The Japanese Armoured Units
in the Dutch East Indies 1941-1942

by
Akira Takizawa

Japanese Armoured Units in Dutch East Indies 1941-1942

Though Japanese armour is not famous when compared with Japanese planes, warships.., but nevertheless the Japanese armoured units were very active in the early campaigns of the Pacific War. The Japanse tank units played an active part in the conquest of Malaya and Singapore. It was a match for the victory of the German armoured forces over Poland and France. In the Netherlands East Indies Campaign, the Japanese tankettes of the recon regiments did a good job. The recon regiments were organized from the cavalry regiments, replacing horses with tankettes. The soldiers of the recon regiments had maintained the "rapid and bold" spirit of cavalry and it brought good results to the Japanese in the Netherlands East Indies Campaign. You can find the detailed story of the Japanese tankettes in my articles about the use of Japanese armoured units in the Netherlands East Indies Campaign 1941-1942.

The Japanese Armoured Units on Timor Island, March 1942
written by Akira Takizawa

On March 20th, the Japanese forces launched an invasion of Timor Island. The Itoh Detachment, the main force of the Timor expedition forces landed on the south end of Timor at mid-night of the 20th. The Itoh Detachment was separated into three groups, Right Attack Group, Centre Attack Group and Left Attack Group....

The Japanese Armoured Units on Timor Island, March 1942

The Japanese Armoured Units on Java Island, March 1942
written by Akira Takizawa

The Japanese conquest of the Dutch East Indies was progressing more smoothly than the Japanese had expected. Borneo, Timor and Sumatra had been occupied by the Japanese. Surrounded by the Japanese occupied islands, Java, a core of the Dutch East Indies was utterly isolated. The Japanese GHQ advanced the schedule of the Java conquest by one month and ordered the 16th Army to invade Java in the end of February. According to a plan of the Japanese, the 16th Army lands on Java at three places at the same time....

The Japanese Armoured Units on Java Island, March 1942

The Japanese Armoured Units in the Dutch East Indies 1941-1942

The Japanese Armoured Units
in the Dutch East Indies 1941-1942