Dutch Lions: The I Netherlands Corps in West Germany

Discussions of the Cold War in Europe generally revolve around six main entities: The United States of America, French Republic, United Kingdom, Federal Republic of Germany, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and German Democratic Republic however under NATO command other countries contributed troops and maneuver forces to counter and engage Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces in the event of armed conflict. One of these entities was the Royal Netherlands Army, officially known as the Koninklijke Landmacht. 

The Army of the Netherlands in the aftermath of the Second World War was initially comprised of soldiers that had escaped the German invasion and had been stationed in the United Kingdom during the occupation period. In 1945, these soldiers returned to a country that had been under totalitarian control for six years and lay in ruins. As the rebuilding process began, the Dutch Army benefitted in its rearmament by acquiring materials left in military depots across the Netherlands. Initial acquisitions included Sherman tanks and other armored vehicles. As the Cold War began to take shape in the 1950s, the Netherlands went through an armament upgrade phase replacing these tanks with 705 of the newer British made Centurion tanks and later in the 1960s, the decision was made to acquire 468 of the West German designed Leopard I main battle tank. Dutch armored forces were greatly enhanced further beginning in 1981, when deliveries began of the Leopard II main battle tank.

As part of the NATO deterrence against Soviet aggression in Europe, the Netherlands contributed three army divisions which would make up I Netherlands Corps as part of NATOs Northern Army Group. This group of four European Corps level forces tasked with the defense of the strategically crucial North German Plain was comprised of I Netherlands Corps alongside forces from the United Kingdom (I British Corps), Belgium (I Belgian Corps) and West Germany (I German Corps). Forces from the United States (III Corps) would be held as reserve units to the NATO contingent with two additional Corps level units available from France. I Netherlands Corps was comprised of two armored brigades and an armored infantry brigade organized into two active divisions the 1st and 4th division, the third division the 5th division was designated a reserve element to the Corps. Later in 1985, the West German 3rd Panzer Division was added under Netherlands command for I Netherlands Corps. Of this force only the 41st Armored Brigade was stationed in West Germany during peacetime. 

1 Netherlands Corps or Eerste Legerkorps (1Lk) as it was designated by the Koninklijke Landmacht maintained its headquarters staff at Apeldoorn near Amsterdam in the Netherlands. It was broken down as such:

Command Group

Unit	Location	Peacetime Strength	Wartime Strength
Staff I Netherlands Corps Staff Company I Netherlands Corps Staff and Staff Company Administrative Center I Netherlands Corps	Apeldoorn Apeldoorn Activated in War	338 93 Non-Active	517 258 450

Military Intelligence and Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol

Unit	Location	Peacetime Strength	Wartime Strength
111 Counter Intelligence Detachment 101 Military Intelligence Company 104th Observation & Reconnaissance Company	Apeldoorn Apeldoorn Roosendaal	48 55 193	79 181 261

Reconnaissance

Unit	Location	Peacetime Strength	Wartime Strength
103rd Reconnaissance Battalion 104th Reconnaissance Battalion 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion 105th Reconnaissance Battalion 53rd Light Reconnaissance Battalion	Seedorf, West Germany Nunspeet - - -	525 526 - - -	732 734 735 734 543

Driving School, Band

Unit	Location	Peacetime Strength	Wartime Strength
I Netherlands Corps Driving School Johan Willem Friso Band	Vierhouten Assen	16 82	- 82

Divisional Staffs

Unit	Location	Peacetime Strength	Wartime Strength
Staff and Staff Company 1st Division Staff and Staff Company 4th Division Staff and Staff Company 5th Division	Arnhem Harderwijk Stroe	138 138 27	229 229 229

Unlike American and British Armies, the three divisions of I Netherlands Corps were not permanently fixed formations. In the event of war the Commander of the Netherlands Corps would assign brigade and Corps level assets to the divisional staffs based on the tactical situation at the time. This move made the three divisional staff formations strictly tactical headquarters with between two to five brigades under each divisional command. The brigades were to be operational ready within 48 hours, each with its own artillery, engineer and logistic support elements. The brigades were the only permanent formations retaining their solid structure as much as possible. 

Dutch army units equipped with Leopard main battle tanks, Land Rover utility and reconnaissance vehicles, Luchs reconnaissance vehicles, Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles, M113 armored personnel carriers, and Oerlikon 40mm cannons would be assigned to the command. Artillery components utilized M109 Paladin and M110 self propelled howitzers, as well as the LARS and MLRS rocket artillery systems. Aviation components employed Aerospatiale Allouette II and Messerschmitt Bölkow-Blohm Bo-105 helicopters for reconnaissance and Army support duties.

In the event that the Cold War would have gone hot, I Netherlands Corps under NATO’s Northern Army Group had four main objectives to accomplish:

• Assume responsibility for the corps sector and relieve I German Corps as soon as possible
• Fight the covering force battle in accordance with NATO concept of operations established by the Commander of Northern Army Group
• In the main defensive battle they would hold and destroy the enemy’s leading armies conventionally and as far east and possible while maintaining unit cohesion with I German Corps. In the event of penetration of I Netherlands Corps designated sector, they were to be prepared to hold area between the roads A7 and B3 and to counterattack in accordance with NATO Northern Army Group Command’s concept of operations.
• Maintain cohesion with LANDJUT which was a joint Dutch-German force and secure Northern Army Group’s left flank in the forward combat zone.

The area of responsibility of I Netherlands Corps was in an area general associated with the British zone of Germany, although it was to cover the central part of this zone. This area of responsibility included the cities of Bremerhaven, Garlstedt, Bremen and Stade. It began just south of Hamburg and north of Celle where I German Corps had responsibility, extending to the Inner German Border with East Germany and the easterly outskirts of Bremen as its boundaries. The two active divisions the 1^st and 4^th Divisions were to take up positions around Lüneburg and Uelzen with the 5^th Division in the rear areas serving as the corps reserve. In front of the two division positions, the covering force would operate and engage Warsaw Pact forces. The 41^st Armored Brigade would be the central element of the covering force with elements of the 101^st Infantry Brigade and 102^nd and 105^th Reconnaissance Battalions securing the rear.     

The Corps while stationed in the Netherlands had to be combat ready within 48 hours of notification and would then have to deploy 217 miles to its area of responsibility. With its headquarters in Apeldoorn, I Netherlands Corps was the only allied military corps asset of NATOs Northern Army Group with its headquarters not located in the territories of the Federal Republic of Germany. With most of its forces in a state of inactive service, upon the initiation of a state of war, NATO commanders noted the Dutch Corps would have to mobilize some 60% of its forces before it was ready to deploy in support of combat operations. This negative aspect was seen by NATO commanders as leaving the left flank of Northern Army Group open for attack until the Corps could respond and counter the impending Warsaw Pact advance. This would remain a major concern for NATO commanders up until the end of the Cold War.