KMA Complex (Koninklijke Militaire Academie)

KMA Complex

KNIL
KMA Complex

The KMA Complex was the name of the Dutch East Indian Army  Military training academy that was constructed with great haste following the capitulation of the Netherlands on 15 May 1940.

The capitulation of the Netherlands isolated the Netherlands East Indies army, the KNIL (Koninklijke Nederlands Indische Leger) , from its officer training facility in Breda. Henceforth the KNIL had to develop its own training facility. Notwithstanding the fact that a Netherlands government in exile continued to operate out of London, England, Indonesia had forcibly gained a degree of de facto independence. Upon our arrival in Batavia on 11 June 1940,  my father was immediately set to work on the design of this complex to be located on the eastern outskirts of Bandung.

The completion of the roof framework is traditionally regarded as a major construction milestone and here was captured on a photograph.  My father is standing third from the right. This work is touched upon in in Chapter 3 of Tjideng Reunion.

The KMA complex came into use shortly before the outbreak of the Pacific war. Even before the complex was ready training of Indonesian officers had commenced , but on limited scale. General Nasution, who after the war gained prominence in the Republican government was one of the first graduates.

This building is still in use by the Indonesian army.

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