"Liberated Belgium and Holland..." Topic

Just a quick question about recruitment in liberated Belgium and free parts od Holland..Was it organised as conscription in new units, volunteers in new units or did individuals just join up in 'Free' Dutch or Belgian units??

Both the 1st Belgian Brigade ('Brigade Piron') and the Royal Netherlands 'Prinses Irene' Brigade brought training companies with them to Europe in order to train replacements as and when they became available.

Both 'Brigades' were actually just reinforced Motor Battalion Groups when they arrived in France and fought their way out of Normandy. However, these were all-arms units, containing infantry, artillery and armoured recce plus other elements. Thus they were complete armies in miniature, including all the necessary arms of service and ready to be expanded into larger formations once recruits became available.

Following the liberation of Belgium in August/September 1944, the Belgian Brigade continued to be engaged in various operations, though the Brigade Training Company began basic recruit training almost immediately. In November 1944, the Belgian Brigade was stood-down in order to receive these recruits and to expand to full brigade strength (each constituent company/squadron/battery of the brigade was expanded to full battalion/regiment strength as per the British order of battle). Some of the scattered training companies became embroiled in the Ardennes crisis in December 1944, as they were employed as rear-echelon security elements.

The newly-expanded 1st Brigade Brigade Group (now with three battalions of infantry, a regiment of armoured cars a regiment of artillery and an augmented engineer company) was finally ready to resume combat operations in March 1945 and was engaged in the final liberation of the Netherlands in April 1945.

The Dutch 'Prinses Irene' Brigade meanwhile, lacking a large, liberated recruiting area, remained at battalion strength for the rest of the war. The Brigade's Training Company supplied the Brigade with replacements and started training some fresh units (one source claims that they added a fourth motorised infantry company during this period), but the Prinses Irene Brigade was not expanded alongside the Belgian Brigade.

What uniforms and equipment did these units use?

Basically British, I should think.

Plenty of images of them online.

As has been said – British BD (mainly with Mk III '44 Pattern' helmets), with badges of rank as for the British. The Belgians had the Belgian tricolour as a formation sleeve badge, with a while the Dutch had the Lion of Nassau Rampant in orange, on a khaki backing.

R Mark…Were they volunteers or conscripts???

The Dutch were all volunteers.

They were all volunteers. There was no shortage of patriotic fervour in the immediate aftermath of liberation and that produced recruits.

Thanks Allen

*rolls eyes.

Guys, thanks for the info. I might just have to look into a scenario or two with these with my LW Brits standing in. Wasn't sure if they were one of those nationalities that used cross weapons and uniforms like British kit with Garands or Springfields or French rifles or different LMGs or something. Sounds pretty straightforward.

Easier than the Free French at any rate, who seem to have fought with just about anything they could lay hands on

That can have its advantages. At the Blockhaus museum in Batz-sur-Mer they have pictures of Free French troops rolling around in a Tiger I (with as many Frenchmen as is humanly possible riding on the top) while serving in the St. Nazaire pocket area.

They look like they're having a whale of a time.

Well it's a bit more complicated than that. Starting in october 1944 no less than 57 bataillons of fusiliers were formed in Belgium. Their role according to SHAEF was as lines of communications troops. They were british armed and equipped(6 carriers in Hq comp.) Some did see action 'eg 12 bat fu. was at Remagen (10/03/45).
For those who are fond of the film " The battle of the Bulge" The petrol dump nearly reached by kampfgruppe Peiper was guarded by elements of Belgian 5 bat fu.

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