Atlas of Battles

battle, major, interwar and Second World War

Battle of Timor

Battle of Timor was a battle fought on 19 February 1942 at Portuguese Timor, in what is now Indonesia; it lasted 12 months. It was part of the Pacific War, which ran from 1941 to 1945. The recorded result: Japanese victory. Recorded strength: ~2,050 strong garrison; (peak February 1942); ~1,000 commandos; (peak October 1942) against ~12,000 (peak late 1942).

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Battle of Timor
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought19 February 1942lasted 12 months
WherePortuguese Timor, Indonesia10.383S, 123.633E
OutcomeJapanese victory
BelligerentsAllies: Dutch government-in-exile; Dutch East Indies; United Kingdom; Australia; United States; Portuguese TimoragainstEmpire of Japan
Part ofPacific War1941 to 1945

Where it sits in the Pacific War

Bombing of Tokyo, 1940Bombing of South-East Asia, 1940Japanese invasion of French Indochina, 1940Battle of Guam, 1941Bombing of Bangkok in World War II, 1941Shelling of Johnston and Palmyra, 1941Axis and Soviet air operations during Operation Barbarossa, 1941Attack on Pearl Harbor, 1941Philippines Campaign, 1941Battle of Hong Kong, 1941Battle of Wake Island, 1941Dutch East Indies campaign, 1941Bombing of Singapore, 1941Battle of Prachuap Khiri Khan, 1941Japanese invasion of Batan Island, 1941Attack on Clark Field, 1941Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse, 1941Japanese invasion of Aparri, 1941Japanese invasion of Vigan, 1941Battle of Jitra, 1941Japanese invasion of Legazpi, 1941Battle of Gurun, 1941Battle of Borneo, 1941Japanese Invasion of Davao, 1941Battle of Piis, 1941Battle of Kampar, 1941Solomon Islands Campaign, 1942Burma Campaign, 1942Battle of Savo Island, 1942Battle of Rabaul, 1942Battle of Corregidor, 1942Invasion of Tulagi, 1942Battle of Java, 1942Battle of Tarakan, 1942Japanese invasion of Cotabato, 1942Bombing of Mandalay, 1942Battle of Slim River, 1942Battle of Bataan, 1942Battle of Manado, 1942Battle of Kuala Lumpur, 1942Battle of Muar, 1942Battle of Gemas, 1942New Guinea campaign, 1942Battle of Balikpapan, 1942Battle of Ambon, 1942Marshalls–Gilberts raids, 1942Battle for Australia, 1942Battle of Port Moresby, 1942Battle of Makassar Strait, 1942Battle of Singapore, 1942Battle of Kranji, 1942Battle of Sarimbun Beach, 1942Battle of Bukit Timah, 1942Battle of Palembang, 1942Battle of Pasir Panjang, 1942Battle of Badung Strait, 1942Bombing of Darwin, 1942Battle of Timor, 1942Air raids on Australia, 1942–43, 1942Bombardment of Ellwood, 1942Wake Atoll raid, 1942Battle of Los Angeles, 1942Battle of the Java Sea, 1942Battle of Sunda Strait, 1942Second Battle of the Java Sea, 1942Attack on Broome, 1942Operation K, 1942Bombing of Sukabumi, 1942Battle of Tjiater Pass, 1942Invasion of Salamaua–Lae, 1942Invasion of Sumatra, 1942Indian Ocean raid, 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Hodojima, 1945Bombing of Shimada, 1945Bombing of Matsuyama, 1945Bombing of Kure, 1945Bombing of Aomori in World War II, 1945Oyamaguchi train air raid incident, 1945Bombing of Hamada, 1945Bombing of Yonago, 1945Bombing of Ōgaki, 1945Nakagawa iron bridge air raid, 1945Bombing of Nagaoka in World War II, 1945Bombing of Toyama, 1945Bombing of Hachiōji, 1945Bombing of Mito, 1945Bombing of Maebashi, 1945Bombing of Saga during World War II, 1945atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1945atomic bombing of Hiroshima, 1945Battle of the Sittang Bend, 1945Bombing of Toyokawa in World War II, 1945Bombing of Fukuyama, 1945Chikushi Station Train Air Raid Incident, 1945Soviet–Japanese War, 1945atomic bombing of Nagasaki, 1945Bombing of Ōminato, 1945Bombing of Hanamaki, 1945Bombing of Tosu during World War II, 1945Bombing of Kurume during World War II, 1945Bombing of Kajiki, 1945Bombing of Nagano, 1945Bombing of Ōtsuki, 1945Bombing of Akita in World War II, 1945Bombing of Kumagaya in World War II, 1945Bombing of Odawara, 1945Bombing of Isesaki, 1945Seishin Operation, 1945Philippines campaign of 1944–1945, 1945Operation Jurist, 1945Operation Tiderace, 1945Operation Agas, 1945UN Offensive Campaign, 195019401950Battle of Timor, 1942
415 placed engagements of the Pacific War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date19 February 1942
to 10 February 1943
PlacePortuguese Timor, Indonesia
10.383S, 123.633E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Territorial changeOccupation of Dutch Timor and Portuguese Timor
Strength~2,050 strong garrison; (peak February 1942); ~1,000 commandos; (peak October 1942)~12,000 (peak late 1942)
Casualties and lossesNetherlands: ~300 dead; Australia: 151 dead (Sparrow Force); Portuguese Timor: ~75 dead; United Kingdom: 5 dead The Sparrows (Military Unit)~4,000 dead; (West and East Timor); 40,000–70,000 civilians dead
Commanders
  • William Leggatt
  • William Veale
  • Alexander Spence (soldier)
  • Bernard Callinan
  • Douglas MacArthur
  • Dom Aleixo
  • Yuitsu Tsuchihashi
Battle of TimorBattle of TimorBattle of PenfuiBattle of PenfuiKupang100 km10.383S, 123.633E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Timor
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Timor today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-10-01. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 0 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 302 m, 302 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 96% water, 2% tree cover.

water: 96%tree cover: 2%water 96%tree cover 2%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 1 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 90 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1942

Battle of Timor is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 106 in present-day Indonesia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1440764, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Timor, revision 1376983568, read 2026-11-14, 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.