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Bronbeek Museum - Arnhem (Holland)

Important note

Photos provided on this website are not an endorsement of any political idea or of war. War is one of the most regrettable human activities.

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Historical information



The Dutch capitulation in Java

On 8 December 1941, the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, the Netherlands declared war on Japan. Japanese forces subsequently began their unstoppable push southwards. The Americans in the Philippines and the British in Malacca and Singapore were defeated. Then it was the turn of the Dutch East Indies. An Allied fleet, under the command of Rear-Admiral Karel Doorman tried in vain to hold back the Japanese invasion fleet in the Java sea. Parts of the Dutch East Indies had been under fire since January 1942, but on 1 March the Japanese landed on the coast of Java. Especially as a result of the Japanese domination in the air, the KNIL (Royal Netherlands Indies Army) lost most of the battles.
On 9 March 1942, the capitulation was signed at Kalidjati air base. The Japanese occupation had begun.

Historical background - The KNIL

On 7 December 1941 Japan attacked the American naval base in the Pacific ocean, Pearl Harbour. This was the start of WW2 in Asia. Japan, having all kinds of imperialist plans, was in great need of Raw materials, such as oil, rubber and copper, the Dutch East Indies were an attractive target for the Japanese. The Netherlands entered into an alliance with the United Sates of America, Great Britain and Australia., but they could not halt the Japanese advance. After the battle in the Java sea, which the Allied fleet lost, the Japanese forces landed on Java and Sumatra. The KNIL surrendered after a brief conflict.
The KNIL soldiers had different options:
? Die in the battle (the Military Aviation Branch of the KNIL in particular distinguished itself in the terrible days following 8 December 1941);
? Capture (the majority of KNIL personnel were captured)
? Leave for a friendly and unoccupied country (a number of Dutch succeeded in reaching Ceylon (Sri Lanka) or Australia. The fight was continued from there).

The Beginning of decolonisation

After the atom bombs were dropped at the beginning of August 1945, Japan surrendered unexpectedly quickly. In the Dutch East Indies this resulted in a chaotic period which is called the Bersiap period. Thanks to the existence of a power vacuum –there were no liberators in sight- Sukarno took the opportunity to proclaim the foundation of the Republic of Indonesia. Fanatical young nationalists, who were full of Japanese and Republican propaganda, wreaked havoc among the Chinese and even attacked the internment camps. In a few cases the Japanese troops had to protect the Dutch prisoners against these attacks. These circumstances ensured that there was no real question of liberation. Six weeks after the Japanese capitulation, the first British troops arrived. They succeeded in liberating most of the camps and moving the prisoners. There were hardly any Dutch troops: most KNIL soldiers were still interned in camps throughout South East Asia, and the first troops from the Netherlands did not arrive until autumn of 1945.



The official website of the museum stands here.
Official Authorities of the museum can be contacted there.

Location information

The museum is located at 147 Verperweg in Arnhem (Holland).

Personal note

The museum is focused on the Dutch colonial period at large (WW2 being only a part of it).
Museum Bronbeek has an excellent collection of Japanese weapons. A showcase displays a Japanese pilot, another showcase displays a Japanese officer uniform with sabre.
The Bronbeek museum is also a Colonial Military convalescent home for invalid persons of min 65 years old from the rank of officer (such institution exists since 1859).
Further readings - Causes of WW2 in Asia

(Source: "L'épopée Kamikaze", Bernard Millot - Robert Laffont editions 1970)

Chronological list of events leading to the myth of Japanese "defensive" war:
a) 1926: Creation of Mandchukuo puppet state
b) 1931: Mandchukupo invaded by Japan
c) 1937: War with China
d) July 1940: USA voted the law to limit the exportation of petrol to Japan.
e) September 1940: North Indochina occupied by Japan (with approval of Vichy puppet state)
f) 1939: Molotov-Ribbentrop pact paved the way for Japanese-Soviet pact of april 1941. Note that the decision to attack USA instead of Soviet Union was taken with a tiny majority in Tojo War Cabinet (The Imperial Navy wanting a coprosperity sphere in Asia, The Army willing to smash the Soviets). Khalkin Gol border incidents in 1938 against General Zukhov showed that USSR was not easy to defeat..., this has probably played a role in the decision to attack USA.
g) July 1941: Occupation of whole Indochina by Japan ("common defense of Indochina" by "mutual agreement" with Vichy).
h) As a result USA blocked Japanese assets in the States.
i) August 1941: Konoye Prince tried to force USA to change attitude, he failed and General Tojo came to power. War was then unavoidable.
j) December 1941: Pearl Harbour was not meant to begin an assault on US territories, but to inflict such severe losses to the US fleet so that Japan could have time to create its "sphere of coprosperity" with a strong defensive perimeter awaiting American reaction. So Japan lead a pure "defensive" war according to its beliefs even if the attack at Pearl Harbour is commonly recognized as the beginning of an agressive war.

The book also mentions some assumptions, some choices that might have happened just before the Battle of the Coral Sea which halted the Japanese advance (but not definitely, the Battle of Midway being the confirmation):
a) Attack of the Soviet Union, in Siberia in 1942 on request of Germany
b) Conquest of India (in order to get oil in the Middle East)
c) Conquest of Australia. But in May 1942 after the Battle of the Coral Sea, expansion in Australia became a abandonned project. The furthest advance being towards Port Moresby which had never been captured.
Year of Visit : March 2007