5de (Vde) Divisie Marechaussee

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tagsorganization, military, dutch, colonial, knil, marechaussee, atjeh, world-war-ii
aliases5e Divisie Marechaussee, Vijfde Divisie Marechaussee, Vde Divisie Marechaussee, Paja Bakong-Panton Laboe Maréchaussee divisie

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The 5de (Vde) Divisie Marechaussee was the Paja Bakong–Panton Laboe division of the Korps Maréchaussee van Atjeh en Onderhorigen during 1940–1942, and one of the two Maréchaussee divisions (together with the IIIde Divisie) assigned to the central-Atjeh three-position defence of the Bireuën–Takengon road in mid-March 1942. In the Dutch staff history’s account (Deel VI, Hoofdstuk V), the Vde Divisie is the staff history’s principal narrative unit of the third stelling at Bireuën–Takengon — the stelling held under Captain Boucherie — and of the guerrilla conducted by the Vde Divisie’s detached brigade under Lt Meulders.

Organisation as of 1 January 1940

As of 1 January 1940, the Vde Divisie Marechaussee was grouped as follows (each brigade of Maréchaussee numbering 20 men):

Total: 12 brigades (about 240 men).

Operations of March 1942

In the 1940–1941 reorganisations, the 12 Maréchaussee brigades previously stationed at the outposts of Lho Soekoen (5 brigades), Paja Bakong (4 brigades) and Panton Laboe (3 brigades) were likewise assigned a defensive task, namely the protection of the demolition works at the oil installations in the vicinity of Koeala Simpang.

In Palmer van den Broek’s three-position defence of the Bireuën–Takengon road, the Vde Divisie supplied the troops of the third stelling (four brigades under Captain Boucherie as Vde divisie commander). The Vde Divisie’s detached brigade under Lt Meulders conducted the staff history’s principal Dutch diversionary manoeuvre of the central-Atjeh theatre — a two-week guerrilla in the terrain north-west of the Bireuën–Takengon road, twice attacking marching Japanese with klewang charges and inflicting dozens of killed, before Meulders’s capture and execution together with sergeant Kerrebijn.

The Vde Divisie’s troops at Panton Laboe were commanded by Lt Westerweel, who on the night of 11–12 March 12 March 1942 was the first Dutch officer to report the approach of the Japanese invasion fleet off Idi.

Significance

The Vde Divisie is, in the staff history’s Atjeh chapter, the staff history’s principal narrative unit of the third stelling at Bireuën–Takengon and of the Meulders guerrilla — the formation whose troops conducted the staff history’s principal Dutch diversionary manoeuvre of the central-Atjeh theatre, and whose capture and execution of Lt Meulders and sergeant Kerrebijn is the staff history’s clearest single instance of Japanese summary execution of Dutch Maréchaussee officers captured in the field after capitulation.

See Also

Source

Nederlands-Indië contra Japan, Deel VI: De strijd op Ambon, Timor en Sumatra, bewerkt door C. van den Hoogenband en L. Schotborgh (‘s-Gravenhage: Staatsdrukkerij- en Uitgeverijbedrijf, 1959), Hoofdstuk V (“De strijd in Noord-Sumatra (Atjeh)”), pp. 114–150.

The 5de (Vde) Divisie Marechaussee was the Paja Bakong–Panton Laboe division of the Korps Maréchaussee van Atjeh en Onderhorigen during 1940–1942, and one of the two Maréchaussee divisions (together with the IIIde Divisie) assigned to the central-Atjeh three-position defence of the Bireuën–Takengon road in mid-March 1942. In the Dutch staff history’s account (Deel VI, Hoofdstuk V), the Vde Divisie is the staff history’s principal narrative unit of the third stelling at Bireuën–Takengon — the stelling held under Captain Boucherie — and of the guerrilla conducted by the Vde Divisie’s detached brigade under Lt Meulders.

Organisation as of 1 January 1940

As of 1 January 1940, the Vde Divisie Marechaussee was grouped as follows (each brigade of Maréchaussee numbering 20 men):

Total: 12 brigades (about 240 men).

Operations of March 1942

In the 1940–1941 reorganisations, the 12 Maréchaussee brigades previously stationed at the outposts of Lho Soekoen (5 brigades), Paja Bakong (4 brigades) and Panton Laboe (3 brigades) were likewise assigned a defensive task, namely the protection of the demolition works at the oil installations in the vicinity of Koeala Simpang.

In Palmer van den Broek’s three-position defence of the Bireuën–Takengon road, the Vde Divisie supplied the troops of the third stelling (four brigades under Captain Boucherie as Vde divisie commander). The Vde Divisie’s detached brigade under Lt Meulders conducted the staff history’s principal Dutch diversionary manoeuvre of the central-Atjeh theatre — a two-week guerrilla in the terrain north-west of the Bireuën–Takengon road, twice attacking marching Japanese with klewang charges and inflicting dozens of killed, before Meulders’s capture and execution together with sergeant Kerrebijn.

The Vde Divisie’s troops at Panton Laboe were commanded by Lt Westerweel, who on the night of 11–12 March 12 March 1942 was the first Dutch officer to report the approach of the Japanese invasion fleet off Idi.

Significance

The Vde Divisie is, in the staff history’s Atjeh chapter, the staff history’s principal narrative unit of the third stelling at Bireuën–Takengon and of the Meulders guerrilla — the formation whose troops conducted the staff history’s principal Dutch diversionary manoeuvre of the central-Atjeh theatre, and whose capture and execution of Lt Meulders and sergeant Kerrebijn is the staff history’s clearest single instance of Japanese summary execution of Dutch Maréchaussee officers captured in the field after capitulation.

See Also

Source

Nederlands-Indië contra Japan, Deel VI: De strijd op Ambon, Timor en Sumatra, bewerkt door C. van den Hoogenband en L. Schotborgh (‘s-Gravenhage: Staatsdrukkerij- en Uitgeverijbedrijf, 1959), Hoofdstuk V (“De strijd in Noord-Sumatra (Atjeh)”), pp. 114–150.

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