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Army[edit]

Decorated indigenous KNIL soldiers, 1927.

The colonial army of the Dutch East Indies, the Royal Dutch East Indies Army (Dutch: Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger), better known as the KNIL, was established by royal decree on 10 March 1830. The KNIL's air force Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force (ML-KNIL) was established in 1915 by amongst others the Indo-European aviation pioneer Jan Hilgers. The seas were the responsibility of the Royal Netherlands Navy stationed in the Dutch East Indies, but never part of the KNIL. The KNIL in turn was a wholy seperate branch of the Royal Netherlands Army funded by the colonial budget.The KNIL was not allowed to recruit Dutch conscripts and had the nature of a 'Foreign Legion' recruiting not only Dutch volunteers, but many other European nationalities (especially German, Belgian and Swiss mercenaries).[1] While practically all officers were Europeans the vast majority of soldiers were indigenous. The largest contingent of these indigenous troops had always consisted of Javanese and Sundanese soldiers.[2][3]

Initially the KNIL was mainly involved in militairy campaigns to subdue revolting independent indigenous groups during the era of New Imperialism. Warfare included the Padri War (1821–1845), the Java War (1825–1830), and the prolonged Aceh War (1873–1904).[4] Once the colony was considered "pacified" at the start of the 20th century, the KNIL was mainly involved with militairy police tasks. To ensure a sizeable European military segment in the KNIL and reduce costly recruitment in Europe the colonial government introduced obligatory military service for all male conscripts in the European legal class in 1917.[5] In 1922 a supplemental legal enactment introduced the creation of a ‘Home guard’ (Dutch: Landstorm) for European conscripts older than 32.[6] Petitions to establish military service for indigenous people were rejected.

No large-scale armed opposition to Dutch rule existed until World War II. The KNIL hastily and inadequatly attempted to transform into modern military force able to protect the Dutch East Indies from foreign invasion. 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. After the defeat and occupation of the Netherlands by Nazi Germany, in 1940 the KNIL was cut off from the Dutch Army, except for the Royal Navy stationed in the colony. During the Dutch East Indies campaign of 1941–42 the KNIL and the Allied forces were quickly defeated.[7] All European soldiers, which in practice included all able bodied Indo-European males were interned by the Japanese as POW's. 25% of the POW's did not survive their internment.

Following World War II, the KNIL was gradualy reconstituted, but wasnt involved in the fighting during the chaotic Bersiap period as the British command, fearing escalation of the violence, did not allow KNIL troops into the colony. April 1946 the former KNIL POW's that had recuperated were allowed to return home. The reconstituted KNIL joined with Dutch Army troops transported to the colony to re-establish colonial "law and order". Notwithstanding two large succesfull military campaigns in 1947 and 1948 Dutch efforts to re-establish their colony failed and the Netherlands recognised Indonesian sovereignty on 27 December 1949.[8] The KNIL was disbanded by 26 July 1950 with its indigenous personnel being given the option of demobilizing or joining the Indonesian military.[9] At the time of disbandment the KNIL numbered 65,000, of whom 26,000 were incorporated into the new Indonesian Army. The remainder were either demobilised or transferred to the Netherlands Army.[10] Key officers in the Indonesian National Armed Forces that were former KNIL soldiers include: Suharto second president of Indonesia, Nasution supreme commander of the Indonesian army and E.Kawilarang founder of the elite special forces Kopassus.

In the Netherlands the KNIL traditions are maintained by the Regiment Van Heutsz of the modern Royal Netherlands Army and the dedicated Bronbeek Museum exists in Arnhem to this day.

  1. ^ Blakely, Allison (2001). Blacks in the Dutch World: The Evolution of Racial Imagery in a Modern Society. Indiana University Press. p. 15 ISBN 0-253-31191-8
  2. ^ Note: "Javanese have always been the largest indigenous element of the colonial army." Cribb, R.B. (2004) ‘Historical dictionary of Indonesia.’ Scarecrow Press, Lanham, USA.ISBN 0 8108 4935 6, p. 221 [1]
  3. ^ Note: The KNIL statistics of 1939 show at least 13,500 Javanese and Sundanese under arms compared to 4,000 Ambonese soldiers.Source: Netherlands Ministry of Defense.
  4. ^ Ibrahim, Alfian. "Aceh and the Perang Sabil." Indonesian Heritage: Early Modern History. Vol. 3, ed. Anthony Reid, Sian Jay and T. Durairajoo. Singapore: Editions Didier Millet, 2001. p132–133
  5. ^ Willems, Wim ‘Sporen van een Indisch verleden (1600-1942).’ (COMT, Leiden, 1994). Chapter I, P.32-33 ISBN 90 71042 44 8
  6. ^ Willems, Wim ‘Sporen van een Indisch verleden (1600-1942).’ (COMT, Leiden, 1994). Chapter I, P.32-36 ISBN 90 71042 44 8
  7. ^ Klemen, L (1999–2000). "Dutch East Indies 1941-1942". Dutch East Indies Campaign website.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  8. ^ "Last Post – the End of Empire in the Far East", John Keay ISBN 0-7195-5589-2
  9. ^ plechtigheden in Djakarta bij de opheffing van het KNIL Polygoon 1950 3 min. 20;embed=1 Video footage showing the official ceremony disbanding the KNIL
  10. ^ John Keegan, page 314 "World Armies", ISBN0-333-17236-1
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