Battle of Balikpapan (1942)

Battle of Balikpapan (1942)
Part of World War II, Pacific War,
Dutch East Indies campaign

Japanese troops of the Sakaguchi Detachment
advancing through Balikpapan's burning oilfields.
Date23–25 January 1942
(Allied air raids continued until 30 January)
Location
Result Japanese land victory
Allied tactical naval victory
Belligerents
Netherlands Netherlands
 United States
 Japan
Commanders and leaders
Netherlands Cornelis van den Hoogenband
Paul H. Talbot
Empire of Japan Shizuo Sakaguchi
Empire of Japan Shoji Nishimura
Strength
ca. 1,100 ca. 6,600
Casualties and losses
Troops deserted or surrendered (Only 200 evacuated)
1 destroyer lightly damaged
1 submarine heavily damaged
47 infantry killed
At least 121 sailors killed
5 transport ships sunk
2 transport ships damaged
1 patrol boat damaged
1 seaplane tender damaged

The First Battle of Balikpapan took place on 23–25 January 1942, off the major oil-producing town and port of Balikpapan, on Borneo, in the Netherlands East Indies. After capturing mostly-destroyed oilfields at Tarakan, Japanese forces send an ultimatum to the Dutch that they would be executed if they destroyed the oilfields there, to no avail.

After destroying the oilfields, Dutch forces retreated inland, taking up positions in and around Samarinda II Airfield, while the Japanese landed and seized the also-destroyed refineries. Shortly thereafter, an American naval task force ambushed the invasion convoy and sank multiple transport ships, but they ultimately failed to stop Japan from swiftly occupying Balikpapan.


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