BandungBergerak.id – When the entire Netherlands officially fell to Nazi Germany on May 17, 1940, the colonial government in the Dutch East Indies began to take preparations for the invasion more seriously. The entire population of the colony at that time, including the indigenous groups, was involved in preparing for the attack.

This call had already been made by Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, in a radio address when the German army began to invade the Netherlands on May 10, 1940. At the end of his speech, Tjarda van Starkenburg Stachouwer called on all residents of the Dutch East Indies to unite and stand loyally behind the government.

Why in Bandung?

To strengthen the defense of the Dutch East Indies, additional military officers were needed. The Koninklijk Militaire Academie (Royal Military Academy) in Breda could no longer be relied upon after the Netherlands was occupied by Nazi Germany. So, the Royal Military Academy (RMA) was established in Bandung in October 1940.

At that time Bandung was one of the centers of military power in the Dutch East Indies. Since the plan to make Bandung the capital of the Dutch East Indies replacing Batavia was rolled out in 1918, several military agencies such as the War Department (Departement Van Oorlog/DVO) and the residence palace of the commander-in-chief of the Dutch East Indies army (Paleis van de Legercommandant) have been moved. And also, the military camp of the 15th Infantry Battalion was established.

To support the military power center in Bandung, several supporting industries were built. One of them was a gunpowder and artillery factory (Artillerie Constructie Winkel/ACW).

The existence of a military town in Cimahi, which had begun to be developed since 1896, also helped strengthen Bandung's position as one of the centers of the Dutch East Indies military power at that time. It is not surprising that Bandung was then chosen as the location for the establishment of the Royal Military Academy.

The KMA Bandung initially occupied a school complex located on Menadostraat (Menado Street) and opposite the Bataliyon Depot. The new Royal Military Academy complex located at Houtmanstraat (W. R. Supratman Street) began construction at the end of 1940 and officially came into use on October 2, 1941. At that time the Bandung Royal Military Academy complex occupied a modern building consisting of dormitory buildings anfd classrooms separated by a field where practice was held.

The first batch of the Royal Military Academy in Bandung consisted of only 30 cadets who graduated from the Corps Opleiding Reserve-Officieren (CORO).

Now the former Royal Military Academy complex in Bandung has become the Infantry Weapons Center (Pussenif).

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Selection Process and Education System

The urgent situation at that time made the colonial government open up opportunities for the locals to be involved in the defense of the Dutch East Indies. So the opportunity was widely given for the locals to not only become militia soldiers but also to become army officers through the Royal Military Academy.

Through the testimonies of cadets who graduated from KMA Bandung, information about recruitment, the education system, and other details about the Bandung Royal Military Academy can be found. One of the most comprehensive writings about KMA Bandung can be found in the book Membuktikan Ketidakbenaran Suatu Mitos (1991) by T. B. Simatupang. In addition, there are still several stories about KMA Bandung that can be found in the autobiography of Memenuhi Panggilan Tugas Jilid 1 (1984) and the biography of A. H. Nasution’s, A. E. Kawilarang Untuk Sang Merah Putih (1988) written by Ramadhn KH. T. B. Simatupang, A. H. Nasution and A. E. Kawilarang were among the first wave of natives to enter the Bandung KMA.

According to T. B. Simatupang, the announcement of the opening of the Royal Military Academy was disseminated through newspapers. The requirements to be admitted to the Royal Military Academy in Bandung, for both natives and Dutch, were to be graduates of high schools, namely HBS (Hoogere Burger School) and AMS (Algemene Middlebare School). There was also an opportunity for Dutch people who had been abroad after the German occupation of the Netherlands, such as in South Africa, to take part in the selection process for the Royal Military Academy in Bandung.

The selection process was divided into three stages and took nine months. During the selection process, all participants are placed in the Battalion Depot.

The initial selection stage lasts for 2-3 months. Participants who pass are entitled to hold the rank of brigadier.

The second stage of selection took place after 2-3 months. Graduates are entitled to wear the rank of sergeant, which is the Keriting Hongaria (Hongaarse Krul) and are accepted into the Corps Opleiding Reserve Officieren (CORO). Those who pass this final stage are then entitled to be admitted to the Royal Military Academy with the rank of cadet sergeant.

The education system of the Royal Military Academy in Bandung tried to adopt the education system applied at the Koninklijk Militaire Academie (Royal Military Academy) Breda in the Netherlands. Of course, not all of it could be applied, given the precarious situation and the need to produce officer graduates who were ready to enter the battlefield in a short time.

The educational curriculum used fully uses the material provided at KMA Breda in the form of textbooks reprinted in the Dutch East Indies. The only difference is the time between the provision of theory and practice in the field. While at the Breda Military Academy, theory is given in the first and second years and practice is carried out in the third year, at the Bandung Royal Military Academy theory coupled with field practice has been given in the first year when cadets take reserve officer education (CORO).

The cadet corps geest at the Bandung Military Academy was developed by applying the traditions that had taken place at the KMA Breda. These include the title Jonkher (Tuan) for cadet sergeants and the “Cadet Song” (Het Cadettenlied).

To encourage cadet performance, an atmosphere of competition among cadets is also created. Those who excel are given a mark in the form of a crown (kroon) pinned on the left arm. There are two types of crowns, namely gold and silver crowns. A cadet wearing a crown is referred to as a krooncadet (crown cadet).

The indigenous cadet who won the silver crown was T. B. Simatupang. A. E. Kawilarang in his biography argues that if Simatupang had been Dutch, he would have received the gold crown.

Between Breda and Bandung

Before the outbreak of World War II, only a small number of natives were accepted into the Royal Military Academy in Breda. Typically, only two or three native cadets would be enlisted in a year. This was due to the strict selection process with requirements that focused on loyalty to the Dutch Crown.

The indigenous groups who passed the selection process and were accepted at the Royal Military Academy in Breda usually came from Ambon, Manado and Java. One of the indigenous people who was accepted at the KMA Breda was Didi Kartsasmita, who in the war of independence served as Commander of the West Java Command with the rank of Major General.

The opening of the Royal Military Academy in Bandung increased the number of indigenous people accepted as cadets. However, the proportion was still much smaller than the European group. Of the approximately 200 cadets at the Bandung Royal Military Academy, only a dozen were indigenous men. In A. E. Kawilarang Untuk Sang Merah Putih, it is mentioned that the number of indigenous cadets in 1941 was 17 people from two batches.

History later recorded, in the era of independence, almost all graduates of the Royal Military Academy in Bandung participated in taking up arms against the Dutch. The military education they received was proven in the field. A. H. Nasution and T. B. Simatupang even reached the pinnacle of their military careers in the Indonesian armed forces, surpassing the rank of officers who graduated from the Royal Military Academy in Breda.

* Translated from this article by Altaf Hasna Banafsaj.