoners of war and their families on behalf of a clandestine Dutch organisation on Java.
On 27 September 1942, he departed for Australia in an unseaworthy vessel, arriving on 31 December 1942 with intelligence of great value to the Allied war effort. In February 1943, he was appointed as an instructor with the rank of adjudant-onderofficier and served in the Melbourne Detachment from October that year. In August 1944, following a reorganisation, he was posted to Camp Columbia in Brisbane and made available to the Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS). On 12 September 1944, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry.
De Haas was soon assigned to “Goldfish I”, a special NEFIS mission to Sumbawa with Sergeant Soeprapto. His wartime service involved multiple dangerous assignments from Australia to islands in the occupied Netherlands East Indies, collecting intelligence on Japanese forces and preparing for Allied base establishments. On 5 October 1944, he sailed from Banda in an 8-ton prahu via Damar to Java, landing at Panaroekan in December for a special mission. During this journey, he conducted reconnaissance and espionage on Flores, Sumbawa and in South Celebes, gathering information on Japanese defences. He succeeded in passing this intelligence to a British submarine commander during a hazardous sea crossing.
In January 1945, he was betrayed by the village head of Panaroekan, arrested by the Japanese Kempeitai, and subjected to severe torture without revealing any information. On 24 or 25 August 1945, just days after Japan’s surrender, he was executed at Djember by order of Adjutant Sakai of the Kempeitai.
For his exceptional courage and leadership, Hendrik Johan de Haas was awarded the Oorlogsherinneringskruis with clasps for “Oost-Azië – Zuid-Pacific 1942–1945” and “Krijg te Land 1940–1945”, and received multiple Royal Decrees recognising his service:
- 5 August 1943 – Honourable Mention on the Bronze Cross (Royal Decree No. 7)
- 3 June 1950 – Posthumously awarded the Bronze Lion (Royal Decree No. 18)
- 30 January 1951 – Posthumously awarded the Bronze Lion for a second time (Royal Decree No. 22)
Hendrik Johan de Haas’s service is remembered as an example of the dangerous and highly skilled intelligence operations carried out by NEFIS operatives from Australia during the Second World War.
English introduction for the Dutch PDF below
This Dutch-language document, De verkenningsmissie, Party Lion, van Rob Hees (1901–1942), details the story of Rob Hees, a reserve first lieutenant in the KNIL and civil engineer, who escaped from the Netherlands East Indies to Australia in 1942. It describes his recruitment into the Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS-III) and his leadership of “Party Lion,” a three-man special reconnaissance team sent from Darwin to Central Celebes (Sulawesi) to gather intelligence and link up with local guerrilla forces.
The account covers the mission’s planning, the hazardous sea voyage, betrayal by local contacts, capture by the Japanese Kempeitai, and the execution of Hees and his team. It also places Party Lion in the wider context of other NEFIS-III special operations—such as Tiger, Flounder, Walnut, Whiting, Apricot, Goldfish, and Potato—many of which ended in similar tragedies.
The document contains numerous references to people, places, and missions relevant to Dutch-Australian wartime history. These are listed below and can be linked to other articles on the DACC website for further exploration.
For those who wish to read this PDF in English, we recommend using AI-based translation tools or Google Translate.
The following people, places, events and organisations are mentioned in the document.
1. People
- Rob Hees (1901–1942) – Leader of Party Lion, reserve 1st lieutenant KNIL, civil engineer.
- Bernard Belloni – KNIL telegraphist, Party Lion member.
- Hans (J.A.) Brandon – Naval militia member, Party Lion.
- J.A. de Jong – Guerrilla leader in Central Celebes.
- Van Daalen – Guerrilla leader operating with de Jong.
- Adjutant Sakai – Japanese Kempeitai officer involved in execution of Goldfish I personnel.
- J.J. Quéré – Lieutenant at sea, organiser of NEFIS parties.
- O.M. ir. Bakhoven – Public Works official in Makassar, recipient of Hees’ last account.
- J.T.K. Poll – Binnenlands Bestuur (BB) official who provided the boat for escape from Celebes.
- H.J.B.J. Lubbers – Medical officer who spoke to Hees in captivity.
- H.M. Staverman – Sergeant ARO, executed in Whiting mission.
- L.G. Sifflet – Australian sergeant, executed in Whiting mission.
- Raden Wirjomihardjo Iswahjoedi – Sergeant, Tiger II.
- Sadimoen – Sailor 1st class, Tiger II.
- H.P. Nijgh – Lieutenant at sea 2nd class, Flounder.
- Malauw – Sergeant, Flounder.
- Hetharia – Corporal, Flounder.
- Pattiwael – Soldier 1st class, Flounder/Whiting.
- Pangariboen – Soldier 1st class, Flounder.
- Rering – Fusilier, Flounder.
- Laratmasehen – Fusilier, Flounder.
- Matratan – Fusilier, Flounder.
- W. Bergsma – Lieutenant at sea 2nd class, Tiger I.
- J. Tapilatoe – Sailor 1st class, Tiger I.
- Soetarno – Naval telegraphist, Tiger I.
- B. Brocx – Lieutenant at sea 3rd class, Tiger II.
- D. Lapod – Sergeant ARO, Tiger III.
- Raden Mas Soejitno – Corporal, Tiger IV.
- Oentoeng – Sailor 2nd class, Tiger V.
- Sri Nojo Papilaja – Corporal, Tiger VI.
- C.R. Sheldon – Major, Australia, Walnut I.
- N.P. Monsted – Danish reserve 1st lieutenant, Walnut II.
- J.A. Blok – Sergeant, Walnut II.
- Plumridge – Australian telegraphist, Walnut II.
- J.H. Dahlberg – Australian sergeant, Walnut II.
- G.W. Mitchell – British India personnel, Walnut II.
- Clements – Prau crew member, Walnut II.
- Christoffel Tifents – Prau crew, Walnut II.
- Simon Paitkain – Prau crew, Walnut II.
- Achmed Leksailaisa – Prau crew, Walnut II.
- Salmon Farsin – Prau crew, Walnut II.
- Manoppo – Sergeant (KM), Apricot.
- H.J. de Haas – Second lieutenant, Goldfish I.
- Soeprapto – Sergeant, Goldfish I.
- H. Brouwer – Sergeant, Potato.
- J.H.M. Arroo – Sergeant, Potato.
- J.M.R. van der Bijl – Sergeant, Potato.
2. Operations / Missions
- Party Lion (Central Celebes, 1942)
- Tiger I – VI (East Java, various years)
- Flounder (Ceram, South Moluccas)
- Walnut I & II (Aroe Islands)
- Whiting (New Guinea, Hollandia)
- Apricot (North Celebes)
- Goldfish I (Sumbawa)
- Potato (Kemirian)
See: NEFIS III and Dutch special operations from Australia during WWII
3. Ships / Vessels
- Samoa – Prau used in Party Lion.
- KXII – Dutch submarine.
- Searaven – US submarine.
- Urania – Japanese gunboat.
4. Organisations / Units
- NEFIS – Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service.
- NEFIS-III – Section responsible for field parties.
- KNIL – Royal Netherlands East Indies Army.
- Binnenlands Bestuur (BB) – Dutch colonial civil administration.
- Kempeitai – Japanese military police.
- ARO – Possibly “Algemene Regerings Officier” or similar military role in context.
5. Places
- Darwin (Australia)
- Melbourne (Australia)
- Sydney (Australia)
- Fremantle (Australia)
- Wotoe (Central Celebes/Sulawesi)
- Kolonedale (Central Celebes)
- Menado (North Celebes)
- Makassar (South Celebes)
- Ereveld Antjol (Jakarta)
- Sadangwerken (Celebes irrigation works)
- Poso / Posomeer (Central Celebes)
- Ceram (South Moluccas)
- Hollandia (New Guinea)
- Tami (New Guinea)
- Bena Bena (New Guinea)
- Aitape (New Guinea)
- Woma (New Guinea)
- Nemo (New Guinea)
- Djiko Dodapbaai (North Celebes)
- Sumbawa (Lesser Sunda Islands)
- Kemirian (location unclear, in Indonesia)
See also:
