 By the time the Allied forces arrived at the end of October 1945, the "Pemuda" ("youth") foothold in Surabaya City was described as "a strong unified fortress".Fighting broke out on 30 October after the British commander, Brigadier A. W. S. Mallaby was killed in a skirmish.The British retaliated with a punitive sweep that began on 10 November, under the cover of air attacks.