The Regiment Infantry Prins Johan Willem Friso is a line

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

of the Royal Netherlands Army. Named after

Johan Willem Friso of Orange-Nassau John William Friso ( nl, Johan Willem Friso; 14 August 1687 – 14 July 1711) became the (titular) Prince of Orange in 1702. He was the Stadtholder of Friesland and Groningen in the Dutch Republic until his death by accidental drowning in the ...

, it is the oldest and most senior regiment in the current order of battle. The regiment currently serves in the

mechanized infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force). As defined by the United States Army, mechanized infantry is di ...

role as 44 Armoured Infantry Battalion (44 Painfbat) as part of 43 Gemechaniseerde (Mechanized) Brigade.

Naming

The regiment was formed during the 1950s, in a major reorganisation of the Royal Netherlands Army (Koninklijke Landmacht) after the end of WW II. Before 1950 the army consisted of numbered regiment; in 1950 these regiments were changed into named regiments. The Regiment Infantry Johan Willem Friso was created on 1 juli 1950 as a continuation of the former 1st Regiment Infantry (1 RI) and 9th Regiment Infantry (9 RI). Both 1 RI and 9 RI had always been stationed in the North of the Netherlands: 1 RI in Assen (province of Drenthe) and 9 RI in Leeuwarden (province of Friesland). Therefore, it was decided to name the new regiment after the former Stadhouder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe: Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange (born 14 August 1687 – died 14 July 1711). In November 2020, the title of "Prince" was added to the name of the regiment, thereby becoming the Regiment Infanterie Prins Johan Willem Friso.

Battle honours displayed on the colours

* Tiendaagse Veldtocht 1831 *Citadel van Antwerpen 1832 *