Qualla: Battle of Kendari https://qualla.com/battle-of-kendari en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:37 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/w/b/0/y/battle-of-kendari-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Battle of Kendari https://qualla.com/battle-of-kendari Battle of Kendari: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-kendari/ Photo credit unknown(不明), Public domain. Kendari II was, by all accounts, the finest airfield in the Dutch East Indies. Constructed in 1938 about 27 kilometers from the city of Kendari in southeast Celebes, it had three runways, space for expansion, barracks for 500 troops, and by early 1942 held 3,000 bombs and a million liters of aviation fuel for American bombers staging operations against the southern Philippines. On January 24, 1942, the Japanese captured it in a single day. The defenders, roughly 500 Dutch and colonial troops, were already in disarray before the first landing craft touched the beach.

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]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/b/0/y/battle-of-kendari-wp/wb0y-battle-of-kendari-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Kendari: The Airfield That Mattered https://qualla.com/battle-of-kendari/ Photo credit unknown(不明), Public domain. Kendari II was a linchpin. Japanese planners needed it to establish an unbroken air support network stretching from Ambon to Kupang and Bali, enabling raids on eastern Java while maintaining cover for their southward advance toward the island's heart. The airfield sat on the Mena...

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]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/b/0/y/battle-of-kendari-wp/wb0y-battle-of-kendari-the-airfield-that-mattered.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Kendari: Desertions and a Captain Who Ran https://qualla.com/battle-of-kendari/ Photo credit unknown(不明), Public domain. Japanese reconnaissance aircraft flew over Kendari II on January 12. The next day, a plane dropped leaflets urging surrender. Nine bombers struck on the 14th, and Zero fighters strafed the field on the 15th. The physical damage was minor. The psychological damage was total. After...

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]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/b/0/y/battle-of-kendari-wp/wb0y-battle-of-kendari-desertions-and-a-captain-who-ran.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Kendari: A Signalman's Bluff https://qualla.com/battle-of-kendari/ Photo credit unknown(不明), Public domain. One of the battle's most remarkable moments belonged not to the Dutch defenders but to the crew of the American seaplane tender USS Childs. Lieutenant Commander J. L. "Doc" Pratt had arrived on the night of January 22 to deliver 30,000 gallons of aviation fuel. When a schooner wa...

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]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/b/0/y/battle-of-kendari-wp/wb0y-battle-of-kendari-a-signalmans-bluff.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Kendari: Collapse in a Day https://qualla.com/battle-of-kendari/ Photo credit unknown(不明), Public domain. Captain Mori's Sasebo Combined Special Landing Force came ashore at 04:28 on January 24. Communications between Dutch units failed almost immediately. Anthonio received coded telegrams about the approaching fleet but was still stunned when told it had anchored off Kendari. He dro...

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]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/b/0/y/battle-of-kendari-wp/wb0y-battle-of-kendari-collapse-in-a-day.mp3 0:06 5 full Battle of Kendari: Wandering Through Celebes https://qualla.com/battle-of-kendari/ Photo credit unknown(不明), Public domain. The retreat was as disorganized as the defense. Anthonio's group wandered aimlessly through central Celebes before reaching Enrekang in the south on March 8. Van Straalen's group reached the rendezvous point at Tawanga on January 31 and set up a guerrilla base. Sergeant Major Vel...

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]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/b/0/y/battle-of-kendari-wp/wb0y-battle-of-kendari-wandering-through-celebes.mp3 0:06 6 full