page_title: Battle of Manado
section_title: Landing on Kema (2nd Force)
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Manado / The battle / Landing on Kema (2nd Force)
caption_attribution_description: English: Japanese Landing on Kema, 11 January 1942
context_page_description: The Battle of Manado took place as part of the Japanese offensive to capture the Dutch East Indies. It occurred at Manado on the Minahasa Peninsula on the northern part of Celebes Island, from 11–12 January 1942. The battle was noted as the first time in Japanese history that the country had deployed paratroopers in a military operation.
context_section_description: Lt. Radema's A Company, tasked with defending the eastern coast, was spread in the road between the coastal city of Kema and Ajermadidih. In addition to the brigades at both aforementioned cities, three brigades were stationed at Mapanget Airfield, and one brigade each were stationed in Likoepang and Bitoeng, further north from Kema. Radema also constructed machine gun casemates and tank barricades along the road from Kema to Ajermadidih.  
  At the same time with the 1st Force landing, Commander Uroku Hashimoto 's 2nd Sasebo Force landed at Kema on the east at 04:20 and engaged Radema's two brigades. When notified about the Landing, Radema ordered the dispersed A-Company to gather at Ajermadidih, but only the troops from Likoepang eventually came. Meanwhile at Kema, the two brigade under Sgt. Soenda retreated after destroying the town bridge; Hashimoto spared no time continued to advance to Ajermadidih. Near Kasar the brigades clashed with the 2nd Force and had to withdraw again after inflicting modest casualties.
  By 09:00, the 2nd Force, supported by three Type 95 tanks, advanced to the east of Ajermadidih and engaged Radema's Company, now reinforced with its remaining brigades (ca. 300 troops). Even though Radema's troops managed to caused considerable casualties, Japanese tanks eventually broke through and threatened to outflank the Dutch defense, forcing Radema to retreat by 14:00. To cover their withdraw, Sgt. Roemambi and Pvt. Iniray and Poesoeng continued to fire from their casemate until it was destroyed by tank shells.
  Another cover force of a brigade under Sgt. Sigar hold Hashimoto's troops at Sawangan to allow Radema safe passage to Tondano. After driving Sigar's brigade back through force majeure and airplane attacks, an element of the 2nd Force reached Tondano by 18:00, and by 22:00, Hashimoto had reached the town and halted there for the night. By morning on the 12th, Hashimoto went along the road the eastern and western shores of lake Tondano, linking up with the 1st Yokosuka paras by 11:00 and the 1st Sasebo Force at 12:30. By the night of the 11th, however, Schillmöller had decided to withdraw to the west and commenced a guerilla fight.
  Radema left with about 12 troops to the warehouse allocated for his company, but soldiers began to desert along the way. When he arrived of the shelter, it had already been looted by the local population, forcing him to try to infiltrate Ajermadidih to gather what is left of his forces. The rest of his troops eventually abandoned him as well during the journey. The high rate of desertion was exacerbated by the fact that the Japanese have taken hold all major cities and towns – and therefore women and children – within 24 hours. In addition, Japanese forces also dropped out pamphlets that read: "The war is not going on against you, only against the Dutch. So be sensible, don't interfere and go home."
caption: 2nd Sasebo Force Landing Route on Kema, 11 January 1942
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