Recount Text : The Battle of Ambarawa

 

1. Read the text below!

THE BATTLE OF AMBARAWA

The Battle of Ambarawa was a battle between the recently created Indonesian Army and the British Army that occurred between 20 October and 15 December 1945 in Ambarawa, Indonesia.

On 20 October 1945, Allied troops under the command of Brigadier Bethell landed in Semarang to disarm Japanese troops. Initially, the troops were welcomed in the area, with Central Java’s governor Wongsonegoro agreeing to provide them with food and other necessities in return for the Allies’ promise to respect Indonesia’s sovereignty and independence.

However, when Allied and NICA troops began freeing and arming freed Dutch POWs in Ambarawa and Magelang, many locals were angered. Indonesian troops under the command of Lieutenant Colonel M. Sarbini began besieging Allied troops stationed in Magelang in reprisal for their attempted disarmament.

On the morning of 23 November 1945, Indonesian troops began firing on Allied troops stationed in Ambarawa. A counterattack by the Allies forced the Indonesian Army to retreat to the village of Bedono.

On 11 December 1945, Soedirman held a meeting with various commanders of the Indonesian Army. The next day at 4:30 AM, the Indonesian Army launched an assault on the Allies in Ambarawa. Indonesian artillery pounded Allied positions, which were later overrun by infantry. When the Semarang-Ambarawa highway was captured by Indonesian troops, Soedirman immediately ordered his forces to cut off the supply routes of the remaining Allied troops by using a pincer maneuver.

The battle ended four days later on 15 December 1945, when Indonesia succeeded in regaining control over Ambarawa and the Allies retreated to Semarang.

 

2. Answer the questions below based on the text above!

1.     What is the text talk about?

2.     When did the battle take place?

3.     Did Indonesia win or lose the battle? Why do you think so?

4.     What caused the battle?

5.     Have you read other texts that tell about similar events? What are they?

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D   Created by A. SRI ASRINA, S.Pd