A whole generation of young soldiers kept the secrets of their experiences in the Dutch East Indies to themselves. Many of them took their histories to their graves. With this book I want to break the taboo and out the secret history.’ – Ilse Akkermans

Ilse's father’s old suitcase contained hundreds of letters from his days in the Dutch East Indies. When Ilse Akkermans read the letters and asked her father about them, she knew for certain that she had to write his story. A staggering report of the chaotic Bersiap period as seen through the eyes of a young Dutch soldier.

1. His house is ruined, his favorite uncle has disappeared after a razzia by the Nazis and he hasn't been able to get in touch with his best friends for months. Once the south of Holland has been liberated by Canadian and US troops, young Harry volunteers to help fight the German occupiers. He joins the first division Dutch soldiers to receive a Marine training in the United States. When the division is ready for combat the war is over. Harry expects to be sent home but is shipped to Indonesia instead, a Dutch colony, occupied by Japan.

But instead of freeing Indonesia from Japanese soldiers, he finds himself facing Indonesian civilians who want to make Indonesia independent from the Netherlands. He is turned from liberator into captor, a reversal of fate which he hadn't anticipated. From the moment violence claims the first victims amongst his troops, Harry feels that he and the other boys are being sacrificed for the wrong cause. And even though his letters to the Netherlands are being censored, he keeps writing to his family back home. The letters he receives back keep him going.

In Destination Surabaya the reader becomes an eyewitness to the battles in the Dutch East Indies and a fellow of the deception of these young soldiers.

‘Nobody has described the tensions of an army surrounded by guerilla’s quite as vivid as Ilse Akkermans.’ – Het Parool ****

‘Ilse Akkermans shows in Destination Soerabaja both captivating and moving what it was like for a young soldier to be send to Indonesia on service of the Dutch crown. The letters between Harry and his family in Holland offer a unique view of an era. This book will contribute to acknowledge the commitment of these young men.’ – General Dick Berlijn, former Commander of the Armed Forces

‘Ilse Akkermans tells about a period in her father’s life that he wouldn’t speak about for a long time in compelling fashion. Destination Soerabaja is more than a staggering account of the turbulent Bersiap-period. Together with the moving letters and excerpts from Harry’s diary this is an impressive book.’ – Hollands Glorie