Disarmament of Lam-Djamoe Batteries (12 June 1896)

Properties2
tagsevent, dutch, colonial, military, aceh-war
aliasesDisarmament of Lam-Djamoe Batteries, Demolition of Lam-Djamoe batteries, Ontwapening en slechting der batterijen te Lam-Djamoe, 12 June 1896

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The Disarmament of Lam-Djamoe Batteries (12 June 1896) — the disarmament and demolition of the siege batteries at Lam-Djamoe — was the formal decommissioning of the fortress artillery batteries that had, since 27 April 1896, maintained the sustained bombardment of Umar’s stellingen in the Lampoeng / Lampisang region. The batteries — equipped with mortars of 20 c.M., 12 c.M. A., and a 7 c.M. A. veldbatterij, and reinforced on 27 April 1896 with 5 officers and 105 minderen of the vestingartillerie — were disarmed and demolished on 12 June 1896, marking the end of the sustained bombardment of Umar’s stellingen and the operational close of the siege phase of the spring 1896 campaign.

Background

The bombardment of Lampisang had begun on 27 April 1896 — the same day as the proclamation of the Regeeringscommissaris announcing military operations against Teungkoe Oemar. The principal battery at Lam-Djamoe — the closest Dutch post to Umar’s stelling at Lam-Pisang — had been equipped with the heaviest siege artillery available in Atjeh: mortars of 20 c.M. (heavy bronze siege mortars, throwing a shell of substantial explosive content), 12 c.M. A. (mountain howitzers), and a 7 c.M. A. field battery. On 27 April 1896 the battery had been reinforced with 5 officers and 105 lower ranks of the fortress artillery — a deliberate augmentation that brought the firepower of a siege train to what had been, until then, a forward post.

The bombardment had lasted, with intervals, for nearly four weeks. The 20 c.M. mortars had been directed against the interior of the works at Lam-Pisang, Tjot Tjako, and Boekit Seboen, where their plunging fire could reach the defenders behind the parapets. The 12 c.M. A. howitzers had been used against the bamboedoeri abatis and the earthen walls. The 7 c.M. A. veldbatterij had been used for counter-battery fire and for harassing fire against the kampong edges. The bombardment had culminated in the three-day offensive of 23–25 May, in which the storming of Tjot Tjako on 23 May 1896, the capture of Lam-Pisang and Oemar’s house on 24 May 1896, and the bestorming of the Stelling Daman–Lam Tjroeng–Lam Poelau on 25 May 1896 had broken the Achehnese stelling and had driven Oemar’s warriors behind the Kroeng-Raba.

The Disarmament of 12 June 1896

By the second week of June 1896 the strategic situation had been transformed. The stelling at Lam-Pisang had been broken; the razing of Lam-Asan was complete; the tuchtiging of Lam-Krak had reduced the western redoubt. The sustained bombardment from Lam-Djamoe — which had served its purpose of softening up Umar’s stellingen for the infantry assault — was no longer required. The Regeeringscommissaris resolved to disarm and demolish the batteries.

On 12 June 1896 the vestingartillerie batteries at Lam-Djamoe were disarmed and demolished. The 20 c.M. mortars, the 12 c.M. A. howitzers, and the 7 c.M. A. veldbatterij were dismounted, their emplacements were filled in, and their magazines were cleared. The 5 officers and 105 minderen of the vestingartillerie who had been dispatched to Lam-Djamoe on 27 April 1896 were, presumably, either returned to their parent units or reassigned to other duties. The demolition of the batteries was a deliberate act: the Dutch were not merely suspending the bombardment but were dismantling the infrastructure that had sustained it, signalling that the siege phase of the spring campaign was at an end.

Significance

The Disarmament of Lam-Djamoe Batteries on 12 June 1896 was the operational close of the siege phase of the spring 1896 campaign and the formal end of the bombardment of Lampisang. The disarmament was, in tactical terms, a small matter — the dismounting of a few siege pieces and the filling-in of their emplacements. In strategic terms, however, it was a significant declaration: the Dutch had concluded that the sustained bombardment of Umar’s stellingen was no longer required, and that the resources committed to the siege could be released for other operations. The decision was vindicated by the subsequent course of the campaign: the reconnaissance to the Kroeng Raba bridge of 13 June 1896, the tuchtiging of the V Moekims Montassik of 16 June–17 June 1896, the submission of Panglima Bintang of 20 June 1896, and the Ladoeng landing of 22 June–23 June 1896 would all be conducted without the support of the siege batteries. The disarmament of 12 June 1896 was, in this sense, both the close of one phase of the spring campaign and the precondition of the next — the release of the siege resources for the operations that would carry the spring campaign to its close on 28 June 1896.

See Also

Source

ATJEH ‘96, door A. Kruisheer, Kapitein der Infanterie O.I.L., met 2 kaarten en 4 portretten (Weltevreden: N.V. Boekhandel Visser & Co, 1913). Instituut Kern, Leiden. OCR-filename: 20260715_163243_DLP-89-Atjeh_96_Met_2_kaarten_en4_DOORA_KRUISHEER_Kapiteinder_Infanterie_nemoretriever-ocr-v1_OCR.txt, p. 266.

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