Limbang raid

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=
partof=the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation


caption=
date=December 12, 1962
place=Limbang, Sarawak, Borneo
casus=
territory=
result=British victory
combatant1=flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom
combatant2=TNKU
commander1=Jeremy Moore
commander2=Salleh Bin Sambas
strength1=One company
strength2=~150
casualties1=Five killed, eight wounded
casualties2=12 killed, 15 capturedThe Limbang raid was a military engagement between British Royal Marine commandos and insurgents of the North Kalimantan National Army ("Tentara Nasional Kalimantan Utara": TNKU), on December 12, 1962. After an an amphibious assault on the town of Limbang in Sarawak, Borneo, the commandos managed to rescue the hostages being held there by the TNKU.

Prelude

On 9 December 1962, as the Brunei Revolt broke out, TNKU militants led by Salleh bin Sambas seized the small town of Limbang. From the police station, they captured several rifles, sterling submachine guns and one bren light machine gun. This greatly enhanced their weaponry, as they only been armed with shotguns. They imprisoned the British resident and his wife, along with 12 others, and announced their intention of hanging them on the 12th.

The raid

The task of freeing the hostages was given to L company 42 commando, commanded by Captain Jeremy Moore, who were deployed from the commando carrier HMS Albion. To bring the commandos to their target, two cargo lighters were commandeered and crewed by Royal Navy personnel. One of them carried a Vickers machine gun. Moore planned to sail his force up the Limbang river, and then to assault the town directly, so as to avoid giving the rebels time to execute the hostages.

The lighters approached Limbang at dawn on the morning of the 12th. The sound of their engines warned the rebels, and the commandos lost the element of surprise. As they moved in to their landing area, they were met by heavy fire from the police station, where Salleh himself was manning the bren gun. The deck of the lighters offered little protection, and two marines were killed before landing. One craft provided covering fire with the vickers gun, while the first disembarked its men.

The commandos charged the police station, where they killed ten rebels and captured the bren gun. Salleh Bin Sambas was injured, but made good his escape. The hostages were discovered in the hospital, where the resident was singing loudly, to avoid being mistaken for a rebel. After all the commandos had landed, they spent the rest of the day clearing Limbang house by house, during which three more marines were killed.

Aftermath

British forces continued operations continued in the area in the following days, and captured 11 more prisoners. The intelligence they gathered suggested that the TNKU force had been undone by the Limbang battle: the more committed fighters had escaped into the surrounding jungle, while the local conscripts had thrown away their weapons and uniforms.

For their role in the battle, Corporals Lester and Rawlinson were awarded Military Medals, while Captain Moore was awarded a bar for his Military Cross. He later went on to command the British forces during the Falklands war. Jeremy Black, the RN officer who commanded one of the lighters, later became Captain of HMS Invincible, during the same conflict. After this action L company became known as "Limbang company".

References

*cite web |url=http://www.seayourhistory.org.uk/content/view/464/620/1/3/ |title= Commandos and Raiders: The Limbang Raid, Sarawak 1962 |accessdate=2008-01-21 |date= |work= |publisher=Royal Naval Museum
*cite web |url=http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Borneo/Limbang.html |title= The Limbang Raid |accessdate=2008-01-21 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date= |work= |publisher=Britain's small wars
*cite web |url=http://www.seayourhistory.org.uk/component/option,com_gallery2/Itemid,402/g2_itemId,14764/type,search/ |title=Letter to General Cartwright-Taylor from Richard Bavin |accessdate=2008-01-21 |last=Bavin |first=Richard |date=17 December 1962 |publisher=Royal Naval Museum