The East Indies Oilfields Facing Japan
The Dutch East Indies are one of Asia's largest oil suppliers: Sumatra, Borneo and their refineries feed a decisive share of the regional market. For a Japan thirsting for fuel, these fields are a prime target.
In 1939, tensions are rising. If invasion comes, the issue is no longer to defend the wells, which are militarily untenable, but to decide their fate.
Should everything be destroyed to deny the invader this resource, should the installations be preserved in the hope of recovering them intact, or should the most valuable equipment be discreetly dispersed?
Dutch East Indies, June 1939: what to do with the oil fields facing the Japanese threat?
The Dutch authorities opted for sabotage. During the Japanese advance in early 1942, the fields and refineries (Tarakan, Balikpapan, Palembang) were set ablaze and destroyed. The Japanese brought only a fraction of the capacity back into service, and at the cost of long delays; the chronic lack of fuel would weigh heavily on their navy and air force in the years that followed.
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