General Offensive of March 1, 1949: Getting to Know the History

VIVA – The General Offensive of March 1, 1949, or Indonesian known as Serangan Umum 1 Maret 1949 was a military offensive during the Indonesian National Revolution where Yogyakarta city was held by Indonesian troops for six hours.This played an important role in causing international pressure to be exerted on the Netherlands. 

Baca Juga

Begini Kabar Terbaru Nasib 4 Prajurit TNI Senior yang Diduga Aniaya Serda Ahmad Hingga Tewas

The attack involved several Indonesian heroes. They did not want the territory of the Republic of Indonesia to be controlled by the Dutch again. Well, here is the history of the general offensive on March 1, 1949, starting from the causes to the chronology, as reported by various sources.

General Offensive of March 1, 1949, caused:

Baca Juga

Soroti Kematian Serda AMF, DPR: Tradisi Kekerasan Senior di TNI Harus Dihilangkan!

The main cause of the general offensive was motivated Dutch propaganda to the international community claiming that Indonesia had been destroyed. Not only that, but Dutch groups also said that there were no Indonesian army troops left even though the country was already independent.

With the absence of the Indonesian state and army, the Dutch felt they could freely regain control of Indonesian territory. Knowing the successful propaganda from the rival, the Indonesian side did not remain silent and immediately strategized to counter it.

Baca Juga

TNI Tunggu Identifikasi Basarnas Terkait Penemuan Pelampung dalam Operasi Pencarian 5 Jurnalis di Selat Sunda



Tugu Serangan Umum1 Maret 1949

Photo :

• Dinas Kebudayaan Yogyakarta

Chronology of General Offensive of March 1, 1949

Before the general offensive of March 1, 1949, Indonesian National Army (TNI) troops and some people participated in strategizing to launch a counterattack on the Netherlands.

As quoted from the book General offensive on March 1, 1949, in the Kaleidoscope of the History of the Struggle to Defend Indonesian Independence (2010) by Batara R. Hutagalung, the attack was carried out by TNI troops from Brigade 10/Wehkreise III under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Soeharto.

Before attacking, the troops had received permission from Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX, who at that time was the Head of the Special Region of Yogyakarta.

Here’s the chronology:

On the night before the general offensive, TNI troops had begun to infiltrate various corners of the city throughout Yogyakarta.

Halaman Selanjutnya

At 6 am on March 1, 1949, a siren was sounded as a sign that the curfew was over and the general offensive was ready to be launched. When the TNI troops went into action, the Dutch were so surprised by the sudden general offensive that they did not have much time to prepare a counterattack.