Regiment Stoottroepen Prins Bernhard
Encyclopedia
The Regiment Stoottroepen Prins Bernhard is an infantry
regiment
of the Royal Netherlands Army
.
The Regiment Stoottroepen was founded on 21 September 1944 in Eindhoven, and composed of members of the Dutch resistance
from those parts of the Netherlands that had been recently liberated from German occupation. The formation took place on the orders of Prince Bernhard, in his capacity as Commander of the Dutch armed forces. By the time of the surrender of the last German forces in the Netherlands, on 5 May 1945, the regiment had grown to some 6,000 men.
Following the liberation of the Netherlands, the regiment was incorporated into the RNLA, and it component battalions took part in the police actions in the Dutch East Indies 1946-1949. During the 1950s, the Dutch army underwent reorganisation, and the Regiment Stoottropen was reduced to one battalion, 41 Infantry Battalion. In due course, this unit was converted to mechanized infantry (Dutch: pantserinfanteriebataljon, abbreviated to "painfbat").
In 1994, 41 Painfbat was deactivated, and the lineage and colours of the Regiment Stoottroepen were taken over by 13 Infantry Battalion and 11 Mortar Company, both of which form part of 11 Luchtmobiele (Airmobile) Brigade.
Following the death of Prince Bernhard in 2004, the regiment was renamed "Regiment Stoottroepen Prins Bernhard" in his honour.
Battle honours:
Noord-Brabant en Limburg 1944-1945, West- en Midden-Java 1946-1949, Midden-Sumatra 1947-1949
Verzetsherdenkingskruis (commemorative medal for participation in the Resistance 1944-1945)
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
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...
.
The Regiment Stoottroepen was founded on 21 September 1944 in Eindhoven, and composed of members of the Dutch resistance
Dutch resistance
Dutch resistance to the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized by its prominent non-violence, summitting in over 300,000 people in hiding in the autumn of 1944, tended to by some 60,000 to 200,000 illegal landlords and caretakers and tolerated knowingly...
from those parts of the Netherlands that had been recently liberated from German occupation. The formation took place on the orders of Prince Bernhard, in his capacity as Commander of the Dutch armed forces. By the time of the surrender of the last German forces in the Netherlands, on 5 May 1945, the regiment had grown to some 6,000 men.
Following the liberation of the Netherlands, the regiment was incorporated into the RNLA, and it component battalions took part in the police actions in the Dutch East Indies 1946-1949. During the 1950s, the Dutch army underwent reorganisation, and the Regiment Stoottropen was reduced to one battalion, 41 Infantry Battalion. In due course, this unit was converted to mechanized infantry (Dutch: pantserinfanteriebataljon, abbreviated to "painfbat").
In 1994, 41 Painfbat was deactivated, and the lineage and colours of the Regiment Stoottroepen were taken over by 13 Infantry Battalion and 11 Mortar Company, both of which form part of 11 Luchtmobiele (Airmobile) Brigade.
Following the death of Prince Bernhard in 2004, the regiment was renamed "Regiment Stoottroepen Prins Bernhard" in his honour.
Battle honours:
Noord-Brabant en Limburg 1944-1945, West- en Midden-Java 1946-1949, Midden-Sumatra 1947-1949
Verzetsherdenkingskruis (commemorative medal for participation in the Resistance 1944-1945)