The Free Dutch Forces refers to the Dutch military formations of the

Dutch government-in-exile The Dutch government-in-exile ( nl, Nederlandse regering in ballingschap), also known as the London Cabinet ( nl, Londens kabinet), was the government in exile of the Netherlands, supervised by Queen Wilhelmina, that fled to London after the G ...

and its colonies that were formed to fight alongside the

Western Allies The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy ...

against

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and its

allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

following the Dutch surrender in May 1940. After the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second Wor ...

, Dutch infantry that had escaped to Britain organized themselves into a "Dutch Legion," which after more structural changes became the

Princess Irene Brigade During the Second World War, the Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade, later known as the Princess Irene Brigade ( nl, Prinses Irene Brigade) was a Dutch military unit initially formed from approximately 1,500 troops, including a small gro ...

and fought alongside the Allies until the end of the war. In the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

, the local defense force protected some of the largest oil refineries in the world, while the

Royal Netherlands East Indies Army The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army ( nl, Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger; KNIL, ) was the military force maintained by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its colony of the Dutch East Indies, in areas that are now part of Indonesia. Th ...

(KNIL) played a major part in the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vas ...

from 1941 to 1942. The

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...

, the strongest branch of the

Dutch Armed Forces The Netherlands Armed Forces ( nl, Nederlandse krijgsmacht) are the military services of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The core of the armed forces consists of the four service branches: the Royal Netherlands Navy (), the Royal Netherlands Ar ...

, served all over the world.

In Europe

German invasion

The Dutch were unprepared for the full force of

German invasion German invasion may refer to: Pre-1900s * German invasion of Hungary (1063) World War I * German invasion of Belgium (1914) * German invasion of Luxembourg (1914) World War II * Invasion of Poland * German invasion of Belgium (1940) * G ...

and by 14 May 1940 all of the Netherlands save for the south western province of

Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...

had been overrun. The Dutch government fled to London, taking with them the national

bullion Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes fro ...

and diamond stocks. The

established itself under

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World Wa ...

and remained in London until the end of the war.

In exile

Free Dutch Forces in Europe primarily consisted of the Princess Irene Brigade, British commando units and those undertaking escort duty. Most of the Dutch soldiers that escaped did so from Belgian and French ports at Brest and

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

. By June 1940, 1,460 officers and soldiers had arrived in Great Britain. This Detachment Royal Netherlands' Troops in Great Britain (sometimes The Dutch Legion) was initially assigned to guard duties, being shuffled between several British Army bases until the Dutch government decided to establish a Dutch unit. On 27 May 1940, the call for troops was issued. A number of Dutch personnel volunteered for American and Canadian armies with some being posted to the Dutch East Indies. Others like the

Royal Marechaussee The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee ( nl, Koninklijke Marechaussee, abbreviated to KMar) is the national gendarmerie force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, performing military and civilian police duties. It is also one of the two national pol ...

(military and civil police) were assigned to police and guard duties in London or as gunners in the merchant marine. Volunteers from 26 countries answered the call, although mostly older age men; about 80 men served in

British Commando The Commandos, also known as the British Commandos, were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from Winston Churchill, for special forces that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe. Initially drawn ...

units. Many of these men served in the No. 2 (Dutch) Troop of the No. 10 Inter-Allied Commando. Other Dutch personnel served in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

as members of 320 (Netherlands) Squadron and 321 (Dutch) Squadron. On 11 January 1941, the Dutch government formally established the "Royal Dutch Brigade". This formation was renamed the "

" on 26 August 1941 after the 2nd granddaughter of Queen Wilhelmina. In the

21st Army Group The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established in ...

(General

Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence an ...

), the brigade fought from

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

to Holland, participating in a liberation parade in Amsterdam. The conscription of emigrants and their offspring was put introduced to expand the

with men from the United States, Canada, South Africa, South America, the United Kingdom and other countries entering service. Many of these conscripts had never been to the Netherlands nor spoke or read any Dutch. On establishment the brigade consisted of a headquarters staff, a communications unit, two battalions, a depot supply train, a medical support post, a repair unit and military police. The depot supply train would later form a third battalion. The brigade undertook training firstly in

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

, then

Stratford, Ontario Stratford is a city on the Avon River within Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a 2016 population of 31,465 in a land area of . Stratford is the seat of Perth County, which was settled by English, Irish, Scottish and German ...

alongside British units. The Princess Irene Brigade consisted of a headquarters, three companies, reconnaissance unit, artillery battery, and train. Attempts to form a complete brigade, including a full complement of artillery and a tank unit were not successful. The unit never totaled more than about 2,000 men at one time with a total of around 3,000 serving, less than the 3,000 to 4,000 personnel normally associated with a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...

Normandy landings

Following the landings at Normandy the Princess Irene Brigade, under Colonel A. C. de Ruyter van Steveninck, landed 8 August 1944. The brigade first saw combat under the British

6th Airborne Division The 6th Airborne Division was an airborne infantry division of the British Army during the Second World War. Despite its name, the 6th was actually the second of two airborne divisions raised by the British Army during the war, the other being ...

at the

River Orne The Orne () is a river in Normandy, within northwestern France. It is long. It discharges into the English Channel at the port of Ouistreham. Its source is in Aunou-sur-Orne, east of Sées. Its main tributaries are the Odon and the Rouvre. The ...

near

Breville Breville is an Australian brand of small home appliances, founded in Sydney in 1932.Orne bridgehead, called the "Hell-Fire Corner" by the Canadians, taking a single casualty. Following on the heels of the retreating Germans, the brigade advanced losing 15 men in the process by mid-September. On 11 September 1944, in eastern Belgium around

Campine The Campine (French ) or De Kempen ( Dutch ) is a natural region situated chiefly in north-eastern Belgium and parts of the south-eastern Netherlands which once consisted mainly of extensive moors, tracts of sandy heath, and wetlands. It enco ...

, the brigade came into contact with German SS,

paratroopers A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during Worl ...

, and fellow enemy countrymen of the Dutch SS Landstorm.

Operation Market Garden

On 20 September 1944 at midnight they cross the Dutch border near Valkenswaard, located south of Eindhoven as a part of

Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during the Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a salient into German territory with a bridgehead over the River Rhine, ...

. The brigade took positions along the river

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a ...

( nl, Maas) near the then unnamed John S. Thompsonbrug bridge. The unit also participated in the liberation of

Tilburg Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-larg ...

in 1944.

End of the war

On 25 April 1945, the brigade attempted to cross near

Hedel Hedel () is a town in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Maasdriel, and lies about 7 km northwest of 's-Hertogenbosch. Hedel was a separate municipality until 1999, when it was merged with Maasdriel. In W ...

in an attempt to force the surrender of the German garrison cut off in northern Holland. Following the German surrender the Brigade marched victoriously into The Hague. A monument to 12 members of the Princess Irene Brigade killed between 23 and 26 April 1945 was erected in Hedel, Netherlands. The brigade's traditions would be carried on by the Garderegiment Fuseliers Prinses Irene regiment.

In the West Indies

The Dutch presence in the Caribbean and South America was minimal. The

Netherlands West Indies nl, In vrijheid verenigd"Unified by freedom" , national_anthem = , common_languages = Dutch English Papiamento , demonym = Netherlands Antillean , capital = Willemstad , year_start = 1954 , year_end = 2010 , date_start = 15 December ...

included the possessions of

Aruba Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of P ...

Bonaire Bonaire (; , ; pap, Boneiru, , almost pronounced ) is a Dutch island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west ( leeward) coast of the island. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao form the ABC ...

Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coa ...

Saba Saba may refer to: Places * Saba (island), an island of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea * Şaba (Romanian for Shabo), a town of the Odesa Oblast, Ukraine * Sabá, a municipality in the department of Colón, Honduras * Saba (river), ...

, and

Sint Eustatius Sint Eustatius (, ), also known locally as Statia (), is an island in the Caribbean. It is a special municipality (officially "public body") of the Netherlands. The island lies in the northern Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, sout ...

and

Sint Maarten Sint Maarten () is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of , it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the northe ...

. Just to the south lay Surinam. At the Netherlands' entrance into the war in 1940, the West Indies was only defended by local police and militia. The only Dutch naval vessel stationed there was the

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

''Van Kinsbergen''. Surinam was protected by a single 200-strong company of Army infantry, supplemented by a militia rifle company and an old station ship. Aruba and Curaçao were home to important oil refineries, therefore the two islands were placed under British protection on 10 May 1940. Surinam was one of the most important

bauxite Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (Al(OH)3), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)) and diaspore (α-AlO ...

suppliers. Aluminium was vital to the American air plane industry. In September 1941, President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

offered American troops to help protect the colony. In November 1941, the first 1,000 American troops arrived in

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's po ...

. In 1942, protection of Aruba and Curaçao was transferred to the United States. In 1942 funding was made available in Surinam for

coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form o ...

and conscription. Conscripted soldiers in Surinam and the West Indies formed national guard units, called ''Schutterij''. Hundreds of conscripts served as

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

gunners on merchant and navy vessels during the war, of whom dozens were killed. Volunteers joined the Civic Guard (''Burgerwacht'') in the West Indies and the City and Country Guard (''Stad en Landwacht'') in Surinam. By then a Dutch motor whaleboat patrolled Aruba while Curaçao was defended by several light craft. The latter were detached for use as convoy escorts in July 1942.

In the East Indies

Rise of the Japanese

Japanese Dutch East Indies, Furthest Extent

Soon after Japan joined the Axis powers it began to expand its territory south. The Free Dutch Forces in the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, whic ...

started preparing for the Japanese attack with the Allies. On 8 December 1941 at 7:00 a.m. the Dutch Government declared war on Japan. The American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM) was formed; however, with the loss at

Battle of the Java Sea The Battle of the Java Sea ( id, Pertempuran Laut Jawa, ja, スラバヤ沖海戦, Surabaya oki kaisen, Surabaya open-sea battle, Javanese : ꦥꦼꦫꦁꦱꦼꦒꦫꦗꦮ, romanized: ''Perang Segara Jawa'') was a decisive naval battle o ...

, the Japanese attack on the Dutch East Indies and subsequent collapse of resistance, the ABDACOM dissolved only weeks later. Defending against invasion were 93,000 Dutch troops and 5,000 American, Australian and British soldiers. After four months fighting the Japanese occupied most of the Dutch East Indies with only the southwestern part of the island of

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...

, including the Dutch garrison at

Merauke Merauke is a large town and the capital of the South Papua province, Indonesia. It is also the administrative centre of Merauke Regency in South Papua. It is considered the easternmost city in Indonesia. The town was originally called Ermasoe. I ...

, not under their control. A small garrison of Dutch troops, consisting of an infantry company, remained at Merauke and was later reinforced by Australian and US personnel from

Merauke Force Merauke Force was an Australian-led military force of World War II which was responsible for defending Merauke in Dutch New Guinea from Japanese attack amidst the Pacific War. The force was established in late 1942 and was disbanded at the end ...

. Meanwhile, in the wake of the loss of the Dutch East Indies, large numbers of Free Dutch personnel escaped to Australia where they were reorganised; four joint Dutch-Australian squadrons – Nos. 18, 19,

119 119 may refer to: * 119 (number), a natural number * 119 (emergency telephone number) * AD 119, a year in the 2nd century AD * 119 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 119 (album), 2012 * 119 (NCT song) *119 (Show Me the Money song) * 119 (film), a ...

and

120 120 may refer to: *120 (number), the number * AD 120, a year in the 2nd century AD *120 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *120 film, a film format for still photography * ''120'' (film), a 2008 film * 120 (MBTA bus) * 120 (New Jersey bus) * 120 (Ken ...

Squadrons – were formed within the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

during this time. Several Dutch naval vessels, including the light cruiser , and several submarines, also escaped to Australia and operated throughout the war.

Return of the Dutch

In early 1942, the Japanese launched a campaign in New Guinea, advancing south towards

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

in the

Territory of Papua The Territory of Papua comprised the southeastern quarter of the island of New Guinea from 1883 to 1975. In 1883, the Government of Queensland annexed this territory for the British Empire. The United Kingdom Government refused to ratify the a ...

. Throughout 1942 and 1943, the Allies fought several campaigns to stop the Japanese advance in the Pacific, with significant actions being fought in Papua, New Guinea and the Solomons by largely US and Australian forces. In April 1944, the Allies launched a

campaign Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed *Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme * Bl ...

to recapture the western part of New Guinea as part of their advance towards the Philippines. After the victory in the

Battle of Noemfoor The Battle of Noemfoor was part of the New Guinea campaign of World War II. It took place on the island of Noemfoor, in Dutch New Guinea (now Papua, in Indonesia), between 2 July and 31 August 1944. During the battle, Allied forces landed on ...

, which included a 40-man Netherlands East Indies Civil Administration (NICA) detachment, the Allies recaptured more of western New Guinea. Later, in September, the Allies, including a NICA detachment, recaptured the

Morotai Morotai Island ( id, Pulau Morotai) is an island in the Halmahera group of eastern Indonesia's Maluku Islands (Moluccas). It is one of Indonesia's northernmost islands. Morotai is a rugged, forested island lying to the north of Halmahera. It ha ...

region. On 5 October 1944, based on

FRUMEL Fleet Radio Unit, Melbourne (FRUMEL) was a United States–Australian–British signals intelligence unit, founded in Melbourne, Australia, during World War II. It was one of two major Allied signals intelligence units called Fleet Radio Units in t ...

intelligence, the Free Dutch Forces submarine '' Zwaardvisch'' was ordered to intercept the German U-boat U-168. At periscope depth on the morning of 6 October, the ''Zwaardvisch'' under the command of Lieutenant Commander H Goosens spotted the ''U-168'' off the northern coast of

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

. Well positioned, Goosens ordered a six torpedo spread sinking the German U-boat with the loss of 23 men. The ''Zwaardvisch'' returned safely to

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

20 days later after having sunk four more enemy ships. On 1 May 1945, the Allies launched their last

against Japanese in Borneo, commencing with the Battle of Tarakan. The majority of combat troops were Australian, although the Free Dutch Forces provided a company of

Ambonese The Ambonese, also known as South Moluccans, are an Indonesian ethnic group of mixed Austronesian and Melanesian origin. They are majority Christians followed by Muslims. The Ambonese are from Ambon Island in Maluku, an island group east of Sul ...

infantry commanded by Dutch officers and a civil affairs unit. The Dutch Army also participated in the

Balikpapan Balikpapan is a seaport city in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Located on the east coast of the island of Borneo, the city is the financial center of Kalimantan. Balikpapan is the city with the largest economy in Kalimantan with an estimated ...

in July 1945, where a small number of Dutch

KNIL The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army ( nl, Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger; KNIL, ) was the military force maintained by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its colony of the Dutch East Indies, in areas that are now part of Indonesia. The ...

troops were assigned to the operation alongside Australian and US personnel; the Dutch contribution amounted to a company from the 1st NEI Battalion. Major operations in Borneo ended in late July, although minor clashes in Borneo continued until the Japanese surrendered in August 1945.

Citations

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

Order of Battle, Netherlands Armed Forces
Leo Niehorster {{WWII Dutch ships Armies in exile during World War II Military units and formations of the Netherlands in World War II Netherlands in World War II