Royal Netherlands East Indies Army

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Tijdlijn van de Organisatie

Netherlands declares war on the Sultanate of Aceh

📅 26 Maart 1873

The Dutch government declared war on Aceh, contradicting earlier commitments to respect its independence. Strategic interests drove the invasion. Acehnese leaders and communities resisted for decades,...

First Dutch expedition lands in Aceh

📅 8 April 1873

Dutch troops began the first expedition against Aceh. Acehnese forces repelled the invasion and commander Köhler was killed. The defeat challenged colonial claims that military superiority...

KNIL troops capture Kuta Reh after killing hundreds

📅 14 Juni 1904

Colonial forces under G.C.E. van Daalen attacked a fortified Alas village whose inhabitants had refused Dutch annexation. The massacre of residents, including women and children, demonstrates how...

Dutch expedition lands in southern Bali

📅 14 September 1906

Dutch forces landed at Sanur as part of an expedition against the kingdoms of Badung and Tabanan. The campaign followed disputes over colonial demands and advanced direct Dutch control; Balinese...

Sailors’ mutiny challenges colonial pay and racial hierarchy

📅 4 Februari 1933

Indonesian and European sailors mutinied after wage cuts and harsh discipline aboard the colonial warship. The Dutch government described the action as mutiny; it also reflected inequities within...