During the
Second World War
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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, 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 group guarding
German prisoners-of-war, who arrived in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
in May 1940 following the
collapse of the Netherlands. Elements of this force became the nucleus of what was originally called the "Dutch Legion."
Veterans of the Princess Irene Brigade who were members of the Dutch Army stationed at
Wrottesley Park,
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...
during World War II were given the
Freedom of the City of Wolverhampton on 19 August 2006.
History
Formation
Although augmented by conscription from overseas citizens from
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
, the
Dutch West Indies
The Dutch Caribbean (historically known as the Dutch West Indies) are the territories, colonies, and countries, former and current, of the Dutch Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean Sea. They are in the north and south-wes ...
(
Netherlands Antilles and
Suriname),
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
and
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
; the Dutch force grew very slowly as troops were detached for other duties i.e. the Commandos, the
Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
etc. The unit never totalled 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.
B ...
.
While some 500
Surinamese volunteered for service in the brigade, they were rejected by the Dutch government, on the grounds that their racial background might cause offense to volunteers and conscripts from South Africa. Despite this some Surinamese did serve in the Brigade and fight during WW2.
Some Dutch West Indian personnel nevertheless later saw action with 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 ...
in the
Pacific theatre.
The brigade would be trained first 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 alongside British units.
On 11 February 1941, by approval of
Queen Wilhelmina
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 ...
, the Dutch Legion gained a new name, the
Prinses Irene Brigade (P.I.B.).
On 6 August 1944, the first troops of the P.I.B landed at
Graye-sur-Mer Normandy, in northern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. Later, the main force landed and the P.I.B. served under the
First Canadian Army until it moved forward with the
British Second Army
The British Second Army was a field army active during the First and Second World Wars. During the First World War the army was active on the Western Front throughout most of the war and later active in Italy. During the Second World War the army ...
. Heavy fighting took place around the Chateau St Come ("Hellfire Corner") and the brigade liberated
Pont Audemer in the progress.
In mid-September, the P.I.B. became involved in fighting with German forces at the town of
Beringen.
Operation Market Garden
It first re-entered Dutch territory at
Borkel en Schaft
Borkel en Schaft is a former municipality in the Netherlands, consisting of the villages of Borkel and Schaft. It was a separate municipality until 1934. The area is now part of the municipality of Valkenswaard.
The spoken language is Kempenlands ...
on 20 September 1944, as part of
Operation Market Garden – the operation to simultaneously capture nine bridges between the
Bocholt-Herentals Canal and the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
(at
Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...
). At around this time, the brigade was also involved in combat against the Dutch
Waffen-SS
The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...
volunteer formation ''
Landstorm Nederland'', German
SS, and
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 World ...
.
From 26 September, the P.I.B guarded the then unnamed bridge spanning the River
Maas at
Grave
A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grav ...
. (The bridge known later as ''
John S. Thompsonbrug'', was the longest to attack and defend during the operation.)
On 24 October, the brigade was ordered to move south-west to
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 ...
to attack the town from the south during
Operation Pheasant
Operation Pheasant, also known as the Liberation of North Brabant, was a major operation to clear German troops from the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands during the fighting on the Western Front in the Second World War. This offensiv ...
while the
51st (Highland) Infantry Division
The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front in France during the First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was raised in 1908, upon the creation of the Territorial Force, as ...
attacked from the east. The P.I.B. was unable to get to Tilburg and was stranded at Broekhoven, where fighting took place and four soldiers were killed.
The Prinses Irene Brigade spent the winter of 1944/45 in the region of
Walcheren
Walcheren () is a region and former island in the Dutch province of Zeeland at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. It lies between the Eastern Scheldt in the north and the Western Scheldt in the south and is roughly the shape of a rhombus. The two ...
and
Noord-Beveland
Noord-Beveland (; "North Beveland") is a municipality and region in the southwestern Netherlands and a former island, now part of the Walcheren- Zuid-Beveland-Noord-Beveland peninsula.
Noord-Beveland is enclosed by the Oosterschelde estuary to ...
(Zeeland), losing several soldiers. From
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 ...
, the P.I.B. went back to
North Brabant
North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the w ...
.
On 31 March 1945, the commander of the P.I.B., Colonel De Ruyter van Steveninck, said goodbye to the three platoons of Marines; the latter subsequently formed II Independent Company and were sent to the USA to join the
Royal Netherlands Marines Brigade, who had originally assigned these troops to the P.I.B. so the brigade would have enough troops participating in the liberation of Europe, as requested by the British government. The gap left by the Dutch Marines was filled with replacements from the volunteers from the liberated parts of the Netherlands, who had been trained at
Bergen Op Zoom
Bergen op Zoom (; called ''Berrege'' in the local dialect) is a municipality and a city located in the south of the Netherlands.
Etymology
The city was built on a place where two types of soil meet: sandy soil and marine clay. The sandy soil ...
under the command of Frank Looringh van Beeck, a South African officer.
On 2 March 1945, the P.I.B. was put under the command of the Netherlands District, under
Major General A Galloway, based at the HQ in the city of Tilburg.
Operation "Orange"
The P.I.B. was involved in heavy fighting in the town of
Hedel, north of
Den Bosch
s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...
, on the
River Maas
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 t ...
in April 1945. The P.I.B. was supposed to link up with the 30
Royal Marines, of the
116th Infantry Brigade Royal Marines, at
Kerkdriel
Kerkdriel is a town in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Maasdriel, and lies about 8 km north of 's-Hertogenbosch.
The town of Kerkdriel had 6,765 inhabitants, on 1 January 2019. The approximate built-up ar ...
in an attempt to liberate the
Bommelerwaard. However, the
Royal Marines gave up due to German opposition in the town of Kerkdriel, leaving the P.I.B. stranded at the bridgehead of Hedel. The Prinses Irene Brigade was under command of the 116th Infantry Brigade Royal Marines at this time. Still, they fought the Germans with great gallantry, and were able to hold the town for three days. In these fights, the P.I.B. lost twelve men; around thirty were wounded. Several gallantry medals were later awarded for actions in Hedel. At 11:15 hours on 25 April the order to withdraw from the bridgehead, in Hedel, came from 116th Infantry Brigade Royal Marines. At 23:30 hours III Independent Company withdrew from the town as the last unit to the south side of the river Maas. This effort was completed at 00:30 hours on 26 April.
The Princess Irene Brigade entered
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
on 9 May 1945 as liberators. After the war, the traditions of the brigade were perpetuated by the
Garderegiment Fuseliers Prinses Irene
The Princess Irene Fusiliers Guards Regiment ( nl, Garderegiment Fuseliers Prinses Irene) is a regiment of the Royal Netherlands Army, named after Princess Irene, the Granddaughter of Queen Wilhelmina, daughter of Queen Juliana, sister of Pri ...
.
Notable members
*
Max Geldray
Max van Gelder (12 February 1916 – 2 October 2004), professionally known as Max Geldray, was a Dutch jazz harmonica player. Best known for providing musical interludes for the BBC radio comedy programme ''The Goon Show'', he was also cr ...
(1916–2004), jazz musician, wounded in Normandy.
Order of battle (1944)
* I Motorized Independent Infantry Company
* II Motorized Independent Infantry Company
* III Motorized Independent Infantry Company
* Reconnaissance Company (Disbanded 31 March 1945)
* One Artillery Battery (six
25 pounders)
* Brigade Signals
* Brigade Maintenance
References
{{Reflist
Military units and formations of the Netherlands in World War II
Brigades of the Netherlands
Armies in exile during World War II
Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War II
Military units and formations established in 1940
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945
1940 establishments in the United Kingdom