By Keith Emuang
The Korps Mariniers or Royal Netherlands Marine Corps may not be as well known as their British counterparts, The Royal Marines, but they are no less highly trained and capable of handling any situation anywhere across the globe.
Early beginnings
Unknown to many, the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps or more affectionately referred to as the Dutch Marine Corps, is one of the oldest military formations in the world. They were established on 10 December 1665 and were almost immediately thrust into the Anglo-Dutch War of 1665-67. Although they fought many bitter battles then, they earned the respect of their then foe, the British. As history would have it, Royal Marines from both the Dutch and British sides joined forces in 1704 in the Battle of Gibraltar. It was here that a long-standing relationship and close co-operation between the two former foes was established. The Korps continue to enjoy close ties and train regularly with the British Royal Marines, thus maintaining an almost similar doctrine of operation to their British cousins.
Notable involvements
World War II
The Dutch Marines have proven themselves as a resilient and potent fighting force on numerous occasions. During World War II, the Royal Dutch Marines together with their Dutch Army counterparts fought bravely to defend the river bridges of Rotterdam against the invading forces of the Third Reich between 10 and 15 May 1940.
When the Nazis attacked Rotterdam, the Dutch Marines had a regiment stationed in the city who were actually preparing for attachment to the Dutch East Indies in Indonesia. They were immediately ordered to defend the bridges and took up defensive frontline positions armed only with light-machineguns. Without sleep and limited food and water supplies, they bravely repelled the German paras from crossing the bridge.
Although suffering heavy losses, the bridges were never captured and no German soldier had managed to set foot on the opposite side during the five days of fighting. Unfortunately, the Dutch relented after ruthless bombardment of the city of Rotterdam. Hundreds of civilians lost their lives and when the threat that other cities would soon follow suit, the Dutch government had no choice but to surrender.
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 labelled them Zwarte duivels (The Black Devils).
Siege at De Punt
On 23 May 1977 13 members of the Free South Moluccan Youth Organisation hijacked a Rotterdam-Groningen passenger train. They were demanding that the Dutch Government put pressure on Indonesia to establish an independent South Moluccan state. Some years earlier their attempt to hijack a train ended peacefully after a 13-day siege but this time, they were in no mood to negotiate, having shot the train driver in cold blood.
The special counter-terrorist unit of the Dutch Royal Marines, the BBE were called in. As negotiations to free the hostages ran into the third week, the BBE had bought enough time and intelligence to launch an all-out seizure of the train.
On 11 June 1977, the plan was set in motion. A pair of F-104 Starfighter jets from the Royal Dutch Air Force made a swooping low-level supersonic pass over the train to distract the hijackers. At the same time, BBE marines blew out the train doors, rushed into the carriage and shouted out to the hostages to take cover.
A firefight ensued but within five minutes, six hijackers were shot dead, seven others captured with only one marine wounded. Although some 80 hostages were freed, two were unfortunately caught in the crossfire and lost their lives. Owing to the self-expectations of perfection in the execution of any of their missions, the BBE saw this as only a partial success. Nonetheless, this assault remains a textbook counter-terrorist operation.
The BBE
Dutch Royal Marines can choose to be attached to any of the specialised units such as Reconnaissance, Parachute, Mountaineering or Boat Squadrons. However, many do try to make it into the crack counter-terrorist unit known as the BBE.
The BBE (Bijzondere Bijstand Eenheid) literally, the Special Assistance Unit, is a part of the Royal Dutch Marines. Only members of the marines can volunteer for its 48-week training course, a course that is far tougher than the selection for the Royal Marines.
Apart from dealing with the physical extremes that the recruits are put through, they are also tested to determine their level of mental stability and reaction under intense stressful situations. Besides being trained and equipped with the necessary skills for storming buildings, planes, ships and trains, members of the BBE also need to be well-versed in riot control tactics so that they can be called to assist the police.
Currently men from the BBE and Dutch Royal Marines are trained to use a variety of personal weapons including the Heckler and Koch MP-5 submachine gun, Diemaco C7A1, 84 mm M136 shoulderheld Anti Tank granade launcher, The Stinger , 60 mm Assault Mortar, the 81 mm Mortar L16 A2, the 120 mmm H.B.RAYE , the 12.7 mm Browning Machinegun .50 Kal. and Colt .357 revolver. The BBE regularly conducts joint training exercises with elite units from numerous nations, including France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, and the United States.
Structure-wise, the BBE is organised into two 33-man platoons, comprising four assault teams that are further broken down into five man units. The remaining members make up a command unit to liase with the Dutch Marines main command known as the Group of Marine Operational Units (GOEM).
During peacetime, the BBE falls under GOEM command but when a terrorist crisis is brewing, to eliminate burdensome chains of command and red tape, the Governmental Crisis Management Team takes over, giving the BBE full authority to make critical decisions and take swift counter measures.
The BBE believes that action speaks louder than words and avoids self-promotion. However, they always remain ready to respond to their Royal Dutch Marines' motto Qua Patet Orbis (as far as the world extends), anytime, anywhere.
