"Royal Netherlands brigade 1944 more info please" Topic

Hi all,
I came across this unit in a old Command Post quarterly (no 10) I dug up recently. Desipte the name it would appear that it was in fact a reinforced battalion with some armoured cars. If that is the case I reckon it would make a good stand alone Rapid fire unit.
Now before I go and get all excited can anyone point me in the direction of any helpful info like about this unit. I know they were attached to 6th airbone for the early part of D-day but where did they go from here? also I have a pile of unpainted Crusader late war British infantry (28mm)would these be suitable to represent these dutch troops?

Cheers Jon

They were also known as Princess Irene Brigade. There were attached to XXX corps for Market Garden, but I don't think had a major combat role.

I think they were generally equipped as British units were.

What was that game the Vikings used to play? It was a bit like Go… hey, Go itself. Thats basically pure tactics.

Paper, scissors, rock?

Or chess, but chess has special moves, and "stats" for each piece, don't know how pure that is.

I think its hard to have a pure form of something that is, itself, a derived, artificial, shadow of the real thing. Without seeing the context of that statement (and really, I DON'T need too), in isolation it seems a bit arrogant and overly dramatic. And I do game some 15mm ACW (Fire and Fury mostly, but others too), but I certainly would not even describe the genre I game the most--WWII-- as "pure", that is a ridiculous assertion.

Oh, sorry, I think the purest form of miniature gaming is 6mm Inuit inter-family skirmish, sans seal hunts of course!

Chalfant

The Royal Netherlands 'Prinses Irene' Brigade (along with the 1st Belgian Brigade) was actually a motorised infantry battalion group. These battalions were all-arms units, designed to be rapidly expanded into full formations once recruiting grounds had been liberated. Hence there was a really strong mix of weapons and vehicles in each unit. In the event, only the Belgians were able to expand (to a full brigade group by 1945), while the Dutch remained at the same organisation, being only able to recruit enough men to replace casualties.

Both brigades had three 'Independent Fighting Units', which were motor companies, each of three rifle platoons mounted in trucks and a Scout Platoon in Carriers. Each 'Unit' also had a small 6pdr Antitank Platoon, an MMG Platoon, a small Mortar Platoon and a very small AA Platoon.

The Brigades also had their own integral 25pdr field artillery battery. The Dutch had six guns (three troops of 2 guns each), while the Belgians had twelve guns (three troops of four).

The Belgians had an Engineer Field Company, while the Dutch did not.

The Belgians had an Armoured Car Squadron on the British model (Staghounds, Daimlers and Dingos), though it lacked a Support Troop and a Heavy Troop. The Dutch had a Recce Squadron on the British Recce Regiment model (Humber ACs, Humber LRCs and Carriers).

Both brigades were deployed to Normandy in July 1944 and came under command of 6th Airlanding Brigade, 6th Airborne Division (I Corps), being deployed on the extreme left flank of the Allied bridgehead. After a few weeks of trench warfare, the brigades were heavily involved in Operation 'Paddle' – the race to the Seine. The Dutch were then transferred to XXX Corps for Op Market-Garden, where they came under the command of 50th (Northumbrian) Division, which followed in the wake of Guards Armoured Division. They stayed in the Netherlands and the Rhinelands until the final liberation of the Netherlands in 1945. The Belgians meanwhile, fought with various formations (including an American armoured division) in the Low Countries and the Rhineland until November 1944, when they were withdrawn for expansion and training. Some half-trained elements were used as rear-area guards and were invloved in the Ardennes Crisis. They finally took to the field again in 1945, having been expanded to three full battalions, an armoured car regiment and a field artillery regiment (all British in organisation), and fought alongside the Commandos and 116th Royal Marine Brigade in the soggy bits west of Antwerp.

Markings were as for the first brigade of a British infantry division, with supporting arms having the appropriate recce/artilery/engineer markings for a British division. Formations sign for the Dutch was an orange lion of Nassau rampant on black shield, while the Belgians had a gold lion's mask superimposed on a black shield with red St Gerorge's cross. Sometimes a simple 'B' was painted on vehicles. On the rear of vehicles, the national motoring sign was painted, being a white oval with 'B' or 'NL' in black.

I forgot to add that uniforms, weapons and personal equipment was exactly as for British, only with national shoulder titles and formation signs on shoulders. Helmets were mostly British Mk III '1944' pattern.

And the Belgian unit was better known under the name "Brigade Piron" after its commander.

Thanks Mark,
just what I needed. The Command Post article agrees with your orginization of the brigade although it doesn't mention the artillery battery (still a couple of 25pdrs is always nice to have). That seals it then a nice little all arms battlegroup perfect for the wargames table I'm sold. I'd better go and start searching the catalouges for suitable figures in 28mm.

Cheers Jon

Patrick,

Yes, it was subsequently known popularly by the surname of its commander Jean-Baptiste Piron, and also as 'The Liberation Brigade', but that wasn't the official title of the time. I'm always wary of using subsequent titles retrospectively. The Brigade holds a special interest for me as it was raised in my home county of Pembrokeshire, in West Wales – I'm about to launch an appeal for funds to erect a memorial to the Brigade in Tenby.

Jon,

The battery was definitely there. I forgot to add that the Dutch Brigade was somehow about half the strength of the Belgian Brigade, despite the very similar organisation. The only organisational evidence for this is that of the Dutch battery, which was half the strength in terms of guns, of the Belgian Battery (and the lack of the engineers). It's also possible that the Independent Units each lacked a platoon.

The Dutch and Belgian batteries are both listed as participating in the opening XXX Corps shoot that commenced Operation Market-Garden at Neerpelt, so there is no doubt that it existed. For a bit of extra info – the Belgian Armoured Car Squadron also took part in Operation Market-Garden, even though the rest of the Brigade was elsewhere.

Thanks Mark,
I'm sure your right about the artillery and I'm more than happy to include it I know battle honours do a nice 25pdr model which I'd love to paint up so the artilleries in.

Cheers Jon

Somewhat ironic as Pembroke known as "the little England beyond Wales" was largely populated by Flemish immigrants in the Middle Ages……