The
Korps Mariniers is the
marine corps and
amphibious infantry component of the
Royal Netherlands Navy. It is trained to operate anywhere in the world in all environments, under any condition and circumstance, as a rapid reaction force. The Korps Mariniers can be deployed to a given location within 48 hours. Their motto is
Qua Patet Orbis ("As Far As The World Extends").
History
The corps was founded on 10 December 1665 during the
Second Anglo-Dutch War by the unofficial leader of the
Dutch Republic,
Johan de Witt, and Admiral
Michiel de Ruyter as the Regiment de Marine. Its leader was
Willem Joseph van Ghent. The Dutch had successfully used ordinary soldiers in ships at sea in the
First Anglo-Dutch War. It was the fifth European Marine unit formed, being preceded by the
Spain's
Infantería de Armada (1537), the
Portuguese Marine Corps (1610),
France's
Troupes de marine (1622), and the
English Royal Marines (1664). Like Britain, the Netherlands has had several periods when its Marines were disbanded. The Netherlands itself was under French occupation or control from 1810 until 1813. A new Marine unit was raised on 20 March 1801 during the time of the
Batavian Republic and on 14 August 1806 the Korps Koninklijke Grenadiers van de Marine was raised under King
Louis Bonaparte. The modern Korps Mariniers dates from 1814, receiving its current name in 1817.
The battle honors on the Korps Mariniers' colors are:
Chatham (1667),
Kijkduin (1673), Sennefe (1674), Spain,
Dogger Bank (1781), West Indies,
Algiers (1816),
Atjeh,
Bali,
Rotterdam (1940),
Java Sea (1942), Java and Madoera (1947-1948), and
New Guinea (1962).
In 1667, led by van Ghent, now an admiral, and their new commander, the Englishman Colonel Thomas Dolman, the Regiment de Marine played a prominent part in the large Dutch raid, the "
Raid on the Medway" on England (10-14 June). The Korps' battle honor "
Chatham" is one of the few ever won on British soil by a foreign unit. The July 2nd attack on Landguard fort near Harwich, performed by 1.500 Mariniers after landing at Woodrich was beaten off by the fort's garrison.
The Mariniers also fought in the
Franco-Dutch War/
Third Anglo-Dutch War. On June 29 1672, after serving in the naval
Battle of Solebay (7 June), two-thirds of the Marines were withdrawn from the fleet and formed into a brigade in order to stiffen the inefficient and largely mercenary army in anticipation of an English invasion. They returned to their ships in time to help stop an English invasion by defeating a combined English and French force at the naval
Battle of Kijkduin (Battle of Texel) on 21 August 1673. Led by Gerolf van Isselmuyden, they served in the land battle of Senef against the French in 1674.
Dutch support of American independence led to the
Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, where the Mariniers served at
Dogger Bank.
In 1704, Netherlands Marines were part of a combined English-Dutch force under
Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt that
captured Gibraltar and defended it successfully shortly afterwards. They would combine with the
British again for the
bombardment of Algiers in 1816.
The Korps Mariniers served in some of the operations of the Netherlands in the
Dutch East Indies colony. The Netherlands took a slow approach to conquering the entire colony and operations consolidating their rule lasted from the 1850s until shortly before
World War I. The battle honors from the
Aceh War (1873-1913) and
Bali date from this time.
In
World War II, a Korps Mariniers unit in
Rotterdam preparing to ship out to the Dutch East Indies successfully defended the bridges across the
Maas, preventing
German paratroopers in the center of the city from rendezvousing with conventional German infantry. The Germans ended the stalemate by
bombing Rotterdam. The threat of an attack by Marines caused its German captain to scuttle the
Antilla in
Aruba in 1940.
When the surrender was declared and the Dutch soldiers came out of their positions, the German commander who was expecting a full battalion of men was stunned to see only a few Dutch Marines emerge in their black uniforms. He ordered his men to salute them out of respect for their bravery and determination and labeled them Zwarte duivels (The Black Devils).
Some Mariniers later joined the
Princess Irene Brigade to fight against the Germans. They distinguished themselves in combat near the Dutch city of
Tilburg in the autumn of 1944.
Starting in 1943, the
United States Marine Corps trained and equipped a new brigade, the Mariniersbrigade, of the Korps Mariniers at
Camp Lejeune and
Camp Davis in
North Carolina in preparation for amphibious landings against the
Japanese in the Dutch East Indies. The Japanese surrendered before such landings were needed, but the Mariniersbrigade, fully trained and equipped, left North Carolina in six transports in 1945 and fought against the Indonesians in their
National Revolution for independence. It was part of the A Division, which was itself commanded by a Korps Mariniers officer. It was disbanded in 1949.
The Dutch kept
Western New Guinea after the Indonesian National Revolution and the Korps Mariniers served there until 1962 when it was granted independence. The same year it was invaded and
incorporated into Indonesia.
On 29 May 2009
Marco Kroon, a former member of the Netherlands Marine Corps, was awarded the
Military William Order, the highest military decoration in The Netherlands.
Modern Korps Mariniers
On 11 June 1977, the
Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid of the Dutch Marine Corps stormed a train that was being held hostage since 23 May by armed
South Moluccan extremists in the village of
De Punt, in the province of
Drenthe. Six
Royal Netherlands Air Force F-104 Starfighters buzzed the train as a diversion just before the assault. Six terrorists and two hostages were killed in the storming. The BBE has become the Dutch government's primary
counter-terrorism force. (See "Combat Support Battalion" below.)
Lately the Marines have been deployed in various operations all over the world.
18 feb 1992 - 18 November 1993: United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (
UNTAC).
- Three Battalion of Marines and a Navy field hospital (FDS)were stationed in Cambodia following the 1991 Paris peace treaty when the civil war was ended.
1995 - present: Former Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Kosovo.
28 July 2000 - 7 February 2003: United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (
UNMEE).
11 January 2002 - present: deployment in Afghanistan.
- Marines have been deployed in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) on several occasions. The second battalion with the field hospital was deployed in Mazar-e Sharif in 2005 to provide security during the elections. Marines and Navy personnel were also stationed in the Provincial Reconstruction Team in pol-e-Khomri, province of Baghlan. They took over from the Dutch Airforce and Army in 2005 and were relieved in October 2006 when Hungarian forces took over. Currently Marines are serving in Uruzgan as NLD Operational Mentor and Liaisons Team, for recruiting and training new military personnel of the Afghan National Army in the Uruzgan province. Training takes place at Kamp Holland, Tarin Kowt.
1 August 2003 - 2004: deployment in
Iraq.
- Two battalions of marines were sent to Iraq after the second Gulf war as part of the stabilisation Force Iraq (SFIR). They were stationed in the province of Al-Muthanna where they fell under British command. Main base was located at camp Smitty in As Samawah. One company of marines was located at the village of Ar Rumaythah and one at the village of Al Khidr.
18 November 2003 - 19 February 2004: United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).
2005-2006: United Nations Organization Mission in the democratic Republic of the Congo (
MONUC)
The Corps celebrates its birthday each year at the
Oostplein (lit., East Square) in
Rotterdam, where all fallen (ex) corpsmembers are remembered.
Structure
Netherlands Marine Corps Organization
All operational units of the Netherlands Marine Corps fall under the Marine Training Command (MTC).
The MTC is a brigade sized organisation which contains two of the three Marine Battalions (MARNSBATs) (the third being in the
Caribbean), the Amphibious Combat Support Battalion (AMFGEVSTBAT) and the Amphibious Logistics Battalion (AMFLOGBAT)
Battalions
The Netherlands Marine Corps has 3 operational Marine Battalions. Two of those (1MARNSBAT and 2MARNSBAT) are stationed in the Netherlands. The 3rd Marine Battalion (3MARNSBAT) has two active companies stationed in the Caribbean: 31 Coy on Curaçao and 32 Coy on Aruba. These units are under direct command of the Navy Commander of the
Caribbean (CZMCARIB)
1MARNSBAT is the main contribution of the Netherlands Marine Corps to the United Kingdom/Netherlands Landing Force (UK/NL LF). 2MARNSBAT is the core of the Dutch contribution to the
Allied Command Europe Mobile Force (Land) (AMF(L)), a fast intervention force of the
Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). 2MARNSBAT regularly participates in
United Nations missions or other international operations.
1MARNSBAT
1MARNSBAT consists of:
2MARNSBAT
2MARNSBAT consists of:
- 3x Infantry Companies: the 21st trained for Jungle warfare and riverine operations, the 22nd equipped with BvS 10 VIKING All Terrain Armoured Vehicles and the 23rd trained for Urban warfare
- 24th Support Arms Company with Spike ATGM, 81mm Mortars, Assault Engineers, Snipers and Reconnaissance Marines
Amphibious Combat Support Battalion
The Amphibious Combat Support Battalion consists of:
- 2x Boat Companies, that contain all amphibious landing craft as well as the Amphibious Beach Unit that supports landings from the beach
- Naval Special Operations Company
Amphibious Logistic Battalion
To operate successfully, the Marine Battalions need
logistical support. This basically means providing transportation, supplies, food, housing, and mental and medical care. This duty is carried out by the Amphibious Logistic Battalion. Its personnel consists of both marines and navy personnel, forming a navy-marinecorps team. The commanding officer of AMFLOGBAT usually is a navy commander of the logistics branch. AMFLOGBAT has 2 tasks:
- Provide MTCs units with the possibility to train and better themselves
AMFLOGBAT contains 3 companies:
- Combat Service Support 1 (supports 1MARNSBAT)
- Combat Service Support 2 (supports 2MARNSBAT)
Special Forces
The
Maritime Special Operations Forces (MARSOF) is the new
Special Forces format of the Marine Corps, after merging the
Mountain Leader Reconnaissance Platoon, the
Unit Interventie Mariniers and the
frogman (combat divers) platoon. The new
Maritime SF training takes about 40 weeks, and eligible marines will be trained to become long-range reconnaissance/SF operators and maritime
counter-terrorism specialists, with emphasis on
maritime special operations (special operations conducted in water-rich environments, and conducted from sea to land). Those who wish to specialise for
Mountain Leader or 'frogman' can apply for these specialisations following completion of the SF training. MARSOF is slightly modeled after the British
Special Boat Service.
Recruitment and Training
The Dutch Marine Corps is the oldest armed force of the Netherlands. Together with Army counterparts
Korps Commandotroepen (Special Forces) and
11 Luchtmobiele Brigade (Air assault), they are the elite in the Dutch armed forces.
There are two career possibilities to become a marine:
enlisted marine, and
marine officer, depending on the educational background.
Only men are allowed to serve as marines but many female navy personnel are attached to marine corps units as cooks, administrators, nurses or medical officers.
Initial training
Initial training to become an
enlisted marine in the Netherlands lasts about 30 weeks (8 months - almost equivalent to that of the British
Royal Marines). It is given at the
Mariniers Opleidingscentrum (M.O.C.) at the
Van Ghentkazerne in Rotterdam. It is rigorous and very demanding, both physically and mentally, and eventually 33% to 50% will pass. If successfully completed, the recruits receive their "dark blue beret", and will be assigned to the operational units of Mariniers Training Commando (MTC).
Initial training to become a
marine officer in the Netherlands lasts a total of 18 months, starting a half-year general officer's training at the
Koninklijk Instituut voor de Marine (Royal Dutch Naval Academy), followed by an intensive 12 months of practical marine officer's training (POTOM -
Praktische Opleiding tot Officier der Mariniers). This part of the initial training programme is modular, which means that it is made of 3 phases. First, the prospective officers will learn the basic skills of every enlisted marine, which takes about 10 weeks. After phase one comes the second phase, that is commanding a troop (or squad) of 8 marines. This module lasts for 8 weeks, and emphasizes on nightly operations. After successfully completing the second phase, comes the final phase of commanding a platoon of marines. This last module is the longest, and cross-training is given by both the Dutch Marine training cadre as well as that of the British
Royal Marines. If successfully completed, they will be assigned to the operational units of Mariniers Training Commando (MTC).
Operational training
All Dutch marines are trained to operate in any environment, under any condition and circumstance. Therefore, Dutch marines regularly train in
arctic,
jungle,
desert,
high-altitude and
urban conditions. Throughout their service, the marines embark on various training missions throughout the world. Amphibious warfare forms the heart of the marine corps, and this aspect is already implemented in the initial military training program. During operational training, there is more emphasis on various other tactics in amphibious warfare.
Specialisation
Experienced marines are able to obtain various specialisations. It is common for marines to have multiple specialisations.
Popular specialisations include:
- Mortar specialist (120 mm mortar)
- Force Reconnaissance ("pathfinder")
- Special Forces (the platoons of Mountain Leaders and frogmen have merged with the Unit Interventie Mariniers, creating the new Maritime Special Operations Force (MARSOF). Eligible marines will follow the SF training of 40 weeks, and become long-range reconnaissance/SF operators and CT specialists altogether. Further specialisation for Mountain Leader or frogman is free of choice.)
Some of these specialisations require the rank of
Corporal before being able to follow specialisation training, and must not exceed a maximum age.
Equipment
Armour
Tracked
- 156 Bv206 - All terrain vehicle
Wheeled
- 20 Patria XA-188 - Armoured personnel carriers and ambulances
Artillery
Landingcraft
- 12 LCVP Mk5c - Landing craft vehicle personnel
- Landing Craft Rubber (Motorized)
Other vehicles
- Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle (BARV)
Personal weapons
UK/NL landing force
Since 1973, units of the Netherlands Marine Corps have formed part of the
British 3 Commando Brigade during exercises and real conflict situations. Together, these form the UK/NL Landing Force. Either the First or the Second Marine Battalion can be assigned as the Dutch contribution to this force.
The cooperation between the Korps Mariniers and the
Royal Marines has led to extensive integration in the areas of operations, logistics and materials. Within
NATO this is seen as a prime example of what can be achieved in military integration.
The RNLMC and
Royal Marines have a long history of cooperation. During combined actions by the British and Dutch navies during the
War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713), amphibious operations were carried out, the most notable being the
Siege of Gibraltar in 1704. During this action, a successful attack was carried out against the fortress of
Gibraltar by an 1800-strong brigade of Dutch and British Marines under the command of
Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt. Both corps share this battle honour.
The nickname of the Dutch Marines among their British Royal Marine counterparts is "Cloggies," due to the stereotype that most or all Dutch wear
clogs, instead of "normal" footwear.
Alliances
