it became a Territorial Division (Soldier & Territorium) on 24 July 1950,[2] and a military regional command, or KODAM, in 1959.

[citation needed] All of these would play a significant role in Indonesia's military and political life during the coming decades.

[citation needed] During this lull in fighting the colonial troops, the division was involved in the bloody crackdown against the People's Democratic Front (FDR) in the Madiun Affair, in the course of which thousands were killed.

The Siliwangi Division at that time conducted a fighting retreat back to its original position in West Java, where its men had their social milieu[clarification needed] and were familiar with the terrain, which was therefore the best suited for this unit to conduct guerrilla warfare in.

[citation needed] Poncke Princen, a former Dutch colonial soldier who went over to the Indonesian rebels, took part in that "Long March" and was appointed a staff officer in the division.

[citation needed] On 23 January 1950, a rebel group called Legion of the Just Ruler (Angkatan Perang Ratu Adil; APRA) led by Captain Raymond Westerling attempted to seize Bandung during the APRA Coup d'état.

Traditional divisional identification continued to have some significance, however, especially regarding that developed in the former Siliwangi, Diponegoro, and Brawijaya divisions, which covered western, central, and eastern Java, respectively, during the war of independence and the years immediately thereafter.