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Historic Sites during the World War II in South Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi as a Source of Historiography                     | 60 

 Received:  
February 3, 2022 
 
Revised:  
May 30, 2022 
 
Accepted:  
June 3, 2022 

Historic Sites during the World War II in South Konawe, Southeast 
Sulawesi as a Source of Historiography 

 
Syahrun1*, Rahmat Sewa Suraya2, Sandy Suseno1  

1Study Programme of Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Halu Oleo 
2Study Programme of Oral Tradition, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Halu Oleo 

Jl. H.E.A Mokodompit, Andonouhu, Kendari, Indonesia 93232 
 

*Corresponding Author: syahrun_antro@yahoo.com 
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/ihis.v6i1.13589 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Introduction 
The constellation of the World War II became an inseparable part of Indonesian 
history. The event took place in the context of the transition from the end of the Dutch 
East Indies Era to the Japanese Era to the Republic of Indonesia Era. At that time, the 
Republic of Indonesia did not exist yet, but it was still called the Dutch East Indies. In 
the context of the nation's independence journey, one of the triggers for the transfer of 
power from the Dutch colonial government to the Indonesian nation was the World 
War II, especially the Theater of Pacific. Nonetheless, it should be realized that the 
World War II (Theater of Pacific) is a historical archeological study in which until now 
the existence of military documents is still kept secret. Thus, the interpretation of the 
World War II studies is based on the presence of material remains. This condition was 

Abstract 
 

The World War II in Indonesian territory at that time involved the Imperial 
Japanese Army against the military from the allies and was known later as 
“Theater of Pacific”. The massive military activities that took place in Indonesian 
territory during the World War II definitely left a lot of and varied material 
evidences. However, in fact, many of the material evidences from the World War 
II have been forgotten due to its dilapidated condition. One of the military 
operational areas where many evidences of the World War II can be found is South 
Konawe, precisely at Kendari II Airfield Site, which is now known as HLO Airfield 
(Halu Oleo Airfield). This research utilized archives and aerial photographs 
during the World War II combined with direct observation at the site and 
reconstruction efforts using excavated data. Based on the findings, it reveals the 
existence of the World War II remains at Kendari II Airfield area. It is also known 
that the condition of the most massive findings is located in the Japanese military 
administration and maintenance area during the World War II at Kendari II 
Airfield area. These remains can certainly be a source of historical writing of the 
Japanese Government Era in South Konawe. 
 
Keywords: The World War II; South Konawe; Kendari II Airfield; Japanese Military 

Administration and Maintenance Area; Historiography. 
 



 
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getting complicated because during the Japanese occupation in Indonesia, so many 
military documents of the Japanese government were destroyed. The Japanese 
government as the losing party at that time took this step as an effort to maintain 
secrecy during the occupation. 

The lack of availability of military documents from the Japanese occupation is 
inversely proportional to the abundance of material data from the World War II era. 
The material data became the foundation for building archaeological research, 
especially during the World War II in Indonesia. The remains can be found in, among 
others: (1) Important cities that became the administrative centers, (2) Natural resource 
processing locations in the form of plantation and mining, (3) Land, water and air 
distribution routes, (4) Military bases. The massive potential remains of the World War 
II are also found in Southeast Sulawesi. This is very possible because this area basically 
has 4 main locations that have the potential to find the World War II remains (Report 
of South Sulawesi Archaeological Center, 2016). 
 The archaeological remains from the World War II scatter from Pomalaa in the 
north to Bombana in the south and from Kolaka in the east to Buton in the west. The 
remains are generally in the form of defensive buildings, such as: pillboxes, bunkers, 
airfields, defensive caves, armories, as well as civil and military administration 
buildings. In this decade, several studies related to the World War II remains in 
Southeast Sulawesi have been carried out by several agencies and researchers. The 
identification and inventory of the World War II remains have been carried out by 
South Sulawesi Archaeological Center and South Sulawesi Cultural Heritage 
Preservation Center. The results of the inventory carried out by the two archaeological 
agencies confirm that several areas contain massive World War II remains, such as 
Pomalaa, Poleang, and Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) area (Inventory Report of 
Makassar Cultural Conservation Preservation Center (BPCB), 2015; Report of South 
Sulawesi Archaeological Center, 2016). 

Especially at Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) area, Department of 
Archeology, Faculty of Cultural Studies (FIB) of Halu Oleo University (UHO) carried 
out research in 2015 and 2016 aimed at conducting comprehensive inventory of the 
entire Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) area. This research was based on the research 
conducted by Hayunira. Her research identified and analyzed the distribution of 
defensive buildings, especially at Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) area. Her research 
used a spatial archaeological approach to the findings of 42 buildings from the World 
War II era at Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) area. Other research was carried out 
by Sunarto in 2018 which examined the importance of the World War II remains at 
Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) area. Subsequently, in the same year, Riyanto 
revealed the existence of the bunkers around Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) area 
(Hayunira, 2013; Sunarto, 2017, Riyanto, 2018). The HLO Airfield area is a very 
potential area for in-depth research. Nevertheless, previous studies have only 
examined the archaeological remains in this area from a cultural history perspective. 
Therefore, it is not surprising that the findings of the research so far have only been 



 
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limited to the inventory and description of the archaeological remains at HLO Airfield 
Area. 

The research stages at Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) area so far have only 
studied descriptively the World War II remains. Therefore, it is suggested that there is 
a need to apply a new perspective to examine the World War II remains. Various 
research models that examine the World War II remains are growing in the world, 
including battlefield archaeology, occupation archaeology, military archaeology, and 
Holocaust archaeology. These various research focuses apply various approaches from 
other fields of science. As the case in the field of geography which applies the latest 
technology such as geographic information system and 3D modeling in conducting 
studies on the phenomenon of the World War II remains. The application of the latest 
technology in the study of the WWII remains makes the research more comprehensive. 
Through a spatial approach, at least historical sites at Kendari II Airfield can be seen 
from 3 perspectives, such as the perspective of the landscape as a battlefield, the 
perspective of the landscape as a conflict area, and the perspective of the landscape as 
a marker of events (Saunders, 2001; Shackel, 2003). In the field of history, the use of 
historical archives and oral traditions is the main basis in revealing the phenomenon 
of the World War II remains. 
 Military activities during the Japanese government era can still be seen from the 
World War II physical remains that still exist today. They are in the form of remains of 
the massive structures such as bunkers, ammunition stores, building structures, or 
artifacts in the form of bottles, bullets, metal remains, and ceramics. Furthermore, the 
landscape as a conflict area can be seen through the features resulting from the World 
War II, such as the former sites of bomb explosion or the remains of war conflict. The 
landscape as a marker area is attached to Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) area based 
on the historical data. As the landscape of a marker area of the World War II, this area 
has significance for the public today. Significance has an impact on the sustainability 
of this area. When the significance is maintained, the sustainability in this area will 
automatically take place continuously. On the other hand, if the significance is not 
maintained, this area will automatically be “forgotten” from the collective memory 
that exists in the public today. 

Apparently, various important things can still be revealed from the 
archaeological remains found at Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) area related to the 
physical and morphological aspects. As a result, by combining data on the physical 
and morphological aspects of the remains of the Japanese Government Era at Kendari 
II Airfield Site with the historical data, it will become a source of historical writing of 
the Japanese Government Era in South Konawe. 
 
Method 
This study begun with reconstructing the design patterns found in the World War II 
remains at Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) area. The reconstruction was carried out 
by making a research design by collecting and summarizing the research findings, 
archives, photo documentation, maps or other supporting data as the initial data. 



 
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Then, the archaeological data were collected and carried out in the form of surface 
survey and excavation. The surface survey was carried out by observing the ground 
surface and its anomalies that indicated the existence of the World War II remains. Its 
locations were carefully determined based on the summaries compiled from the 
previous research or archival data. A very significant source of archival data played 
roles in the archaeological survey, that was the aerial photo data conducted by the 
Allies in 1944 against Kendari II Airfield area. The data were then listed in Allied 
Geographical Section document in 1945 of Kendari area (SE Celebes) Terrain Study, No. 
107.  

The results of the surface survey were then used as the basis for determining 
the excavation areas. Excavation was focused on finding the remains of the building 
structures buried in the ground. In addition, it was intended to look for in situ artifacts 
and loose artifacts that showed associations with certain activities so that they could 
be used in interpreting the function of the structures or buildings. In this research, the 
excavation was carried out with box and trench systems. The box system was carried 
out by opening 2x2-sized boxes at the areas suspected of containing the World War II 
remains. On the other hand, the trench system was carried out in the areas that have 
remains in the form of found structures. The deepening technique was the spit 
technique with a depth that was adjusted based on the conditions of the excavation 
areas. Excavation Finding Analysis was carried out by utilizing the existing archival 
data with the aim to produce a chronology of regional developments, create 
permanent spatial visualizations, and produce interpretation materials (Nolan, 2009). 
The first stage in this analysis was the reproduction and integration of the aerial 
photographs and old maps into a single projection system so that we could find out 
the current locations of the areas being photographed or mapped in the present 
(Stichelbaut, 2005). The information in the photos and maps could be used to identify 
the presence of the archaeological remains. The analysis then proceeded to the 
integration between the results of the photo reproductions, the results of surveys, and 
the archaeological excavations as well as the interpretation of the historical documents. 

 
Description of Kendari II Airfiled  
Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) area is an airfield located in Ranomeeto District, 
South Konawe Regency, Southeast Sulawesi Province. Astronomically, this area is 
located at the coordinates of 4° 3′ 49.06″ - 4° 5′ 56.40″LS and 122° 23′ 27.47″ - 
122° 27′ 14.96″ BT. This airfield has the following boundaries. In the north, it is 
bordered by Wanggu River; in the south, it is bordered by Amba-amba River; in the 
west, it is bordered by Mount Puurui; and in the east, it is bordered by Wai-wai River. 

During the World War II, this airfield was the only airfield that had been built 
in Southeast Sulawesi and was taken over by the Japanese. After Southeast Sulawesi 
area was occupied, the Japanese built 4 new airfields to be used by the Japanese army 
during the World War II. The other four airfields were; (1) Witikola/Ambesia Airfield 
in Ambesa; (3) Pomelaa Airfield in Kolaka Regency; (4) Tiworo Airfield in Muna 
Regency; (5) Baroe Airfield in Boepinang, Bombana Regency.  



 
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During the World War II, Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) was under the rule 
of the Imperial Japanese Army. During this era, it was not impossible for the Japanese 
who temporarily occupied the area to take advantage of the existing buildings, modify 
the existing buildings from the Dutch East Indies era, or even rebuild new buildings 
as an effort to strengthen the position of the Japanese military. This definitely 
continued during the independence of Indonesia. The Republic of Indonesia adjusts 
the utilization of the existing buildings. An important information that needs to be 
understood here is that in the context of a geographical area, there are 3 different 
phases of time, and each phase leaves its own unique characteristics. The three main 
phases that affected the World War II remains at HLO Airfield (Kendari II Airfield) 
area can be seen from the following treatise Table 1. 
 
Table 1. Historical Treatise of Kendari II Airfield, Southeast Sulawesi 

Period (Era) Important Event 
Dutch East Indies 
Government 
1936/1937 – 1942 

Construction of airfield  
Landing of Dutch Air Force aircraft (7 Oct 1938) 
Construction of emergency runways and demarcation of land 
boundaries (Apr 1939) 
Deployment of war logistics by allies (Jan 1942) 

Japanese Era  
1942-1945 

Takeover of airfield by Japanese army (24 Jan 1942) 
Change of runway direction and length 
Addition of airfield defensive, maintenance, and administration 
buildings 
A series of bombing missions by allied soldiers (28 Jan 1942 – 16 
Feb 1945) 
Construction of supporting airfields in Boro-Boro, Ambesa, 
Kolaka, Muna, and Buton. 

NICA Era 
1945 – 1950 

Repair of damaged airfield facilities due to WWII 

Republic of Indonesia 
Era 
1950 – now 

Landing of first Republic of Indonesia Air Force aircraft; 
formation of Kendari II Air Detachment (Oct 1950) 
Change of name to Wolter Monginsidi Kendari Indonesian 
National Army Air Force Base (27 May 1958) 
Shelter for civilian victims of DI/TII Kahar Mudzakkar rebellion 
Reserve Base in Jaya Wijaya Operation 
Added function as airfield for civil/commercial aircrafts (1975) 
Change of name to Wolter Monginsidi Kendari Airfield (1985) 
Inauguration of new passenger terminal and change of name to 
Halu Oleo Airfield (13 Feb 2010). 

Source: Annual report of South Sulawesi Archaeological Center, 2016. 
 
The aerial photographs taken on 16 February 1945 show that during the World 

War II, Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) had four runway lanes (1 main runway, 3 
aircraft taxi lanes). Around the runway, there were a number of defensive buildings in 
the form of bunkers, earthen forts, ammunition storage warehouses, and several 



 
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defensive posts equipped with anti-aircraft weapons. In the south of the runway, there 
was a concentration of buildings annotated as extensive administration and 
maintenance area (see Figure 1). The completeness of the existing physical buildings 
shows that during the World War II, Kendari II Airfield area was an important 
operational area for the Imperial Japanese Army (Allied Geographical Section, 1945). 
 

 
Figure 1. Situation Map of HLO Airfield Area on 16 February 1945 

Source: Collection of Allied Geograpical Section. 
 

 
Figure 2. Situation Map of HLO Airfield Area Nowadays 

Source: Google Earth, 2016. 
 

Nowadays, some of the physical buildings operated at Kendari II Airfield (HLO 
Airfield) area have undergone changes, but most of them are still deposited 
underground. The runway of ±2600 m of concrete and asphalt is the main attribute in 

Extensive Maintanance and Administration 
Area of Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) 

Kendari II Airfield 
(HLO Airfield) 

Runway 

HLO Airfield nowadays, during WWII a similar area was an Extensive 
Maintanance and Administration Area of Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) 



 
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supporting the flight operations. The runway stretches from the west to the east. The 
average altitude of Kendari II Airfield area is 44 meters above sea level, with the lowest 
point is 18 meters above sea level in the east and the highest point in the west is 42 
meters above sea level. Thus, it can be seen that Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) area 
is a relatively plain area and ideal for the location of the establishment of an airfield 
(see Figure 2). The interesting thing on the south side of the runway is that there is a 
river on the left and right sides of which a number of remains of defensive structures 
and buildings are found. 
 
Excavation of Japanese Military Extensive Administration and Maintenance Area at 
Kendari II Airfield, South Konawe 
After conducting a toponym deepening based on the results of research that had been 
conducted since 2015 – 2016, it is known that the area with the most massive remains 
is the Japanese military extensive administration and maintenance area at Kendari II 
Airfield (HLO Airfield). The findings of the surface and the building remains provide 
an illustration that the area was once the center of the Japanese Government military 
operations during the World War II (see Figure 3).  

 
  

Figure 3. Wall Building Remains in 
Japanese Military Extensive  

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Figure 3. Administration and maintenance Area at Kendari II Airfield  

(HLO Airfield) Area 
Source: Excavation Team of Department of Archeology of Universitas Halu Oleo, 

2017-2019. 
 

Based on the aerial photo map of 1944 and direct observation of the location, it 
is known that the World War II remains have an area that extends along the bank of 
the river that divides Kendari II Airfield area. The cluster of the World War II remains 
covers an area of 120 meters in the south of the river. When viewed closely, the main 
landscape picture is still very visible and can be mapped clearly (see Figure 4).  



 
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Figure 4. Distribution Map of WWII Remains in Japanese Military Extensive 

Administration and maintenance Area at Kendari II Airfield Area 
Source: Excavation Team of Department of Archeology of Universitas Halu Oleo, 

2017-2019. 
 
At the end of 2017, the Department of Archeology of UHO carried out 

excavation in the Japanese military extensive administration and maintenance area at 
Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) area. The excavation was based on the massive 
findings of the surface and structures of the World War II remains which can still be 
seen today. The excavation carried out at that time focused on finding the remains of 
the building structures that had been buried in the ground. Moreover, it was intended 
to look for in situ artifacts and loose artifacts that show associations with certain 
activities so that later they could be used to interpret the function of structures or 
buildings in the area. In the 2017 excavation, there were 3 main excavation areas, 
including A1, A2, and A3 areas. 

The selection of the excavation areas was based on the results of the 
identification of the soil surface in the form of the distribution of faults and chunks of 
the building structures of the WWII remains. In general, the condition of the vegetation 
in this area is almost the same, in the form of a landscape overgrown with weeds, 
shrubs, trees, and other wild plants. In general, the opening of the initial excavation 
box was in the size of 1 meter x 1 meter to provide the same work steps in the 
excavation. 

A3 Area is located in the central area of the Japanese military extensive 
administration and maintenance area. The findings of the surface in this area are 
pictures of sanitation and hygiene buildings used during the WWII by the Japanese 
military (see Figure 5). The purpose of opening the excavation box at the first location 
was to reveal details of the sanitation system used in the Japanese military extensive 
administration and maintenance area during the WWII.  



 
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Figure 5. WWII Remains at A3 Area, Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield) Area 

Source: Excavation Team of Department of Archeology of Universitas Halu Oleo, 
2017-2019. 

 
A3 Area is in the form of 2 main buildings in the middle of which there is a 

waste storage pit. The first building is located in the east in the form of a sanitation 
cubicle. The building in the east still has an intact perimeter wall. The sanitation 
building in the east has a length of 5.10 meters and a width of 5.58 meters. The sanitary 
building has 3 chambers in the south and 3 chambers in the north. The 3 chambers in 
the south are the waste disposal chambers, while the 3 chambers in the north are the 
body cleansing chambers. Each chamber in the south has a size of 1.05 meters x 1.20 
meters. On the other hand, each chamber in the north has a size of 1.4 meters x 2.06 
meters. The sanitation buildings in the east and the waste storage area are connected 
by a 20 cm waste disposal area.  

Moreover, at this location there is also a similar building for sanitation in the 
west of the waste storage pit. The building in the west of the waste storage area is 
sanitation and hygiene building in the form of chamber as found in the building in the 
east. The building in the west is rectangular with a size of 6.25 meters x 4.40 meters. 
The remains of the building can still be seen to have 4 chambers facing each other with 
the middle part between the chambers is an open space. The four chambers facing each 
other have different functions when viewed from their morphological conditions. The 
first line chambers are for body hygiene activities. The size of the chambers is uniform, 
by 1.4 meters x 1.2 meters. On the other hand, the second line chambers are in the form 
of a waste disposal chamber (WC). This is clearly evidenced by the presence of a toilet 
in each chamber. The size of the second chamber is smaller than the first, by 1.25 meters 
x 0.85 meters. Similar to the sanitation building in the east, the sanitation building in 
the west also has a sewer that leads to a waste storage facility with a length of 7.40 
meters and a width of 20 cm. 
 Meanwhile, the waste storage area, located between the two sanitation and 
hygiene buildings, is rectangular with a size of 3.2 meters x 1.9 meters. The building 
has a depth of 2 meters with the bottom of the shelter in the form of soil. One of the 
most striking morphologies is the existence of pits in the building walls that lead to 
the river that runs along this area. The existence of the pits is allegedly a mechanism 



 
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to cope with the flow of water entering the reservoir so that the storage room will not 
experience problems if the incoming water discharge is too much. Additionally, the 
bottom of the shelter in the form of soil is intended as an effort to absorb waste 
naturally into the soil. The complete reconstruction of the A3 Area can be seen from 
the top view plan below: 

 
Figure 6. Building Reconstruction at A3 Area, Kendari II Airfield Area,  

Source: Excavation Team of Department of Archeology of Universitas Halu Oleo, 
2017-2019. 

 
A2 Area is in the form of wall structure that is no longer intact. The wall 

structure indicates the existence of a rectangular building with a size of 30.5 meters x 
6.25 meters. It appears to be a fairly wide space with morphological completeness in 
the form of a 1-meter-high wall. With the morphological evidence of a 1-meter-high 
wall, it can be assumed that the WWII military building at the time of its establishment 
was an administrative room that was not completely enclosed, but was combined with 
the upper wall made of wood, or without any additional walls. 

The 2017 excavation at this area aims to reconstruct the formation of the existing 
spatial patterns through the building foundations. Excavating the building foundation 
can assume the room formation that existed at the time this building was erected. The 
results of the excavation at the second area revealed that the wall space, which was 
initially seen as 2 separate buildings, is basically an intact building that is mutually 
sustainable. This can be seen from the unity of the foundation that connects along 30.5 
meters. Besides, after the excavation results, the building room which was initially 
assumed to be a whole room without wall partitions, it can be assumed that the 
continuous space is actually divided into smaller rooms. Based on the excavation 
results, it is known that the room in the building at the second area consists of 2 main 
rooms. The first room is 10.51 meters x 6.25 meters. In addition, the second room is 
19.67 meters x 6.25 meters. The difference in measurement of each room is the size of 
the room foundation. In the 2017 excavation, it only succeeded in revealing and 
proving the unity of the building and proving that the room in this second area is a 
whole building consisting of smaller rooms inside. However, it is unfortunate that the 
excavation results have not been able to reveal the exact size of each room in the second 



 
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area. When viewed from the morphology, the building in the second area is a barrack 
building that functioned as a Japanese military administration room during the WWII. 
This is also supported by the aerial photo toponym which explains that this area was 
a Japanese military administration and maintenance area during the WWII at Kendari 
II Airfield (HLO Airfield).  

In 2019, the excavation in the second area continued to obtain more authentic 
evidence of the spatial details of the remaining buildings which were assumed to be 
the military barracks. The 2019 excavation results prove the existence of smaller rooms 
at the second area. In room 1, based on the excavation reconstruction results of the 
building foundation, it was found that room 1 consists of 2 smaller rooms. Each room 
is 0.4 meters x 3.8 meters and the other room is "L" shaped with the size of the first 
room being subtracted from the small room inside. Then the second room consists of 
3 rooms measuring 0.4 meters x 3.8 meters, 4.3 meters x 4.8 meters, and 14.7 meters x 
6.7 meters. 

The excavation results of the building foundations in 2019 prove that the 
building at the second area is an office barrack consisting of even smaller rooms and 
these rooms certainly have different functions from one another. The lack of 
documents related to the Japanese military during the WWII era makes the disclosure 
of the functions of each of these rooms still constrained. The map of the spatial 
reconstruction results of the Japanese military administration and maintenance 
barracks during the WWII era can be seen as follows in Figure 7. 

A1 Area is in the form of a floor structure in which one of its parts is in the form 
of a chamber. At the third area, the findings of surface show that during the WWII this 
area was a very wide hall. The area of the structure at the third area is 30 meters x 6 
meters. In the chamber area, the width of the building structure reaches 6 meters while 
in the lobby of the other room it reaches 3 meters. Subsequently, the building remains 
at A1 Area have a part in the form of a waste storage room (see Figure 8).  

The excavation results show that this building is a building that is mutually 
sustainable and whole. The building is divided into two main rooms. The first room is 
spacious hall corridor with a size of 25 meters x 3.5 meters while the second room is a 
room with a much smaller area, by 5 meters x 6 meters. In this second room, there are 
4 waste disposal chambers. All of the chambers is 1.2 meters x 0.8 meters. The 
chambers have one channel leading to the storage channel which is at the back of this 
building unit. One thing that distinguishes this building from the buildings in the 
second area is the floor formation which is in the form of rectangular cement molds 
arranged like tiles. Meanwhile, the floor formation of the barrack building in the 
second area is only in the form of cement cast made evenly on the entire building floor. 
Furthermore, the characters of the walls of the remaining buildings in the third area 
are similar to the other remaining buildings in the WWII Japanese military 
administration and maintenance area. It consists of half part in the form of 1-meter-
high cement wall while the upper part is a combination of wooden walls or without 
walls. 

 



 
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Figure 7. Building Foundation Reconstruction at A2 Area, Kendari II Airfield Area 
Source: Excavation Team of Department of Archeology of Universitas Halu Oleo, 

2017-2019. 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Figure 10. Floor Remains and Waste Storage at A1 Area, Kendari II Airfield (HLO 
Airfield) Area 

Source: Excavation Team of Department of Archeology of Universitas Halu Oleo, 
2017-2019. 

The 2018 Excavation Results 

The 2019 Excavation Results 
 

The 2017-2019 Excavation Reconstruction 
Results 



 
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 The 2019 excavation at A1 area focused on getting a complete picture of the 
floor formation in the first room. Additionally, it also revealed the channels from the 
waste storage included in a series of building structures at A1 area. After the 
excavation, the tracing of the floor plan in the first room actually found a concentration 
of collapsed walls towards the outside of the building. As a consequence, the 
excavation results in the first room at A1 area did not produce significant data changes. 
Nonetheless, from the excavation results, it was found that the wall at the third area is 
1 meter wall. 

On top of that, the tracing of the waste disposal at A1 area actually found the 
continuation of a similar channel. This mechanism is found in the existing sewage 
system at A1 area. It seems that this kind of waste disposal system has been applied to 
the Japanese military facilities at Kendari II Airfield (HLO Airfield). The length of the 
channels revealed in the 2019 excavation was 6.3 meters measured from the base of the 
waste storage pit to the foundation of the final finding behind the III area structure. 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Figure 11. Reconstruction Map of Excavation Results at A1 Area, Kendari II Airfield 

(HLO Airfield) Area. 
Source: Excavation Team of Department of Archeology of Universitas Halu Oleo, 

2017-2019. 

The 2017-2019 Excavation Reconstruction 
Results 
 

The 2018 Excavation 
Results 
 
 

The 2019 Excavation 
Results 
 
 



 
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Historic Sites during the World War II in South Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi as a Source of Historiography                     | 73 

As an illustration, from the 2018 and 2019 excavations, it appears that there is a 
potential for the disclosure of the existing structures at x Kendari II Airfield (HLO 
Airfield) area, especially in the Japanese military administration and maintenance and 
center area during the WWII. The development of spatial pattern mapping data that 
was successfully reconstructed from the 2018 and 2019 excavations is as follows 
(Figure 11). 

  
Kendari II Airfield Site as a Source of Historical Writing 
The utilization of Kendari II Airfield site as a source of historical writing will lead to 
positive perceptions and make public indirectly participates in its preservation 
(Triaristina and Rachmedita, 2021). According to Wasino (2007), the historical sources 
based on their forms can be divided into three types, that are object sources (buildings, 
tools, weapons), written sources (documents), and oral sources (interviews). In this 
context, Kendari II Airfield site along with its artifacts are included in the object source 
category because the shape of the existing remains is in the form of building structures, 
bunkers, and artifacts in the form of ceramics, bottles, fuses, and hinges, so they are 
historical remains and symbol of historical events. 
 Talking about history means talking about a series of developments involving 
human life in the past in various aspects. In this case, Kendari II Airfield site certainly 
has important roles in the historical writing in relation to the collaboration between 
the scientific disciplines that are archeology and history. It can be used as a historical 
source that presents various facts closer to the truth and provides facts that can be 
more helpful in the historical writing in understanding and trying to arrange events 
that occurred in the past. 
 The existence of the World War remains at Kendari II Airfield site is the evidence 
of the existence of events and locations written in the historical documents since 
basically, between the historical documents and historical remains is a logical unified 
process that supports each other so that there is no longer a need for a process of 
selecting or rejecting a document. In practice, one of the most valuable applications of 
the archival techniques is to identify the work of earlier historians and antiquities 
(Department of Culture and Tourism, 2006). In this case, the historical documents from 
the World War II are evidenced by the existence of the World War II remains at 
Kendari II Airfield site.  
 Based on the military archives of the allied forces, it is known that the airfield in 
Kendari, that is Kendari II Airfield, was an important air base for the Imperial Japanese 
Army. This was based on its strategic and very significant position as an 
auxiliary/transit point that could reach Australian mainland which was the 
southernmost location of the Allied power center during the World War II in the 
Pacific at that time. It is supported by a statement in the World War II archive, that is:  

“Main military significance of the area is its large air base near Kendari 
known as Kendari Airfield. The Base is favorably situated as a feeder point 
for enemy airfield to the NW of the Australian main land” 
(Allied Geographical Section, 1944 (Military Importance). 



 
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Historic Sites during the World War II in South Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi as a Source of Historiography                     | 74 

 
 With its strategic position, it is not surprising that the Imperial Japanese 

government during the World War II developed Kendari II Airfield with various 
supporting facilities for all types of aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Army. The 
statement from the allies is evidenced by the massive existence of the World War II 
remains at Kendari II Airfield site, especially in the Military Administration and 
Maintenance Area. The remains as the indications of military activities are the remains 
in the form of barrack structures, sanitation, bunkers, and military artifacts.  

Kendari II Airfield site was an airfield belonging to the Dutch East Indies which 
was originally used to support the mobility of the Dutch East Indies Army to face the 
military aggression from the Japanese Army. Nevertheless, after the Dutch East Indies 
was occupied, this airfield was reused by the Japanese Army as the main airfield at 
that time. Kendari as the center of the Dutch East Indies government in afdeling Butoen 
en Laiwoi certainly already had transportation support facilities or other public 
facilities. This was also what made Kendari II Airfield site which is currently located 
in South Konawe as the location for the Japanese Army bases and facilities, one of 
which was also used to protect the nickel mining activities in Southeast Sulawesi 
during the Japanese Government. 

 “Kendari airfield was the only airfield in the area the time of Japanese 
Occupation……The airfield development is largely for the protection of 
extensive nickel mining activities. It was estimated that by 1944. Celebes 
might have been able to produce 67% of Japan Nickel requirements…” 
 
“On the mainland a fair motor road run across country from east to west, 
connecting Kendari and Kolaka. Roads have been developed in the 
important nickel mining area in the Pomelaa Region on the west coast. 
(Allied Geographical Section, 1944 (Military Importance)) 
 
From the statement above, it is also known that during the Dutch East Indies 

there were transportation facilities intended for the nickel exploitation in Kolaka. After 
the Dutch East Indies was occupied by Japan, the Japanese government used the 
means of transportation to carry out the increasingly massive nickel exploitation in 
Kolaka to support the military activities of the Japanese Army (see Table 1). 

The destroyed remains of Japanese occupation at Kendari II Airfield site that 
required excavations needs to be carried out to prove the existence of the structures, 
the building remains, and its artifacts was caused by the attempt to take over Kendari 
II Airfield by the allies. Since the Japanese government took it over from the Dutch 
East Indies, the allies had carried out frequent bombing missions to this area since 1942 
to 1945 (see Table No 2). The bombing carried out by the Allies did not only destroy 
the military facilities at Kendari II Airfield, but also caused the death of Japanese 
Army. 

 
 



 
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Table No.1 Nickel Production at Kolaka Mining 1938 – 1941 by Dutch East Indies, 
1944 by Japanese Government. 

 
Year Nickel Ore 

Production 
Estimated Nickel 
Production 

1938 20000 tons 500 tons 
1939 23000 tons 570 tons 
1940 56000 tons 1380 tons 
1941 25000 tons 620 tons 

1944* 300000 tons 4000 tons 
Source: Allied Geographical Section, 1944 (Resources, Repair Facilities, etc.) 

 
Table 2.  Allied Bombing Missions at Kendari II Airfield 

Year Mission Date Operation Description 
1942 28 January and 30 

June 
 

Operation succeeded with 160 soldiers killed 
and 216 injured on the Japanese side 

8 – 9 February Operation failed because it was repelled by 
Japanese aircraft and 3 allied aircrafts were 
shot down  

1943 20 – 24 April Military facilities at the airfield and its 
surroundings were damaged, including in 
Kendari 
 

16 – 30 May 
15 June 
03 July 
23 August 
13 September 
20 September Military barracks and airfield defensive 

infrastructure were damaged 
1944 11 February Airfield facilities caught fire and were 

damaged  
4, 5, 16, 25, 26 and 
29 September 

Airfield and armory were damaged  

1945 10 – 11, 16 January Attack Intensity started to decline 

Source: Research Report of Makassar Archaeological Center, 2016; Pacific Wrecks 
(2016). American missions against Kendari and Kendari airfield. 

    
 From the facts found in the field in the form of the World War II remains from 
the excavations, they are the evidence of the important areas and events during the 
World War II in South Konawe. The narrative to explain the findings is based on the 
World War II archives. Meanwhile, the evidence from the information contained in the 
World War II archives is obtained from the existence of the World War II remains at 
Kendari II site, South Konawe. This is the evidence that the historical information and 
historical material is a logical unity in the comprehensive and reliable historical 
writing. Consequently, the historical sites can be used as the basis for the historical 



 
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Historic Sites during the World War II in South Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi as a Source of Historiography                     | 76 

writing. In this context, Kendari II Airfield site with the remains in its area can be the 
basis for the historical writing of the World War II in South Konawe. 
 
Conclusions 
Based on the 1944 aerial photographs, it is known that the Japanese Military 
Administration and Maintenance Area in Kendari II Airfield Area was an area that 
had a very dense concentration of buildings. Even compared to other areas in Kendari 
II Airfield (HLO Airfield) area, this area can be said to be the most densely populated 
area. Over time, these military buildings were increasingly disappearing. The 
disappearance of the WWII building remains belonging to the Japanese military was 
allegedly due to the massive bombing of the allied forces. Moreover, since the 
independence of Indonesia the area is no longer used as the operation center. Over the 
decades, the building and structure remains are still clearly visible. Nonetheless, the 
detailed morphological formations are still deposited in the soil. Through the 
excavation which focused on the Japanese military administration and maintenance 
center area, the morphological details of the building rooms could be revealed. The 
morphological details of Kendari II Airfield site are the evidence of the veracity of the 
information presented in the World War II archives. Hence, the existence of the site as 
the physical evidence and information from the World War II archives is a logical unity 
that supports each other so that the historical site during the World War II in South 
Konawe, that is Kendari II Airfield, can be a source of historical writing.  
 
References 
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Canberra: General Headquarters, Southwest Pacific Area. Miliaty Importance 
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Canberra: General Headquarters, Southwest Pacific Area. Resources, Repair 
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Balar Sulawesi Selatan. (2016). Laporan Penelitian “Studi Arkeologi Historis Situs 
Lapangan Udara Kendari II Rekonstruksi Lapangan Udara Kendari II (Kendari 
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