The British retaliated with a co-ordinated sweep that began on 10 November, under the cover of air attacks. Fighting broke out on 30 October after the British commander, Brigadier A. 10 November is celebrated annually as Heroes' Day ( Hari Pahlawan).īy the time the Allied forces arrived at the end of October 1945, the Pemuda ('youth') foothold in Surabaya City was described as 'a strong unified fortress'. Considered a heroic effort by Indonesians, the battle helped galvanise Indonesian and international support for Indonesian independence.
The battle was the largest single battle of the revolution and became a national symbol of Indonesian resistance. The peak of the battle was in November 1945. The Battle of Surabaya was fought between regular infantry and militia of the Indonesian nationalist movement and British and British Indian troops as a part of the Indonesian National Revolution against the re-imposition of Dutch colonial rule.
