Keywords
Fall of the Dutch East Indies
Japanese Invasion of Java
Japanese Occupation of Indonesia
Kalidjati Agreement
How to Cite
Abstract
The Battle of Tjiater Pass (March 5–7, 1942) was a brief but strategically significant engagement in the Japanese campaign in West Java. This study analyzes the operational strategy employed by Japanese forces and examines how the tactical collapse of Dutch defenses at Tjiater contributed to the Dutch capitulation at Kalidjati. Using the historical method and a qualitative approach, the study draws primarily on Japanese operational records, including Japanese Monograph No. 66 and the official Japanese war history of the Dutch East Indies campaign, together with Dutch and Allied materials. The findings show that Japanese success depended on operational tempo, infiltration and flanking maneuvers, the exploitation of difficult terrain, and coordinated air-ground pressure. The fall of Tjiater and subsequently Lembang undermined the defense of Bandung and accelerated the decision to capitulate, although this decision must be understood within the wider collapse of Allied positions across Java.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ardi Tri Yuwono (Author); Gijsbert ter Braake, Haru Rahman