Battle of Manado The Battle of Manado was a battle of the Pacific Theatre of World War II . It occurred at Manado ( also spelled Menado ) on the Minahasa peninsula on the northern part of the island of Celebes ( now known as Sulawesi ) , from 11 – 13 January 1942 as an attempt to open a passage to attack Australia through the eastern part of Dutch East Indies . Defences in Manado . The Dutch force at Manado area numbered approximately 1 , 500 men under command of Major B . F . A . Schilmöller . With such a limited force , Major Schilmöller had to defend the airfields at Langoan ( Langowan ) ( Manado II ) and at Mapanget ( Manado I ) , the naval base at Tasoeka and Manado . Japanese forces and planning . The main Japanese fleet — which launched the attack on the eastern Dutch East Indies — was under the command of Vice - Admiral Ibō Takahashi , and was intended to land at Manado , Kendari , Ambon , Makassar , Timor and Bali . The Imperial Japanese Navy planned to use the Sasebo Combined Landing Force as well as the Yokosuka 1st SNLF as a paratrooper unit . Sasebo Combined Landing Force . The Combined Sasebo SNLF was about 2 , 500 men strong under the command of Captain Kunizo Mori . It had been formed temporarily from the Sasebo 1st SNLF and the Sasebo 2nd SNLF units . A company of Type 95 " Ha - Go " light tanks was attached to the unit . The Combined Sasebo SNLF would depart Davao on 9 January , and the assault would occur in the early hours of 11 January . The Sasebo 1st SNLF would land on the coast of the peninsula on both sides of Manado town , occupy it , then advance toward Kakas the following day . The Sasebo 2nd SNLF would land at Kema on the southeast side of the peninsula and advance towards Kakas and Lake Tondano . 1st Yokosuka SNLF . The 1st Yokosuka SNLF was a paratrooper unit under Commander Toyoaki Horiuchi . The troops would fly about from Davao , Philippines and jump over Langoan to capture the airfield . The 1st Drop Group would jump at 09 : 30 on 11 June It consisted of 334 men , organized into a HQ unit ( 44 men ) , a Signal unit ( 14 men ) and two rifle companies ( 139 men and 137 men respectively ) . The 1st Company would attack Langoan while the 2nd Company would capture the seaplane base at Kakas . The 2nd Drop Group , consisting of the 3rd Company , would jump on Langoan airfield on 12 June as reinforcements . Twenty - two men would depart on the 11th aboard two Kawanishi H6K 5 " Mavis " flying boat s and land on Lake Tondano . This group consisted of an AT gun unit ( 10 men ) armed with a 37mm AT gun and a medical section ( 11 men ) . The Mitsubishi G3M transport aircraft of the 1st Yokosuka SNLF would fly with an interval of between each company , with 10 aircraft for the 1st and 2nd Companies and eight aircraft for the 3rd Company . Each plane carried 12 paratroopers and seven cargo containers . The drops would occur at an altitude of and at a speed of . Navy Ships . Teikoku Kaigun ( Imperial Japanese Navy ) . The convoy was escorted by Rear - Admiral Raizo Tanaka with The Japanese airforce was under command of Rear - Admiral Ruitaro Fujita with Base Force was under command of Rear - Admiral Kyuji Kubo with Covering Force was under command of Rear - Admiral Takeo Takagi . Landing on Manado . The unit of " Compagnie Menado " — which numbered only 188 men under Captain W . F . J . Kroon and " Landstorm Compagnie " with its 200 troops under 1st Lieutenant F . Masselink — were not enough to oppose thousands of Japanese amphibious assault at 04 : 00 on 11 January 1942 . Initially , when the defense failed , they were instructed to retreat to Tinoör stronghold , located some inland . After some sporadic fights and due to poor communication , instead defending Tinoör - line , the " Compagnie Menado " had to move to Koha . The Tinoör was defended by Lieutenant van de Laar from " Reserve Korps Oud Militairen ( RK ) " and the reinforcement from " Landstorm Compagnie " under 1st . Lt . Masselink . The fighting at Tinoör lasted until 15 : 00 when the KNIL was out of ammunition and had to retreat to Kakaskasen . Landing on Kema . The " Reserve Korps Oud Militairen " ( RK ) — under the command of Lieutenant Radema — was responsible for the defence of Kema . He had two of his brigades placed along the coast line and one at his CP at Ajermadidih ( Airmadidi ) . The rest of the company had to defend Mapanget airfield , Likoepang ( Likupang ) and Bitoeng ( Bitung ) . The landings at Kema started at 03 : 00 on 11 January and were made swiftly . The Japanese transport ships quickly left the area . When Radema heard about the Japanese landing he immediately ordered his troops to regroup at Ajermadidih . When the first Japanese troops , including three tanks , reached Ajermadidih at 09 : 00 , Radema tried to stop the Japanese advance with few available troops . But at last , Radema had to withdraw from Ajermadidih and planned to start a guerrilla war . However due to high rate of native troops desertion , he had to give up this plan . The airborne attack . The defence of Lake Tondano and the airfield at Longoan was under the responsibility of the so called " Tactical Command Kakas " with commanding officer Captain W . C . van den Berg . Kakas is a small town name near Lake Tondano . The airfield itself was defended by the 41 brigades under the command of 1st Lieutenant J . G . Wielinga . This unit was reinforced with one of the " overvalwagens " ( armoured car ) . Wielinga had his command post at the kampong Langoan , where he held 11 brigades back in reserve . The rest of his troops and the " overvalwagen " were placed at the airfield . Sergeant - Major H . J . Robbemond was in command . Shortly after 09 : 00 on 12 January , 334 Japanese paratroopers were dropped on and around the airfield . Having heard the dropping , Captain van den Berg ordered the two remaining " overvalwagens " to attack the airfield . Although the Japanese paratroopers suffered heavy casualties , they succeeded to capture the Langoan airfield . Enraged by the heavy losses , the Japanese executed a large number of KNIL POW ' s . Knowing that the battle was lost , van den Berg ordered his remaining troops to retreat inland and start a guerrilla war . The guerrilla war . In several places , the remaining KNIL forces tried to start a guerrilla war against the Japanese invaders . Captain Kroon assembled what was left of the " Menado Compagnie " ( about 50 men ) and retreated toward Kembes , hoping to start an active guerrilla from this place . Due to regular desertions by his native soldiers he reached Kembes with only nine men left . Here the group was taken prisoner by the Japanese . All European members , except Kroon himself , were executed at Langoan on 16 January . Sergeant Maliëzer from E - Company did not want to surrender and started a guerrilla force with fifteen of his men . On 8 February , they attacked a Japanese unit at Kanejan . The fighting lasted the whole day , and the Japanese counter - attack failed . Outraged , they burned nearby Kampung and executed five civilians ( including two women ) . On 12 February , they came back with a larger force , and this time captured Maliëzers group . Maliëzer too was executed at Langoan with twelve of his men . Captain van den Berg ' s and his group were taken prisoner on 20 February . His group , made up of pensioners , attacked the Japanese units on several occasions and inflicted heavy casualties . Out of respect for the high average age and fighting spirit , the Japanese commander spared their lives . Capture of Kendari . Kendari is a small town on southeast Celebes , facing the Banda Sea in Mollucas ( Maluku ) . Nonetheless , it had an important position for the Japanese to become an airbase from which the bombers and airplanes could attack Soerabaja and Kupang in West Timor . Soerabaja was the main Dutch naval base in Dutch East Indies . After securing Manado , in the night of 23 / 24 January 1942 the Japanese Sasebo Combined Special Naval Landing Force moved southward and landed at north of Kendari . Kendari airfield was quickly secured with little resistance . By the evening of 24 January , Kendari was fully occupied . Most of the 400 - strong Dutch KNIL troops led by Captain F . B . van Straalen were captured by Japanese . Kendari Air Base became the base for the Japanese 21st Air Flotilla operation . Slightly south of Kendari , a main naval base at Staring Bay was constructed to become an important refuelling checkpoint in that area . The bombers involved in Bombing of Darwin ( February 1942 ) were flown from Kendari .