Battle of Borneo (1941–1942)
The Battle of Borneo was a successful campaign by Japanese Imperial forces for control of Borneo island and concentrated mainly on the subjugation of the Raj of Sarawak, Brunei, North Borneo, and the western part of Kalimantan that was part of the Dutch East Indies. The Japanese main unit for this mission was the 35th Infantry Brigade led by Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi.
| Battle of Borneo | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Pacific Theatre of World War II | |||||||||
Japanese paratroopers of the 2nd Yokosuka Naval Landing Force under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Genzo Watanabe (standing on top in the left) inside a transport ship heading to Borneo prior to their invasion in December 1941. | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Japan |
United Kingdom Netherlands | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Kiyotake Kawaguchi |
Robert Brooke-Popham C.M. Lane Dominicus Mars | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
4,500 infantry 2 heavy cruisers 1 light cruiser 6 destroyers 1 submarine chaser 1 seaplane tender 1 minesweeper 1 submarine 1 collier 10 transports |
1,000 Sarawak Force 1,000 British Punjab Regiment 1,000 KNIL 650 police 5 fighters Unknown bomber strength 3 flying boats 2 submarines | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
567+ casualties 2 destroyers sunk 1 minesweeper sunk 1 collier sunk 2 transports sunk 1 transport beached 1 transport damaged |
2,300 casualties 1 flying boat destroyed 1 submarine sunk | ||||||||
The invasion of Borneo was part of a large Japanese invasion in the Pacific, which starting on December 7, 1941 attacked or invaded the United States, Great Britain, and Thailand, including territories in Burma, Malaya, and the Pacific. Previously, they had only been at war with China, even though they had signed the tripartite act with Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.