Army Cooperation in the former
Netherlands East Indies, 1945-1950. The Story of the Piper L–4J Cubs of the NEIAF

    
The Japanese-occupied former Netherlands East Indies (NEI), present-day
Indonesia, saw the birth of the Republic of Indonesia on August 17, 1945.
Japanese support to the new republic was massive, with hundreds of
Japanese soldiers becoming involved in training the Indonesian armed
forces on Japanese supplied equipment, including some aircraft.
Resurrection of the former Dutch colonial administration would become
difficult and even the rescue of former POWs and civil internees in Java
and Sumatra, the main islands of the NEI and now the heartland of the new
republic, gave enormous problems. Allied or Dutch troops to disarm the
large numbers of Japanese troops in the NEI were not available at first
and it took until September/October 1945, before British troops with
support of the Royal Air Force gradually moved in and occupied enclaves
around the larger cities in Java and Sumatra. The 1st Infantry Battalion
of the Royal NEI Army disembarked at Batavia in October 1945, and was
followed by several battalions consisting of ex-POWs of this army and
Dutch volunteers from the Netherlands in December 1945, and February-March
1946.
     The
Netherlands East Indies Air Force (NEIAF), part of the Royal NEI Army,
returned to the enclaves from October 1945. It had fought alongside the
Royal Australian Air Force with Curtiss P-40N fighters and NAA B-25
medium-bombers and also operated Douglas C-47 and Lockheed C-60
transports. Apart from one Taylorcraft L-2M it did not possess any
liaison-type aircraft, however, that could be used for army support . . .