The following is a list of Dutch military equipment of World War II which includes artillery, vehicles and vessels. World War II was a global war that began in 1939 and ended in 1945. On 10 May 1940, Nazi Germany, which aimed to dominate Europe, invaded the Netherlands and occupied the entire country by 17 May. By 12 March 1942 the Dutch mainland and all their major colonies were controlled by Germans and Japanese. Dutch power was not restored until final Axis collapse in 1945. This list covers the equipment of armed elements centered on Royal Netherlands Army and Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, but not the Free Dutch Forces, which was equipped mainly by the Western Allies.
| Model | Blade length | From: | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sabre M.1912 | variable | - | officers sword | |
| Klewang (sword) | 62,5 cm | 1898 | officers, NCOs | |
| Fighting knife M.17 | 20,5 cm | 1917 | front units | |
| M.95 bayonet | 24.5 cm | 1896 | fitted on Dutch Mannlicher rifles and carbines |
| Type | Base model | Maker | Rounds | Cartridge | From: | Produced | Weight | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | .32 ACP (7.94×25mm) | 1910 | ? | 0.59 kg | semi-automatic | ||||
| FN and Colt Firearms | 8 | .380 ACP (9×17mm) | 1925 | ? | 0.7 kg | semi-automatic | |||
| Browning Hi-Power | P35 | FN and Browning | 10 | 7.65×21mm Parabellum | 1935 | 1.500.000 | 1 kg | semi-automatic | |
| 6 | 9,4mmR No. 5 (9.4mm) | 1873 | ? | 1.04 kg | for support units | ||||
| 10 | 7.63×25mm Mauser | 1899 | ? | 1.13 kg | Dutch East Indies only | ||||
| Borchhardt-Luger | Luger P08 | DWM, Mauser | 8 | 9×19mm Parabellum | 1898 | 3.000.000 | 0.871 kg | Dutch East Indies only |
| Type | Base model | Maker | Rounds | Cartridge | From: | Produced | Weight | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 1939 | 2420 | 4.18 kg | sergeant weapon in single cavalry regiment in Dutch East Indies[1] | |||||
| Thompson submachine gun M1928 | Savage Arms and others | 50(extended mags) | .45 ACP (11.43×23mm) | 1942 | 2000 | 4.9 kg | Only in Dutch colonies, some may have not been delivered [2] |
| Type | Base model | Maker | Rounds | Cartridge | From: | Produced | Weight | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1896 | 470000 | 3.95 kg | also 8 derived carbine models | |||||
| Iver Johnson, FMA | 10 | 1941 | ~1000 | 4.31 kg | only in Dutch East Indies |
| Grenade | Introduced | Type | Weight, g | comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eihandgranaat No.1 | ? | fragmentation | 600 | used by Germans as "handgranate 312 (h)" | |
| Eihandgranaat No.2 | ? | fragmentation | 765 | imported Mills No. 23, rod-type rifle launcher | |
| Eihandgranaat No.3 | ? | concussion | 215 | used by Germans | |
| Hexiet Rookhandgranaat | ? | smoke | 500 | used by Germans as "333(h)" | |
| Gashandgranaat | ? | tear gas | ~800 | ||
| Ronde handgranaat | 1906 | fragmentation | 1065 | colonial army only | |
| Geweergranaat | 1915 | concussion | ~420 | colonial army only, hand-thrown version of Veldhandgranaat | |
| Veldhandgranaat | 1917 | fragmentation | 650 | long handle, colonial army only | |
| Offensieve handgranaat No.2 | 1928 | concussion | 650 | paper&wood body, colonial army only, imported from USA | |
| 1941 | concussion | 310 | paper&steel body, colonial army only |
The Dutch army in 1940 was in the process of converting their machine guns to the unique 7.92×57mm rimmed cartridge.[3] Exact numbers of machine guns converted is unknown.
| Gun | Fire rate, RPM | Effective range | Cartridge | From: | Produced | Weight | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis gun M.20 | 550 | 800 | 6.5×53mmR and 7.92×57mmR | 1917 | 9500 | 13 kg | occasional AA gun | |
| 475 | 2000 | .303 British (7.7×56mmR) and 7.92×57mmR | 1912 | 300 | 23 kg | occasional AA gun,basis for aircraft guns | ||
| MG 08 Spandau heavy machine gun (M.25) | 475 | 2000 | 1908 | 452 | 69 kg | occasional AA gun, obsolescent | ||
| Schwarzlose MG M.07/12 heavy machine gun (M.8) | 490 | 1300 | 1905 | 2248 | 41.4 kg | |||
| Madsen machine gun Geweermitrailleur | 450 | 1915 | 9.2 kg | Only in the Dutch East Indies. | ||||
| Madsen machine gun Karabijnmitrailleur | 450 | 1926 | 8.4 kg | Only in the Dutch East Indies, shortened variant. |
| Model | Caliber | Max. range | From | Produced | Weight, kg | fire rate, RPM | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krupp 7.5 cm Model 1903 (7-veld) | 75mm | 6000 | 1904 | 304 | 1079 | 8 | partly license-built or upgraded to Siderius Model 02/04 | |
| 8 cm staal | 84mm | 3500 | 1878 | 108 | 1517 | 2.5 | ||
| 12 cm Lang staal | 120mm | 8500 | 1878 | 158 | 3450 | 1.5 | former fortress gun, upgraded in the 1920s | |
| 15cm Krupp heavy field gun | 150mm | 8800 | 1878 | 72 | 4700 | 1 | former fortress gun, upgraded in the 1920s | |
| 10.5 cm Cannon Model 1927 (10-veld) | 105mm | 16500 | 1926 | 52 | 3650 | 7 | ||
| Krupp 105mm field gun L30 M1905 | 105mm | 9250 | 1912 | 2 | 2835 | 6 | ||
| 120 mm Krupp howitzer M1905 (12 lang 12) | 120mm | 5800 | 1912 | 50 | 1125 | 2 | ||
| 105mm | 10675 | 1939 | 8 | 1985 | 5 | imported, training-only | ||
| Bofors 12 cm M. 14 (12 lang 14) | 120mm | 6050 | 1918 | 10 | 1610 | 3 | ||
| BL 6-inch 30 cwt howitzer (15 lang 15) | 152.4mm | 8400 | 1918 | 30 | 3690 | 2 | only extended-range version | |
| 15 cm sFH 13 (15 lang 17) | 149.1mm | 8600 | 1918 | 44 | 2250 | 3 | World War I war reparations from Germany |
See [4] for geographic distribution of coastal defenses and fortresses in continental Netherlands.The listing below do include both army and land-based Navy weapons, but do not include 47mm guns, which are counted as anti-tank guns.
| Model | Caliber | Penetration 1 | Penetration 2 | Muzzle speed | Max. range | From | Produced | Weight, kg | fire rate, RPM | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47mm | 58mm@100m | 43mm@500m | 630 | 7000 | 1935 | 380 | 315 | 5 | also very effective as infantry gun | ||
| HIH Siderius 47mm casemate gun | 47mm | 50mm@1000m | 750 | 2500 | 1931 | 8 | 1300 | 18 | semi-automatic[6] | ||
| Artillerie Inrichtingen 47mm casemate gun | 47mm | 50mm@1000m | 750 | 2500 | 1932 | 60 | 1300 | 9 | low-cost alternative to Siderius gun |
| Model | Caliber | Eff. alt. | From | Produced | Weight, kg | fire rate, RPM | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MG 08 Spandau heavy machine gun (M.25) | 7.92mm | 1300 | 1908 | 452 | 69 | 475 | obsolescent, also infantry heavy machine gun | |
| Vickers machine gun (M.18) | 7.7mm | 1300 | 1912 | 300 | 23 | 475 | also infantry heavy machine gun | |
| Bofors 40 mm gun L/60 (4 tl) | 40mm | 4100 | 1932 | 46 | 1981 | 120 | light/medium AA gun | |
| 3.7 cm Flak 18/36/37/43 L/57 | 37mm | 4200 | 1936 | 3 | 2000 | 150 | no ammunition during war | |
| Oerlikon 20 mm cannon L/70 (2 tl. No.1) | 20mm | 1300 | 1939 | 120 | 363 | 285 | planned main light AA gun | |
| Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/77 (Scotti) (2 tl. No.2) | 20mm | 914 | 1939 | 35 | 227.5 | 250 | substitute for Oerlikon gun | |
| 20mm | 1100 | 1939 | 30 | ~400 | 700 | probably too lightly build barrel resulting in poor accuracy |
| Model | Caliber | Eff. alt. | From | Produced | Weight, kg | fire rate, RPM | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krupp gun 6 tl | 57mm | 2500 | 1916 | 21 | 7180 | 3 | obsolescent | |
| Krupp gun 7 tl | 75mm | 3300 | 1916 | 15 | 7980 | 5 | obsolescent | |
| QF 3-inch 20 cwt (8 tl) | 76.2mm | 3750 | 1917 | 3 | 5990 | 17 | ||
| Krupp gun (10 tl) | 94mm | 6800 | 1925 | 3 | ~10000 | 7.5 | may be prototypes related to QF 3.7-inch AA gun development | |
| Vickers Model 1931 (7.5 tl no.1) | 75mm | 8500 | 1935 | 81 | 2825 | 12 | partially license-built, had a fire-control mechanical computer | |
| Skoda AA gun (7.5 tl no.2) | 75mm | 6500 | 1940 | 9 | 4200 | 25 | model unclear |
Carden Loyd Mk IV tankette - 5 tankettes used in Battle of the Netherlands
| Vehicle | Developed | Produced | Armament | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L181 (M-36) | 1936 | 12 | 37mm Bofors cannon and 3x 7.92mm Lewis machine gun | |
| L180 (M-38) | 1938 | 14 | 37mm Bofors cannon and 3x 7.92mm Lewis machine gun | |
| M39 Pantserwagen | 1939 | 12 | 37mm Bofors cannon and 3x 7.92mm Lewis machine gun | |
| Ehrhardt Potkachel[7] | 1918 | 1 | 57mm Krupp gun 6tl | |
| Alvis Strausser AC3D[8] | 1938 | 12 | a 12.7 mm Colt-Browning MG in the turret and a 6.5 mm Vickers machine gun on the left of the driver | |
| M3A1 Scout Car | 1941 | 40 | two .30-caliber M1919 Browning machine gun and one .50-caliber M2 Browning machine gun | |
| GMC 'Kippenhok'[9] | 1931 | 3 | three 6.5mm lewis m20 machine guns | |
| Morris Wijnman 'Koekblik'[10] | 1932 | 3 | Space for up to four 6.5mm lewis m20 machine guns | |
| Wilton-Fijenoord[11] | 1933 | 3 | three 6.5mm Lewis m20 machine guns | |
| Overvalwagen[12] | 1940 | 90 | different versions had different armament |
All numbers are for European part of Dutch armed forces.
See also: List of ships of the Second World War.
At the moment of the German attack on 10 May 1940 the Dutch European Navy consisted of 50 vessels:
Also, 31 various vessels were under construction. Of these, 6 were eventually completed in England and 21 in Nazi Germany.
Present in the Dutch West Indies was the sloop Van Kinsbergen.
Destroyed or scuttled during Battle of the Netherlands:
Escaped to England during Battle of the Netherlands:
Captured by the Germans:
At the time of Japanese attack on 7 December 1941, the Dutch Navy in the East Indies comprised 78 vessels. Most of them were destroyed defending Java island:
Task Force One (Doorman; off Paternoster Island)
Task Force Two (Sunda Strait en route Singapore)
NEI Submarine Flotilla (at Surabaya)
Submarine Division 1
Submarine Division 2
Submarine Division 3
Submarine Division 4
Mine Service (at Surabaya)
Minesweeper Division 3
Minesweeper Division 4 (at Surabaya)
Torpedo Division (at Surabaya)
The Dutch before war have an extensive aircraft industry, but most of the aircraft produced were exported and not counted here.
| Name | Place of manufacture | Primary role(s) |
|
| years in use | comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fokker D.XXI | Dutch | fighter | 36 | 0 | 1936-1940 | ||
| Curtiss P-6 Hawk | Dutch (license) | fighter | 0 | 11 | 1930-1942 | also 3 P-6 were destroyed before war | |
| Curtiss H-75 Hawk (export Curtiss P-36) | US | fighter | 0 | 24 | 1940-1942 | model Hawk 75A-7 | |
| Brewster B339 (F2A-2 Buffalo) | US | fighter | 0 | 71 | 1941-1942 | ||
| Fokker D.XXIII | Dutch | fighter | 1 | 0 | 1939-1940 | tandem engines, prototype under test at outbreak of war | |
| Fokker D.XVII | Dutch | fighter/trainer | 7 | 0 | 1932-1940 | 2 of 7 destroyed on ground at beginning of war | |
| Fokker G.I | Dutch | heavy fighter | 35 | 0 | 1937-1940 | also 1 Fokker G.I destroyed before war | |
| Fokker G.I(export version) | Dutch | heavy fighter | 6 | 0 | 1940-1940 | 24 were produced, but refit was not finished in time | |
| Fokker T.V | Dutch | bomber | 15 | 0 | 1938-1940 | also 1 Fokker T.V destroyed before war | |
| Fokker C.V | Dutch | bomber/reconnaissance | 28 | 0 | 1924-1940 | only 28 of 67 were operational at start of war | |
| Fokker C.VIII | Dutch | reconnaissance | 1 | 0 | 1928-1940 | land-version (prototype) of seaplane Fokker C.VIII-W) | |
| Fokker C.VIII-W | Dutch | Maritime patrol | 9 | 0 | 1928-1940 | 5 of 9 fled to England and were scrapped immediately | |
| Fokker C.X | Dutch | bomber/reconnaissance/trainer | 20 | 13 | 1933-1942 | ||
| Koolhoven F.K.51 | Dutch | trainer/reconnaissance | 83 | 38 | 1935-1942 | ||
| Koolhoven F.K.52 | Dutch | fighter/reconnaissance | 5 | 0 | 1937-1940 | also 1 aircraft lost before war | |
| Koolhoven F.K.58 | Dutch | fighter | 18 | 0 | 1938-1940 | manned by Poles, fought for France (not in Dutch army) | |
| Fokker S.IX | Dutch | trainer | 50 | 0 | 1935-1942 | some escaped to England and were scrapped immediately | |
| Bücker Bü 131 | Germany | trainer | 0 | ? | 1935-1942 | ||
| Curtiss-Wright CW-21B | US | interceptor | 0 | 24 | 1942-1942 | 17 ready at start of Japanese attack | |
| Dornier Do J Wal | Dutch (license) | Maritime patrol | 1 | 5 | 1937-1942 | most were already scrapped at outbreak of war | |
| Dornier Do 24 | Dutch (license) | maritime patrol | 0 | 37 | 1937-1942 | replacement for Dornier Wal, imported and license-produced in Netherlands. | |
| Fokker T.IVa | Dutch | Maritime patrol/torpedo bomber | 0 | 33 | 1927-1942 | ||
| Fokker C.XI | Dutch | scout seaplane | 4 | 10 | 1935-1942 | operated from Dutch cruisers and destroyers | |
| Fokker C.VII | Dutch | seaplane trainer | 0 | 12 | 1927-1942 | 30 were produced, but 18 in Europe retired before war | |
| Fokker C.XIV-W | Dutch | trainer/Maritime patrol | 13 | 11 | 1927-1942 | 12 were transferred from Europe to Dutch East Indies after war in Europe was lost | |
| Fokker F.XVIII | Dutch | airliner/Maritime patrol | 0 | 5 | 1940-1942 | stop-gap ASW aircraft, later reverted to airliner | |
| Fokker T.VIII | Dutch | Maritime patrol | 11 | 0 | 1938-1940 | some aircraft escaped to England and many captured by Germans | |
| Consolidated PBY Catalina | US | Maritime patrol | 0 | 48 | 1935-1942 | 36 Consolidated 28-5 (export PBY-5) and 12 PBY-5A | |
| Martin 139 (export B-10) | US | Bomber | 0 | 121 | 1938-1945 | Pre-WW2 bomber in Dutch possession | |
| Fokker T.IX | Dutch | Bomber | 1 | 0 | 1939-1940 | prototype being repaired at outbreak of war |