Airborne Samurai

The Battle of Manado 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 was an attempt to open a passage to attack Australia through the eastern part of Dutch East Indies. The …

1942-01-11

A085

The Battle of Manado 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 was an attempt to open a passage to attack Australia through the eastern part of Dutch East Indies. The 1st Yokosuka SNLF was a paratrooper unit under Commander Toyoaki Horiuchi. The troops flew about 380 miles from Davao, Philippines and jumped over Langoan to capture the airfield. It consisted of 334 men, organized into two rifle companies. The 1st Company attacked Langoan while the 2nd Company captured the seaplane base at Kakas.

Menado, Celebes

The Battle of Manado took place as part of the Japanese offensive to capture the Dutch East Indies. It occurred at Manado (also spelled Menado) on the Minahasa Peninsula on the northern part of Celebes Island (modern day Sulawesi in Indonesia), 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.Even though the Minahasa Peninsula does not contain any raw materials or strategic technical installations, its military value remained essential. The sheltered bays of Manado and Lake Tondano provide good bases for seaplanes, as Dutch forces established a Naval Base on the southeast side of Tondano Lake, near Tasoeka (Tasuka). A seaplane base was also established on the southern part of the Lake, near Kakas. Aside from that, Dutch forces also constructed two airfields nearby. At the Kalawiran village near Langoan, the Menado II/Langoan Airfield was established. When the war broke out, Manado I Airfield, located just east of Manado City at Mapanget was still under construction. Japanese invasion plan: As part of the Japan's plan to conquer the Netherlands East Indies, particularly the island of Java, air support from southern Sumatra, Kuching, Banjarmasin (south-eastern part of Dutch Borneo), Makassar and Kendari (both on southern Celebes) was required. Beforehand, however, in order to set up the aforementioned aerial support, specifically in southern Celebes and Banjarmasin, relay fields in Manado, Tarakan and Balikpapan had to be conquered as well. The seizure of Manado was outlined as part of Japan's Eastern Offensive prong to capture the Dutch East Indies. Responsibility for conducting attacks on this prong falls to the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Japanese

Dutch

Scenario Type = Standard