16 December 1941
Japanese forces land in the Dutch East Indies
Landings took place that day at two locations on Borneo, the largest island in what is today Indonesia. Other landings followed at points throughout the Dutch East Indies. Dutch forces resisted for several months, but by early March the government had fled to Australia, leaving the islands completely in Japanese hands and giving Japan access to the archipelago’s oil resources, which were critical to its war effort.

Histories:
The Dutch East Indies Campaign, 1941-1942
The Japanese Invasion of the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, and Southeast Asia
East Indies
Loss of the Netherlands East Indies

Campaign Map:
Japanese Centrifugal Offensive: East Indies

Photographs:
America From the Great Depression to World War II: Black and White Photographs from the FSA-OWI, 1935-1945 (search for “Netherlands East Indies”)