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The Archive

Military and Political History

Charles van der Plas: colonial expert and advocate of gradual reform

Charles Olke van der Plas (1891–1977) was a senior Dutch colonial administrator from Buitenzorg (now Bogor), Java. His longstanding service in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) and his deep knowledge of local society—including fluency in Arabic and Malay and a Read more…

By DACC, 2 weeksJuly 22, 2025 ago
Military and Political History

Lieutenant Governor-General Hubertus van Mook: reformist voice of the Indies in exile

Hubertus Johannes van Mook (1894–1965) was one of the most significant and controversial Dutch administrators of the Second World War and its aftermath. Born in Semarang, Java, Van Mook was part of the Indo-European community of the Netherlands East Indies Read more…

By DACC, 2 weeksJuly 22, 2025 ago
Military and Political History

Dutch–Australian wartime cooperation: a six-part series

This series is a tribute to Dr. Jack Ford who passed away in June 2025 Symposium: Allied co-operation in Brisbane during WWII: Australia, USA, Netherlands, UK – 30–31 August 2025 at UQ- Bus Tour Brisbane WWII sites – 1 September Read more…

By DACC, 2 weeksJuly 22, 2025 ago
Military and Political History

From indifference to diplomacy: how the war transformed Dutch–Australian foreign relations

Before the Second World War, the relationship between Australia, the Netherlands and the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) was marked by cordial distance rather than active diplomacy. There were no embassies , no treaties of alliance, and few direct communications between Read more…

By DACC, 2 weeksJuly 22, 2025 ago
Uncategorized

The Dutch purchasing mission and wartime supply issues in Australia

As the Second World War engulfed Southeast Asia, the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) urgently sought military support. Isolated from its European homeland, which had been occupied by Nazi Germany since 1940, and facing imminent Japanese aggression, the colonial administration turned Read more…

By DACC, 2 weeksJuly 22, 2025 ago
Uncategorized

Wartime reform and Indonesian voices: Dutch–Indonesian political tensions in exile

While the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) was under Japanese occupation during the Second World War, political questions about the colony’s future did not disappear—they intensified. For many in the Dutch exile administration, the war was a time to consider how Read more…

By DACC, 2 weeksJuly 22, 2025 ago
Military and Political History

Reform or restoration? Political tensions over the future of the Netherlands East Indies during wartime exile

Following the Japanese invasion and collapse of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) in early 1942, Dutch political and military leadership scattered across the globe. Many civil and military authorities regrouped in Australia and Ceylon, while the central government-in-exile remained in Read more…

By DACC, 2 weeksJuly 22, 2025 ago
Military and Political History

Divided in exile: tensions between Batavia and London in the Dutch war effort in NEI

The collapse of the Netherlands under German occupation in May 1940 left its overseas empire, particularly the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), to operate with significant autonomy. Based in Batavia, the colonial administration continued to govern its territories while the Dutch Read more…

By DACC, 2 weeksJuly 22, 2025 ago
Military and Political History

Between secrecy and survival: Australia’s frustration with Dutch neutrality on the eve of war

In the months leading up to the Pacific War, the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) attempted to balance neutrality with quiet resistance to Japan. But to Australian officials, this stance seemed naïve—and potentially dangerous. As early as November 1941, the Australian Read more…

By DACC, 2 weeksJuly 22, 2025 ago
Maritime History

From Pearl Harbor to Broome: Dutch seaplanes and the shifting tides of the Pacific War

In the early hours of 7 December 1941, Japanese aircraft launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, drawing the United States into the Second World War. Among the many casualties at the nearby Kaneohe Bay Naval Air Station was a Read more…

By DACC, 3 weeksJuly 21, 2025 ago
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