8th Infantry Battalion was an active combat infantry battalion of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army that served in the Aceh War during the campaigns of 1873 to 1876, operating under the command of Overste Engel during General Pel’s Campaign in Aceh.
Strength and Deployment
As recorded on 26 December 1875, the battalion comprised 18 European officers, 291 European rank-and-file, and 182 indigenous soldiers, totaling 491 men assigned to the Left Division in Aceh.
Combat in the IV Moekims
During late December 1875 and January 1876, one company of the 8th Infantry Battalion joined Lieutenant Colonel Meijer’s column during the Crossing of Blankala Pass into the IV Moekims. By 30 January 1876, the entire battalion under Overste Engel was deployed in mobile field columns around Pekan Badak, engaging in continuous skirmishing against Acehnese defenders.
See Also
- Royal Netherlands East Indies Army
- Overste Engel
- Lieutenant Colonel Meijer
- General Pel’s Campaign in Aceh
- Crossing of Blankala Pass
Source
Atjeh gedurende de tweede expeditie en later, Een Oud Officier, Batavia: Ogilvie & Co., 1876, pp. 11-15.