Taifib mission in Comoro, Dili

Finally, the Joint Task Force of the Seroja operation decided that Sunday morning, December 7th 1975 as the D-Day to liberate East Timor from Fretilin. To secure beach for the amphibious landing, the Amphibious Task Force Command sending one team from the Marine Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion (Taifib) lead by Marine Captain Arthur Solang.
In pitch darkness of the early morning hours, Captain Solang with five of his subordinates left KRI Ratulangi by a rubber boat and then swam to shore and clears mine and install signs on the beach in preparation for the amphibious landing. They were supposed back to ship. Due to the strong currents that morning, Captain Solang decided to remain on the beach along with one of his team and wait for the arrival of the Landing Team Battalion with which he would hook up with. They did not have prior knowledge that the Amphibious Task Force unit would bomb the LZ, during the bombardments from the warships both of them was hidden out in some secure area of the Comoro beach.
Four other member of the Taifib team who were swimming back to the KRI Ratulangi was swept away by strong currents toward Alor island about 40 km away. Private 1st Class FHA Suyono swam three days and three nights heading for Alor. On the second day, he saw a Dakota from the Indonesian Air Force. The Private who had been floating in the strong currents and in open sea waves for more than 20 hours began to signal by waving his hands for assistance. But the C-47 Dakota was flying too high to spot him.
While swimming his ankles were attacked by fishes several times, causing lacerations. Luckily those wounds on his ankles from which he was suffering did not attract any sharks. Still, smaller fishes were nibbling on his feet, when he tried to fight them off and was buffeted the sea waves. He finally succeeds in making it to beach of the Alor island.
While totally exhausted, his energy drained and still having to defend for himself to survive. The indigenous islanders who surrounded him were hostile. Private 1st class Suyono was suspected of being a Fretilin member who had escaped from East Timor. Seeing the indignant looks on their faces, and realizing that they were planning to harm him, Private Suyono threatened them with a grenade. Finally the misunderstanding was settled in an amicable way when the islanders discovered another stranded Taifib Marine.
Both of them had to travel four days on foot to the nearest military post to report, before he was picked up by a Navy warship that was on patrol. Two others Taifib members, namely Sergeant Major Slamet Supriyadi and Corporal Supardi, who were swimming with them, were declared lost at sea in the official exercise of their duties.
While on the Comoro beach, Captain Solang and one of his subordinates then join with the Marine 5th Landing Infantry Battalion which was landing there and lead by Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad Sediono. After that the Marine moved towards to linked-up with Army unit on the Fatuhada street to the north of the Dili Airport. The Marine forces hold at this position.
Tragically, Marine Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Solang the Marine Taifib commander from 1977-1982 and commander of Denjaka (Navy Special Forces) from 1982-1985 died in the free fall accident in Serpong, West Java on November 22nd, 1985.

Hendro Subroto (Eyewitness to Integration of East Timor, Pustaka Sinar Harapan, 1997)

Rupanpur

Regu Pandu Tempur (Rupanpur) Korps Marinir
Marine Corps Combat Guide Team

Marine Combat Guide Team (Rupanpur) used to named Marine Field Investigate Team. Rupanpur is special forces for the Marine infantry battalion. Personnel of Rupanpur come from Marine non-officer infantry soldier that has already fulfilled tight selection in each battalion including intelligentsia, mentally and also physically test. They are trained in Marine Combat Training Center (Puslatpur), Antralina, Sukabumi. The trainer there comes from Marine Amphibi Reconnaissance Batallion (IPAM) instructure that has many experience training Marine special forces.

In first week all the training participants has done several combat field problem such as land tactical operations, combat patrol and contact drill. Beside that, they also trained individual combat rules that include creep, crawl on hands and knees, roll, grenade throw, and throwing axis and knife. Field knowledge such as: field map reading knowledge and Global Positioning System include map sign identification, pointing place / coordinate, distribute and give topography map number.

Along the second week they learn about camouflage, protection, find a track and mountaineering, shooting ability and sniper. Rupanpur also has special knowledge like airborne control, air mobility by helicopter (helicopterborne), demolition, sabotage, kidnapped, interrogation endurance, escaping technique and also swimming problem, cross-country and speed mars.

The main duty of this team is to guide the amphibious task forces that will be landed in the beach, but if they got problem during that circumstances they giving order to finish it by themselves including to destroy enemy forces and facilities.

Yon-IPAM

Batalyon Intai Para Amfibi (Yon IPAM) Korps Marinir
Para Amphibi Reconnaissance Batallion

Yon IPAM is an elite unit in the Marine Corps; this unit is used to be named Kipam (Komando Intai Para Amfibi – Para Amphibious Reconnaissance Command). Yon IPAM has a main duty to establish and serve strength and ability to amphibious element and also land and beach reconnaissance. Beside that Yon IPAM have special operation duty in amphibious landing, beach clearance by navy unit and many other operations duty.

This unit always operates in small strength 5 to 7 personnel and has many combat experiences across the nations. To obtain a certification of amphibious reconnaissance, a regular Marine has to first pass a tough selection and then pass the nine-month rigorous training program that contains the most difficult curriculum. Thus, this amphibious recon certificate is very similar to commando certificate in Kopassus.

To become a Yontaifib personnel, a candidate is volunteer and selected from the Marine Corps every elements (infantry, cavalry, artillery, and marine base defense battalion). They must already fulfilled the thorough mental and physical requirements, and at least has actively served the corps for two years. The certification of amphibious reconnaissance is so difficult that the passing rate of these candidates in each class is only ten percent.

One of the most challenging exercises in this certification program is to swim underwater for three kilometers with the hands and feet are all tied. Because they are tied, the swimmer has to mimic the way dolphins swim. This swimming style is training for anticipation of being caught by the enemies and trying to escape by swimming in the river or sea. The escape experience by U.S. Navy Seal members in the Vietnam War is the basis for this training

After graduate from the training, each personnel will get Trimedia Brevet. Before getting the brevet, all the IPAM students must follow traditional long-range swimming across Madura channel. Nowadays Yon IPAM has two battalion; each of them is under 1st and 2nd Marine Division command. Taifib soldier aproximately around 1.400 personnel with 85% composition is combatan. Taifib qualification is not only as combat soldier but also have a role as reliable combat intelligence unit. Every Taifib personnel have four aspects qualification on sea, air, land and underwater plus anti-terror ability.

Korps Marinir

Korps Marinir TNI-AL
Indonesian Marine Corps

Born on November 15, 1945, the Marine Corps (Kormar) are the Indonesian Navys ground troops. The corps has the duties of being the main forces in amphibious combat operations and, defensively, being the quick reaction forces in emergency situation to defend the beach fronts from enemies invasion.

Marine Corps is one of the Indonesian Navy main commands. In Navy Structure, Kormar is main command equally with Eastern fleet, Western fleet, Navy Academy, Navy School of Command and Cross Sea Military Command. The Commander of Marine Corps is two stars Major General (Marine). Kormar also have famous nickname as Sea Ghost, this corps using purple beret to identify their self. This color was getting from javanese legend that queen of southern sea always using purple color for his dress. Officially, Marine combat area is around 8 km from the beach because that’s the main area to do amphibious landed operation. If marine need to battle far from that area its must be under jurisdiction from land task force commander where the command was under the army.

Kormar has been active in various military operations in Indonesia. One of the biggest amphibious military operations was Operation Jayawijaya in which thousands of marines will be landed in West Irian in the early 60s as a part of Trikora campaign to free West Irian from Dutch occupation. Kormar also involve in Dwikora campaign where their two best personnels Usman and Harun got death punishment in Singapore court after both of them successfully explode a hotel in center of Singapore. During that time Kormar using KKO-AL (Navy Commando Unit) as their corps name but in 1975, KKO back to using Marine Corps as their name. Kormar also becoming Indonesian first troops that landed in East Timor during Seroja and battle there with other forces.

In 2005-2025 a plan was proposed to expand the Kormar from the current strength of 17,000 personnel. Based on this plan, every Marine Division will have three combat brigades: the Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery and will be supported by one Combat Support Regiment and one Administration Support Regiment. The expansion will create three Marine divisions: Surabaya for Eastern area command, Jakarta for Central area command, and Rate Island in Lampung for Western area command. Kormar also will have 2 independent marine brigades, 1 marine training command, 5 marine bases and 11 marine battalion for navy base defense. The expansion also will increase the strength of Kormar to 70,000 personnel.

Marine corps having 417 armored vehicle, but 307-armored vehicle was over 30 years of age, 37 vehicles between 21-30 years and only 71 is a new vehicle between 1-10 years. Today Marine having around 17.000 personnel, this condition making some jokes in Indonesian military circle that with the amount of island in Indonesia is also around 17.000 and making this country as the largest archipelago in the world, every Marine soldier must guarding one island in Indonesia.