The Regiment Huzaren Prins van Oranje is an armoured regiment of the Royal Netherlands Army

Royal Netherlands Army

The Royal Netherlands Army is the land forces element of the military of the Netherlands.-Short history:The Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, but its origins date back to 1572, when the so-called Staatse Leger was raised...

, named after Prince Willem, Prince of Orange

William III of the Netherlands

William III was from 1849 King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg until his death and the Duke of Limburg until the abolition of the Duchy in 1866.-Early life:William was born in Brussels as son of William II of the Netherlands and...

, eldest son of King Willem II

William II of the Netherlands

William II was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg from 7 October 1840 until his death in 1849.- Early life and education :...

. The regiment serves as part of 43 Gemechaniseerde (Mechanized) Brigade operating the Leopard 2

Leopard 2

The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s for the West German Army. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army. Various versions have served in the armed forces of Germany and twelve...

 main battle tank

Main battle tank

A main battle tank , also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the heavy direct fire role of many modern armies. They were originally conceived to replace the light, medium, heavy and super-heavy tanks. Development was spurred onwards in the Cold War with the development...

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It was raised in 1815 as a militia carabiniers regiment, and changed into a cuirassiers regiment (Regiment Cuirassiers nr. 9) in 1816. It fought with distinction against the Belgians during the Ten Day Campaign (Tiendaagse Veldtocht) in August 1831. In 1841, it was transformed into a Dragoon regiment (2nd Dragoon Regiment), followed by another transformation in 1867, when it became the 2nd Hussar Regiment. Several squadrons fought during the Nazi-invasion of May 1940 near Geertruidenberg en Keizersveer, preventing a SS-brigade to cross a vital bridge. The regiment was disbanded after the armistice in 1940, but was raised again in 1978, as the Regiment Huzaren Prins van Oranje.
Battle honour: Tiendaagse Veldtocht 1831