Confrontation, the War with Indonesia 1962-1966 - Hardcover

Bijl, Nick Van Der

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1844155951 ISBN 13: 9781844155958

Publisher: Pen & Sword Military, 2007

Synopsis

For over four years in the 'Swinging Sixties' the armed forces of the UK were engaged in a little publicised but crucial jungle war against communist aggressive on the vast island of Borneo. At any one time up to 50,000 troops (half of the Army's strength today) were deployed along a 1,000 mile front. Their enemy were the communist led Indonesians whose leaders were determined to seize the states of Sarawak, Sabah and the oil rich Brunei, all of whom for their part wished to maintain their Commonwealth links. The catalyst for the war was the 1962 uprising in Brunei which was quickly crushed by the bold intervention of British army units. The arrival of Major General Walter Walker, himself a controversial figure, gave the subsequent campaign a clear direction. Indonesian incursions were rigorously defended and ruthlessly pursued. Top Secret 'Claret' operations took the fight to the enemy with cross border operations initially using Special Forces and later with Chindit-style long range patrols. The outcome was a text book military victory thus avoiding a British 'Vietnam' debacle.

About this title

About the Author:

Nick van der Bijl BEM spent 25 years, most in the Intelligence Corps between 1970 and 1989. Since retiring from the Army, he has pursued a career in security management in the defence industry, courier sector and the NHS. He is a Trustee of the Military Intelligence Museum. He has numerous published works in print with Pen and Sword Books including Nine Battles to Stanley, Victory in the Falklands, Confrontation, Operation BANNER and Sharing the Secret, A History of the Intelligence Corps. He lives in Somerset.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pen & Sword Military
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1844155951
• ISBN 13: 9781844155958
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240