campaign, notable, Cold War

Operation Trikora

Name: Operation Trikora
Location: Western New Guinea

Operation Trikora was a campaign fought in 1961 at Western New Guinea; it ran into the following year. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Western New Guinea. It was part of Western New Guinea dispute, which ran from 1949 to 1962. The recorded result: New York Agreement; Military stalemate; Start of the Papua conflict.

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Fought1961ran into the following year

WhereWestern New Guinea5.000S, 136.000E, placed at the location, approximate

OutcomeNew York Agreement; Military stalemate; Start of the Papua conflict

BelligerentsIndonesia; Soviet UnionagainstNetherlands; Dutch New Guinea

Casualties and losses214 dead; 1 motor torpedo boat sunk; 2 motor torpedo boats damagedand9 dead

Part ofWestern New Guinea dispute1949 to 1962

Record

Date	1961 (year precision) to 1962
Place	Western New Guinea 5.000S, 136.000E
Kind	Campaign, Cold War
Territorial change	Western New Guinea ceded to the United Nations then to Indonesia
Strength	Indonesia: 13,000 soldiers; 7,000 paratroopers; 4,500 marines; Soviet Union: 1,740 specialists	Netherlands: 10,000 soldiers; 1,400 marines; 1,000 Papuan volunteers
Casualties and losses	214 dead; 1 motor torpedo boat sunk; 2 motor torpedo boats damaged	9 dead
Commanders	Sukarno Soerjadi Soerjadarma Abdul Haris Nasution Ahmad Yani Suharto Omar Dhani

Placed at Western New Guinea; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Battle of Biak 1944, 445 km N
Battle of Noemfoor 1944, 464 km N
Battle of Wakde 1944, 478 km NE
Battle of Lone Tree Hill 1944, 527 km NE
Battle of Mubo 1943, 556 km E

In the same war

After: Battle of Arafura Sea 1962

Elsewhere in 1961

Annexation of Goa Malaysia
Siege of Jadotville Democratic Republic of the Congo
Battle of Djbel Bouk'hil Algeria
Night of the Three Ps Cuba
Operation Esmeralda Angola

Operation Trikora is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q4272542, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Operation Trikora, revision 1373855293, read 2026-11-15, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.