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Old April 26th, 2008, 09:26 AM
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Thumbs up Re: Dutch forces in the Pacific.

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Originally Posted by JCFalkenbergIII View Post
Thanks all. I am really trying to highlight some of the more lesser known forces that participated in the Far East region. Im going to keep looking for more . I also found out that the Dutch KNIL was sort of like the French and Spanish Foreign Legions.

"The KNIL was largely made up out of foreigners just like the French Foreign Legion only the troops got the keep their own identity. Up until after the Aceh war the KNIL drafted many Europeans (Germans, Belgians, Swiss etc), natives (Molukans Timorese and Mandorese) and even the Ashanti (African Ghanese tribe) to fight in the jungles of the East Indies. After the Aceh war the Dutch mainly drafted the natives, Indo Europeans and Dutch living in the East Indies. It was actually forbidden by law to send Dutch consripts to the Dutch East Indies. The ratio of foreign troops to Dutch troops was 60% to 40%."
Militaire Luchtvaart - Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger (ML-KNIL)


"De geest van de Hollander - "The Ghost of the Dutchman"

"After the fall of Celebes Island, February 1942, a small KNIL detachment, consisting of two Dutch officers (Lieutenant De Jong - commander and Lieutenant Van Dalen), four Dutch sergeants and 150 KNIL soldiers, continued with a guerilla war against the Japanese. They carried out several successful ambush attacks in Kolonodale area, killing many Japanese soldiers, but they were eventually all either captured or killed. Both officers were taken in captivity on 19 August 1942, and promptly beheaded after they refused to say that they regretted what they did to the Imperial Japanese Army. The only who managed to save himself by hiding in the dense jungle was KNIL Sergeant Jan Klinkhamer. Japanese offered a reward of 100 gulders to the local population for betraying him or handing-over. Only few local Indonesians knew where is he hiding and brought him food on several occasions. Other natives had spotted him twice vaguely in the foggy woods, and, therefore, started to call him "The Ghost of the Dutchman". He successfully stayed hiding in the jungle until 1945, when natives have finally informed him that Japan had capitulated. Only then he came from his hideout in the jungle, after spending more than three years in it."
Really intresting post just goes to show how much more we can still learn about all areas of ww2 would love to know if you find out any more and if there are any books covering the KNIL, and "The ghost of the Dutchman" well done top post
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