Podcasts about Balikpapan

Last time we spoke about the Liberation of Mindanao. In the spring of 1945, as the battle for Okinawa intensified, American forces relentlessly confronted entrenched Japanese troops. General Buckner's 10th Army faced fierce resistance amidst harsh weather and dwindling supplies. Despite these challenges, they captured the strategic Shuri Castle, marking a critical turning point as Japanese troops retreated. Simultaneously, the liberation of Mindanao was underway. American troops, under General Eichelberger, rapidly advanced, overcoming fortified Japanese defenses in mountainous terrain. With the 24th Division securing key locations like Digos and Davao, the 31st Division pushed northward against General Morozumi's forces. Despite stubborn resistance, American forces displayed tenacity and courage, leading to significant victories. By May 20, the Americans approached Malaybalay, where remnants of the 30th Field Artillery Regiment held their ground. As Japanese troops attempted to regroup, they faced relentless assaults from the advancing American divisions. Throughout the campaign, the Americans endured heavy casualties, but their determination led to more than 10,000 Japanese losses. This episode is the North Borneo Offensive Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  As we continue our story, by June 9, General Buckner's forces had pushed through to the enemy's main defensive line on the Kiyamu Peninsula. It was there that General Ushijima was preparing to make his final stand. Meanwhile, General Shepherd's 6th Marine Division landed on the Oroku Peninsula, determined to dismantle a stubborn pocket held by Admiral Ota's naval units. On June 10, the pace of the assault quickened dramatically. Colonel Shapley's 4th Marines broke through enemy defenses, capturing the strategic Hills 58 and 55(2). At the same time, Colonel Roberts' 22nd Marines secured Hills 28 and 55(1). Although Colonel Whaling's 29th Marines made only limited progress, they effectively identified the last significant pocket of resistance in the high ground west of Oroku village. Looking south, General Del Valle's 1st Marine Division also reignited its offensive. Colonel Snedeker's 7th Marines successfully advanced into Itoman and Tera, while Colonel Mason's 1st Marines, supported by tanks, cleared the southern slopes of the key ridge between Tera and Yuza, capturing Yuza Hill in the process. To the east, General Bradley's 96th Division launched a renewed attack, bolstered by artillery and tank support. Colonel May's 383rd Regiment advanced approximately 700 yards toward the town of Yuza. Meanwhile, Colonel Halloran's 381st Regiment pushed into Yunagusuku and Tomui. However, they faced fierce resistance, quickly encountering heavy machine-gun fire originating from the heights of Yaeju Dake, which halted their advance. Meanwhile, General Arnold's 7th Division continued its relentless push toward Nakaza, employing the full might of their tanks and artillery. Colonel Finn's 32nd Regiment steadily advanced onto the eastern slopes of Hill 95, pressing toward Hanagusuku. At the same time, Colonel Pachler's 17th Regiment fought to solidify its precarious position on the southeast end of Yaeju Dake. Back at sea, a kamikaze attack tragically sank the destroyer William D. Porter. That same day, Admiral McCain's Task Force 38 unleashed a barrage of bombs and artillery on Minami Daito Island before retreating to Leyte-Samar after 89 consecutive days off the coast of Okinawa. This marked the conclusion of their role in Operation Iceberg. The following day, the sustained pressure from Arnold's offensive began to fracture General Suzuki's 44th Independent Mixed Brigade on both flanks.Seas of flame engulfed Hill 95 on 11 June as 1/32 slowly advanced toward the crest of the enemy position behind the jets of armored flame throwers. Flame fuel was pumped and sprayed from hoses over portions of the ridge inaccessible to tanks and then ignited. Infantrymen moved among the still hot and smoking rocks and drove back the surviving defenders. That night the battalion dug in just short of the Hill 95 peak. Although little forward progress was made by 2/32 or the 17th Infantry on 11 June, the enemy position was considerably weakened. Intensive fire from supporting weapons was concentrated against the slopes of Yaeju Dake, and strong patrols cleaned out enemy groups that held positions near the 7th Division front lines. The 32nd Regiment achieved a significant victory by capturing the peak of Hill 95, while the 17th Regiment struggled to make further headway To the west, advances in the 96th Division zone were minimal as Bradley's regiments focused on consolidating their newly-won positions amidst intense enemy fire. Simultaneously, at Yuza Hill, fierce counterattacks were thwarted, and Mason's 2nd Battalion accomplished the critical capture of Hill 69, just west of Ozato, despite heavy machine-gun fire coming from Yuza Dake. Further east, ahead of the 7th Marines, some 800 yards from the southern fringes of the two settlements, lay "the scene of the most frantic, bewildering, and costly close-in battle on the southern tip of Okinawa"Kunishi Ridge. This precipitous coral escarpment constituted the western-most anchor of the last heavily defended line on Okinawa. The ridge contained innumerable caves, emplacements, and tombs on both the forward and reverse slopes. The intervening area between this formidable fortress and the lines of the 7th Marines was a broad valley of grassy fields and rice paddies which offered no protection to advancing infantry. The supporting tanks were restricted to two approaches into the position: a road across the valley which cut through the center of the ridge and another along the coast line. Both of these routes were covered by anti-tank guns. Shortly after noon patrols from the 1st and 2nd Battalions moved out with armored support to probe the Japanese defenses. Intense frontal fire from Kunishi Ridge, enfilade fire from the enemy on Hill 69 opposing the attack of 2/1, and artillery concentrations directed at the tanks forced a withdrawal at 14:47. Because of the complete fire coverage of the open valley enjoyed by the Japanese, both from the heights and slopes of the ridge itself and from the Yuza Dake area, it was apparent that a daylight assault of the position would be a costly affair. Consequently, after Colonel Snedeker had made a personal reconnaissance of the objective from a light liaison plane, it was determined to attack at night. The commanding officers of the assault battalions were oriented on the general plan during the afternoon. The central road and a line of telephone poles was designated as the boundary between battalions upon which the assault units would guide. The scheme of maneuver contemplated a penetration of the ridge where the road passed through it, followed by an expansion of the initial foothold to the right and left flanks to secure the remainder of the objective in the regimental zone of action. Normal artillery would be placed alternately on Kunishi Ridge and Mezado Ridge (500-600 yards southwest of Kunishi) until H-Hour and thereafter on the latter. On June 11, General Shepherd launched a concerted attack. The 22nd Marines successfully secured the Tomigusuki area and Hill 53, while the 29th Marines faced stiff opposition, making only limited gains against the heavily fortified hills west of Oroku. Meanwhile, the 4th Marines worked to strengthen their line, completing the encirclement of Ota's naval forces. Nevertheless, the ramparts of the Oroku fortress were cracking, and Admiral Ota released his last dispatch to General Ushijima: “Enemy tank groups are now attacking our cave headquarters. The Naval Base Force is dying gloriously at this moment… We are grateful for your past kindnesses and pray for the success of the Army.” During the night, artillery units successfully targeted and either killed or dispersed a group of Japanese troops attempting to cross the Kokuba River. Meanwhile, 51 infiltrators were eliminated as they tried to breach the lines held by the 22nd Marines. The following day, the 4th and 29th Marines intensified their efforts to compress the enemy pocket west of Tomigusuki, breaking through to seize Easy Hill while the 22nd Marines consolidated their positions. The capture of this key terrain feature forced the enemy into the alluvial flats along the coast between Oroku and Hill 53. "In the late afternoon enemy troops began displaying flags of surrender. Language officers equipped with loud speaker systems were dispatched to the front line areas to assist in the surrender of those Japs who desired to. The attempt was partially successful, 86 enemy soldiers voluntarily laid down their arms." For several days General Buckner had been sending messages to the Japanese commander by radio broadcast and air drops pointing out the hopelessness of the enemy situation in an attempt to persuade General Ushijima to surrender. During the afternoon of 11 June, Tenth Army representatives were conducted to the 2d Battalion OP overlooking Itoman to await any enemy party that might desire to negotiate. At 1700 all fire was suspended in the 7th Marines' area pending the doubtful appearance of a white flag. About 15 Japanese wearing white headgear appeared in the 1/7 zone in front of Company A at 1740, but dispersed when hailed. Six of the enemy surrendered to Company C at 1802, but the situation returned to normal two minutes later when hostile mortar fire fell on the captors' position. Final orders for the resumption of the attack were issued by Colonel Snedeker about 2000 setting H-Hour at 0330, 12 June. Both 1/7 and 2/7 were to make the assault with one company each, and at 0225 Company C moved out to establish contact with Company F on the line of departure. The attack was launched on schedule at 0330 and at 0500 Companies B and G moved out in support of the assault companies. Concurrently, Company F reached the objective at a point 500 yards north of Mezado village, as Company C came up on its left to extend the line eastward. The enemy was completely surprised and several small groups were wiped out by Company C while they were engaged in preparing breakfast. At the same time, the 1st Battalion extended the line eastward toward Kunishi. However, the Japanese quickly regrouped, pinning down the attackers for the rest of the day, though the Marines managed to reinforce and consolidate their hard-won gains. By midnight the positions there could be considered reasonably secure. But as General del Valle put it, "The situation was one of those tactical oddities of this peculiar warfare. We were on the ridge. The Japs were in it, both on the forward and reverse slopes." Elsewhere, the 1st Marines focused on mopping up Hill 69, dispatching patrols south through Ozato and maintaining their defenses on Yazu Hill. To the east, another pre-dawn attack initiated by the 17th Regiment caught the defenders off guard.  Colonel Pachler had compelling reasons for favoring a night operation. The defenders held a significant advantage in observation, which had posed serious challenges when the 3rd Battalion of the 17th Infantry seized the southeast end of the escarpment. The coral wall of the escarpment was particularly high at this end, and the narrow routes leading to the high ground were easily controlled by Japanese fire. After days of holding positions at the base of the 170-foot cliff, the troops had grown familiar with the terrain and, as their commander, Major Maynard Weaver, noted, they were eager to reach the top and finally see something new. The night attack was primarily planned for the 1st Battalion, but Colonel Pachler decided to coordinate a move to expand the territory held by the 3rd Battalion as well. The final plan involved three assault companies: Company A would occupy a cluster of coral about a hundred yards beyond the edge of the escarpment, near the boundary between the 7th and 96th Divisions. Company B aimed for a similar objective located about 200 yards to the southeast, while Company L was assigned to capture a small hill situated between the 1st Battalion's targets and the positions held by the 3rd Battalion since June 11. Each company was given a separate route: Company A's path led straight up the cliff's face, Company B needed to head south to reach a break in the escarpment before turning right toward its goal, and Company L had an accessible objective near the edge of the escarpment. Movement was set to begin at 0400 on June 12. Since the attack relied on stealth, no artillery preparation was planned. However, two battalions of 105-mm artillery, one battery of 155-mm howitzers, and an 8-inch howitzer battalion were scheduled to deliver heavy harassing fire during the night. Additionally, 21 batteries registered their fire on the afternoon of June 11 and were ready to provide protective artillery support if needed once the objectives were reached. For added firepower, a section of heavy machine guns was assigned to each assault company. Colonel Pachler meticulously planned the attack, ensuring that every soldier involved understood the details of the operation. Reconnaissance patrols had scouted the trails leading to the high ground, and demolition teams had already prepared known cave positions at the cliff's face with satchel charges. Despite thorough preparations, there was a collective apprehension about potential confusion caused by the unknown conditions of darkness. This anxiety was amplified at 2000 on the night of June 11 when the 7th Division G-2 Section intercepted an enemy radio message indicating, "Prepare to support the attack at 2300." Soon after, another intercepted message stated, "If there are any volunteers for the suicide penetration, report them before the contact which is to be made one hour from now." Meanwhile, from dusk until almost 2300, the Japanese unleashed a heavy artillery barrage, leading front-line troops to anticipate a counterattack. That counterattack did come, aimed at the 1st Battalion of the 32nd Infantry, which had reached the summit of Hill 95 earlier that day, as well as against the 96th Division. However, there was no enemy activity observed in the 17th Infantry's sector. As night illumination and harassing fire ceased shortly before 0400, the attack proceeded according to plan. The companies moved out in single file. Remarkably, a heavy fog settled over southern Okinawa, creating the perfect conditions for concealment while allowing the troops to follow their paths without confusion. On the high ground, Company A encountered a few civilians wandering about, while the leading platoon of Company B unexpectedly came across three Japanese soldiers as they reached the shelf of the escarpment. The Americans chose to ignore them and continued silently on their way, with the enemy surprisingly not opening fire. By 0530, just minutes after dawn, Companies A and B were in position without firing a single shot. Company L also successfully reached its objective, and eager to capitalize on the fog and absence of enemy fire, its commander sent a support platoon to a small hill fifty yards beyond. This objective was secured quickly, but not without incident; two enemy soldiers were killed in the process. The platoon leader reported their progress but quickly called for mortar fire as about fifty Japanese troops approached in a column. The Americans opened fire with rifles and BARs, disrupting the formation and resulting in thirty-seven enemy soldiers killed, while the rest managed to escape. The men of the 1st Battalion celebrated the success of the night attack. Shortly after Company A took position, four enemy soldiers stumbled into view and were swiftly eliminated. A few moments later, another four followed suit, meeting the same fate. Company B remained undisturbed until around 0530 when Japanese soldiers attempted to emerge from several caves within the company's area. Although the cave entrances were heavily reinforced with concrete and couldn't be sealed with demolition charges, the Marines guarded the openings and shot at the Japanese as they appeared. Not long after daylight, Company C began clearing the caves at the base of the escarpment, eventually regrouping with the rest of the battalion on the high ground. By 0800, the situation had stabilized, and the 17th Infantry held strong positions on Yaeju Dake. During the night, the Japanese had withdrawn their front-line troops from Yaeju Dake to escape the punishing artillery fire, intending to reoccupy it before the anticipated 0700 attack. Fifteen hours after the 32nd Infantry fought their way to the top of Hill 95, the 17th Infantry had executed a masterful night attack to seize their portion of Yaeju Dake. Throughout the day, the 2nd Battalion of the 17th Infantry relieved Companies I and K, and with Company L attached and supported by medium and flame tanks, continued the offensive. The 1st Battalion maintained its position, firing at enemy soldiers who were slow to realize that their defensive terrain had been lost. Company B alone accounted for sixty-three Japanese soldiers killed throughout the day. Taking advantage of this breakthrough, the 381st Regiment advanced to occupy the slopes of Yaeju Dake, while the 383rd extended the division front and secured Yuza. As the situation unfolded, Japanese troops maintained control over Big Apple Peak, which towered about sixty feet above the surrounding plateau. However, by the evening of June 12, the 7th and 96th Divisions had succeeded in forcing the reconstituted 44th Independent Mixed Brigade from the southeastern end of the enemy's line. General Ushijima acted swiftly, given the limitations imposed by his damaged communication system and the chaos among his front-line units. With his artillery nearly silenced by enemy bombardments and his supplies dwindling faster than his manpower, Ushijima's only hope lay in sending more troops into the relentless shellfire and flames unleashed by American forces sweeping across the frontline. His urgent order read: “The enemy in the 44th IMB sector has finally penetrated our main line of resistance. The plan of the 44th IMB is to annihilate, with its main strength, the enemy penetrating the Yaeju-Dake sector. The Army will undertake to reoccupy and hold its Main Line of Resistance to the death. The 62nd Division will place two selected infantry battalions under the command of the CG, 44th IMB.” Unfortunately, the 64th Brigade, the part of the 62nd Division that had shifted from Shuri to reserve positions near Makabe, didn't receive this order until late on June 13, a full thirty hours after it became critical. This piecemeal commitment of reserve troops proved to be grossly inadequate. By June 13, the 44th Brigade was teetering on the brink of destruction. When reinforcements finally arrived, they found the remnants of the 44th Brigade overwhelmed and absorbed into the reinforcing battalions, with still not enough men to hold the line. In a last-ditch effort, the enemy committed the main strength of the 62nd Division, his final reserve, with a desperate plea for cooperation and orders to "reoccupy and secure the Main Line of Resistance." However, by the time the 62nd Division moved onto the line, they ran headlong into General Hodge's forces, who were advancing southward across the coral-studded plateau. The Americans pressed forward, shielded by the fire of machine guns and tanks, advancing over the bodies of Japanese defenders who had fought fiercely to hold their last stronghold "to the death." On June 13, General Arnold resumed his assault against the rapidly disintegrating 44th Independent Mixed Brigade. The 32nd Regiment successfully secured the Hill 95-Hanagusuku area, while the 17th Regiment expanded its control over the escarpment's summit. To the west, May's 3rd Battalion and Halloran's 2nd Battalion struggled to capture the top of the escarpment despite repeated attempts. However, they significantly diminished the defenders' strength with a relentless volume of covering fire. At the same time, May's 1st Battalion advanced through Yuza and swept southward to successfully secure Ozato. Meanwhile, General Del Valle prepared to commit the 1st Marines to the fight on Kunishi Ridge, as the isolated 7th Marines continued to be pinned down by heavy Japanese fire, relying on tanks for supplies and evacuation. Further north, the 29th Marines launched an attack southeast to eliminate the enemy pocket, while Shapley's 3rd Battalion moved swiftly toward the beach, progressively chasing the demoralized Japanese forces from the thick brush and marshy terrain along the waterfront. As they reached the sea wall, the assault turned into a rout. Some of the enemy threw down their arms and fled at the Marines' approach. Large numbers surrendered; but some fought back with hand grenades in desperate, individual last ditch stands, while many more used grenades to destroy themselves in despair. The sea wall was reached at noon, and the remainder of the day was spent running to earth small groups hiding in the cane fields and rice paddies. In the late afternoon General Shepherd notified General Geiger that all organized resistance on Oroku had ceased. In the early hours of June 14, Mason's 2nd Battalion advanced toward Kunishi Ridge, tenaciously fighting their way to positions east of the 7th Marines, which remained isolated. Simultaneously, Shepherd's reinforced Reconnaissance Company successfully landed on Senaga Island, completing the occupation of the Oroku Peninsula. Looking south once again, May's 1st Battalion completed the cleanup in Ozato but soon had to withdraw from its vulnerable position, while the rest of the 383rd Regiment pressed forward to the edge of the escarpment west of Yaeju Dake. To the east, despite heavy mortar and machine-gun fire, the 381st Regiment maintained constant pressure on the northern face of Yaeju Dake, finally reaching the top of the escarpment by nightfall. Their success allowed them to link up with the 7th Division, which dealt a crushing blow to the 13th Independent Battalion, advancing approximately 300 yards across the front. After a night of disorganized counterattacks and infiltration attempts, the 7th Division launched an assault toward Hills 115 and 153, advancing about 1,200 yards and reaching the outer slopes of the hill positions. To the west, the 381st Regiment and May's 3rd Battalion successfully secured the escarpment between Yuza and Yaeju Dake, although the remainder of the 383rd struggled to move forward due to heavy fire from Yuza Dake. On Kunishi Ridge, the pressure from the Japanese remained relentless, restricting the 7th Marines to only minor local gains. However, Mason's 2nd Battalion managed to inch its way along the ridge, successfully extending the line by about 200 yards to the east. Behind them, Colonel Griebel's 5th Marines began to relieve the weary 1st Marines, with Griebel's 2nd Battalion finally moving forward during the night to support Mason's isolated 2nd Battalion. On June 16, after an intense bombardment of artillery, mortars, and rockets, the 7th Marines finally broke through. Snedeker's 1st Battalion advanced along the northern slope of Kunishi Ridge, while the 2nd Battalion extended the line into the initial high ground of the Mezado hill mass. Concurrently, Griebel's 2nd Battalion advanced, making slow but steady progress until they secured a coral peak on the ridge that commanded their position. To the east, the 62nd Division, attempting to move from its reserve locations southwest of Makabe to support the faltering Japanese lines, faced devastating fire from artillery, ship guns, and aerial bombardments of rockets and napalm. Seizing the opportunity created by the relentless bombardment of enemy rear areas, Bradley launched his battalions through the Yuza Dake perimeter. Colonel Dill's 382nd Regiment pushed through the 383rd and advanced toward Ozato, aiming to gain control of the high ground southwest of Yuza, while May's 3rd Battalion successfully captured Yuza Dake. Additionally, the 381st Regiment gained approximately 600 yards along its front, reaching the saddle between Yuza Dake and Hill 153. Meanwhile, the 17th Regiment pressed onto the forward slopes of Hill 153, and the 32nd Regiment, driving down the coast, took Hill 115, effectively eliminating the 15th Independent Mixed Regiment. Back at sea, despite a significant depletion of Japanese air strength, a kamikaze attack succeeded in sinking the destroyer Twiggs.  But now, it's time to leave Okinawa and turn our attention to Borneo, where we continue covering the Australian offensive. As we last noted, by May 6, Brigadier Whitehead's 26th Australian Brigade had successfully landed on Tarakan, pushing the Japanese garrison into the island's rugged interior. By the evening of 6th May fairly copious information obtained from prisoners and Indonesians and from captured documents indicated that the enemy had about 390 naval troops in the Mount Api area, about 400 troops and civilians in the Fukukaku headquarters area (embracing Hills 105 and 102), 200 from Sesanip along Snags Track to Otway, 300 on Otway and in District VI, 300 in the Amal River area and 60 at Cape Juata. Having lost the airfield and the water-purifying plant and hospitals "the enemy at this time was displaying a decided disinclination to hold ground. In particular he was shunning any ground which could be subjected to heavy bombing, shelling, or attack by tanks; or against which large-scale attacks could be launched by our troops"; and he was directing his operations to delaying the attackers, particularly with mines, booby-traps, suicide raids, and isolated parties fighting to the death in tunnels and dugouts. The 4th Company of Tokoi Force (IJA) plus the 1st Company of the 2nd Naval Guard Force were on Hill 105, Margy and Janet; the 1st Company of Tokoi Force, and other troops were on Hill 102. In the north was a composite group. To secure the recently captured airfield from potential counterattacks, raids, or indirect fire, Brigadier Whitehead decided to deploy the 2/48th Battalion to gain the high ground north of the town, reaching up to Snags Track. The 2/4th Commando Squadron was tasked with advancing along Snags Track toward the Sesanip oilfields, while the 2/3rd Pioneers were assigned to sweep the high ground east of the town and move along John's Track to the mouth of the Ama River. Meanwhile, the Dutch company was to clear the unoccupied Cape Batu peninsula, a task that proved surprisingly straightforward. In the Mount Api area, however, the 2/23rd Battalion faced fierce resistance, particularly at Tiger and along Crazy Ridge, resulting in minimal progress until they were relieved by the 2/24th Battalion on May 9. Further to the right, the 2/48th Battalion seized Otway without opposition, and the commandos successfully cleared Snags Track up to Haigh's by May 8, though tanks could not advance any further. The pioneers, on the other hand, encountered heavy resistance along John's Track, which they couldn't overcome until May 9. That day, a long-distance patrol from the 2/24th Battalion also succeeded in driving the Japanese out of the Juata oilfields after a skirmish. On May 10, while the 2/48th and the commandos patrolled aggressively forward, the pioneers began their assault on the heavily defended Helen feature, which would successfully repel repeated Australian attacks for the next five days. Simultaneously, the 2/24th faced strong resistance in the Mount Api area but tenaciously pushed forward to Hill 105 on May 11, capturing Tiger the following night. They conducted patrols that probed about 1,000 yards southeast, cutting Snags Track at several points. On May 12, the 2/48th set out to cut King's Track and clear the heights from Sykes to Butch. The next morning, they successfully attacked and captured the knoll north of Snags Track. Meanwhile, following a highly effective air bombardment, the key Helen feature was found abandoned on May 15. This allowed the pioneers to clear John's Track and reach the coast at the mouth of the Amal River. Concurrently, the commandos secured the Agnes feature, followed by the 2/24th Battalion's capture of Elbow on May 16. The remaining positions on Hill 105 were then subjected to intensive bombing and bombardment, leading to an Australian assault on May 19. They finally captured the feature the following day. In the meantime, the 2/48th Battalion moved to Agnes to attack the Freda feature on May 14.  It was now evident that if the Freda hill was to be taken the attack must have heavier support. Therefore, on 22nd May, 12 Liberators and 12 Lightnings were sent out with bombs and napalm, but the cloud was so low that some of the heavy bombers did not find the objective. Then the artillery and mortars fired, and a two-company attack went in, the infantry moving very close behind the barrage. Gooden's company thrust from the east, and Captain Nicholas's advanced with one platoon pushing east along Snags Track towards Track Junction Knoll and another pressing north. The former platoon (Lieutenant Harvey), moving through very difficult country along a razor-back so narrow that only two men could be deployed on it, edged forward under heavy fire; after losing one killed and 4 wounded and finding the enemy becoming stronger Harvey manoeuvred out of this position. It was then found that a wounded man was not with them, so Harvey and three volunteers thrust back and engaged the enemy fiercely while the wounded man was carried out. During the day Gooden's company on the right had encountered two strongly-held knolls. Derrick's platoon succeeded in cutting the saddle between them and taking one knoll. Derrick's platoon and another launched “a most courageous attack up the steep slopes of Knoll 2 in the fading light. Here, in some of the heaviest and most bitter close-in fighting of the whole campaign these two platoons finally reached the top and secured the Knoll after inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy.... [Lance-Sergeant] Fennells time and again ... crawled ahead of the attacking troops, even to within five yards of the enemy, and gained vital information. On one occasion, when his section was forced to ground he had charged the Jap positions with his Owen gun blazing and had silenced the enemy post, killing the occupants. In a similar manner, Private W. R. How found the advance of the troops checked by a well-sited pill-box, raced forward with his Owen firing until within grenade range, and then, throwing grenades, moved in for the kill until he fell wounded. He had silenced the post and killed the machine-gunner, thus allowing the advance to continue.” At this stage 28 enemy dead had been counted; one Australian had been killed and 15 wounded.  Unfortunately, the Japanese counterattacked the following day, effectively recapturing the position. Following a devastating combination of air and artillery bombardment, the Australians managed to secure Freda and Track Junction Knoll on May 25. During this time, the 2/23rd Battalion remained in close contact with a resolute enemy at Janet and Margy but struggled to make significant progress. The 2/24th Battalion continued probing northward and captured the Droop feature on May 26. After another failed attack on May 29, a heavy air and artillery bombardment supported the 2/23rd as they finally captured Margy on May 31. Concurrently, the 2/24th successfully attacked and held the Poker Hills. On June 1, the 2/48th Battalion then attacked Hill 102, supported by aircraft and machine-gun fire. Lieutenant O'Rourke's platoon attacked, following an artillery barrage as closely as they could, and bringing with them three flame-throwers. They gained the forward slopes without being fired on and then saw five Japanese moving towards them, evidently to re-enter their positions after the bombing. These were fired on while the flame-throwers were brought into action. One operator sprayed the slope from side to side while another fired straight up it. “The result was devastating (said O'Rourke later). The hill was set completely ablaze to a depth of 50 yards, two of the five Japs were set on fire and the other three killed in their posts. The platoon was able to advance almost immediately through the flames, and with the help of the flame-throwers the feature was com-pletely captured within 15 minutes of the advance commencing. The flame which was fired up a slight rise hit the trees on the crest and also sprayed the reverse slope and had the effect of completely demoralising the enemy.“ While the Australians launched an unsuccessful assault on Wally, the 2/23rd Battalion was engaged in clearing out the remaining Japanese forces from Margy and its surrounding areas. On June 6, the Australians finally secured Wally, and the 2/24th Battalion also managed to capture Roger. In the early hours of June 10, the Japanese launched a counterattack toward Hill 105, but it was easily repelled. At the same time, the defenders began preparing for a withdrawal northeast into the island's interior, planning to split into independent groups to wage guerrilla warfare. Despite the looming withdrawal, Whitehead's battalions commenced attacks on Beech 2, Joyce, and Linda on June 11. However, progress was slow over the next three days, with the only notable achievement being the capture of Sandy on June 13. By nightfall that day, the Japanese finally began their withdrawal, leaving behind only rearguards to hold the crucial Essie Track. This allowed the Australians to capture the abandoned features of Linda, Joyce, Clarice, Hilda Paddy, Melon, and Aunty on June 14. The next day, the Australians took Nelly and Faith, but the Japanese rearguard on Essie Ridge managed to temporarily halt their pursuit. Eventually, however, Essie Ridge was overrun, and by June 16, Fukukaku was cleared. The 2/48th Battalion then pursued the Japanese as they fled eastward from Essie. On June 18, they caught a few but found that a large group had scattered into smaller parties. By June 19, patrols were radiating east, north, and west in pursuit, with Japanese forces standing firm at several points. Ultimately, the fall of Hill 90 on June 20 marked the end of organized resistance on Tarakan. Following this victory, Whitehead initiated a mop-up operation that would continue until the war's end. While the 26th Brigade was fighting to secure Tarakan, General Wootten's 9th Australian Division was preparing to launch the invasion of the Brunei Bay area of north Borneo, codenamed Operation Oboe VI. At the Manila conference in April General Morshead had learnt that OBOE I (Tarakan), OBOE VI (north Borneo) and OBOE II (Balikpapan) were to be carried out in that order. 34 LSTs would be allotted for OBOE VI but had to be released by 23 days after the landing. There were other fairly severe restrictions on the vessels available: the one boat battalion of the American Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment and the one amphibian tractor battalion allotted to OBOE VI had to be used for Balikpapan. Morshead and his staff arrived back at Morotai from Manila on April 21 and next day the Corps issued its staff study of the north Borneo operation, and the 9th Division's staff, which from April 4 to 17 had been planning an operation against Balikpapan, began preparing an outline plan for an attack on Brunei Bay instead. This was presented to Corps and approved on April 26; the final plan, which contained no major changes, was approved on May 16. Meanwhile a variety of problems had arisen at the Corps level and above. On May 1, 2200 troops and 1200 vehicles (including guns) of the 9th Division were still in the Cairns or Atherton areas awaiting shipment, and some of the stores and equipment were not scheduled to arrive at Morotai until May 25, two days after the proposed date of the landing. It also appeared that, on the day of the landing, the 24th Brigade would lack some unit stores and vehicles, and the 20th Brigade would possess only one battalion; there would be no field or anti-aircraft guns, a shortage of signal vehicles and equipment, no equipment for building wharves and bulk oil storage, and neither of the casualty clearing stations allotted would be present. Due to a series of issues at the Corps level and above, the invasion plan had been scaled down to a landing by a brigade on Labuan Island and just a battalion on Muara Island, with the operation further postponed to June 10. The strategy involved landing Brigadier Selwyn Porter's 24th Brigade on Victoria Harbor's Brown Beaches to capture the Labuan airfield and eliminate all hostile forces on the island. Simultaneously, Brigadier William Windeyer's 20th Brigade would put ashore the 2/15th Battalion on Muara Island's White Beach and the 2/17th Battalion on Brunei Bluff's Green Beach. These units were tasked with capturing Brooketon and securing the southern and western sides of Muara Island, setting the stage for an advance on Brunei Town. Upon capturing these objectives, the 9th Division was to occupy and defend the Brunei Bay-Beaufort area and take control of the Miri-Lutong-Seria regions. Once again, Admiral Barbey's Naval Attack Force, primarily comprising Admiral Royal's transports and Admiral Berkey's cruisers, was designated to facilitate the amphibious movement of troops to Brunei Bay. In preparation for the invasion, American and Australian air forces, under General Kenney's command, targeted airfields and other military installations, focusing particularly on destroying bridges on the railway to Jesselton to prevent the arrival of reinforcements to Labuan by rail. On June 4, Barbey's convoy finally departed Morotai, embarking on its 1,100-mile voyage to Brunei Bay. Air attacks intensified on June 5, successfully rendering the Papar River bridge unusable. Four days later, on June 9, the air campaign reached its peak: 54 Liberators and 24 Mitchells launched strikes against targets on Labuan, while 23 Liberators targeted the Brooketon area. In the meantime, minesweepers successfully cleared a channel into the bay, destroying 69 mines between June 7 and 9. Berkey's cruisers sailed ahead and shelled the Brown, White, and Green Beaches in the two days leading up to the landings. The convoy finally arrived at the main channel between Labuan Island and Brunei Bluff just before sunrise on June 10, fully prepared to execute the invasion. Opposing them, General Baba's 37th Army had assembled General Nozaki's depleted 56th Independent Mixed Brigade in the Brunei Bay sector. This included two battalions near Brunei, one at Beaufort, and one garrisoning Labuan. Additionally, the 553rd Independent Battalion was stationed in the Miri area; however, none of these units were equipped to make a stand at the beaches. At 08:15, Barbey's warships commenced a bombardment of the southern beaches as the troops were loading onto the landing vessels. Shortly after 09:05, the first waves began to advance, preceded by craft firing rockets and artillery. As anticipated, there was no opposition on the landing areas. The 2/15th Battalion successfully reached the shore at 09:15, followed by the 2/17th Battalion, which made landfall three minutes later, approximately 1,000 yards east of its intended location. By dusk, the 2/15th had scoured the swampy terrain of Muara Island and reported no Japanese presence. The 2/17th pushed forward a few miles along the road to Brunei, while the 2/13th Battalion landed and moved into reserve behind the 2/17th. Meanwhile, the 2/28th Battalion landed without incident at 09:15 and quickly secured Labuan town, with the 2/43rd Battalion following ashore at 09:20 to initiate the advance toward the airfield.  There was no opposition until 10:45, when the leading troops came under rifle fire just south of Flagstaff Hill. This post was quickly bypassed and taken, but the Australians continued to face strong resistance from the 371st Independent Battalion. Despite this, the defenders could not prevent the 2/43rd from capturing the airfield by nightfall. During the day, Porter also landed the 2/11th Commando Squadron on the unoccupied Hamilton Peninsula, with one troop initiating a move north along Charlie Track. On June 11, while the 2/43rd patrolled north and west, overcoming some opposition, the 2/28th slowly advanced toward the Able and Baker routes, where they encountered the bulk of enemy resistance. Meanwhile, after repelling an enemy patrol overnight, the 2/17th continued its advance to Brunei unopposed, with a company from the 2/15th moving up the Brunei River to land about four miles downstream from the town. The following day, the 2/17th reached and seized the airstrip, finally encountering defenses manned by the 366th Independent Battalion. On Labuan, the 2/43rd moved unopposed to Hamilton Road and successfully linked up with the commandos, leaving behind one company and three tanks to destroy a bypassed stronghold to the northwest. At the same time, the 2/28th probed the strongly held area astride MacArthur Road and to its west, making good progress to compress the resilient enemy into a pocket. On June 13, although the 2/43rd occupied an emergency airstrip at Timbalai, the primary objective remained to continue compressing the enemy into "the Pocket" and mop up the remainder of the island. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Australian troops, under Brigadier Whitehead, landed on Tarakan, swiftly overcoming Japanese strongholds. By May 20, they began the North Borneo Offensive, achieving significant territorial gains amid brutal combat. As Japanese forces faltered, some surrendered, signaling a turning tide. The campaign showcased immense courage and sacrifice, with heavy casualties on both sides, ultimately paving the way for Allied victories in the Pacific theater.

Last time we spoke about the invasion of Mindanao. In April 1945, the US launched the invasion of Mindanao under General Eichelberger, focusing on Illana Bay. Initial assaults were swift, and American forces quickly captured vital areas due to the disarray among Japanese troops, who were struggling with low morale and supply shortages. The Japanese were under significant pressure, with commanders ill-prepared to mount a robust defense as American troops advanced toward Davao. Fierce battles unfolded, including attempts to seize key positions, but Japanese forces, that included remnants from earlier campaigns, faced overwhelming and relentless assaults. Despite stiff resistance in some areas, the Americans ultimately made considerable territorial gains, significantly weakening Japanese positions. This successful operation in Mindanao laid crucial groundwork for further advances in the Pacific theater, marking a decisive phase in the war as the tide turned heavily in favor of the Allies. As this chapter closed, it was evident that the end of Japanese resistance in the region was drawing near. This episode is the Allied Invasion of Borneo Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  A long time ago, in a galaxy far away we talked about the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies. Now it is time to talk about how the Dutch strikes back. . . well not exactly, but I wanted to finish the star wars reference. For an extended period, the Australian forces that had valiantly fought on the island of New Guinea during a crucial phase of the Allied war effort had been assigned to garrison duties in remote areas, conducting minor offensives against a desperate enemy more concerned with obtaining food than engaging in battle. At the same time, General MacArthur deemed it politically unwise for Australians to take a prominent role in reclaiming the Philippines, an American territory, and he also found it politically unfavorable for American troops to participate in restoring Dutch and British authority in the Indies. Recognizing the urgent need to secure the oilfields of British and Dutch Borneo to supply accessible oil for the push toward Japan, Lieutenant-General Leslie Morshead's 1st Australian Corps was designated for the operation to retake Borneo, known as Operation Oboe. Should note that after a period of illness, suffering from malaria and a skin condition, the fighting General George Alan Vasey had finally recovered by February 1945. General Blamey, who still had doubts about his physical fitness despite Vasey being given an A by an Army medical board, reluctantly appointed him to command the 6th Division, then in action in the Aitape-Wewak campaign. Vasey then flew north to take up his new command. The aircraft Vasey was travelling in, RAAF Lockheed Hudson A16-118, took off from RAAF Station Archerfield on the afternoon of March 5, 1945. Due to a cyclone that was ravaging the Queensland coast at the time, the aircraft crashed into the sea about 400 metres out from Machans Beach, just north of the mouth of the Barron River, 2 kilometres short of the Cairns Airport. Vasey was killed in the crash along with all those on board. His body was recovered from the crash site and was buried with full military honours in Cairns cemetery along with those of Major-General Rupert Downes and Lieutenant-Colonel G. A. Bertram. Vasey's concern for his men outlived him. The men called him 'Bloody George', not after his casualties, but after his favourite adjective, and Vasey's personable style of command attracted immense loyalty from them. "Vasey owns the 7th," wrote a Melbourne journalist, "but every man in the division believes he owns Vasey." Thus now it fell to General Steven to retain command of the 6th Division at that time already engaged in combat at Aitape-Wewak, the initial plan was to land Brigadier David Whitehead's 26th Brigade at Tarakan on April 23 to establish an airstrip for supporting aircraft for subsequent operations, specifically an assault on Balikpapan by the remaining forces of Major-General George Wootten's 9th Division on May 18. Following that, ten days later, a brigade was set to land at Bandjarmasin to secure air support for the planned invasion of Java by the entire corps on June 27. Ultimately, the operations at Bandjarmasin and Java were cancelled; the Tarakan landing was postponed to May 1; the Balikpapan invasion would instead be conducted by Major-General Edward Milford's 7th Division on July 1; and the 9th Division was tasked with the invasion of Brunei Bay on June 10. Consequently, by the end of March, Morshead's headquarters and the entire 9th Division had relocated to Morotai, where they would prepare and rehearse for the impending invasion. In March 1944, General Doihara Kenji organized the 7th Area Army to establish a new defensive line across Malaya, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. Yes you heard that right, General Doihara Kenji. For those of you who listen to my Fall and Rise of China podcast, this guy is that infamous intelligence officer who worked on nearly all the significant false flag operations during the second sino-Japanese war. Working as an intelligence officer he played a key role in the orchestration of the Huanggutun Incident, Mukden Incident, kidnapping of Emperor Puyi and Marco Polo Bridge Incident, amongst countless other “incidents”. He was a bonafide mastermind behind numerous false flag operations and the Manchurian drug trade earning the moniker Lawrence of Manchuria.  Now, anticipating an impending enemy invasion, Lieutenant-General Yamawaki Masataka reorganized the Borneo Defence Army into the 37th Army in September, placing it directly under General Terauchi's Southern Army. This force gradually received reinforcements from the 56th and 71st Independent Mixed Brigades, the 25th Independent Mixed Regiment, and several smaller units. Despite this, the command was understrength and poorly equipped, as most of the available equipment and experienced troops were reassigned to more critical locations in the Southwest Pacific. By the end of the year, under the leadership of Lieutenant-General Baba Masao, the 37th Army had stationed the majority of Major-General Nozaki Seiji's 56th Independent Mixed Brigade at Tawau, Major-General Yamamura Hyoe's understrength 71st Independent Mixed Brigade at Kuching, most of Colonel Iemura Shinichi's 25th Independent Mixed Regiment on Tawi-Tawi Island, Rear-Admiral Kamada Michiaki's 22nd Naval Special Base Force at Balikpapan, along with three battalions in Sandakan, two battalions and a naval unit in Tarakan, and one battalion each in Kudat, Beaufort, and Miri. However, in 1945, both Baba and Terauchi recognized that the enemy was likely to first target strategic locations on the east coast before establishing a strong presence in western Borneo to prepare for an invasion of Malaya. Consequently, they decided that the majority of the 37th Army should be concentrated around Brunei Bay, leading to orders for the 56th Independent Mixed Brigade to march overland toward northern Borneo. The 370th Independent Battalion remained in Tawau, while the 369th Independent Battalion was sent to garrison Bandjarmasin. Additionally, half of the 454th Independent Battalion was dispatched to Balikpapan, and the other half to Bandjarmasin. This left only the 455th Independent Battalion and part of the 2nd Guard Unit at Tarakan. Early in April the strength of the Japanese force on Tarakan was estimated at about 4000 of whom 2500 were base troops. On the eve of the attack, however, largely because of information indicating that a battalion had been moved from Tarakan to Balikpapan, it was estimated that only 1500 to 2000 troops remained on the island. Aerial photographs showed five gun positions on the south-eastern tip of the island covering the channel along which ships normally entered Tarakan. Round Lingkas and Tarakan there seemed to be 15 anti-aircraft guns, and 9 medium and 5 light anti-aircraft guns seemed to be round the airfield. The whole of Lingkas beach was protected by parallel rows of posts, rails and pipes driven into the mud and extending into the sea to a distance of 125 yards from high-water mark; and between the beach and the road was an anti-tank ditch about 25 feet wide. A group of oil tanks was near the beach and, as it was possible that the Japanese might try to impede an attacker by flooding the oil over the sea and the swamp near the Pamusian River and setting it alight, the air force had taken pains to destroy these tanks. Field works could be seen; there were concrete pill-boxes built by the Dutch; and it was suspected that, here as elsewhere, tunnels had been dug into the hills.  Units stationed at Sandakan were also ordered to move toward Brunei, leaving the 554th Independent Battalion behind. Furthermore, due to the challenges in supplying Tawi-Tawi, the 25th Independent Mixed Regiment was withdrawn to Borneo in February and instructed to march toward Jesselton, where it was expected to arrive in May. During this time, little was done to enhance the island's defenses, and the overland marches took a significant toll on the soldiers' stamina. Meanwhile, enemy air raids intensified, severely disrupting communications. Between April 11 and 29, Air Commodore Arthur Harry Cobby's Australian 1st Tactical Air Force, along with Major-General Paul Wurtsmith's 13th Air Force, conducted several air assaults on Tarakan and Tawau, targeting oil storage tanks, artillery positions, radar stations, defenses, and various buildings. On April 27, Rear-Admiral Forrest Royal's Task Group 78.1 departed Morotai, carrying Whitehead's 26th Brigade, protected by Admiral Berkey's cruisers and destroyers. Over the next two days, this force executed a naval bombardment on shore targets while a minesweeping unit cleared and marked the approach route within 800 yards of the beach and Sadau Island. Early on April 30, the 2/4th Commando Squadron landed unopposed on Sadau, where they established an artillery battery to support the engineers in clearing obstacles from the invasion beaches. After successfully completing the task with just a few sniper and mortar attacks, the main convoy reached the southwest coast of Tarakan Island an hour before sunrise on May 1. Following a heavy air and naval bombardment prior to landing, Whitehead's assault waves began their approach to the shore, supported by rocket fire from the LCI gunboats. Around 08:00, the 2/23rd and 2/48th Battalions landed on Green Beach and Red Beach, respectively, without facing any opposition. However, once they moved inland, they encountered intense fire from Lingkas Hill and Roach. The 2/23rd Battalion launched an attack and captured both locations while the 2/48th took the Finch and Parks positions as they advanced to secure the Collins Highway ridge. Throughout the day, the remaining units of the 26th Brigade landed despite poor beach conditions and overcrowding, with the 2/24th Battalion held in reserve along Anzac Highway. By nightfall, the brigade managed to hold an area 2,800 yards wide at the base and up to 2,000 yards deep. Early on May 2, the 2/23rd seized Milko with minimal resistance, advancing further north to the Pages feature and Hospital Spur. Simultaneously, the 2/48th quickly secured Lyons and the junction with Burke Highway, while the 2/24th effectively attacked the Wills, Sturt, and Frank positions with support from aircraft and artillery. In the late afternoon, as one company moved up Anzac Highway toward the airfield, Lieutenant-Colonel George Warfe's other companies converged on the Essex feature, which was captured without opposition during the night. The next morning, the 2/24th attacked the airfield from the south and east; although they successfully took the airfield ridge at a high cost, their late assault on the Rippon position to the north was repelled by determined enemy defenders. At the same time, the 2/48th conducted reconnaissance towards the Peter and Sykes features, while the 2/23rd managed to secure the area between Gleneleg Highway and Pamusian. However, their assaults on Hospital Spur and Tarakan Hill were unsuccessful. Fortunately, Burke Ridge was found abandoned on May 4. By then, Whitehead had already instructed the 2/23rd to advance east and join the 2/24th in their attacks on the airfield, with the 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion and the 2/4th Commando Squadron taking over their positions in the west. The commandos then launched an attack on Tarakan Hill. Despite being initially held down by fierce enemy fire, they eventually forced the defenders off the high ground through sustained pressure, tank support, and a sweeping maneuver to the right. Simultaneously, the 2/48th advanced and successfully took control of the Evans feature, while a company from the 2/24th attacked the Peningkibaru stronghold after an intense artillery barrage, managing to secure the position just in time to fend off the Japanese who had retreated during the bombardment. Additionally, Warfe planned another assault on Rippon, but heavy Japanese shelling ultimately compelled him to call it off. On May 5, as the commandos and pioneers continued to diminish the remaining strongholds on Tarakan Hill, the 2/48th successfully cleared the road north to Otway, although they faced greater resistance near Sykes. Rippon was also discovered to be abandoned and was swiftly captured, though the Japanese still controlled the high ground to the north. Finally, on May 6, the 2/48th launched another attack on Sykes and successfully cleared the hill this time. While capturing the airfield and town accomplished Whitehead's primary objective, the Japanese continued to hold the rugged interior of Tarakan, indicating that much fighting lay ahead until the garrison was completely defeated. By the evening of 6th May fairly copious information obtained from prisoners and Indonesians and from captured documents indicated that the enemy had about 390 naval troops in the Mount Api area, about 400 troops and civilians in the Fukukaku headquarters area, 200 from Sesanip along Snags Track to Otway, 300 on Otway and in District 6, 300 in the Amal River area and 60 at Cape Juata. Having lost the airfield and the water-purifying plant and hospitals "the enemy at this time was displaying a decided disinclination to hold ground. In particular he was shunning any ground which could be subjected to heavy bombing, shelling, or attack by tanks; or against which large-scale attacks could be launched by our troops".The enemy was now directing his operations to delaying the attackers, particularly with mines, booby-traps, suicide raids, and isolated parties fighting to the death in tunnels and dugouts.  After the unsuccessful general attack on April 19, which yielded minimal gains, Generals Hodge and Buckner were preparing to push the offensive southward, fully aware that breaching the first Shuri defense ring would be a slow and costly endeavor. On the western front, the primary enemy positions on Kakazu Ridge had been entirely circumvented, with General Griner directing his troops to advance and focus on cleanup later. Consequently, on April 20, the majority of the 165th Regiment secured the coastal region before launching a southern attack that encountered immediate and fierce resistance in the rugged terrain north of Gusukuma, particularly around Item Pocket.  The center of the Japanese resistance lay in the I section of Target Area 7777, which came to be called "Item Pocket", in military terminology I is called Item. Actually, the pocket was the hub of the enemy position; from it, like spokes of a giant wheel, extended four low ridges, separated from each other by ravines and rice paddies. Potter's Ridge ran north from the hub, Charlie Ridge to the northeast, Gusukuma Ridge to the southeast, and Ryan Ridge to the southwest. Lying between Gusukuma and Charlie Ridges and sloping to the east was a cone-shaped hill called by Americans "Brewer's Hill." A gulch ran along each side of the hill Anderson's Gulch on the north and Dead Horse Gulch on the south. Both ran in an easterly direction, crossing Route 1 at small bridges just north of Gusukuma. The ground was superbly suited for active defense. Typical Japanese positions were connected by tunnels along the sides and under the crests of the ridges; Ryan Ridge, in particular, was honeycombed with such defenses. From Item Pocket the enemy had excellent command both of the coastal areas to the north and west and of the open land to the east where Route 1 ran north-south. The Japanese had long been aware of the defensive value of this position against either a beach landing on the northwest or an attack from the north. Months before the Americans landed, Japanese troops and Okinawan laborers were boring tunnels and establishing elaborate living quarters and aid stations. The area was held by two companies of the 21st Independent Infantry Battalion of the 64th Brigade, 62nd Division, supported by an antitank company, a machine gun company, and elements of antiaircraft, artillery, and mortar units. At least 600 Japanese occupied the Pocket, reinforced by several hundred Okinawans. Only through persistent effort was the 1st Battalion able to reach a position east of Gusukuma by nightfall, while the 2nd Battalion successfully took control of Potter's Ridge and Fox Ridge but failed in its attempts against Ryan Ridge and Item Pocket itself. The leading platoon was well up on the slope of Ryan when Japanese on top opened up with mortars, machine guns, and artillery, cutting off the rest of Company E. While the company commander, his clothes torn by bullets, and the rest of the company straggled back to Fox Ridge, the leading platoon continued doggedly ahead. Its leader, T/Sgt. Earnest L. Schoeff, managed to reach the top with eight of his men despite almost constant fire. He was ordered by radio to hold until relief came. The men hugged the ground as darkness slowly descended. Then from three directions from fifty to sixty heavily armed Japanese set upon the Americans. In wild hand-to-hand fighting the nine men beat off the attack. Pfc. Paul R. Cook fired four cases of ammunition into the enemy, shooting down at least ten before he was killed. With grenades, rifle butts, and the enemy's own weapons, Schoeff and his men killed another dozen before the Japanese withdrew. With two of his men killed, another missing, and two wounded, Schoeff led the survivors back to his company during the night. To the east, the 106th and 105th Regiments tried to advance south towards the village of Iso and the Pinnacles but were hindered by heavy enemy gunfire. In response, Colonel Winn dispatched his 2nd Battalion to maneuver around the East Pinnacle to reach the village of Natama, where Companies F and G were ultimately repelled by a strong Japanese counterattack. As they retreated in chaos, they faced an ambush from Japanese infiltrators, resulting in significant casualties. Despite these challenges, the 106th Regiment and Winn's 3rd Battalion managed to bypass the West Pinnacle and advance with relative ease, halting 200 yards southwest of Iso. Additionally, Winn's 1st Battalion fought its way to the western edge of Kakazu village and nearly cleared Kakazu Ridge to its eastern point before being ordered back to the escarpment to support the 2nd Battalion and halt any enemy breakthroughs. At the same time, General Bradley ordered the 381st and 382nd Regiments to advance toward Nishibaru Ridge and the Tanabaru Escarpment. In response, Colonel Dill's 3rd Battalion moved along Tombstone Ridge, clearing out the enemy from caves and tombs, and reached the southern end just in time to join Colonel Halloran's 1st Battalion for a surprise offensive against Nishibaru. They quickly captured the crest but were ultimately driven back by the determined defenders. However, this partial victory prompted Halloran to deploy the 2nd Battalion in the afternoon for another assault to the south. By day's end, the 381st was entrenched along the northern slope of Nishibaru Ridge, though at a significant cost. Further west, Dill's 2nd Battalion also pushed forward despite persistent fire from the Rocky Crags, where attempts by the 184th and 17th Regiments to attack were unsuccessful. They could not catch up with the 3rd Battalion. Meanwhile, General Arnold targeted Ouki Hill, but his initial assault was quickly halted by enemy mortar and machine-gun fire. Two armored flamethrowers successfully advanced 400 yards ahead of the infantry, neutralizing an enemy mortar position on Ouki Hill's west slope. Consequently, the Americans concentrated their mortars and smoke to cover the enemy positions, allowing a composite company to launch a surprise attack that secured the crest of Ouki Hill, although the isolated troops would soon have to fend off a series of fierce counterattacks. The next morning, the 32nd Regiment launched an attack down Skyline Ridge with two companies. However, they were quickly halted by mortar fire at a deep road cut in the middle of the ridge. Despite this setback, the troops persevered, largely due to Sergeant Theodore MacDonnell's efforts, and eventually gained control of the entire forward face of the ridge. When, east of the road cut, a man in the stalled third platoon, Company E, was killed, Sgt. Theodore R. MacDonnell, a gist Chemical Mortar Company observer, was impelled to drastic action. MacDonnell had frequently joined men on the line and shown qualities of a determined infantryman. Now, infuriated, he gathered up a handful of grenades and ran in the face of the machine-gun fire along the slope to a point underneath the spot where he believed the enemy gun to be located, and then started up the 20-foot embankment. When he looked over the crest he failed to spot the gun, but he did see three enemy soldiers and grenaded them. He made two trips to the bottom of the embankment for fresh supplies of grenades, but it was not until his third trip to the crest that he located the machine gun. MacDonnell then slid back to the bottom, grabbed a BAR, and mounted the embankment with it, only to have the weapon jam after the first shot. He skidded to the bottom, seized a carbine, and went back up for the fifth time. On reaching the crest he stood up and fired point-blank into the machine-gun position, killing the gunner and two covering riflemen. MacDonnell then hurled the machine gun down the slope behind him. A mortar that he found in the position was also sent crashing down the hillside. Sergeant MacDonnell was later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism on this occasion. Lt. Fred Capp, commanding Company E, sent troops to reinforce MacDonnell immediately, and the position was consolidated. Then Company F, on orders given as a result of this sudden development, pressed the attack down Skyline Ridge, and by 18:00 the entire forward face of the ridge was occupied and only a knob at the lower tip was causing trouble.  To the west, while Colonel Pachler's Company B attempted another attack on Rocky Crags, Dill's 3rd Battalion reorganized and encircled to reach Nishibaru Ridge via the 381st Regiment, launching an eastward assault that made good headway until they were met with fierce enemy counterattacks that forced them to halt. Simultaneously, Halloran coordinated an attack on Nishibaru, which was successfully repelled by the defenders. Colonel May's 3rd Battalion was then deployed to fill the gap at the gorge. Overnight, a large number of Japanese troops had moved from the Urasoe-Mura Escarpment to set up mortars and machine guns in the Kakazu Pocket, prompting the 27th Reconnaissance Troop to advance toward Kakazu, where they became pinned down at the village's edge. As a result, Colonel Stebbins' 3rd Battalion was ordered to position itself on Kakazu West. Looking west, the majority of the 105th and 106th Regiments were tasked with neutralizing the Pinnacles, but with little success. They did manage to clear the road to the escarpment's summit of mines and obstructions to facilitate tank movements. Finally, Colonel Kelley's 2nd Battalion launched another unsuccessful attack across the mouth of Item Pocket, while Company F attempted to advance along the coast using amphibious tractors but was likewise repelled by intense fire from Ryan Ridge. The 1st Battalion also pushed southwest into Gusukuma, but without armor support, they made minimal progress against the machine guns in the village and fire from Item Pocket attacking from the right rear. The enemy's defense was very effective on the east. Here the 1st Battalion had a major supply problem on its hands. Two blown bridges along Route 1 east of the Item Pocket were holding up vehicles of support units. During the previous night, fire from the Pocket had driven off an engineer platoon working at the site and killed the platoon leader. Early on the 21st Lieutenant Golden, the Bailey bridge expert, came up with ten truckloads of material. His engineers worked for an hour but had to stop in the face of almost ceaseless fire from the Pocket. Colonel Kelley then ordered scouts to find another stream crossing. A bulldozer cut a bypass around Anderson's Gulch near the railroad, but when, about 10:00, the operator nosed his machine out in the open, he was shot in the ear. General Griner, in Colonel Kelley's observation post at the time, ordered Lt. Col. Walter F. Anderson, commander of the 193rd Tank Battalion, to push the bypass through. Anderson himself climbed into his battalion's sole remaining "tank-dozer" and completed the bypass. A 47-mm. anti-tank gun, hitherto silent, scored a direct hit on Anderson's tank, killing him and a guide. The bypass was now blocked and had to be abandoned. This break-down in supply over Route 1 seriously affected operations east of Gusukuma. Colonel Mahoney's 1st Battalion attacked southwest early on the 21st into Gusukuma, but without tanks or cannon the troops made little ground against machine guns in the village and fire from Item Pocket on the right rear. Mahoney's left company did reach a point 400 yards north of the village of Yafusu, the farthest advance yet registered by 24th Corps since April 19, but here the troops were stopped by a network of enemy positions. Concerned about the significant vertical separation between his battalions, Kelley decided to deploy his 3rd Battalion in an effort to fill the gap and simultaneously penetrate Item Pocket. Consequently, the American forces advanced through Dead Horse Gulch, with Company K fighting nearly to the center of the pocket. However, they were ultimately compelled to retreat due to heavy losses and intense counterattacks. On April 22, Kelley opted to hold and enhance his current positions while conducting extensive patrols. Looking to the east, as the 105th Regiment regrouped following a night counterattack from Kakazu, Stebbins' 1st Battalion systematically located and neutralized enemy positions behind them along the escarpment. Brigadier-General William Bradford also took command in the Kakazu area, bolstered by the 3rd Battalion, 17th Regiment, and most of the 2nd Battalion, 165th Regiment, successfully containing the pocket. Further west, the 383rd Regiment replaced the weakened 382nd, while the 2nd Battalion advanced down Nishibaru Ridge to capture the village and higher ground facing Hill 143 to the south. Meanwhile, the 3rd Battalion made minimal progress toward the Gate of the Tanabaru Escarpment. Additionally, Pachler's Company B initiated another attack on the west side of the Rocky Crags, supported by howitzers, tanks, and armored flamethrowers. However, once again, they faced hand grenades and knee mortar shells raining down from above, resulting in heavy casualties and the need to retreat. Finally, the 32nd Regiment maintained control of the forward face of Skyline Ridge but made no attempt to advance, while patrols scoured extensive sections of the southern slope to reach the abandoned eastern face of Hill 178. That night, artillery provided cover to the beleaguered defenders as Colonel Yoshida's 22nd Regiment took over along Skyline Ridge. Following several days of inactivity, 41 kamikaze planes were once again launched on April 22. They successfully sank the minesweeper Swallow and one LCS, while also damaging two destroyers and another minesweeper, resulting in the loss of 25 aircraft. The next day, the 32nd Regiment remained stationed on the north slope of Skyline Ridge, except when conducting patrols or securing caves. This allowed the Japanese defenders to withdraw overnight from their remaining positions around Hill 178. With Company B worn out, the rest of the 1st Battalion, 17th Regiment joined the assault on the Rocky Crags, which fell with little resistance. To the west, medium tanks and armored flamethrowers finally launched a direct attack on Nishibaru Ridge and the Tanabaru Escarpment, successfully destroying most of the enemy positions, although few territorial gains were made. Further west, Winn's 1st Battalion executed a surprise attack on the East Pinnacle, managing to capture the position after fierce hand-to-hand combat. At the same time, the remaining defenders at West Pinnacle initiated a desperate banzai charge towards Iso, where they were ultimately overwhelmed. Kelley then ordered Company I to conduct a probing assault on Ryan Ridge and Item Pocket, while Company C ascended Brewer's Hill but was unable to descend the steep side to join the fight. On April 24, no new attacks were launched due to a confusing mix-up of orders, but preparations were made for an assault the following day. After an artillery barrage, Bradford's task force finally attacked the Kakazu Pocket with four battalions; however, they faced no enemy resistance, as the Japanese had abandoned their positions overnight. To the east, the beleaguered defenders in front of the 96th Division had also retreated, leading to the fall of the Tanabaru Escarpment, its village, Hill 143, and the rest of Nishibaru Ridge without opposition. In a similar manner, the 17th Regiment ascended Hill 178 with only a few scattered artillery rounds landing nearby. The Japanese forces had resisted fiercely for five days, but with the first ring of Shuri defenses breached at multiple points, they chose to withdraw under the cover of heavy mist and light fog the night before. Even so, this advancement was minimal, and it was clear that reaching Shuri would take considerable time given the rate of progress over the first three and a half weeks of the operation. Nonetheless, Buckner believed that any significant landing on the Minatoga beaches or between Machinato airfield and Naha could not be logistically supported and would be vulnerable to strong enemy counterattacks. Therefore, he dismissed proposals to deploy the 77th Division or the 1st Marine Division for these efforts. Instead, it was decided to move the 3rd Marine Corps and the 77th Division from northern Okinawa and Iejima to replace the 24th Corps in the Shuri area. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. In April 1945, the Allies launched the invasion of Borneo, led by General Morshead. Swift assaults secured strategic areas against demoralized Japanese troops. Despite fierce resistance, American forces gained ground, crippling Japanese defenses. This victory marked a pivotal moment in the Pacific War, signaling the end of Japanese influence in the region.

Gelombang penolakan terhadap revisi UU TNI masih santer meski sudah diketok DPR menjadi undang-undang. Unjuk rasa bahkan kian meluas ke berbagai daerah seperti Majalengka, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Palangkaraya, Balikpapan, Semarang, Lumajang, Makassar, hingga NTT. Tuntutan utamanya agar pengesahan RUU TNI dibatalkan.Suara penolakan tak hanya lantang di jalanan, tetapi juga diupayakan lewat jalur hukum. Sembilan mahasiswa Fakultas Hukum Universitas Indonesia (FH UI) mengajukan permohonan uji formil terhadap revisi UU TNI Gugatan ke Mahkamah Konstitusi (MK), pada 21 Maret 2025, selang satu hari pasca-DPR meloloskan UU TNI di sidang paripurna.Para penggugat mengajukan uji formil karena UU TNI dinilai tidak transparan. Ini tercermin dari minimnya partisipasi publik hingga sulitnya masyarakat mengakses draf RUU TNI.Bagaimana peluang menang gugatan ke MK? Apakah UU TNI masih mungkin dibatalkan?Kita bincangkan bersama Pakar Pertahanan Keamanan Indonesia Centre for Democracy Diplomacy and Defence, Teuku Rezasyah, Ph.D, Dosen Sekolah Tinggi Hukum (STH) Indonesia Jentera, Asfinawati, dan Kuasa Hukum Para Pemohon sekaligus mahasiswa FHUI, Abu Rizal Biladina.*Kami ingin mendengar saran dan komentar kamu terkait podcast yang baru saja kamu simak, melalui surel ke podcast@kbrprime.id

Satgas Pangan Polda Kaltim kembali melakukan inspeksi mendadak ke sejumlah pedagang bahan pangan pokok di Pasar Pandansari, Balikpapan. Sidak ini dilakukan untuk memastikan takaran sesuai dengan ketentuan pemerintah.

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Craig and Gaurav go over the early naval engagements between the Dutch and Japanese during the Pacific War.   Two weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan accelerated its plans to invade the Dutch East Indies for vital oil resources, essential for its war efforts. As Japanese forces swiftly advanced in the Philippines, they captured strategic locations, including Mindanao and Davao, while Allied defenses crumbled. In late December 1941, Japan launched further assaults in Malaya, isolating Singapore and diminishing Allied naval power. By January 1942, Japanese forces targeted Balikpapan, a crucial oil hub in Borneo. The Dutch, determined to defend their territory, prepared for a guerrilla campaign and attempted to sabotage oil facilities. However, the Japanese invasion fleet approached Balikpapan on January 21, 1942. Despite Allied air attacks and submarine efforts, the Japanese landed on January 24, marking a significant step in their campaign to secure the East Indies, while the Allies faced overwhelming challenges and dwindling resources.   In the early hours of January 24, 1942, Talbot's destroyers stealthily approached the anchored Japanese fleet, illuminated by burning oil facilities. Utilizing torpedoes for surprise attacks, they struck swiftly, sinking several transports, including Sumanoura Maru. Despite their efforts, many torpedoes missed, and the Japanese fleet sustained fewer losses than expected. By dawn, the Allies had achieved a tactical victory, but nine of twelve transports survived, allowing the Japanese advance into the Dutch East Indies to continue. In February, an Allied strike force was formed, but they faced devastating air assaults, retreating to Surabaya after suffering heavy damage without losing ships.                                                                  

Hello Listeners! Di episode kali Wulan ngobrol-ngobrol dengan Penyanyi kelahiran Balikpapan yang mempunyai darah Batak, Manado dan baru saja merilis single terbarunya bersama Hits Records. Episode kali ini kita ditemani Anneth Anneth Delliecia lahir di Balikpapan yang dan mempunyai darah Batak dan Manado mencintai menyanyi sejak umur 3 tahun. Berbagai kompetisi telah menyanyi telah di ikuti oleh Anneth sejak dari Kecil. Setelah ia Merilis beberapa single dan Album di tahun 2022, Anneth kembali merilis karyanya terbarunya, yang lagi-lagi menyayat hati pendengarnya. Anneth menegaskan namanya di industri musik Indonesia lewat “Pandai Bicara”, yang mengisahkan kekecewaan terhadap pasangan. Single“Pandai Bicara” jadi lagu pertama Anneth yang dirilis bersama Hits Records, setelah ia resmi bergabung dengan label tersebut pada Maret lalu. Single Anneth sendiri bercerita tentang sebuah bentuk kekecewaan, dari seseorang telah yang mencintai pasangannya. Namun akhirnya rasa itu berujung pada rasa sakit hati, dan akhirnya sadar jika selama ini ia terluka pada orang yang salah. Untuk Cerita lebih lengkapnya yuk dengarkan obrolan Langsung di Channel Podcast Bingkai Suara Season 5 di Spotify, Apple Podcast, Youtube atau kunjungi website kita di ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.bingkaikarya.com

kebakaran terjadi di kawasan kilang Pertamina Balikpapan, kebakaran diketahui terjadi menjelang subuh.

Last time we spoke about Operation Reckless, Operation Persecution and the Japanese retreat in New Britain. General Douglas MacArthur unleashed his two amphibious assaults, opening up the Western New Guinea Campaign. Both Operation Reckless and Persecution achieved complete surprise upon the Japanese. Múltiple Japanese units already performing withdrawals were caught into a chaotic new flight when the allies landed and began seizing key territory such as Hollandia and Aitape. The Japanese commanders fell into disarray leaving some to seize command and order further withdrawals in the face of hopeless battles. Yet again, forces already used to retreating through rough terrain without adequate provisions, were hitting the jungle track. Morale was all but collapsing in New Guinea. Over on New Britain matters were similar as the Japanese continued to retreat under heavy pressure from American patrols. Competent commanders would lose their lives beside their men in another hopeless battle.  This episode is the Drive for Myitkyina Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  Operation Reckless and Persecution were tremendous successes. There was very little opposition for the men advancing upon Hollandia, the Japanese simply did not even attempt to defend their well developed defenses there. The drive towards Hollandia's airfields was led by the 1st Battalion, 186th regiment. From Leimok Hill to Brinkman's Plantation, they did encounter opposition, but it was scattered and uncoordinated. Colonel Oliver Newman was very cautious, he believed thousands of Japanese were still around the airfields. Just before they came across the airfields, they found large, undefended Japanese supply dumps. This would be one of many Japanese supply dumps captured through the following days, as General Eichelberger recalled “There were more than six hundred supply dumps. There were clothing dumps as high as houses. There were ammunition dumps everywhere. There were pyramids of canned goods and tarpaulin-covered hills of rice which looked like Ohio haystacks. There were saki and beer. There were tons and tons of quinine and other medical supplies, which, as a result of our landing, never reached the Japanese troops at the front. I believe Hollandia was the richest prize—supply wise—taken during the Pacific War”. These types of discoveries indicated the Japanese were extremely desperate. By May 4th, Major General William Gill's 32nd Division had just arrived at Aitape to relieve the 163rd regiment, who were earmarked to take part in the next amphibious assault. The terrain, alongside the weather was dreadful at Hollandia, making it impossible to provide the needed airfields suitable for heavy bombers without some legendary engineer work. General MacArthur considered it necessary to seize and develop new heavy bomber airfields in the Wakde-Sarmi-Biak region in order to neutralize enemy bases in the western Caroline. To be honest given the track records of these amphibious assaults in causing absolute mayhem for Japanese commanders, forcing them to keep on running, it was a great idea to keep the pace up. With the knowledge General Tagami's 36th Division was still in the region and that the enemy might still seek to reinforce that said area before the allies could land there, MacArthur initially planned to send the full 41st Division against Wakde-Sarmi on May 15th, once the Hollandia fields were ready to support the amphibious assault. However supply congestion at Hollandia's beaches was thwarting such designs. Admiral Barbey proposed that D Day be postponed until May 21 and gave two reasons for the postponement. First, tides would be higher in the Wakde area on the 21st than on the 15th. Second, postponement would allow orderly and complete preparations to be made. Congestion was severe at the Hollandia beaches, where the bulk of the 41st Division was to stage. Lack of lighterage and beach space, combined with an inadequate road net, hampered unloading of equipment, supplies, and troops which were pouring into the Hollandia area. The arrival of such supplies and units, some of which had to be reloaded for Wakde-Sarmi, seriously interfered with mounting the 41st Division. As such, General Krueger decided that the operation could be started no earlier than the 16th but that unless important strategic considerations dictated otherwise, the 21st would be much preferable. Additionally, a number of engineer and air force organizations were scheduled to arrive at Hollandia on the 12th, either for employment there or to be staged for Wakde-Sarmi. The shipping bringing these units to Hollandia was needed to support the Wakde phase of the new operation, which could not begin until the vessels were reloaded. As beach congestion at Hollandia remained a major problem, this reloading could not be accomplished quickly. It was therefore proposed that the Wakde landings be postponed at least another day to the 17th. Although MacArthur initially approved the proposed delay, new aerial photography of the coastal area from Sarmi eastward to Wakde indicated the ground conditions of the region were not suited for heavy bomber airstrips. Thus MacArthur decided that the Sarmi portion of the operation should be axed and instead they would focus on Wakde Island slated for D-day May 17th. 10 days after the capture of Wakde, or as soon as the airfields were repaired, the allies would next hit Biak, where more suitable airstrip sites were known to exist. General Doe thus prepared the Wakde Landings, Codenamed Operation Tornado while General Fuller's remaining regiments were expected to seize the airdrome areas on Biak. Over on the other side, General Anami planned to send the 36th division over to perform an immediate counterattack against Hollandia, but was denied. General Adachi over to the east had more freedom to act. The 18th Army had found itself cut off from all provisions and supplies, thus deprived of every possibility of rejoining the 2nd Area Army west of Hollandia, for the crucial defense of Western New Guinea. Because of this Adachi reasoned the best move for his 55,000 troops was to perform some quick actions before their strength was sapped out. Thus on April 26th, Adachi ordered the 20th, 41st and 51st Divisions to prepare a counterattack against the enemy beachhead at Aitape. Adachi hoped such a bold action against his enemy's rear might force a major diversion of the enemy eastwards, in turn hampering their drive against Western New Guinea.  Now back in mid-February the Japanese were adjusting their forces in the Central Pacific. They had established the 31st Army in Saipan, formed around the 52nd and 29th Division, led by Lt General Obata Hideyoshi. The bulk of the 52nd division, led by Lt General Mugikura Shunzaburo had landed in Truk mid-February, Lt General Takashina Takesi's 29th Division meanwhile were still in the progress of traveling to the Marianas, escorted by the destroyers Kishinami, Asashimo and Okinami. The bulk of the division departed Busan on February 24; but the convoy would be torpedoed some 200 km south of Okidaitōjima by the submarine Trout on February 28. The 18th Regiment, led by Colonel Monma Kentaro suffered 1657 deaths, including its commanding officer, and 570 wounded. Because of this the 18th regiment was landed at Saipan to recover; 50th regiment was diverted to land at Tinian under the command of Colonel Ogata Keiji and the 38th regiment was sent to Guam on March 4th. Allied submarine interceptions of these troop movements was no mere coincidence. The submarine activities were frequently guided by 'Magic' intelligence relating to ship movements which was collected by intercepting and decrypting encoded radio transmissions. The IJN routinely broadcast the location and intended route of convoys under its protection, and decrypting these messages allowed Allied naval commanders to alert submarines in the vicinity of convoys. The submarine commanders were free to plan their interception and attack where conditions were most favorable. The IJN's faulty anti-submarine doctrine also contributed to Japan's shipping losses. The Navy had placed a low priority on protecting merchant shipping from submarine attack before and during the early years of the war and convoys were not routinely assembled until 1943. Vast swathes of Japanese shipping was being sunk in early 1944. There were two large reasons for this. Number 1) obviously the IJN was greatly diminished and thus allied submarines were operating further into enemy territory. Number 2) fixing the torpedo issue, yes those pesky Mark 14s/15s were now hitting hard and providing enormous results. In response to this emerging crisis, the Japanese established the Grand Escort Fleet Headquarters, under the overall command of Admiral Oikawa Koshiro, to coordinate convoys and implement a standard doctrine. The first order of business was to increase the average size of Japanese convoys from 5 ships to "large" convoys of 10 to 20 ship in order to assign more escort ships to protect against enemy submarine activity. To further reinforce the Central Pacific, the Japanese also created nine expeditionary units from the forces of the 1st and 7th Kwantung and 8th Korean Armies. They also decided to assign the 14th and 43rd Divisions of Lieutenant-Generals Inoue Sadae and Saito Yoshitsugu to General Obata's command, designated Truk Sector Group. To support them, the IJN decided to combine the 4th Fleet and the 14th Air Fleet on March 4th to form the Central Pacific Area Fleet, under Admiral Nagumo. Between March-April, the 31st Army was assigned the priority for shipping, so Nagumo would send a total of eleven large convoys collectively known as the Matsu Fleet to bring said reinforcements to the Central Pacific. Though the deadly American submarines would hunt relentlessly to prevent these reinforcements, they would only be able to sink the light cruiser Tatsuta, the destroyer Asanagi, six transports and one submarine chaser, so the Matsu Fleet was considered as largely successful.  By mid-April the success of the Matsu Fleet allowed the IJN to allocate more shipping to the 2nd Area Army. Thus the Take-Ichi convoy was formed to carry the 32nd division of Lieutenant-General Ishii Yoshio and the bulk of the 35th division to Western New Guinea. The large convoy consisting of 15 transports was escorted by an unusually strong force under Admiral Kajioka consisting of minelayer Shirataka; destroyers Asakaze, Shiratsuyu, Fujinami and Kuri; Mikura-class escort ship Kurahashi; Type D escort ships No. 20 and No. 22; gunboats Ataka and Uji; minesweepers No. 22 and No. 101; and submarine chasers No. 37, No. 38 and Tama Maru No. 7. They departed Shanghai on April 17th enroute for Manila. Unbeknownst to the Japanese allied code breakers were decrypting their radio signals and managed to figure out the convoys departure and arrival points. The Submarine Jack was given the coordinates and intercepted Kajioak's convoy around nightfall of April 26th. Jack fired 19 torpedoes from long range, managing to sink the 5425-ton freighter SS Yoshida Maru No. 1, which was carrying the entire 210th Regiment of the 32nd Division. 3000 soldiers and their commander Colonel Koike Yasumasa all drowned with the ship. Its moments like these I always find myself taking a step back. Thousands of men fighting on all these islands in the Pacific, absolute carnage in places like New Guinea, Guadalcanal, later on Peleliu….one submarine and woosh, a regiment gone. The allied submarine campaign during the Pacific War, did a lion's share of work, horrifying work. War is a horrible thing.  The remaining convoy ships continued to Manila, arriving there on April 29th. Upon reaching Manila, however, Lieutenant-General Ishii Yoshio learned that his 32nd Division was reassigned to the 2nd Army to further reinforce western New Guinea, so a new convoy of eight transports would resume the journey to New Guinea on May 1st, carrying the bulk of the 32nd and 35th Divisions. You can bet after hearing what happened to the 210th regiment on the Yoshida Maru, these men were dreading to sail again. They had every reason to feel that dread, as the American intelligence operators figured out the convoys departure and arrival information again. They pinpointed the convoys route, speed, daily noon positions, everything. This time the submarine Gurnard intercepted Kajioka's convoy in the Celebes Sea on May 6. Gurnard's captain, Commander Herb Andrew  submerged his boat and made a cautious approach to avoid detection by aircraft. He reached a firing position 4 hours later and fired 6 torpedoes at 2 transports. Only 1 of these torpedoes struck its mark, and a 2nd salvo missed its intended targets but hit another transport. Andrews then turned his boat and fired further torpedoes from Gurnard's stern torpedo tubes which hit a 3rd transport. One of the Japanese destroyers then counterattacked Gurnard and forced Andrews to break off his attack. The destroyer was traveling at too great a speed for its detection gear to function, however, and did not damage the submarine, despite dropping approximately 100 depth charges. Two hours later, Gurnard rose to periscope depth and found that a major effort to rescue troops and equipment from the torpedoed transports was under way. That night, the submarine also torpedoed one of the crippled transports which was still afloat. In the end, its attack successfully sank transports Aden Maru (5,825 tons) and Taijima Maru (6,995 tons) as well as the cargo ship Tenshinzan Maru (6,886 tons). Although the Japanese rescue effort was relatively successful, 1290 troops were killed, The 4th Independent Mountain Artillery Regiment was completely destroyed and much of their equipment was lost.   Due to these heavy losses, the Take-Ichi convoy finally docked at Halmahera on May 9th, where the remnants of the 32nd and 35th Divisions were ultimately unloaded. General Ikeda's 35th division, including the 219th regiment from Palau were shipped over to Sorong, with the 219th left to guard the St.Andrew Strait Islands. General Ishii's 32nd division, was retained at Halmahera to garrison the island. The terrible loss of the Take-Ichi convoy forced the Japanese leadership to acknowledge it was no longer possible to reinforce Western New Guinea, thus General Anami would have to fight with what he had on hand. Alongisde this, IJA General HQ decided to pull back the perimeter of the absolute defense zone in the southern area to a line extending from Sorong to Halmahera, with units at Geelvink Bay, Biak and Manokwari ordered to hold out as long as possible to delay the enemy advance. Anami did not like the orders one bit, as he belived the forward line should be aggressively defended to secure the valuable land holding air bases between Palau and Western New Guinea. What Anami was not aware of, was that the IJN combined fleet were preparing for the famed decisive naval battle in the area. This was part of Admiral Toyoda's Operation A-Go. Under the plans elaborated by the Combined Fleet, the First Mobile Fleet, and the First Air Fleet were assigned the principal roles in the projected battle. The former assembled its surface strength at Tawitawi in the Sulu Archipelago on May 16th, while the land-based units of the First Air Fleet continued to be widely deployed in the Marianas and Carolines to take advantage of any tactical opportunity that might arise. Tawitawi was chosen as the main staging point for the First Mobile Fleet because of its proximity to both the refueling facilities of Balikpapan and the sea area which the Navy High Command expected to be the scene of the decisive battle.  It was also safely beyond the range of enemy land-based air power and afforded greater security against Allied intelligence than other anchorages in the Philippines. Orders are orders, thus Anami ordered General Teshima to hold onto Geelvink Bay at all costs while also contuining to secure the Sarmi area as a lifeline for the 18th Army who were being cut off from east of Hollandia. While Admiral Ozawa's 1st Mobile Fleet assembled its at Tawi Tawi for Operation A-Go and Admiral Kakuta's 1st Air Fleet deployed its land-based units in the Marianas and Carolines, Admirals King, Nimitz and Spruance had also been planning their invasion of the Marianas, aiming to secure Saipan, Tinian and Guam as advance air and naval bases to allow striking of the Philippines, Formosa and Okinawa. After the landings at Hollandia and Aitape, Admiral Mitscher's Task Force 58 realized there was very little opposition and he still had plenty of strength to continue operating. Thus Nimitz decided to carry out a preventive strike against Truk, to ensure that the Japanese would not be able to build up their air power before the Marianas invasion scheduled for June.  Intelligence reports indicated that the Japanese had been rebuilding their strength at Truk. Indeed Truk's air garrison had grown enough to be a concern again. By late March, 30 flyable Zero fighters had been pieced together from aircraft destroyed during the February raids. Additionally, aircraft were being withdrawn from bypassed bases in the Marshalls and sent to Truk. By April, the Japanese had 104 flyable aircraft at Truk: 6 G4M twin-engine bombers, 12 D4Y1s dive bombers/reconnaissance bombers, 13 B5N or B6N torpedo bombers, 55 Zero fighters, 10 J1N1 night fighters, and 8 floatplanes used for observation and reconnaissance. Moen No. 1 airfield housed the G4Ms and 20 Zero, while Eten had the rest of the Zeros and all the night fighters. The single-engine bombers, the D4Y1s, B5Ns, and B6Ns, were all at Param, with the floatplanes at Dublon. There were another 63 unserviceable aircraft scattered throughout Truk's airfields. Admiral Spruance's 5th fleet would also conduct a bombardment of the Satawa and Ponape islands. On its return from Hollandia, Task Force 58 traveled to Truk, arriving shortly before dawn on April 30th and immediately tossed a fighter sweep consisting of 84 Hellcats. 5 Nakajima bombers from Param were aloft doing a dawn sweep, something that had become routine since February. Truk's radar detected the inbound US aircraft when they were 30 minutes out, shortly before the scout's interrupted radio report. The warning gave the Japanese ample time to launch air cover. Before the US fighters arrived, Moen No. 1 had scrambled 20 Zeros, Eten another 29, and Param its remaining eight Nakajima bombers. Yet the 57 Japanese aircraft were brushed aside, nearly 25 Zeros were shot down at the cost of 2 Hellcats. Just like we saw in February, Task Force 58 began staggering air strikes throughout the day. The carriers launched full deckloads seeing fighters, dive bombers and torpedo bombers continously over Truk for the entire day. Task Force 58 performed 2,200 bomber sorties, 467 of which were flown by fighters carrying bombs. In all, US Navy aircraft dropped 748 tons of bombs during the two-day operation. The Hino Maru No. 2, a 1,500-ton cargo ship and auxiliary gunboat, was hit and heavily damaged by a bomb by an Avenger from USS Cabot during the attack's first day. It sank four days later on May 4. The Sapporo Maru, a 600-ton auxiliary provision stores ship, was bombed on April 30 and sank north of Fefan. The 300-ton auxiliary minelayer Minsei Maru and 20 other craft were also destroyed in the harbor during the two days of raids. While a small haul when compared to February's results, these losses further reduced the number of vessels remaining in Truk Atoll. This increased the difficulty of moving supplies and personnel between the different islands in the lagoon, further decreasing Truk's usefulness as an outpost. Additionally, the Japanese submarine I-174 was detected 20 miles south of the atoll on May 1. Aircraft from the light carrier Monterey teamed up with the destroyers MacDonough and Stephen Potter to sink the submarine. Whether the submarine was fleeing Truk or heading back to it after a patrol is not known. Its loss contributed to the decision to abandon Truk as a submarine base later in 1944. The Japanese losing 23 auxiliary vessels and one submarine, but this time the American bombers also targeted Truk's shore facilities, giving special attention to the airfields on Moen and Eten, the Dublon naval headquarters and oil storage tanks, and Fefen's docks warehouses and ammo dumps.  On the morning of May 1st, the Japanese attempted several straggling strikes against the American carriers, but none managed to cause any damage. The largest attack against the US fleet contained 8 bombers, D4Y1 dive bombers, and Nakajima torpedo bombers which survived the first day's attack. They found Task Group 58.2 and Task Group 58.3 at 8:15am, making a series of attacks against aircraft carriers in both groups. Met by heavy antiaircraft fire, they were shot down, most before they could drop their torpedoes or bombs. Only one came close enough to drop a bomb, which fell near the Lexington but caused no damage. Task Force 58 contuined to pound Truk throughout the day before finally retiring towards Majuro during the night. Based on interpretation of post-strike aerial photography, US intelligence estimated 40 percent of the buildings on Dublon, 80 percent of those on Eten, 75 percent of those at Moen, 20 percent of the buildings on Fefan, 15 percent of those on Param, and 80 percent at Ulalu were destroyed during the airstrikes of April 30 and May 1. Roughly 423 buildings and six hangars were destroyed, 44 others were damaged, 59 Japanese aircraft were shot down, a further 60 were destroyed on the ground, 36 were left damaged, and only 12 were still flyable. All of this cost Mitscher 35 aircraft, with another 33 damaged. Furthermore, half the airmen shot down were rescued by planes or by submarines.  Thus the threat posed by Truk was yet again neutralized. After this, Admiral Montgomery's carrier group Task Force 58 was given orders to hit Minami Torishima and Wake Island for mid May. Leaving Majuro on May 15th, Montgomery assemled his forces about 420 miles southeast of Marcus Island on the17th. On the 19th, light carrier San Jacinto hunted for enemy picket boats north and west of Minami Torishima. At 7:28am a Avenger of VT-9 and a Hellcat of VF-9 found and attacked an enemy trawler 475 miles north of Marcus Island. They dropped their bombs and strafed it with machine gun fire. No direct bomb hits were obtained but the target was well covered with machine gun fire. The Japanese trawler was left dead in the water and down by the stern, with a 1/4 miles oil slick and debris behind it. No personnel were visible on the boat. Meanwhile fleet carriers Wasp and Essex launched a predawn fighter sweep. A flight of 4 night fighters launched at 5am from the Wasp on an intruder mission over Marcus Island, but the Essex had to cancel its flight of night fighters. At 11:15, another air attack commenced. Aircraft dove through antiaircraft bursts with bomb blasts occuring all over the island. At one time the entire island was completely smothered by smoke and dust, but the Anti-aircraft fire contuined undiminished. After the planes left, explosions and fires continued on Marcus Island for some time. They managed to inflict a moderate amount of damage to buildings, shot down one G4M and sunktwo small boats; ut the defenders' anti-aircraft fire was ferocious, successfully shooting down 4 American planes and damaging another 69. On May 21st, San Jacinto rejoined the group and also reported sinking one sampan. Montgomery's carriers then launched a series of composite carrier strikes against Wake on May 23, further damaging many installations there and sinking a slugger and three barges, at the cost of only one plane. But that is all for carrier actions today as we now need to jump oer to the Burma front. General Stilwell was contuining his offensive, with the 22nd division advancing south towards Inkangahtawng. General Lioa's 65th Regiment plus the 3rd Battalion, 66th regiment were advancing down the Kamaing road when they ran into Japanese resistance north and west of Inkangahtawng. The 64th regiment was kept behind to guard the Japanese flank until May 3rd, while the rest of the 22nd Division awaited better weather to perform a coordinated attack against the town. But this was Burma, and Burma is going to Burma. There was an outbreak of monsoons that quickly prevented the effective use of tanks and made supply movement over the Ledo Road a nightmare. By June about one inch of rain fell daily. Though supply convoys could still move from Ledo to Shingbwiyang, the combat trail from Shingbwiyang south was very difficult. The road was graded to Tingkawk Sakan known also as mile post 164 and metaled almost to Mile Post 138. However, rainfall had blocked the road over the flats north of Tingkawk Sakan. At the end of June the situation was unchanged. The Japanese stand at Kamaing and the heavy rains immobilized the survey party and the road trace. As the flood waters rose in the valley, they effectively barred armor from moving south to Mogaung or Myitkyina. Thus on May 3rd, the 64th avaned east across the Kamaing Road to try and cut the trail 500 yards south of the Hwelon Hka. The next day presented clearer skies, so the Chinese troops initiated their attack. Once Inkangahtawn fell, the 22nd Division would hold the area for several weeks while the first elements of Lt General Pen Yukun's 50th Division arrived to the front to reinforce them. To the east, General Sun's 114th regiment were engaging General Tanaka's 55th regiment along the Lahkraw Hka. To break the stalemate along the Lahkraw Hka, the Chinese 114th Regiment had to clear away the Japanese observation posts in the hills. The 1st battalion, 114th on the regiment's east flank cut around the flank of the 55th Regiment on April 28th, while the 2nd battalion, 114th pushed the same Japanese unit back a few hundred yards. This bending process continued during the next two days, and the 114th Regiment was well south of the enveloped Japanese flank and within half a mile of Wala. The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 114th then began moving straight south, leaving behind them pockets of determined Japanese who held up the 3rd battalion, 114th. The Chinese managed to envelope the Japanese, pushing them all the way to Wala. The 113th Regiment also came back into line at the end of April to put frontal pressure on the Japanese positions along the Lahkraw Hka and Tigrawm Hka while the 112th Regiment held its salient without attempting to move. Though the Japanese managed to stabilize their lines on the creeks east and west of Wala, a company of the 114th would cross the Nawngmi Hka on May 6th, thus starting the advance southwards again. Two days later, the 114th's advance became general, while on the east, at Stilwell's order, the 112th began to gather its companies to take Warong.  On the 9th, the 114th Regiment finally took East Wala and Hlagyi and subsequently linked with the 112th Regiment pushing south towards Warong. The 114th's penetration, driving deeper into the Japanese lines, began to approach the 112th's outposts just north of Manpin. By the 12th the 114th and 112th Regiments were able to maintain communications, with very few Japanese between them. The 114th's penetration further weakened the position of the Japanese facing the 113th Regiment, which in turn began to roll up slowly from east to west as its 1st and 2nd Battalions pressed on to Wala and Maran. Between the 28-30th, Merrills End Run Force began the long grueling advance upon Ritpong. K Force moved out on 28 April; H Force, on 30 April. The so-called trail over the pass was more nearly a route used by the Kachins; in some places there was no path. Twenty pack animals slipped and fell off the narrow, muddy way. It was a grueling march for men who had already marched 500 miles and fought several battles, most of the time on K ration. Before End Rrun Force reached Ritpong, it had only one contact with the Japanese. A few of the enemy were flushed from cover by the 1/88th, but it was feared the Japanese held Ritpong in strength. On May 5th, the Japanese 2nd Battalion, 114th Infantry Regiment made contact with the K Force at Ritpong, 16 miles northwest of Nsopsup, and a four day battle ensued. The Battalion was forced to withdraw to Tingkrukawng, about eight miles to the southeast. There, after several skirmishes, contact with the enemy was lost for a period of five days. On the 5th, when the leading elements of K Force were a mile from Ritpong, Colonel Kinnison began an envelopment to hit the village from north and south. The 3rd Battalion managed to cut its way through the woods and place itself across the southern approaches to Ritpong on the 6th. Meanwhile, the 89th Regiment tried to take Ritpong from the north but failed. Next day an American reinforced company attacked Ritpong from the south but was stalled by a machine gun nest. Merrills Marauders would block the trail to the south, while the 80th Regiment contuined to hit their enemy positions. As the Chinese captured Ritpong on the 9th, M Force had had one skirmish with Japanese, routed them, and begun to cut its own paths. The march was fatiguing in the extreme; fully half the animals died of exhaustion or fell into the gorges. The men were farther harassed by fevers and dysentery, but they were only two days behind H and K Forces To the south, General Lentaigne's Chindits were contuining Operation Thursday. Yet under the overall direction of Stilwell, the Chindits were no longer a “special force”, now they were line infantry tasked with the traditional role of advancing and seizing well defended objectives, for which they did not have the training nor equipment to do effectively. Brigadiers Brodie and Ricketts men covered the general Chindit movement heading north. The plan called for closure of Aberdeen, Broadway and White City before the Monsoon broke. It was now the turn of 14 Brigade to play a major role. The new Block near Hopin would cut the road and rail link to the town of Mogaung. Meanwhile Major Masters' 111th Brigade began to establish the Blackpool Stronghold on May 5. The site was occupied on the night of May 5/6, and Masters spent the entirety of the following day setting up defenses. What he should have done was immediately attack the Japanese-held village of Namkwin just ahead of his positions. Instead, he busied himself with preparing the stronghold. It was a critical mistake, and says much about the lack of enterprise from the brigade. Blackpool Block was finally established on May 7th, with the King's Own's 46 Column the first to arrive at the site. They came under fire as they dug in. For the next 5 nights they would be attacked by a railway unit based out of Pinbaw. The railway unit was using 105mm guns firing from up the valley, while troops from Pinbaw attacked for the next five nights, held at bay by the rifles and machine guns of the King's own Rifles, and the mortars, which Masters had gathered from the battalions and wielded as single battery of eight. Despite the strong defense, in one section of the northern line nicknamed the “Deep”  which was the tip of the “boar's nose,” the Japanese were as close as 10 to 20 yards from the wire. Enemy snipers took shots at anything that moved while the King's own snipers and Bren gunners occupied hidden places among the shattered trees, firing whenever they saw the target, after which a cry would resound amid the quiet that followed: “got him!” The Japanese brought up a single 75mm artillery piece from Pinbaw, with which they shelled the camp, blasting the airstrip with impunity and setting the gliders and Dakotas on fire, until May 13 when Masters came into possession of three airlifted 25-pdr guns, allowing him to hit back. Overhead Cochran's Air Commandos mounted sortie after sortie against the Japanese positions but it was clear they could not maintain the ante. The dark clouds of the monsoon were gathering in strength. After the successful establishment of Blackpool, Brigadier Calvert's 77th brigade began advancing north towards Mogaung on the 8th. The night night, White City was abandoned as Brigadiers Broddie and Ricketts marched north to defend Blackpool. On May 11th, Lt General Takeda launched an attack against White City, but was surprised to find it abandoned. It then advanced to the then-abandoned Broadway and onwards to the Namkwin area, where the Blackpool stronghold was located. Having rushed through empty Broadway and White City, the 53rd Division thus tore into the zone in strength. Takeda Kaoru's 53rd Division began pursuing Broddie and Ricketts forces. For the next few days Master's troops continued to repel increasingly stronger and stronger Japanese attacks. Masters quote “Where in the name of God were the floater brigades? White City had been evacuated 13 days earlier and 14th Brigade was supposed to come straight up here. My brigade had marched 140 route miles in 14 days to establish this block. Surely those bloody nitwits could cover 120 route miles in 13 days? Where the hell were they? Where were the West Africans?… 20 bloody battalions, 40 flaming columns of Chindit bullshit sat on their arses and drank eat and wondered how we were getting on.” In mid-May, the 3rd Battalion, 114th Regiment and 2nd Battalion, 146th Regiment tried to break through towards Kamaing and Myitkyina to reinforce Tanaka's spent defenders and would join in on the attacks against Blackpool. The 2nd Battalion, 2nd Field Artillery Regiment would also support their attacks. The Japanese continued their efforts to quickly crush Blackpool Block. A Company-strength attack on May 14 was backed by artillery support. It was repulsed, the Japanese losing 60 killed. They returned the following morning, when another 50 were killed. Air strikes were called in to further punish the enemy. Then the monsoon took hold and air support and supply became more difficult – Lalaghat and Hailakandi were fair weather fields. The Japanese also retaliated through a single heavy mortar, firing 60lb bombs, note in comparison, Chindit's standard 81mm mortar fired a 10lb bombs. Delayed by the outbreak of the monsoons on May 15, the brigades of Brodie and Ricketts had managed to secure the vital Kyunsalai Pass, but they failed to get close enough to provide significant support for the stronghold. At the same time, the flooding of the Namyin river would leave Calvert's 77th Brigade unable to aid Masters in the defense of Blackpool; and Morris Force, which had successfully cut the Myitkyina road, was too far to the east to come into the stronghold's assistance. The monsoons had also hampered the airdrop of supplies, so the Chindits would have to make their five days' rations last up to 14 days. Meanwhile, proceeding from Ritpong, K Force feinted towards the Japanese supply point at Nsopzup in order to attract the Japanese attention while H Force advanced directly to Myitkyina.  On the 12th, Colonel Henry Kinnison's Marauders engaged the 2nd Battalion, 114th Regiment, near Tingkrukawng. The Japanese at Tingkrukawng were strong enough to pin both of K force's combat teams to the ground and then to halt the Chinese when they were committed. Attempts to envelop the Japanese failed. Since H Force was proceeding unmolested, Merrill told Kinnison to withdraw. K Force then picked up H's trail and followed it to Myitkyina. While K Force was fighting at Tingkrukawng, H Force kept on to a river just south of the village of Namkwi on the Mogaung-Myitkyina railroad and about two miles from the principal Myitkyina airstrip that lay almost due west of Myitkyina itself. Despite the several brushes with the Japanese, Kachin informants were sure that the Myitkyina garrison was not on the alert. To ensure surprise, before Colonel Hunter and his force bivouacked for the night of the 16th they rounded up the local Burmans and kept them under careful watch. Kinnison would reach Hkumchet by the 17th, where the Colonel had to be evacuated because he had contracted a deadly mite typhus, dying shortly after with shocking speed. In all, 149 men contracted this little-known scourge. While M Force was about to reach Arang, H Force began an attack of Pamati and the Myitkyina airstrip on the 17th. The 150th Regiment was ordered to take the airstrip, while GALAHAD personnel took the Irrawaddy ferry terminal at Pamati. The other airstrip, north of the town, was left alone for the present. The attack went like a service school demonstration, for though the Japanese knew Myitkyina was in danger, the actual assault was a complete surprise. Colonel Maruyama, the Japanese commander, had two understrength battalions of the 114th Regiment in the town of Myitkyina and in its little suburb of Sitapur. There were 100 more men of the 15th Airfield Battalion on the north and south airstrips, 318 men from labor and service units on various details in Myitkyina, and 320 patients in a military hospital. Perhaps 700 able-bodied Japanese were present when the battle began. They took the Japanese by complete surprise and subsequently securing both positions.  As soon as Hunter considered his hold on the major airstrip secure, he sent the prearranged code signal, “Merchant of Venice”, which meant the process of supply and reinforcement could begin. Consequently, some reinforcements began to be flown into the airstrip, though to the disappointment of General Merrill most of these were engineers and anti-aircraft instead of the needed infantry.  Back at his HQ, Stilwell was exultant. The brilliant seizure of the Myitkyina airstrip was the height of his career and the grand climax of the North Burma Campaign, as his forces had driven 500 miles into Burma and won engagements against seven Japanese regiments in the last six months. Stilwell's triumph also came right on time, as American planners in Washington were beginning to adopt the British position suggesting an end to offensive action in north Burma. Stilwell's bold stroke at Myitkyina would instead see the Americans issue a directive encouraging Admiral Mountbatten's command to exploit the opening of the Ledo Road and to secure enough of north Burma to protect the Allied hold on China's lifeline.   After the capture of the airstrip, Hunter immediately sent two battalions of the 150th Regiment to take Myitkyina. One battalion of the Chinese 89th Regiment, which had arrived from Ledo, would defend the air strip while two battalions of the 150th Regiment attacked Myitkyina. The other battalion of the 150th Regiment would be in reserve at the strip. They would encounter the 114th Regiment HQ and its 1st Battalion. As early as 1700 on 17 May Colonel Maruyama had also brought the 3rd Company, 148th Regiment, 56th Division, in across the Irrawaddy to reinforce Myitkyina. Following the wrong road, however, they went to Sitapur instead, where they were ambushed by the Japanese. On encountering Japanese rifle fire, they lost direction completely and engaged in fighting among themselves. Furthermore, some Marauders would continue toward Zigyun to secure the ferry crossing south of the city. On May 18, as more Chinese battalions were flown to reinforce the Chindits, the 150th again moved against Myitkyina; but repeating the mishap of the day before, the Chinese became confused, fought among themselves, and ultimately drove themselves right back out of the town. Nonetheless, the Siege of Myitkyina had just begun. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The invasion of Hollandia and Aitape was such quick successes it allowed the Americans to bombard further islands. The Take-Ichi convoy improved the transportation of troops, but it also came at a horrifying cost. The loss of such shipping was yet again the paint on the wall for the Empire of Japan. Despite this the IJN was fully committed to forcing a decisive naval victory. 

KPU Minta Masyarakat Kawal Penghitungan Suara Pemilu | Ribuan Surat Suara Rusak di Kota Cirebon Dimusnahkan dengan Cara Dibakar | Laporan Live Pencoblosan di Balikpapan, Kaltim *Kami ingin mendengar saran dan komentar kamu terkait podcast yang baru saja kamu simak, melalui surel ke podcast@kbrprime.id

Berita Koran Tempo hari ini: Dugaan pembengkakan biaya proyek revitalisasi kilang Pertamina di Balikpapan capai Rp 18,3 triliun; Koalisi gemuk pendukung Prabowo jika Demokrat resmi bergabung; Pabrik piringan hitam di Indonesia kembali muncul setelah Lokananta terakhir produksi 1974. — Dukung Tempo untuk menghadirkan produk jurnalisme berkualitas s.id/dukungtempo.  Baca berbagai laporan mendalam majalah Tempo dan Koran Tempo dengan mengunduh aplikasi Tempo. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/berita-utama-koran-tempo/message

Welcome to Focus Asia your first window to discover Asia. This week, we have news from Indonesia, Hong Kong, and The 90s Festival. Find out more episode and listening to Bingkai Suara Podcast. Don't forget to always listen to focus asia every week to update your knowledge about what happens in Asia and updated with our recent news on www.bingkaikarya.com

KILAS KABAR NUSANTARA. Sejumlah peristiwa penting yang telah kami rangkum pada hari Kamis, 6 Juli 2023. BANDUNG (00:22) Tim Penilai Kinerja Percepatan Penurunan Stunting Jabar mengapresiasi hasil kerja keras Pemerintah Kota Bandung dalam menekan angka stunting. MAKASSAR (00:56) Pemerintah Kota bersama KPU Makassar siap mensukseskan Kirab Pemilu 2024. BALIKPAPAN (01:59) PT PT Pertamina Patra Niaga Regional Kalimantan, menanggapi pernyataan pemerintah kota dan komisi II DPRD Balikpapan terkait kesulitan masyarakat yang memperoleh gas elpiji ukuran 3 kilogram bersubsidi. Kontributor: Sonora Bandung - Yogi Smart Makassar - News Anchor: Deddy Detars ll Reporter: Muh Said Smart Balikpapan - Etty Hariyani Saran dan kolaborasi: ⁠podcast@kgmedia.id

KILAS KABAR NUSANTARA. Sejumlah peristiwa penting yang telah kami rangkum pada hari Rabu, 5 Juli 2023. MAKASSAR (00:22) Perum Bulog Sulselbar memastikan stok beras di Provinsi Sulawesi Selatan aman hingga akhir tahun. BALIKPAPAN (01:14) Anggota Komisi 2 DPRD Balikpapan meminta agar Pemerintah Kota mengambil sikap terkait masalah kelangkaan LPG 3KG bersubsidi. MANADO (02.04) Jumlah wisatawan mancanegara yang datang ke Sulawesi Utara melalui pintu masuk Bandara Sam Ratulangi pada mei 2023, sesuai data BPS Sulawesi Utara tercatat sebanyak 3.798 orang, turun 8,61% dibanding dengan April 2023. Kontributor: Smart Makassar - News Anchor: Deddy Detars  ll Reporter: Dian Mega Safitri Smart Balikpapan - Etty Haryani Smart Manado - Edwin  Saran dan kolaborasi: ⁠podcast@kgmedia.id

KILAS KABAR NUSANTARA. Sejumlah peristiwa penting yang telah kami rangkum pada hari Selasa, 4 Juli 2023. MANADO (00:22) BPS Sulawesi Utara dalam rilis terbalunya menyatakan pada bulan Juni 2023 Kota Manado mengalami inflasi sebesar 0,11 persen, dengan inflasi tahun kalender sebesar 1,05 persen dan inflasi year on year sebesar 2,68 persen. MAKASSAR (01:27) Wali Kota Makassar, Danny Pomanto memutuskan untuk keluar dari keanggotaan partai Nasdem. BALIKPAPAN (02:09) Walikota Balikpapan Minta Restoran Pakai LPG Non-Subsidi. Kontributor: Smart Manado - Edwin Smart Makassar - News Anchor: Deddy Detars ll Reporter: Muh Said Smart Balikpapan - Etty Hariyani Saran dan kolaborasi: ⁠podcast@kgmedia.id

In today's daily round-up of export, trade and commodity finance news, TXF's Ralph Ivey covers the latest stories and trends across the market: Newcrest Mining is set to accept a $19.5 billion takeover proposal from Newmont Euler Hermes offers support for Angola's Caculo-Cabaca hydro-electric facility Pertamina approaches financial close for $3 billion Balikpapan refinery deal despite rumours that US Exim will withdraw support Like what you hear? Hit subscribe to stay up to date and for all the latest news online visit www.txfnews.com today.

KILAS KABAR NUSANTARA. Sejumlah peristiwa penting yang telah kami rangkum pada hari Kamis, 7 April 2023. MANADO (00:18) Maskapai Super Air Jet secara resmi mulai mendarat perdana di bandara Sam Ratulangi Manado dan disambut dengan Water Salute. PALEMBANG (01:14) Sebanyak 56 ribu orang warga Provinsi Sumatera Selatan yang tergolong sebagai keluarga ekonomi rendah masuk dalam daftar penerima bantuan beras gratis dari Bulog tahun ini. MAKASSAR (02:09) PT Pelabuhan Indonesia Group tahun ini kembali menggelar mudik gratis Lebaran 1444 Hijriah bagi masyarakat yang menggunakan moda transportasi laut. Kontributor: Smart FM Manado - Edwin Smart FM Palembang - Host Esy | Source Antara Smart FM Makassar - News Anchor: Deddy Detars | Reporter: Dian Mega Safitri Saran dan kolaborasi: podcast@kgmedia.id

Aksi kekerasan jalanan tampaknya tak berkurang selama Ramadan. Polda Metro Jaya mencatat terjadi delapan aksi tawuran antarwarga yang terjadi pada awal bulan Ramadan 2023 untuk wilayah Jakarta saja. Salah satu kekerasan jalanan yang banyak terjadi dan seolah menjadi ‘tren' adalah perang sarung. Sarung yang digunakan diisi batu, senjata tajam dan besi. Ini terjadi di berbagai daerah antara lain Jakarta, Surabaya, Kabupaten Bandung, Majalengka, hingga Balikpapan. Korban luka-luka bahkan korban tewas tak terelakkan. Mengapa aksi kekerasan seperti perang sarung ini bisa menjadi ‘tren'? Apa upaya untuk mencegahnya? Pagi ini di Ruang Publik KBR akan kita bahas hal ini bersama Sosiolog dari Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Andreas Budi Widyanta.

Aksi kekerasan jalanan tampaknya tak berkurang selama Ramadan. Polda Metro Jaya mencatat terjadi delapan aksi tawuran antarwarga yang terjadi pada awal bulan Ramadan 2023 untuk wilayah Jakarta saja. Salah satu kekerasan jalanan yang banyak terjadi dan seolah menjadi 'tren' adalah perang sarung. Sarung yang digunakan diisi batu, senjata tajam dan besi. Ini terjadi di berbagai daerah antara lain Jakarta, Surabaya, Kabupaten Bandung, Majalengka, hingga Balikpapan. Korban luka-luka bahkan korban tewas tak terelakkan. Mengapa aksi kekerasan seperti perang sarung ini bisa menjadi 'tren' ? Apa upaya untuk mencegahnya? Di Ruang Publik KBR akan kita bahas hal ini bersama Sosiolog dari Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Andreas Budi Widyanta. *Kami ingin mendengar saran dan komentar kamu terkait podcast yang baru saja kamu simak, melalui surel ke podcast@kbrprime.id

Alex Lloyd introduces the WWII video documentary FOR SCHOOL AND COUNTRY, coming to YouTube over the next five weeks. FOR SCHOOL AND COUNTRY is a five-part video documentary miniseries, created by us, Thistle Productions. The series chronicles the lives and service of twelve WWII veterans who went to school together and took up arms when war broke out. This production was originally released on DVD in 2015 - the first ‘Thistle Productions' project - and it is finally available for free via streaming. These dozen veterans served across the whole theatre of war. At sea they fought the Bismarck and the Admiral Graf Spee, and sailed in the Mediterranean Fleet and the Pacific Fleet, including at the largest naval engagement of the war. On land they fought at Tobruk, El Alamein and Tarakan; and they trekked through the jungles of New Guinea and landed on the beaches of Balikpapan. And in the sky they flew over Europe for Bomber Command, over the Middle East for the Desert Air Force, and with the Forgotten Army in Burma. Many had narrow escapes, including one sole survivor when his bomber crashed in enemy territory. Watch the episodes via www.youtube.com/lifeonthelinepodcast as they drop on the following dates at 7pm Sydney time: Episode I - Books to Arms - 21 March Episode II - Scuttled & Sunk - 28 March Episode III - A Great Escape - 4 April Episode IV - Terror in the Jungle - 11 April Episode V - You Do Your Part - 18 April Find out more about the documentary at www.lifeonthelinepodcast.com/documentary. 

Awal mula hantu kuyang yang berasal dari Balikpapan !! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ceritaseram/support

@adhi_KZ kedatengan teman-nya, putra Balikpapan yang mewah alias @glennnirwan . --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/goodridespodcast/support

Bersyukur Tuhan memberikan kesempatan bisa berbagi di Sekolah Balikpapan. Dan banyak hal positif terjadi.

KILAS KABAR NUSANTARA. Sejumlah peristiwa penting yang telah kamu rangkum pada Jum'at,7 Oktober 2022 MAKASSAR (00:33) Penerbangan langsung atau direct flight rute Toraja menuju Balikpapan akan mulai beroperasi hari ini Jumat, 7 Oktober 2022. MANADO (01:36) Bank Indonesia mengadakan sosialisasi pemanfaatan BI Fast kepada masyarakat dan insan perbankan di wilayah Sulawesi,Maluku dan Papua. SURABAYA (02:23) Wali Kota Surabaya Eri Cahyadi mengungkap berdasar hasil pencocokan data dengan kondisi kenyataan di lapangan bahwa terdapat ribuan warga ber-KTP dan ber-KK Surabaya , namun berdomisili di luar daerah atau bertempat tinggal di luar kota Surabaya. Kontributor: Smart Makassar - News Anchor: Deddy Detars l Reporter: Dian Mega Safitri Sonora FM Surabaya- Budi Smart FM Manado Saran dan kolaborasi: podcast@kgmedia.id

(Rediffusion du 20 février 2022) Selon les prévisions les plus pessimistes, d'ici 2030, un tiers de la capitale indonésienne sera engloutie sous les eaux. En cause : la surpopulation (11 millions d'habitants), un pompage excessif des nappes phréatiques qui provoque l'affaissement des sols, les inondations et la hausse inéluctable du niveau de la mer provoquée par le réchauffement climatique. En 2019, la décision est prise : une nouvelle capitale verra le jour à 2000 km de là, à Kalimantan, la partie indonésienne de l'île de Bornéo. Mais ce projet titanesque suscite de nombreuses controverses. La nouvelle capitale s'appellera Nusantara. Sa construction, retardée par la pandémie, devrait s'étaler en plusieurs étapes jusqu'en 2045. Ambitieux, le gouvernement envisage même un déménagement du pouvoir exécutif dès 2024. La future capitale « verte » sera construite sur l'île de Bornéo, connue pour abriter l'une des plus grandes forêts tropicales au monde. L'ONG AMAN, l'Alliance des peuples indigènes de l'archipel, lance un cri d'alarme : « Nusantara occupera à terme plus de 256 000 hectares de terres et une surface aquatique de plus de 68 000 hectares », dit Muhammad Arman, directeur de la politique, du droit et du plaidoyer pour les droits de l'homme. « Notre organisation dénombre 21 groupes indigènes qui vivent dans cette zone. Au total, onze de ces groupes soit 20 000 personnes sont directement affectés par le projet de développement de la future capitale. » Un désastre pour les communautés autochtones locales Ce mégaprojet utopiste, d'une ville intelligente qui se veut « zéro émission » et construite au beau milieu des arbres, est pourtant un désastre pour les communautés autochtones de la province de Kalimantan-Est. Ces populations sont déjà en conflit avec les exploitants miniers et d'huile de palme qui ont pullulé ces dernières années dans la région. « La lutte contre l'invasion des plantations d'huile de palme sur leurs terres coutumières est une question de survie pour les indigènes. Ils se battent pour récupérer leurs terres qui ont été confisquées par ces sociétés. Ils doivent protester auprès du gouvernement local pour l'inciter à les reconnaître et à protéger leurs droits », alerte Muhammad Arman. Un vœu pieu, puisque leurs demandes de protection, notamment de leurs droits fonciers, sont restées jusqu'ici lettre morte. Les dangers qui pèsent sur ces populations sont pourtant bien réels. « Pour les indigènes, les terres coutumières constituent plus qu'un espace de vie. Elles font partie de leur identité. En perdant ces terres, ils perdent absolument tout ! La construction de la nouvelle capitale leur fera perdre aussi leur travail, car ils ne pourront plus exercer leur métier traditionnel que sont l'agriculture et la pêche », poursuit-il. Les écosystèmes de la province endommagés Une enquête récente de plusieurs ONG, dont AMAN, a révélé qu'au moins 162 permis d'exploitation minière de plantation, de sylviculture et de centrales électriques au charbon avaient été accordés dans la zone de la future capitale. Les écologistes sont convaincus que Nusantara endommagera aussi les écosystèmes de la province. Un avis que partage Muhammad Arman. La baie de Balikpapan est incluse dans le projet, cela aura forcément un impact sur l'écosystème des mangroves. Les mangroves couvrent une surface de plus de 12 000 hectares. Si cet écosystème est endommagé, les populations qui y vivent n'auront plus accès à l'eau potable et ne couvriront plus leurs besoins existentiels. De plus, la construction de ce mégaprojet aggravera la situation écologique. Des milliers de permis divers d'exploitation ont déjà été délivrés à des entreprises. Cela entraînera aussi sans aucun doute des inondations de plus en plus fréquentes dans la région de Kalimantan-Est. Si les inquiétudes des organisations environnementales et de défense des droits humains s'avèrent fondées, avec son projet pharaonique, le gouvernement indonésien ne fera que déplacer un problème d'un point à un autre de l'archipel. Pour l'ONG AMAN, leur plus grand défi sera de faire reconnaître et de protéger les peuples autochtones, leur habitat, leur tradition et leurs moyens de subsistance. Mais la bataille s'annonce rude aux vues des investissements et des intérêts financiers des entreprises impliquées dans la construction de la nouvelle capitale politique.

Ini pengalaman lagi tahun ini bisa mengisi sesi Warrior Camp di salah satu sekolah Balikpapan. Pengalaman yang menantang saat harus menghadapi jaringan. Simak langsung.

Berita hari ini: Ancaman kenaikan harga mi dan roti akibat larangan ekspor gandum India; Pertamina upayakan kilang yang terbakar di Balikpapan segera beroperasi kembali; Pemerintah masih menunggak pembayaran sejumlah vendor pada perhelatan PON XX Papua 2021. --- Baca informasi harian komprehensif lainnya dengan mengunjungi website koran.tempo.co atau mengunduh aplikasi Tempo. Saran & kritik: podcast@tempo.co.id

Krisis Ekologi Mengancam Negeri Oleh. Fitria Zakiyatul Fauziyah CH (Kontributor Tetap NarasiPost.Com) Voice over talent: Sofia Ariyani NarasiPost.Com-Kerusakan lingkungan semakin meningkat seiring dengan berjalannya roda peradaban manusia. Ikatan manusia dengan alam sangatlah kuat. Bila manusia tidak menjaga kelestarian lingkungan, maka manusia akan merasakan kerugian yang sangat besar. Akibatnya, banyak upaya eksploitasi sumber daya alam (SDA) yakni kerusakan lingkungan. Hal itu terbukti bukan tanpa data. Isu-isu tersebut di antaranya, air sungai di Denpasar berwarna merah, yakni sungai yang melewati di Jalan Resimuka barawt, Desa Tegal Kertha, Denpasar, Bali. Rekaman air sungai yang berwarna merah sempat viral di media sosial. Seorang warga bernama Zaenal yang tinggal di Perumahan Resimuka Barat Permai, menyatakan bahwa air sungai sudah berwarna merah sejak hari Kamis (7/4). Dugaannya, air sungai yang berubah merah itu diakibatkan dari limbah industri, karena peristiwa tersebut terjadi berkali-kali. Walaupun tidak bau, tetapi mencemari lingkungan. (cnnindonesia.com, 08/04/2022) Selain itu, adanya proyek Smelter telah memicu kerusakan hutan mangrove di Teluk Balikpapan. Disebut-sebut area sungai Tempadung terancam oleh aktivitas pembangunan fasilitas pemurnian dan pengolahan mineral (smelter) nikel di kawasan Industri Kariangau (KIK), Kelurahan Kariangau, Kecamatan Balikpapan Barat, Kalimantan Timur. Koordinator Advokasi Pokja Pesisir, Husen Suwarno, dan nelayan Balikpapan menerangkan bahwa setidaknya ada 30 hektare (ha) lahan mangrove yang dibabat. Jika diuraikan sebanyak 10 ha di pesisir sungai dan 20 ha lagi berada di kawasan darat. Dugaan kuat pembalakan tersebut berangkat sebelum Desember 2021 dan berlangsung hingga Maret 2022. Apabila pembalakan ini terus terjadi, maka akibatnya potensi abrasi di Teluk Balikpapan semakin besar. Hutan mangrove juga merupakan rumah dari berbagai macam hewan, jika dirusak maka ekosistem bakal mengalami kematian. Terakhir, tangkapan ikan nelayan juga akan berkurang. (cnnindonesia.com, 08/04/2022) Naskah selengkapnya: https://narasipost.com/2022/04/16/krisis-ekologi-mengancam-negeri/ Terimakasih buat kalian yang sudah mendengarkan podcast ini, Follow us on: instagram: http://instagram.com/narasipost Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/narasi.post.9 Fanpage: Https://www.facebook.com/pg/narasipostmedia/posts/ Twitter: Http://twitter.com/narasipost

Musibah dan Cubitan Kecil dari Allah Oleh. Ana Nazahah (Kontributor Tetap NarasiPost.Com) Voice over talent: Dewi Nasjag NarasiPost.Com-Tahun 2022 baru saja kita lalui. Namun, bencana demi bencana terus datang silih berganti. Mulai erupsi di Gunung Semeru. Banjir bandang di Jember. Gempa bumi, hingga kecelakaan maut di Balikpapan baru-baru ini. Deretan musibah tersebut, seolah mencubit kita. Mungkin itulah cara Allah Swt. memperingatkan kita. Karena kerap mendurhakai perintah dan larangan-Nya. Ya, betapa banyak manusia saat ini mendustakan kebenaran dari syariat Tuhan-Nya. Kendati dia muslim, namun pada syariat-Nya sendiri dia alergi, melawan dan merasa anti. Keimanan tersungkur di bawah sikap takabur dan kepongahan hati. Melawan perintah Rabb dengan begitu percaya diri. Lihatlah! Bagaimana islamofobia begitu mengakar tertanam dalam benak umat. Simbol-simbol Islam dituduh lambang terorisme. Beberapa pasantren tempat mendidik generasi yang beriman dan bervisi Rabbani dicurigai sarang teroris. Sejumlah hamluddakwah dikekang geraknya, dipersekusi. Tidakkah ini terkategori sikap durhaka? Mencurigai ajaran Islam yang mulia, apa bedanya dengan menista? Di sisi lain, gerakan-gerakan seperti kaum yang benderanya menyimbolkan pelangi diberi ruang. Atas nama hak asasi syariat Allah dipelintir sesuka hati. Kebijakan demi kebijakan pun tak kurang zalimnya. Utang membengkak, pajak kian meninggi. Kemiskinan menjerat, sementara harta kekayaan milik rakyat dibiarkan diprivatisasi atas dalih investasi demi mendongkrak kemajuan ekonomi. Naskah selengkapnya: https://narasipost.com/2022/02/09/musibah-dan-cubitan-kecil-dari-allah/ Terimakasih buat kalian yang sudah mendengarkan podcast ini, Follow us on: instagram: http://instagram.com/narasipost Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/narasi.post.9 Fanpage: Https://www.facebook.com/pg/narasipostmedia/posts/ Twitter: Http://twitter.com/narasipost

Selon les prévisions les plus pessimistes, d'ici 2030, un tiers de la capitale indonésienne sera engloutie sous les eaux. En cause : la surpopulation (11 millions d'habitants), un pompage excessif des nappes phréatiques qui provoque l'affaissement des sols, les inondations et la hausse inéluctable du niveau de la mer provoquée par le réchauffement climatique. En 2019, la décision est prise : une nouvelle capitale verra le jour à 2 000 km de là, à Kalimantan, la partie indonésienne de l'île de Bornéo. Mais ce projet titanesque suscite de nombreuses controverses. La nouvelle capitale s'appellera Nusantara. Sa construction, retardée par la pandémie, devrait s'étaler en plusieurs étapes jusqu'en 2045. Ambitieux, le gouvernement envisage même un déménagement du pouvoir exécutif dès 2024. La future capitale « verte » sera construite sur l'île de Bornéo, connue pour abriter l'une des plus grandes forêts tropicales au monde. L'ONG AMAN, l'Alliance des peuples indigènes de l'archipel, lance un cri d'alarme : « Nusantara occupera à terme plus de 256 000 hectares de terres et une surface aquatique de plus de 68 000 hectares », dit Muhammad Arman, directeur de la politique, du droit et du plaidoyer pour les droits de l'homme. « Notre organisation dénombre 21 groupes indigènes qui vivent dans cette zone. Au total, onze de ces groupes soit 20 000 personnes sont directement affectés par le projet de développement de la future capitale. »  Un désastre pour les communautés autochtones locales Ce mégaprojet utopiste, d'une ville intelligente, qui se veut « zéro émission » et construite au beau milieu des arbres, est pourtant un désastre pour les communautés autochtones de la province de Kalimantan-Est. Ces populations sont déjà en conflit avec les exploitants miniers et d'huile de palme qui ont pullulé ces dernières années dans la région.  « La lutte contre l'invasion des plantations d'huile de palme sur leurs terres coutumières est une question de survie pour les indigènes. Ils se battent pour récupérer leurs terres qui ont été confisquées par ces sociétés. Ils doivent protester auprès du gouvernement local pour l'inciter à les reconnaître et à protéger leurs droits », alerte Muhammad Arman. Un vœu pieu, puisque leurs demandes de protection, notamment de leurs droits fonciers, sont restées jusqu'ici lettre morte. Les dangers qui pèsent sur ces populations sont pourtant bien réels. « Pour les indigènes, les terres coutumières constituent plus qu'un espace de vie. Elles font partie de leur identité. En perdant ces terres, ils perdent absolument tout ! La construction de la nouvelle capitale leur fera perdre aussi leur travail, car ils ne pourront plus exercer leur métier traditionnel que sont l'agriculture et la pêche », poursuit-il. Les écosystèmes de la province endommagés Une enquête récente de plusieurs ONG, dont AMAN, a révélé qu'au moins 162 permis d'exploitation minière de plantation, de sylviculture et de centrales électriques au charbon avaient été accordés dans la zone de la future capitale. Les écologistes sont convaincus que Nusantara endommagera aussi les écosystèmes de la province. Un avis que partage Muhammad Arman. La baie de Balikpapan est incluse dans le projet, cela aura forcément un impact sur l'écosystème des mangroves. Les mangroves couvrent une surface de plus de 12 000 hectares. Si cet écosystème est endommagé, les populations qui y vivent n'auront plus accès à l'eau potable et ne couvriront plus leurs besoins existentiels. De plus, la construction de ce mégaprojet aggravera la situation écologique. Des milliers de permis divers d'exploitation ont déjà été délivrés à des entreprises. Cela entraînera aussi sans aucun doute des inondations de plus en plus fréquentes dans la région de Kalimantan-Est.  Si les inquiétudes des organisations environnementales et de défense des droits humains s'avèrent fondées, avec son projet pharaonique, le gouvernement indonésien ne fera que déplacer un problème d'un point à un autre de l'archipel. Pour l'ONG AMAN, leur plus grand défi sera de faire reconnaître et de protéger les peuples autochtones, leur habitat, leur tradition et leurs moyens de subsistance. Mais la bataille s'annonce rude aux vues des investissements et des intérêts financiers des entreprises impliquées dans la construction de la nouvelle capitale politique. 

Kecelakaan bus dan truk yang menimbulkan korban meninggal dunia terus terjadi. Setelah kecelakaan maut truk rem blong di Balikpapan, kini ada lagi kecelakaan maut bus pariwisata di Bantul yang menewaskan 13 orang. Sebagian besar penyebab kecelakaan adalah kondisi rem blong. Selain itu, kelalaian sopir ketika mengemudi juga menjadi salah satu penyebabnya. Llau, bagaimana seharusnya pencegahan kecelakaan bus dan truk ini dilakukan? Berikut perbincangan kami bersama Pakar Transportasi, Djoko Setijowarno dan Badan Kehormatan Road Safety Association, Rio Octaviano. *Kami ingin mendengar saran dan komentar kamu terkait podcast yang baru saja kamu simak, melalui surel ke podcast@kbrprime.id

Hotel Bintang Empat Catat TPK Terbesar di Akhir Tahun 2021 | Kota Balikpapan Genap Berusia 125 Tahun | Sekolah di Makassar Ditutup Usai Siswa dan Guru Positif Covid-19 KILAS KABAR NUSANTARA. Sejumlah peristiwa penting yang telah kami rangkum hari Jumat, 11 Februari 2022 MANADO (00:51) Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) Sulawesi Utara merilis data kunjungan wisatawan pada akhir 2021. Dari pemaparan Kepala BPS Sulut, Asim Saputra kunjungan wisatawan di Sulut mengalami penigkatan 21.62 persen secara month to month (MoM) pada Desember 2021. BALIKPAPAN (02:14) Kota Balikpapan genap merayakan hari jadinya ke-125 tahun pada Kamis (10/02/2022). MAKASSAR (03:11) Sekolah di kota Makassar terpaksa tutup sementara. Menyusul, sejumlah pelajar dan guru terpapar Covid 19 setelah menerapkan pembelajaran tatap muka (PTM). Kontributor: Smart FM Manado - Casey Renata Smart FM Balikpapan - Etty Smart FM Makassar - News Anchor: Deddy Detars | Reporter: Muh Said Saran dan kolaborasi: podcast@kgmedia.id

Komite Nasional Kecelakaan Transportasi menemukan sejumlah fakta terkait komponen truk tronton yang alami kecelakaan di Balikpapan.

Headline News Metro TV Edisi 883 kali ini membahas: Penendang sesajen Semeru santri Abu Bakar Baasyir. Menguak penyebab kecelakaan maut Balikpapan. Perajin tahu keluhkan mahalnya harga kedelai. NII diduga menyebar di seluruh Indonesia.

Headline News Metro TV Edisi 885 kali ini membahas: Hasil penyelidikan KNKT pasca laka maut Balikpapan. Penataan jalan pasca kecelakaan maut Rapak. Lagi, sekolah tutup karena positif Covid-19. Kasus Covid-19 naik, tinjau ulang PTM.

Headline News Metro TV Edisi 879 kali ini membahas: Viral, Nakes diduga suntik vaksin kosong ke siswa. Lima zona merah Omicron DKI Jakarta. Kecelakaan maut Balikpapan 4 orang tewas. Percepatan vaksinasi booster.

Headline News Metro TV Edisi 878 kali ini membahas: Kecelakaan maut di Balikpapan, 5 tewas. Viral, nakes suntik vaksin kosong ke siswa SD. 3 ruko terbakar di Nagan Raya. Mendadak jadi "petani" untuk hindari tilang. Emak-emak serbu minyak goreng murah. Hakim PN Surabaya tersangka kasus suap. Lima zona merah omicron DKI Jakarta. Wagub DKI Jakarta ajak warga taat prokes. Pengawasan distribusi minyak goreng subsidi. Antisipasi dampak Tapering Off The FED.

Yuhuu! Di awal tahun 2022 Movie Date kembali hadir untuk membahas film-film yang lagi hype di @cinema.Balikpapan. Kali ini ada film animasi, komedi, Sing 2. Setelah menunggu cukup lama dari film pertamanya yang rilis di 2016. Sing 2 hadir dengan nama-nama wow sebagai karakter dan pengisis suara baru. Ada Bono U2, Pharrell Williams dan Halsey. Bintang dari film pertamanya juga masih ada kok, ada Taron Egerton, Scarlett Johansson, Tori Kelly dan masih banyak lagi. Sesuai judulnya, tentunya film karya Garth Jennings ini masih menghadirkan konsep musikal dengan puluhan lagu populer di dalamnya. Ditambah dengan jalan cerita menarik plus nilai positif yang tentunya bisa dibawa pulang. Lebih lengkapnya bisa langsung check Movie Date terbaru PDH ya. Eits, disimak baik-baik supaya bisa mendapatkan hadiah Give Awaynya.

Sepertinya, hampir semua film Indonesia, ada unsur Cinta di dalamnya. Entah itu Cinta terhadap pasangan, Keluarga, pekerjaan dan lain sebagainya. Tapi, bagaimana ya, kalau ada film yang bercerita tentang Cinta, ditabur bumbu-bumbu Sex, Toxic Masculinity dan ada juga tentang Mental Illnes loh. Wow! Paket lengkap ya. Nah, hal itulah yang bisa ditemukan dalam film terbaru Reza Rahardian (Budi Baik) yang berjudul Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas. Selain Reza, film settingan akhir tahun 1980n ini juga turut dibintangi oleh beberapa nama populer Tanah Air. Seperti Marthino Lio (Ajo Kawir), Ladya Cheryl (Iteung), Ratu Felisha (Jelita), Lukman Sardi (Codet), serta ada Christine Hakim (Mak Jerot). Yang bikin menarik lagi, film kategori 18+ ini diangkat dari Novel terkenal karya Eka Kurniawan yang rilis pada tahun 2014. Duh, bikin penasaran kan? Nah, sebelum nonton full filmnya di CGV Balikpapan, yuk dengerin Movie Date Minggu ini yang membahas Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas bersama Sultan Effendi salah satu Fashion Retail Store Manager di Balikpapan. Eits, jangan lupa ikut GiveAwaynya ya. Pertanyaannya kita umumkan besok!

Vaksin Massal di Balikpapan Sebagai Upaya Terciptanya Herd Immunity | Sulsel Ekspor 11 Ton Hasil Perikanan ke Hongkong Lewat Udara | Tanggapan Walikota Semarang Terkait Jual Beli Lapak di Kawasan Johar Utara KILAS KABAR NUSANTARA. Sejumlah peristiwa penting yang telah kami rangkum hari Selasa, 2 November 2021. BALIKPAPAN (00:21) Vaksinansi massal diadakan di Balikpapan Sport & Convention Centre (DOME) Jalan Ruhui Rahayu Balikpapan Selatan sebagai upaya terciptanya herd immunity. MAKASSAR (01:55) Provinsi Sulawesi Selatan kembali melakukan ekspor komoditas perikanan berupa ikan segar dan ikan hidup ke negara tujuan Hongkong. Volume ekspor perikanan kali ini mencapai 11 ton dengan nilai lebih dari 176 ribu Dollar Amerika atau setara RP2,5 Miliar. SEMARANG (03:01) Wali Kota Semarang, Hendrar Prihadi menanggapi serius laporan dari pedagang dan LBH terkait dugaan adanya jual beli lapak di kawasan Johar Utara yang dilakukan oleh oknum Dinas Perdagangan. Kontributor: Smart FM Balikpapan - Etty Smart FM Makassar - News Anchor & Reporter - Dian Mega Safitri Sonora Semarang - Iyeng Veda Saran dan kolaborasi: podcast@kgmedia.id

Vaksin Massal di Balikpapan Sport & Convention Centre (DOME) | Program Pembangunan Rumah Susun | Rumah Moderasi Beragama IAIN Wujudkan Sikap Toleran KILAS KABAR NUSANTARA. Sejumlah peristiwa penting yang telah kami rangkum hari Senin, 1 November 2021. BALIKPAPAN (00:21) Forum Komunikasi Umat Beragama (FKUB) yang didukung oleh Smart FM Balikpapan dan Total Energies Indonesia mengadakan kegiatan Vaksin Massal, Senin 1 November 2021, berlokasi di Balikpapan Sport & Convention Centre (DOME) Jalan Ruhui Rahayu Balikpapan Selatan. SEMARANG (02:06) Menteri PUPR, Basuki Hadimuljono mengungkapkan pihaknya terus berupaya untuk meningkatkan kualitas hidup para penerima bantuan dengan memiliki rumah yang lebih layak, sehat, dan nyaman melalui program pembangunan rumah susun (rusun). MANADO (03:15) Rumah Moderasi Beragama IAIN Manado sebut sikap toleran salah satu ciri moderasi beragama. Sekretaris Rumah Moderasi Beragama IAIN Manado mengungkapkan komitmen kebangsaan harus kuat dan memiliki sikap toleran, untuk mencapai moderasi beragama. Kontributor: Smart FM Balikpapan - Etty Sonora Semarang - Iyeng Veda Smart FM Manado - Ketut Martin Saran dan kolaborasi: podcast@kgmedia.id

Vaksinasi Massal di Kantor Imigrasi Kelas I Polonia Medan Dihadiri Kadis Kesehatan Kota Medan | Triwulan 3 2021, Produksi Nikel PT Vale Meningkat | Pemerintah Kota Balikpapan Menggunakan Vaksin Pfizer Kepada 1.800 Warga Balikpapan KILAS KABAR NUSANTARA. Sejumlah peristiwa penting yang telah kami rangkum hari Minggu, 24 Oktober 2021. MEDAN (00:21) Kantor Imigrasi Kelas I Polonia Medan bekerjasama dengan FKPPI Sumatra Utara yang didukung oleh TotalEnergies Indonesia melaksanakan vaksinasi massal. Acara ini mendapat dukungan penuh dari Dinas Kesehatan Kota Medan yang dihadiri langsung oleh Kepala Dinas Kesehatan Kota Medan. MAKASSAR (01:46) PT Vale Indonesia Pada triwulan ketiga tahun 2021 telah memproduksi sebanyak 18 ribu metrik ton nikel dalam matte. Angka tersebut 20 persen lebih tinggi dibanding volume produksi di triwulan 2 tahun ini. BALIKPAPAN (02:53) Untuk pertama kalinya Pemerintah Kota Balikpapan menggunakan vaksin jenis Pfizer kepada 1.800 warga Balikpapan yang dilaksanakan di Embarkasi Haji Batakan Balikpapan Timur. Kontributor: Smart FM Medan - Rini Smart FM Makassar - News Anchor: Priscila Riny | Reporter: Dian Mega Safitri Smart FM Balikpapan - Etty Haryani Saran dan kolaborasi: podcast@kgmedia.id

PPKM Turun, Pengguna Bandara Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan Naik | Kota Surabaya Raih Penghargaan Udara Terbersih Se-Asia Tenggara | DPRD Kalsel Tolak Swab Antigen Untuk Peserta Didik Sebelum PTM KILAS KABAR NUSANTARA. Sejumlah peristiwa penting yang telah kami rangkum hari Jumat, 22 Oktober 2021. BALIKPAPAN (00:18) Bandar Udara Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman (SAMS) Sepinggan Balikpapan selama penurunan level PPKM di Kota Balikpapan mulai tanggal 5 Oktober 2021 hingga 17 Oktober 2021 telah melayani penumpang sebanyak 105.749 orang atau rata-rata perharinya 8.135 penumpang. SURABAYA (01:43) Kota Surabaya berhasil meraih penghargaan ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable City (ESC) kategori Udara Terbersih Kota Besar se-ASEAN atau Asia Tenggara. Penghargaan yang pertama diraih sepanjang sejarah ini diterima langsung oleh Wali Kota Surabaya Eri Cahyadi dalam acara yang bertajuk “The 5 ASEAN ESC Award and the 4 Certificate of Recognition”. BANJARMASIN (02:33) DPRD Kalimantan Selatan menolak adanya keharusan bagi peserta didik untuk menjalani swab antigen sebelum masuk sekolah ketika Pembelajaran Tatap Muka (PTM) berlangsung. Kontributor: Smart FM Balikpapan - Etty Sonora Surabaya - Budi Santoso Smart FM Banjarmasin - News Anchor & Reporter: Eva Rizkiyana Saran dan kolaborasi: podcast@kgmedia.id

Pemkab Bolaang Mongondow akan Bangun Sekolah Sementara | Taman Hutan dan Wisata Mangrove Surabaya Siap Dibuka Kembali | Balikpapan Mengalami Inflasi pada Bulan September 2021 KILAS KABAR NUSANTARA. Sejumlah peristiwa penting yang telah kami rangkum hari Rabu, 6 Oktober 2021. MANADO 1. (00:43) Banjir yang melanda desa Batu Merah kecamatan Sangtombolang, kabupaten Bolaang Mongondow, menyebabkan puluhan rumah terendam banjir, enam rumah rusak parah, dan atap bangunan sekolah satu atap di desa tersebut roboh sehingga tidak dapat dimanfaatkan lagi untuk belajar mengajar. Menyikapi kondisi tersebut, Bupati Bolaang Mongondow, Yasti Soepredjo Mokoagow mengatakan, dalam waktu dekat pemerintah kabupaten bolaang mongondow akan membangun bangunan sekolah sementara, agar para peserta didik sudah bisa melakukan pembelajaran tatap muka. Rencananya, sekolah permanen baru akan dibangun pada tahun anggaran 2022. SURABAYA 2. (01:35) Dinas Ketahanan Pangan dan Pertanian (DKPP) Kota Surabaya, menyatakan kesiapannya membuka Taman Hutan Raya (Tahura) dan Kebun Raya Mangrove (KRM) dengan protokol kesehatan (Prokes) ketat. Saat ini, syarat pembukaan tinggal menunggu QR Code PeduliLindugi dari Kementerian Kesehatan (Kemenkes) serta regulasi dari Instruksi Menteri Dalam Negeri (Inmendagri).Kepala DKPP Kota Surabaya, Yanuar Herlambang menyatakan, bahwa SOP protokol kesehatan di KRM maupun Tahura sudah siap. Bahkan sebelumnya, sudah pernah dilakukan asesmen oleh Satgas Covid-19 Surabaya. BALIKPAPAN 3. (02:31) Balikpapan mengalami inflasi pada bulan September 2021 sebesar 0,19%, berbeda dibandingkan Agustus 2021 yang mengalami deflasi sebesar 0,14%. Inflasi pada bulan September disebabkan oleh kenaikan harga pada kelompok makanan, minuman dan tembakau dengan andil 0,14%, didorong kenaikan harga komoditas sayuran hijau antara lain sawi hijau, bayam dan daun kemangi yang disebabkan oleh menurunnya produksi di tengah intensitas curah hujan yang tinggi. Kontributor: Smart FM Manado – Ketut Martin Sonora Surabaya –Budi Santoso Smart FM Balikpapan – Etty Hariyani Saran dan kolaborasi: podcast@kgmedia.id

Terima Kasih Sulawesi Selatan Oleh: Dewi Murni Voice Over Talent : Arien S NarasiPost.Com-Dulu aku pernah bertanya, akankah aku naik pesawat? Tapi ke mana? Pertanyaan itu menyelinap begitu saja di tengah-tengah aktivitasku. Sedikit menyesakkan ketika kuberusaha mencari jawabannya. Sebab aku merasa tidak punya kemungkinan apa pun yang membawaku pada takdir itu. Tapi aku salah. Aku lupa bahwa di dunia ini tidak ada yang tidak mungkin, kecuali Allah itu makhluk. Senin, 28 Januari 2019. Musim hujan. Pertanyaan itu menjadi nyata tanpa disangka-sangka. Untuk pertama kalinya aku naik pesawat. Aku akan terbang melintasi langit menuju Sulawesi Selatan. Keberangkatan terjadwal bakda isya di Bandar Udara Internasional Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman, Balikpapan. Dengan perasaan senang, bahagia dan terharu aku memasuki badan pesawat. Duduk dekat jendela sesuai keinginanku. Ketika pesawat lepas landas, lampu kabin dimatikan. Ruang kabin diselimuti kegelapan, sunyi dan dingin. Dalam kegelapan, aku menundukkan kepala dan berdoa. Air mataku jatuh. Betapa mensyukuri kesempatan menjelajah yang Allah berikan, setelah sempat aku mendustakan kemungkinan itu. Terima kasih ya, Allah. Perjalanan pesawat dari Balikpapan menuju Makassar memakan waktu 65 menit. Saat pesawat berada di langit Makassar, terlihat hamparan bumi di bawah sana yang gelap penuh kerlap-kerlip lampu. Aku seperti melihat hamparan bintang yang turun menyemuti tanah Makassar. Indah. Indah sekali. Tentu saja aku tidak akan menyia-nyiakan pemandangan ini dengan mengabadikannya lewat kamera ponselku. Pesawat mendarat. Roda-rodanya menyentuh landasan dengan bunyi gedebuk. Mesin-mesin meredam daya tolaknya dan pesawat melambat. Alhamdulillah, aku tiba di Bandar Udara Internasional Sultan Hasanuddin Makassar. Setelah semua urusan di bandara selesai, aku keluar mencari sosok gadis yang akan membawaku menjelajah indahnya Sulawesi Selatan. Gadis yang baru kukenal setahunan. Kami bertemu di sosial media, akrab lalu bersahabat. Dialah yang mengajakku datang ke rumahnya di Sulawesi Selatan. Kemudian aku berjanji akan datang ke sana. Naskah Selengkapnya : https://narasipost.com/2021/09/18/terima-kasih-sulawesi-selatan/ Terimakasih buat kalian yang sudah mendengarkan podcast ini, Follow us on : instagram : http://instagram.com/narasipost Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/narasi.post.9 Fanpage : Https://www.facebook.com/pg/narasipostmedia/posts/ Twitter : Http://twitter.com/narasipost

Nelayan Nilai Kenaikan PNBP Terhadap Tangkapan Nelayan Picu Kenaikan Harga | Ribuan Ketua RT di Balikpapan dapat jaminan BPJS Ketenagakerjaan | Kasus Covid-19 Melandai, Australia akan Buka Larangan Bepergian **Kami ingin mendengar saran dan komentar kamu terkait podcast yang baru saja kamu simak, melalui surel ke podcast@kbrprime.id

BPBD Imbau Masyarakat Pekanbaru Siaga Potensi Bencana | Pemerintah Kota Malang Jalin Kerja Sama Dengan Pemerintah Kabupaten Blitar Guna Pengendalian Inflasi | Walikota Banjarmasin Sayangkan Kasus Pelecehan Seksual Di Bawah Umur KILAS KABAR NUSANTARA. Sejumlah peristiwa penting yang telah kami rangkum hari Kamis, 16 September 2021. BANGKA 1. (00:18) Sebanyak 4.000 siswa dari total 12.000 siswa sekolah menengah pertama (SMP) negeri maupun swasta di Pangkal Pinang telah menjalani vaksinasi Covid-19. Hal ini disampaikan Kepala Dinas Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Kota Pangkalpinang, Eddy Supriadi. Meski terus mengalami perkembangan, diakui Eddy, pihaknya belum menyiapkan opsi untuk pembelajaran tatap muka secara keseluruhan walau vaksinasi siswa sudah mencapai 100 persen. MALANG 2. (00:55) Pemkot Malang menjalin kerja sama dengan Pemkab Blitar terkait pengendalian inflasi. Nota kesepakatan bersama telah ditandatangani oleh Walikota Sutiaji dan Bupati Rini Syarifah. Diharapkan dengan adanya hal ini akan mampu dijadikan pedoman kerjasama optimalisasi strategi pengendalian inflasi daerah. BALIKPAPAN 3. (02:02) Wali Kota Balikpapan, Rahmad Mas'ud menyayangkan terjadinya kasus pelecehan seksual terhadap anak di bawah umur baru-baru ini, dimana korbannya adalah warga Penajam Paser Utara, PPU dan tersangka adalah warga Balikpapan. Apalagi Balikpapan telah menerima penghargaan Kota Layak Anak (KLA). Sonora Bangka - Edwin Kalimaya bhaskara Malang - Daniel Johannes Lintang Smart Balikpapan – Etty Saran dan kolaborasi: podcast@kgmedia.id

With Tarakan and North Borneo secured, the last great Allied attack of World War II would take place with the landings to take Balikpapan. Despite the war being almost over, the capture of Balikpapan was deemed vital and so despite disquiet among some of the Australian High Command, the invasion went forward. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever heard of Benzo Rage? What about other withdrawal symptoms like depression, aggression, or violent tendencies? All these behaviors can be escalated by benzos and learning how to deal with them just might be the key to success. In today's episode, D explores the behavioral symptoms of benzo withdrawal and shares a few resources which might help manage them. He also shines a light on Benzo Buddies, shares a comment about yeast overgrowth and candida, and tells a caregiver story from Long Island, New York. Welcome to Episode #13 Today we focus on anger and depression during benzo use and withdrawal. We'll explore various aspects of these symptoms along with some resources to help the patient and caregiver manage them. We also have a couple of comments, a benzo story from Long Island, New York, and shine our benzo spotlight on the largest online forum for benzos, Benzo Buddies. But first, let's list the resources used in this episode, and then we'll dive deeper into the content of episode 13. Episode Resources The following resource links are provided as a courtesy to our listeners. They do not constitute an endorsement by Benzo Free of the resource or any recommendations or advice provided therein. BENZO NEWS"The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs" by Rachel Aviv from NewYorker.comBenzo Free Podcast: Episode #12 — "Conversation with a Caregiver""What Do Doctors Need to Understand About Patients on Benzos?" by Jocelyn Pedersen from Benzo Brains"10 Tips for the Benzo Caregiver" by D E Foster on Benzo Free"Benzo Use in Pregnancy: Study Findings" by D E Foster on Benzo Free BENZO SPOTLIGHTBenzo Buddies FEATURE: The Benzo Bad Guys: Anger, Aggression, Obsession, and DepressionBenzo Free Suicide Prevention Resources"Over Anxious Americans" by Renee Garfinkel from the Washington TimesPink Floyd "Comfortably Numb" by Waters and GilmoreThe Ashton Manual by C. Heather Ashton"Tranquilizer Detox Withdrawal Can Last Years" by Lauren Cox on ABC News"Britain Takes Halcion Sleeping Pills off the Market" by Liz Hunt and Glenn Frankel from the Washington Post"Psychotropic Drugs and Induced Hostility" by A. DiMascio, R.I. Shader and J. Harmatz from Psychosomatics"Anything for a Quiet Life?: Valium, Librium and Mogadon Once Seemed to Provide the Perfect Answer to Stress. We Now Know How this Group of Drugs Alters the Chemistry of the Brain; No Wonder They Create More Problems Than They Solve" by C. Heather Ashton in New ScientistBOOK: "The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams (Amazon)BOOK: "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life" by Mark Manson (Amazon)AUDIOBOOK: "Don't Bite the Hook" by Pema Chodron (Amazon)YOUTUBE: "Don't Bite the Hook" by Pema Chodron (YouTube Audio) BENZO FREE LINKSWebsitePodcast Home PageFeedback FormDisclaimer Podcast Summary This podcast is dedicated to those who struggle with side effects, dependence, and withdrawal from benzos, a group of drugs from the benzodiazepine and nonbenzodiazepine classes, better known as anti-anxiety drugs, sleeping pills, sedatives, and minor tranquilizers. Their common brand names include Ambien, Ativan, Klonopin, Lunesta, Valium, and Xanax. Introduction In today's intro, I went off-script. I decided to just talk in the opening, instead of script it. I shared my experiences with getting tongue tied and why I do script most of the podcast. Mailbag This is where we share questions and comments which were discussed: CORRECTION: Hendy's Home TownLast week, I introduced Hendy's story as if he was from Jarkata, Indonesia. I was wrong, Hendy is actually from Balikpapan, in East Borneo. I corrected this on the air and talked a bit about his actual home town.COMMENT: Benzo Belly, Candida, and Yeast Over GrowthThis was a comment from Jenny, in New England.

Have you ever heard of Benzo Rage? What about other withdrawal symptoms like depression, aggression, or violent tendencies? All these behaviors can be escalated by benzos and learning how to deal with them just might be the key to success. In today's episode, D explores the behavioral symptoms of benzo withdrawal and shares a few resources which might help manage them. He also shines a light on Benzo Buddies, shares a comment about yeast overgrowth and candida, and tells a caregiver story from Long Island, New York. https://www.easinganxiety.com/post/benzo-bad-guys-anger-aggression-depression-and-obsession-bfp013Video ID: BFP013 Chapters 00:00 Introduction06:00 Mailbag09:20 Benzo News11:28 Benzo Spotlight14:52 Benzo Story21:06 FEATURE: Benzo Bad Guys53:56 Moment of Peace  Resources The following resource links are provided as a courtesy to our listeners. They do not constitute an endorsement by Easing Anxiety of the resource or any recommendations or advice provided therein. BENZO NEWS“The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs” by Rachel Aviv from NewYorker.comBenzo Free Podcast: Episode #12 — “Conversation with a Caregiver”“What Do Doctors Need to Understand About Patients on Benzos?” by Jocelyn Pedersen from Benzo Brains“10 Tips for the Benzo Caregiver” by D E Foster on Benzo Free“Benzo Use in Pregnancy: Study Findings” by D E Foster on Benzo Free BENZO SPOTLIGHTBenzo Buddies FEATURE: Benzo Bad GuysBenzo Free Suicide Prevention Resources“Over Anxious Americans” by Renee Garfinkel from the Washington TimesPink Floyd “Comfortably Numb” by Waters and GilmoreThe Ashton Manual by C. Heather Ashton“Tranquilizer Detox Withdrawal Can Last Years” by Lauren Cox on ABC News“Britain Takes Halcion Sleeping Pills off the Market” by Liz Hunt and Glenn Frankel from the Washington Post“Psychotropic Drugs and Induced Hostility” by A. DiMascio, R.I. Shader and J. Harmatz from Psychosomatics“Anything for a Quiet Life?: Valium, Librium and Mogadon Once Seemed to Provide the Perfect Answer to Stress. We Now Know How this Group of Drugs Alters the Chemistry of the Brain; No Wonder They Create More Problems Than They Solve” by C. Heather Ashton in New ScientistBOOK: “The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World” by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams (Amazon)BOOK: “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life” by Mark Manson (Amazon)AUDIOBOOK: “Don't Bite the Hook” by Pema Chodron (Amazon)YOUTUBE: “Don't Bite the Hook” by Pema Chodron (YouTube Audio)  Introduction In today's intro, I went off-script. I decided to just talk in the opening, instead of script it. I shared my experiences with getting tongue tied and why I do script most of the podcast.  Mailbag This is where we share questions and comments which were discussed: CORRECTION: Hendy's Home TownLast week, I introduced Hendy's story as if he was from Jarkata, Indonesia. I was wrong, Hendy is actually from Balikpapan, in East Borneo. I corrected this on the air and talked a bit about his actual home town.COMMENT: Benzo Belly, Candida, and Yeast Over GrowthThis was a comment from Jenny, in New England. Jenny shared information about yeast overgrowth and candida during benzo withdrawal. She had some good information, and I shared that I would look into it further.  Benzo Spotlight Our spotlight today shined on Benzo Buddies, the largest online discussion board in the benzo community. They can be found at benzobuddies.org.  Benzo Stories I shared a story today from Mary in Long Island, New York.  Feature Today's featured topic: Benzo Bad Guys: Anger, Aggression, Depression, and Obsession Today's feature focused on anger and depression. This is part of our 14 -part series on benzo symptom groups. This is the behavioral group from the psychological symptoms category. These symptoms include anger, irritability, aggression, depression, obsession, and suicidal thoughts. I shared some of my own ongoing experiences with these and talked about a few resources which I found useful.  The PodcastThe Benzo Free Podcast provides information, support, and community to those who struggle with the long-term effects of anxiety medications such as benzodiazepines (Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, Valium) and Z-drugs (Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata). WEBSITE: https://www.easinganxiety.comMAILING LIST: https://www.easinganxiety.com/subscribe YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@easinganx DISCLAIMERAll content provided by Easing Anxiety is for general informational purposes only and should never be considered medical advice. Any health-related information provided is not a substitute for medical advice and should not be used to diagnose or treat health problems, or to prescribe any medical devices or other remedies. Never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it. Please visit our website for our complete disclaimer at https://www.easinganxiety.com/disclaimer. CREDITSMusic provided / licensed by Storyblocks Audio — https://www.storyblocks.com Benzo Free Theme — Title: “Walk in the Park” — Artist: Neil Cross PRODUCTIONEasing Anxiety is produced by…Denim Mountain Presshttps://www.denimmountainpress.com ©2022 Denim Mountain Press – All Rights Reserved