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Pictures sharing from war museum in Indonesia

Yohanes

One of the Regulars
Messages
287
Location
Indonesia
Hello, several months ago I went back to my hometown, Malang, East Java, Indonesia. My current workplace is in a town in Central Java province. I visited one of my favorite place, Museum Brawijaya. What's inside? Well, besides documentations, uniforms, flags, historical records, the main items in this museum is... firearms :) Most of them are remnants of Indonesian revolutionary era or you might say, the struggle for independence of Indonesian freedom fighters against Japan and Dutch colonial. We even had confrontation with Allied forces too (British).

Just as previous background, Indonesia has been occupied by Dutch since 16th century until 1942 when they were overrun by Japanese troops. But in 1945 the Japanese surrenders to the Allies, and Indonesia declared independence on August 17 1945. Although war in Europe was over, for Indonesians it was indeed the beginning. The Dutch troops returned together with Allied troops. For Brits the agenda was to disarm Japanese force but for the Dutch it was to reclaim their colony...

The items you see in the pictures are mostly form 1945-1949 era. Pardon the pic quality, it's only taken by mobile phone camera...

Death train - a freight car that was used to transport Indonesian POWs... there used to be three cars, this is the only one remains. The story is the car was usually locked up tight and the prisoners inside are aplenty, so little space, so little air, and thus, so many died. Many said that even in this museum they still heard the crying of unrest souls of the POWs.. Boo! :)

deathtrain.jpg


De Soto car, said to be official vehicle of East Java governor that time... vintage car buffs, anyone still has similar ride? :)

desoto.jpg


Or you prefer this ride? :)

amtrak.jpg
 

Yohanes

One of the Regulars
Messages
287
Location
Indonesia
Now for firearms fans, you can find plenty of stuffs here, from pistols and revolvers: Japanese revolver, Browning Semi Auto, Colt M1911, S & W revolver (or Colt? I forgot) M1917, flare gun, and others - there's even a Luger here!
Rifles: mostly Lee Enfield, No. 4 / 5, M1 Garand, M1 carbine, and some other obsolete type.. could even be single-shot!
Sub MG: Owen, Austen, various types of Sten gun, Lancaster, Thompson, Reising 50, hah, there's even Madsen 50 (maybe taken from different period) and MP40 Schmeisser!
Various types of Vickers MGs, Japanese MGs, mortars, light cannons, etc.

Me, merchants of war :D :D :D :D

rifles2.jpg


rifles.jpg


pistols.jpg


SMGs2.jpg


SMGs3.jpg
 

dhermann1

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,154
Location
Da Bronx, NY, USA
Yohanes: Thanks so much for contributing this. It brings a part of the world that seems so very remote to us in America and Europe within our reality. Indonesia is going to be a major nation some day soon. There is such cultural and natural diversity among your thousands of islands. Having somebody there who is like a next door neighbor is great. Please continue showing all aspects of your fascinating nation. :eusa_clap
 

Corto

A-List Customer
Messages
343
Location
USA
Great photos! Thanks for sharing Yohanes! It's something I probably never would've seen if you hadn't posted it.
 

Yohanes

One of the Regulars
Messages
287
Location
Indonesia
Hey Camille, picking weapon is allowed there? :) in my museum there's always sign "Do not touch the weapons" and rifles-pistols are not open-displayed, they're kept in glass cabinet, that's why I couldn't take clear pictures.

The weapons displayed are much varied simply because the Dutch forces in their return after 1945 are supported by Allies, that's why there are plenty of British, Australia, and US weapons.
 

Camille

Familiar Face
Messages
97
Location
Sweden
Yohanes said:
Hey Camille, picking weapon is allowed there? :) in my museum there's always sign "Do not touch the weapons" and rifles-pistols are not open-displayed, they're kept in glass cabinet, that's why I couldn't take clear pictures.

Only some of them! It's a display of the Swedish military's weapons from the last 200 years, so they have some replicas out just so you can get the feeling of them. Man, the oldest ones are -so- heavy! The one I'm holding is from WW2, I think, and it weighs a ton. :eek:
 

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