Going North is a fine example of a classic Allied propaganda film from the Second World War. It tells the story of the massive force moving from the southern Pacific towards Japan — heading north. With imposing images, pompous music Read more
The first Dutch-Indonesian intelligence party sent from Australia into the Japanese-occupied Netherlands East Indies Party LION was one of the earliest and most tragic Dutch intelligence operations mounted from Australia after the Japanese conquest of the Netherlands East Indies. In Read more
The American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM) was the short-lived Allied supreme command for the South-East Asian theatre in the opening months of the Pacific War. Formed at Bandung, Java, on 10 January 1942 and led by British General Sir Archibald Wavell, it Read more
From occupied Java to Australia — and back into the Netherlands East Indies on clandestine intelligence Hendrik Johan de Haas was one of the Dutch intelligence officers who voluntarily returned from Australia into Japanese-occupied territory during the final years of Read more
By Dr Nonja Peters This paper examines the complex experiences of Dutch, Eurasian, and Indonesian evacuees who fled the Japanese occupation of the Netherlands East Indies during the Pacific War and found temporary refuge in Australia. Drawing on archival sources Read more
When the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) collapsed under Japanese attack in early 1942, hundreds of Dutch airmen, sailors, and soldiers found themselves in Australia. Among the many military units reconstituted there was the 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron of the Read more
The Japanese advance through Southeast Asia in early 1942 brought the Allies to the brink of disaster. Ambon, a strategic island in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), was garrisoned by Dutch and Australian troops under the Gull Force detachment. When Read more
Brief biography Gerlof Berthy (G. B.) Salm, born in Paramaribo on 11 September 1896, held the rank Kapitein-luitenant ter zee (equivalent to naval commander) in the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN). He arrived in Australia in early 1942 following the fall of Read more
In 1705, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) launched an exploratory expedition to the Tiwi Islands, north of Arnhem Land in what is now the Northern Territory of Australia. The expedition, led by Commander Maerten van Delft, was one of Read more
Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich (1886–1962) was a senior officer in the Royal Netherlands Navy and one of the Netherlands’ most prominent military leaders during the Second World War. Born in Semarang, Java, he spent much of his career in the Read more