Royal Dutch East Indies Army

The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army ("Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger"; KNIL) was the army of the Netherlands in its former colony of the Netherlands East Indies (also known as the Dutch East Indies, and later known as Indonesia). Along with the Royal Netherlands Navy, it comprised the Dutch armed forces in the Netherlands East Indies.

History

The KNIL was formed by royal decree on March 10 1830. It was not part of the Royal Netherlands Army, but a separate military arm specifically formed for service in the Netherlands East Indies. Its establishment coincided with the Dutch drive to expand colonial rule from the 17th century boundaries to the far larger final boundaries of the Dutch East Indies, established seventy years later, which remain the present boundaries of Indonesia. [ [http://www.netherlands-australia2006.com/geschiedenis/au/html/bondgenoten_operaties4.html The Royal Netherlands Indies Army] ]

The KNIL was involved in many campaigns against indigenous groups in the Netherlands East Indies including the Padri War (1821–1845), the Java War (1825–1830), crushing the "Puputan" (the final resistance of Bali inhabitants to colonial rule) of 1849, and the prolonged Aceh War (1873–1904).

After 1904 the Netherlands East Indies were considered "pacified", with no large-scale armed opposition to Dutch rule until World War II, and the KNIL served a mainly defensive role protecting the Dutch East Indies from the possibility of invasion by foreign countries.

The KNIL was the main defense against the Japanese invading the Netherlands East Indies during World War II. Dutch forces had been severely weakened by the defeat and occupation of the Netherlands itself, by Nazi Germany, in 1940. Nevertheless, at the start of the Pacific War, in December 1941, Dutch forces in Indonesia numbered around 85,000 troops, a combination of European and indigenous regular soldiers, locally organised militia, territorial guard units and civilian volunteers. The KNIL air force, "Militaire Luchtvaart KNIL" (ML-KNIL) numbered 389 planes of all types, but was largely outclassed by superior Japanese planes. The Royal Netherlands Navy Air Service, or MLD, also had significant forces in the NEI. ["Armed Forces of World War II" Andrew Mollo ISBN 0-85613-296-9]

Following World War II, the reconstituted KNIL was used in two large military campaigns in 1947 and 1948 to re-establish Dutch control of Indonesia. In the course of this "police action" accusations of war crimes were levelled against the KNIL and its Ambronese auxilaries. Dutch efforts to re-establish their colony failed and Netherlands recognition of Indonesian sovereignty came on 27 December 1949. ["Last Post - the End of Empire in the Far East", John Keay ISBN 0-7195-5589-2] The KNIL was disbanded on July 26,1950. However, its traditions are maintained by the Regiment Van Heutsz of the modern Royal Netherlands Army.

Recruiting

Until the Aceh War, the KNIL recruited Dutch volunteers, European mercenaries of other nationalities (especially Germans, Belgians and Swiss), native (South Moluccan, Timorese, and Manadonese) and even the Ashanti, an African tribe from the present Ghana for service in the East Indies. [ [http://www.radionetherlands.nl/thenetherlands/weeklyfeature/030309elmina.html Radio Netherlands Worldwide] - Ghana's Java connection] . The ratio of foreign and indigenous troops to those of Dutch origin was reported to be 60% to 40%.After the Aceh War, the KNIL consisted of Indonesians, Indos (Eurasians), and Dutch colonists living in the East Indies doing their military service. It was against the law to send Dutch conscripts from the Netherlands to the Netherlands East Indies but Dutch volunteers continued to enlist for colonial service. On the eve of the Japanese invasion in December 1941, Dutch regular troops in the East Indies comprised about 1,000 officers and 34,000 men, of whom 28,000 were indigenous.

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