Dutch Veteran Interview 451: Service in the Indonesian War of Independence, 1946-1950

An oral history interview with a Dutch veteran who served with the Gadjah Merah unit in the Dutch East Indies. The interview covers his experiences from 1946 to 1950, including combat patrols in Bali and Palembang, reflections on the transfer of sovereignty, and his subsequent military career until 1975. The dataset is provided by the Veteranen Instituut and was last updated in October 2025.

Use Cases

• Analyzing military tactics and combat experiences based on descriptions of patrols and ambushes in Bali and Palembang.
• Studying veteran perspectives on historical events based on reflections on the 1949 transfer of sovereignty and departure from Indonesia.
• Researching the structure and operations of colonial military units based on mentions of the Gadjah Merah, Inlichtingen en Veiligheidsgroep, and TNI.
• Examining the long-term impact of military service based on details of the veteran's career until 1975 and the awards he received.

Strengths

• Interview is part of a formal collection by the Veteranen Instituut, an authoritative source for veteran histories.
• Description provides specific temporal context, detailing events from 1946 to 1950 and a career ending in 1975.
• Metadata indicates the interview is part of a series, with two or more sessions held with the same veteran.

Limitations

• The core data file (e.g., transcript, audio) and its format are not described, requiring inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; the structure and semantics of any associated data must be inferred.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale analysis.

Provenance

Source

Veteranen Instituut

Collection Method

Oral history interview, likely audio-recorded and transcribed.

Time Range

Interview covers events primarily from 1946 to 1950, with references to a career ending in 1975.

Freshness

Last updated 2025-10-24 03:29:05; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), specifically Bali, Palembang, and South Sumatra.