Lam-Djamoe — written in Dutch variously as Lamdjamoe, Lam-Djamoe, Lamdjamoе, Lamdjampoe, Lamdjanoe, and (in the errata) Lambjamoo — was a Dutch post in the Geconcentreerde Linie (Concentrated Line) of the southern sector, situated at the foot of the mountain line and serving as the principal site of the siege battery that bombarded the stellingen of T. Oemar from 27 April to 23 May 1896. As described in Kruisheer’s ATJEH ‘96, the Lam-Djamoe battery was built with mortieren van 20 c.M., 12 c.M. A., and 7 c.M. A. veldbatterij, and was reinforced on 27 April 1896 with 5 officers and 105 other ranks of the vestingartillerie. The post was a communications hub linked by telephone to the forward area. The batteries were disarmed and demolished on 12 June 1896.
Description and Location
Lam-Djamoe lay in the southern sector of the Geconcente Linie (Concentrated Line) at the foot of the mountain line that separated the Dutch inner perimeter from the IV and VI Moekims of Teuku Umar. The post was the assembly point for troops moving forward to the three-day offensive of 23–25 May 1896 and was the principal communications hub (telefoon) of the southern sector. The siege battery at Lam-Djamoe was constructed with 20 cm mortars, 12 cm bronze guns, and a 7 cm bronze field battery. The post was reinforced on 27 April 1896 with 5 officers and 105 minderen of the siege artillery. The post commanded the road toward Lam-Pisang and the stellingen of the IV and VI Moekims.
Historical Background
Lam-Djamoe had been constructed as part of the Geconcentreerde Linie (Concentrated Line) — the inner line of Dutch posts around Koeta Radja that predated the buitenlinie. After the defection of 29 March 1896 and the evacuation of the buitenlinie in April 1896, Lam-Djamoe became the forward Dutch post in the southern sector. The construction of the belegeringsbatterij at Lam-Djamoe was planned from 26 April 1896 (per the TOC: “Batterij bouw te Lamdjamoe 26 April”). On 30 March 1896 three companies of the 3e Bataljon were sent to Lam-Djamoe by steam tram at 2:15 PM, reinforced by 2 sections of the 4e Bergbatterij at 5 PM.
Role in the 1896 Operations
Lam-Djamoe was the principal Dutch artillery base for the bombardment of Lampisang from 27 April to 23 May 1896. On 27 April 1896 the belegeringsbatterij was reinforced with 5 officers and 105 minderen of the vestingartillerie; the battery comprised mortieren van 20 c.M., 12 c.M. A., and a 7 c.M. A. veldbatterij. From 27 April to 23 May 1896 the battery bombarded the stellingen of T. Oemar at Lam-Pisang, Lam-Asan, and the heights of Tjot Tjako and Boekit Seboen. On 23 May 1896 the three-day Dutch offensive was launched from Lam-Djamoe (and from Lamtih, Ketapan Doea, and Blang), with the 9e Bataljon marching from the koogelvanger van Blang near Lam-Djamoe against Lam-Asan. On 5 June 1896 the two-colonne operation set out from Lam-Djamoe. On 12 June 1896 the batteries of Lam-Djamoe were disarmed and demolished, marking the end of the siege-battery phase of the operations. Throughout the operations Lam-Djamoe served as the principal telephone communications hub of the southern sector.
Significance
Lam-Djamoe was the principal Dutch artillery and communications base for the 1896 counter-offensive against Teuku Umar. Its belegeringsbatterij — the largest concentration of siege artillery in the Atjeh-oorlog since 1873 — was the material instrument by which the Dutch broke the stellingen of the IV and VI Moekims and made possible the three-day offensive. The disarmament and demolition of the batteries on 12 June 1896 marked the transition from the siege phase to the mobile-operations phase of the war.
See Also
- Bombardment of Lampisang
- Three-day Dutch offensive of 23–25 May 1896
- Operations in IV and VI Moekims (4–5 June 1896)
- Disarmament of Lam-Djamoe Batteries (12 June 1896)
- Vestingartillerie
- Lamtih
- Ketapan Doea
- Blang
- Geconcenteerde Linie
- Lam-Pisang
- Lam-Asan
- 1896
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, pp. 14, 26, 28, 39, 47–48, 51, 56–57, 141–143, 157, 166–167, 170–172, 176, 181–183, 186, 192, 195–196, 200, 213, 226, 230, 232–242, 266, 319–321, 346, 752.