H. Bendien

Properties2
tagsperson, dutch, colonial, military
aliasesH. Bendien

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H. Bendien — Luitenant-Kolonel der Infanterie — was, in Kruisheer’s ATJEH ‘96, a Dutch field commander who served as commander of the 6e Bataljon (2 companies) in Stemfoort’s relief column of 8 April 1896 and as commander of the 9e Bataljon in subsequent operations. Bendien’s command record in the spring of 1896 — multiple columns including the 10 April reconnaissance, the 2e Colonne on 14 April 1896, the Zuidercolonne on 20 April 1896, the reserve colonne on 17 April 1896, the demonstration in the XIII Moekims Toengkoeb on 30 April 1896, and the second tocht to XIII Moekims Toengkoeb on 4 May 1896 — made him one of the most continuously active Dutch luitenant-kolonels of the spring operations, and his progression from the 6e to the 9e Bataljon reflects the operational reorganisation which followed the defection of Teuku Umar.

The 6e Bataljon and the Relief of Biloel and Lamkoenjit

Bendien’s first command in ATJEH ‘96 is as commander of the 6e Bataljon (2 companies) in Stemfoort’s relief column of 8 April 1896 — the multi-column operation which broke the sieges of Biloel (under Kapitein Van der Wedden) and Lamkoenjit (under 1e Luit. Creutz Lechleitner). The 6e Bataljon’s strength in the column was 10 officers and 170 European and 135 native ranks — a substantial contribution to a multi-battalion relief force which also included the 3e Bataljon, 9e Bataljon, 12e Bataljon and 14e Bataljon. Bendien’s role in the relief operation was followed by his command of the 10 April reconnaissance — a patrol operation under his personal command which included Kapitein v. d. Meer Mohr’s 4e compagnie of the 9e Bataljon as voorhoede and Kapitein Koedijk’s 2e compagnie of the 9e Bataljon — which sustained some casualties, including the wounding of Off. van Gesondheid 2e kl. Coster and the death of inl. korporaal Sarijo, No. 22228. The reconnaissance established the operational pattern which Bendien would follow through April and May: aggressive patrolling combined with multi-column tuchtiging operations.

The 9e Bataljon and the April–May Operations

Bendien’s subsequent commands in April and May 1896 demonstrate the operational reorganisation which followed the relief of Biloel and Lamkoenjit. He commanded the 2e Colonne on 14 April 1896 — the tuchtiging against Toekoe Hoesin Lhongbatta’s residence at Lam Goet which included the 6e Bataljon under Maj. Okhuyzen and which produced the storming of the Lam Goet fortification and the destruction of an iron 9 cm cannon with dynamite. He commanded the Zuidercolonne on 20 April 1896 — the multi-colonne operation which completed the wholesale evacuation of the Dutch buitenlinie — and the reserve colonne on 17 April 1896 (the Senelop operation under Van Heutsz). His progression to the command of the 9e Bataljon — the same battalion which had arrived with Vetter on 7 April 1896 aboard the Carpentier — reflects the operational reshuffling which placed Bendien at the head of one of the principal Dutch infantry battalions of the spring operations. His demonstration in the XIII Moekims Toengkoeb on 30 April 1896 and his second tocht to XIII Moekims Toengkoeb on 4 May 1896 — both directed against the territory of T. Tjoet Toengkoeb — were the principal April–May operations in the eastern sector, and they included Kapitein De Moulin’s 1e compagnie of the 9e Bataljon as voorhoede on 30 April 1896 and 1e Luit. Vis’s 6 brigades maréchaussée on 4 May 1896.

Significance

Bendien’s significance in ATJEH ‘96 lies in his embodiment of the luitenant-kolonel whose command record spans the full operational arc of the spring of 1896 — from the relief of Biloel and Lamkoenjit on 8 April to the second tocht to XIII Moekims Toengkoeb on 4 May. His progression from the 6e Bataljon to the 9e Bataljon reflects the operational reorganisation which followed the defection crisis, and his multiple column commands — including the tuchtiging of Lam Goet on 14 April, the Zuidercolonne on 20 April, the reserve colonne on 17 April, and the 30 April and 4 May expeditions to XIII Moekims Toengkoeb — gave him an unusually broad exposure to the operational landscape of the spring.

See Also

Source

ATJEH ‘96, door A. Kruisheer, Kapitein der Infanterie O.I.L., met 2 kaarten en 4 portretten (Weltevreden: N.V. Boekhandel Visser & Co, 1913). Instituut Kern, Leiden. OCR-filename: 20260715_163243_DLP-89-Atjeh_96_Met_2_kaarten_en4_DOORA_KRUISHEER_Kapiteinder_Infanterie_nemoretriever-ocr-v1_OCR.txt, pp. 60, 72, 77, 84, 114, 120, 146, 158.

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