Battle of Ambon

Battle of Ambon
Part of World War II, Pacific War, Dutch East Indies campaign
Date 30 January – 3 February 1942 Location Ambon, Moluccas Result Japanese victory
Belligerents
Netherlands  Australia  United States (retreated on 15 January)	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Joseph Kapitz  William Scott  Frank D. Wagner	Takeo Takagi Takeo Itō
Strength
2,600[1] 1,100[2]	5,300[3]
Casualties and losses
340 killed[4] 2,182 captured[4] 309 executed[5]	95 killed[6] 185 wounded[6] 1 minesweeper sunk[7] 2 minesweepers damaged[7]

The Battle of Ambon (30 January – 3 February 1942) occurred on Ambon Island in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), as part of the Japanese offensive on the Dutch colony during World War II. In the face of a combined defense by Dutch and Australian troops, Japanese forces conquered the island and its strategic airfield in several days. In the aftermath of the fighting, a major massacre of many Dutch and Australian prisoners of war by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) followed. Following the war, many of the IJA personnel were tried for war crimes.