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List of Dutch military equipment of World War II

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The following is a list of Dutch military equipment of World War II which includes artillery, vehicles and vessels. World War II was a global war that was under way by 1939 and ended in 1945. On 10 May 1940, Nazi Germany, which aimed to dominate Europe, attacked the Dutch as part of their war with France. By 12 March 1942 the Dutch mainland and all their major colonies were controlled by Germans and Japanese. Dutch power was not restored until final Axis collapse in 1945. This list covers the equipment of armed elements centered on Royal Netherlands Army and Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, but not the "Free Dutch Army", which was equipped completely by foreign (Allied) powers.

Contents

Pistols (manual and semi-automatic)

  • Borchardt-Luger pistol (Dutch East Indies only)
  • M30 Luftwaffe drilling shotgun (usage unclear)

    • Grenades and grenade launchers

    See also: Dutch hand grenades

    Infantry and dual-purpose machine guns

    The Dutch army in 1940 was in the process of converting their machine guns to standard 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge. Exact numbers of machine guns converted is unknown.

    Fortress and siege guns

    See for geographic distribution of coastal defenses and fortresses in continental Netherlands. The listing below do include both army and land-based Navy weapons, but do not include 47mm guns, which are counted as anti-tank guns.

  • Bofors 37 mm, 45 or 50 calibers barrel length : 23 pieces, of them 12 imported and 11 license-produced
  • 75mm guns, 40 calibers barrel length : 63 pieces (2 distinct Krupp types, 5000m range, rapid-fire)
  • 120mm guns, 40 calibers barrel length : 18 pieces (2 distinct Krupp types, 12500m range, 9 RPM fire rate)
  • 149.1mm or 152.4mm guns, 30 calibers barrel length: 5 (type unknown)
  • 149.1mm or 152.4mm guns, 35 calibers barrel length: 6 (type unknown)
  • 149.1mm or 152.4mm guns, 40 calibers barrel length: 21 (Krupp guns, 14200m range, 9 RPM fire rate)
  • 240mm guns, 30 calibers barrel length: 11 (Krupp guns of 19th century, 8000m range, 0.25 RPM fire rate)

    • Anti-tank weapons (besides anti-tank guns)

  • Solothurn S-18/1000

    • Tankettes

    Carden Loyd Mk IV tankette - 5 tankettes used in Battle of the Netherlands

    Tanks

  • Marmon-Herrington CTLS - few used against Japanese on Java.

    • Engineering and command

  • L180 (M-38) - 2 of 14 armored cars are built as command cars (dummy main gun made of wood)

    • Trucks

    All numbers are for European part of Dutch armed forces.

  • horses 30000
  • Trado 1200 - mostly for towing artillery and 1 motorized light infantry division
  • DAF-139 amphibious truck (prototype testing at outbreak of war)
  • Ford Model AA 380 - in AA units
  • Ford GP - in Dutch East Indies cavalry units

    • Passenger cars

  • unknown models (~70-140 total) for carrying officers

    • Motorcycles

  • unknown model (at least 840 in 2 motorized cavalry regiments)

    • Miscellaneous vehicles

  • bicycles (at least 15000)

    • Royal Netherlands Navy

    At moment of German attack 10 May 1940 the Dutch European Navy comprise a 50 vessels:

  • 1 light cruiser
  • 3 coastal defense ships
  • 10 destroyers
  • 12 minelayers
  • 4 minesweepers
  • 6 submarines
  • 14 auxiliary and light vessels

    • Also, the 31 various vessels were under construction. Of these, 6 there eventually completed in England and 21 in Nazi Germany.

    Destroyed or scuttled during Battle of the Netherlands:

  • Destroyer Van Galen [Rotterdam, by a Stuka attack] - contradictory data!
  • Destroyer escort Christiaan Cornelis (scuttled after being damaged by coastal artillery)
  • Destroyer escort Z3 (scuttled)
  • Destroyer escort G16 (scuttled)
  • Gunboat Johan Maurits (sank by Luftwaffe aircraft)
  • Gunboat Friso (sank by Luftwaffe aircraft)
  • Gunboat Brinio (scuttled)
  • Gunboat Braga (scuttled)
  • Gunboat Helfring (scuttled)
  • Gunboat Freyr (scuttled)
  • Minelayer Hydra
  • Minelyaer Bulgia
  • Minesweeper Abraham van Hulst (heavily damaged by Luftwaffe aircraft attack and scuttled)
  • Minesweeper Pieter Floriszoon (scuttled)
  • Minesweeper M III
  • Submarine O 12 (scuttled)
  • Coastal defense ship IJmuiden (scuttled)

    • Escaped to England during Battle of the Netherlands:

  • Light cruiser Sumatra
  • Destroyer escort Z5
  • Destroyer escort Z6
  • Destroyer escort Z7
  • Destroyer escort Z8
  • Destroyer escort G13
  • Destroyer escort G15
  • Gunboat Flores
  • Gunboat Gruno
  • Minelayer Willem van der Zaan
  • Minelayer Medusa
  • Minelayer Van Maerlant
  • Minelayer Douwe Aukes
  • Minelayer Nautiles
  • Minelayer Jan van Brakel
  • Minesweeper Jan van Gelder
  • Torpedo boat TM51
  • Submarine O9
  • Submarine O10
  • Submarine O13
  • Light-cruiser Jacob van Heemskerck (under construction at outbreak of war)
  • Destroyer leader Isaac Sweers (under construction at outbreak of war)
  • Submarine O21 (under construction at outbreak of war)
  • Submarine O22 (under construction at outbreak of war)
  • Submarine O23 (under construction at outbreak of war)
  • Submarine O24 (under construction at outbreak of war)
  • Many tugs, pilot boats and patrol boats

    • Captured by the Germans:

  • Minesweepers MI (sunk and raised by Germans)
  • Minesweepers MII (sunk and raised by Germans)
  • Minesweepers MIV (sunk and raised by Germans)
  • Gunboat Tyr
  • Gunboat Balder
  • Gunboat Hadda (unarmed at outbreak of war)
  • Gunboat Thor (unarmed at outbreak of war)
  • Minelayer Vidar
  • Torpedo workship Vidar
  • Submarines O8
  • Submarine O11
  • Coastal defense ship Gelderland
  • Coastal defense ship Hertog Hendrik
  • Cruiser De Zeven Provincien (under construction, not used by Germans)
  • Cruiser Eendracht (under construction, not used by Germans)
  • Destroyer leader Tjerk Hiddes (under construction, scrapped by Germans)
  • Destroyer leader Gerard Callenburgh (under construction, damaged and repaired by Germans)
  • Destroyer leader Philips van Almonde (under construction, scrapped by Germans)
  • Submarine O25 (under construction, finished by Germans)
  • Submarine O26 (under construction, finished by Germans)
  • Submarine O27 (under construction, finished by Germans)
  • 6 Minesweepers (under construction, names not assigned, all used by Germans)
  • Tanker (under construction, name not assigned, finished by Germans)
  • 10 Fast attack craft (E-boats) (under construction, names not assigned, all finished and used by Germans in Mediterranean)

    • Royal Netherlands East Indies Navy

    At moment of Japanese attack 7 December 1941 the Dutch East Indies Navy comprise a 78 vessels, most of them were destroyed during defense of Java island:

  • 3 light cruisers
  • 7 destroyers
  • 15 submarines
  • 7 minelayers
  • 11 minesweepers
  • 35 auxiliary or small ships (of them 8 tankers)

    • Task Force One (Doorman; off Paternoster Island)

  • Light cruiser De Ruyter
  • Light cruiser Tromp
  • Destroyer Van Ghent
  • Destroyer Kortenaer
  • Destroyer Piet Hein
  • Destroyer Witte de With
  • Destroyer Banckert

    • Task Force Two (Sunda Strait en route Singapore)

  • Light cruiser Java
  • Destroyer Evertsen
  • Destroyer Van Nes

    • NEI Submarine Flotilla (at Surabaya)

  • submarine tender Zuiderkruis
  • SS K-VI
  • SS K-VIII
  • SS K-X

    • Submarine Division 1

  • SS O-16 (Karimata Strait)
  • SS K-XVII (north of Singapore)
  • SS K-XVII

    • Submarine Division 2

  • SS K-IX
  • SS K-XI (north of Singapore)
  • SS K-XII (north of Singapore)
  • SS K-XIII (north of Singapore)

    • Submarine Division 3

  • SS K-XIV (South China Sea)
  • SS K-XV (South China Sea)
  • SS K-XVI (South China Sea)

    • Submarine Division 4

  • SS O-19 (South China Sea)
  • SS O-20 (South China Sea)

    • Mine Service (at Surabaya)

  • CM Gouden Leeuw (at Tarakan)
  • CM Prinz Van Oranje
  • CM Krakatau
  • CM Pro Patria (at Palembang)
  • CM Serdang
  • CM Willem van der Zaan (Lingga)
  • CM Rigel

    • Minesweeper Division 3

  • AMc Alor
  • AMc Aroe
  • AMc Bantam
  • AMc Bogor
  • AMc Ceram
  • AMc Cheribon

    • Minesweeper Division 4 (at Surabaya)

  • AMc Djember
  • AMc Djombang
  • AMc Djampea
  • AMc Enggano
  • AMc Endeh

    • Torpedo Division (at Surabaya)

  • PT TM-4 to TM-15 (12 vessels)
  • Tanker AO Aldegonda
  • Tanker AO Benakat (4763 tons, 10 knots)
  • Tanker AO Djirak (4325 tons, 10knots)
  • Tanker AO Josefina
  • Tanker AO Juno (2741 tons, 9 knots)
  • Tanker AO Paula (2700 tons, 12 knots)
  • Tanker AO Pendopo (7150 tons, 10 knots)
  • Tanker AO Petronella
  • AT Kraus
  • AT Pief
  • AT Gina
  • AT Jules
  • AT Nolly
  • AT Tata
  • AT Flip
  • AT Rolf
  • AT Hector
  • AT Paul
  • AT Teddy
  • AR Moeara Boelian
  • AH Op Ten Noort

    • Aircraft

    The Dutch before war have an extensive aircraft industry, but most of the aircraft produced were exported and not counted here.

    Cartridges and shells

  • .32 ACP (7.94×25mm)
  • .380 ACP (9×25mm)
  • 11mm French Ordnance (11.46×30mm)
  • 6.5×53mmR (main rifle cartridge)
  • 7.92×57mm Mauser (main MG cartridge)
  • .303 British (7.7×56mmR)

    • Classes of military equipment widely used in World War II but absent in Dutch forces

  • Recoilless rifles
  • Flamethrowers
  • Heavy mortars & rocket launchers
  • Amphibious tanks
  • Land tanks and derivatives (with exception of Java island)
  • Self-propelled guns
  • Armored carriers
  • Railroad vehicles
  • Tractors & prime movers
  • Radars
  • High explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shells

    • References

    List of Dutch military equipment of World War II Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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