A Million Marching Clogs [Netherlands 36]

[Vanguard44]

Because Volkskrieg decided not to work, this is just vanilla hoi3 with a lag reducing mod that someone made by editing the lua files. I forgot the name of that particular modder so if someone finds it then tell me and I'll give credit where credit is due.

This is going to be an attempt to keep the Netherlands roughly intact by what is essentially militia spam.

I apologise in advance if I butcher the language. I mean no harm by it, but I am terrible with foreign languages, so I will try keep as much as possible in English. No offence meant to one of my favourite European countries

So to begin;

A Million Marching Clogs​

Chapter List:
Chapter 2: The Question of the East Indies
Chapter 3: The Best Laid Plans of Dutchmen...
Chapter 4: To Arms!
Chapter 5: Your search - 'surrender' - did not match any documents. Did you mean 'Ik zal handhaven'?

Chapter 1: Introduction

The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a small state in Europe; stretching across the North Sea coast and bordering Belgium and Germany she has held for the past several decades a somewhat isolationist stance, refusing to take part in the Great War and acting so cautious as not to endanger her isolationism. From her overseas colonies in the Dutch East Indies and the Carribean she reaps great resources and as a classical European nation she maintains a strong technological and scientific base. However, all is not peaceful in the continent of Europe; Adolf Hitler's irredentist rhetoric threatens the peace of the continent, as fascist dictatorships rise in Hungary and Bulgaria and the master fascist Mussolini plots his domination of the Mediterranean. With Britain and France silent and stuck in a quagmire of economic trouble and an isolationist population, the people of the Kingdom are uncertain of their future.

In 1930, with the onset of a world depression, the Dutch Government hired a reluctant Ludwig von Mises as an economic advisor to the Government. Dutch Liberals, having circulated amongst themselves a translated copy of Mises's Liberalism, published in 1927 and translated by a Dutch free market activist in 1928. Having successfully predicted the manner of the global depression, Mises joined the Dutch Government in 1930 and by 1931 the Dutch guilder had ceased to be suspended from convertibility to gold and had been fully returned to the Gold standard by 1932. Under the watchful eye of Mises, the Dutch economy became the envy of the minor European states. The wealth of the Kingdom would be the starting point for Dutch politicians to gain the confidence to announce their defence plans while the rest of the free world was still trying to scrape together two pennies for a division of riflemen. And the influence of classical Liberalism on the Dutch people in the formative years of the early 30s would provide the manpower for the People's Army that would later characterise the Dutch Kingdom as a nation ready for its defence.

Ludwig von Mises, 1933​

Nonetheless, the early years of the 30s were peaceful. With Hitler's rhetoric not yet in full flow, many European nations believed the great tyrant could be appeased. In the Netherlands, the ARP began in late 1935 its proposition for a "People's Army" of half a million reservist conscripts. Conscription met with fierce resistance from all quarters of the population and the debate in Parliament dragged on for months. On February 20th, Hendrikus Colijn prayed before sleeping that the Parliamentary vote on the Bill timetabled for the next day would, by some miracle, pass. As he awoke for breakfast on the 21st, he opened his morning newspaper to read that Germany had remilitarised the Rhineland. On February 21st the Dutch Parliament authorised the creation of the Dutch People's Army. While the major powers of Europe scrambled to make appeasing statements, the Netherlands began re-arming in full. Their programme was not one of tanks and planes and battleships, but of a People's Army; for the fortification of every small town and village by the people of the Netherlands themselves.

In 1936 the M1 Garand was adopted by the militia forces of the Dutch Kingdom and production began en-masse, with the initial contract for 1,000,000 rifles over 3 years being signed in March 36 and the first units being imported in April of that year, with a contract for factories to be moved to the Netherlands, where production was easier and cheaper due to economic policy, signed in June. The Dutch Rifle Division consisted of three Reserve Rifle Brigades and two battalions of artillery.

A headsup comparison of a Dutch People's Army Rifle Division (3. DVH Fusilier-Divisie) and a Wehrmacht Infantry Division (2. Infanterie-Division)​

The Defence Plan of 1936 called for the construction of fifty-two of these divisions by 1938, to be organised into thirteen square corps. The original standing Dutch Army was to be disbanded and the troops in it spread around for the purposes of training and the establishment of cadres. With Germany re-arming and Japan making threats southwards, the creation of the Dutch People's Army would have to be accelerated. And on June 20th of 1936, a bomb attack against the Dutch Army barracks in Batavia would lead to totally unforeseen consequences. The very survival of the Kingdom would depend on the path that the country would take in the next short few years.

 

[unmerged(155676)]

sounds like an ambitious plan.... I look forward to seeing if it works

 

[unmerged(171833)]

Wow, that sounds pretty intresting, i wonder if Germany wil DOW you at all.....:rofl:
If they do, good luck

 

[General War]

Sounds very interesting... A bunch of Dutch militia against German panzers...
If it comes to that.

 

[Vanguard44]

Chapter 2: The Question of the East Indies

The largest Dutch colony, and a premier producer of rare materials and oil spanned across fourteen thousand islands in South East Asia. Her population consisted of 300 ethnic groups, practising dozens of religions from Animism to Islam, working from rice paddies to oil refineries to banks. Since that fateful day in 1936, however, the independence movement of the East Indies, led primarily from Java but with elements in Sumatra, Bali and Borneo, had waged some form of guerilla warfare against their Dutch masters. Attacking Government and commercial targets, they had put immense strain on the Dutch Empire at a time when the Dutch were schedule to withdraw troops from the East Indies.

The Netherlands could never hope to hold a nation of three hundred million. She had not the resources of the British or the French and as long as Dutch commercial and industrial interests were secure, the Dutch were largely not opposed to letting the East Indies go, aware of the new threat to their direct East. However, the Netherlands could never withdraw immediately and let chaos reign in Indonesia; it would not suffice for her morals or for her international standing. And so the Dutch Army in the East Indies launched its final campaign. Six thousand troops of the Java Division launched their last assault on the Javan Liberation Army at the Battle of Cirebon, where some fifteen thousand rebels were advancing up the coast and gathering assistance with every step. They drove the rebels into the jungle and the following two week campaign was rated a high success, capturing over three thousand and killing twice that number of the rebels. Across the East Indies the security forces in their limited capacity made hundreds of arrests and charged a great many individuals with conspiring to overthrow the Dutch Crown.

With their position now politically strong, the Dutch prepared to end the year long insurgency and political trouble before it took up any more resources desperately needed at home. On 15th July, Indonesia became nominally independent under a puppet Government which would ensure that Dutch economic interests lay untouched, while ostensibly providing freedom for the long-oppressed people of Indonesia. On 1st August, 1937, the last Dutch troops left the East Indies. The following weeks would see Britain and her Commonwealth, France, America, Germany, Belgium, and assorted Scandinavian and South American nations recognise the Republic. Only the USSR and Japan formally refused, claiming Dutch capitalist domination remained, and that Indonesia was still a puppet of the Europeans, respectively. The actual position, however, had changed little. The Dutch could still base ships and troops in Indonesia; they still received great quantities of resources from that country, and Wilhelmina was still the Indonesian Head of State. Few countries in the history of the world had been given less autonomy than the Republic of Indonesia while still claiming to be independent.

'Independent' Indonesia​

 

[Vanguard44]

Thanks for all your messages of support. Not much is going to happen until the Nazis do invade but I'm hoping to post tidbits of what the Dutch are up to until that does happen, but I think if war comes it will be possible to do an update for every ingame week or even every ingame day (lightning war indeed.) If anyone wants me to make a post on anything particular please request it.

 

[Myth]

Hehe, a good plan for your attempt to secure the Netherlands. If there's anything that can save them, it's a militia spam.

 

[unmerged(171833)]

exellent idea to let indonesia go, i was thinking what you would do with the KNIL (Koningklijk Nederlands Indisch-Leger). (Royal Dutch-Indonesian Army)

 

[delra]

exellent idea to let indonesia go, i was thinking what you would do with the KNIL (Koningklijk Nederlands Indisch-Leger). (Royal Dutch-Indonesian Army)

But releasing Indonesia also means taht if you lose Netherlands themselves you will have nothing else left. :-|

 

[Fuhrab]

Subscribed! Best of luck!

 

[SgtPepper20]

Hmmm, I don't know if I can agree as a dutchman with your decision to give independence to the realm of 'Insulinde'. The colonies must be protected against the Japanese agression.

Well you have me subscribed, it will be interesting how you'll defend my country.

 

[unmerged(34917)]

also build some Fokker DXXI's, pretty good plane in its time. Perhaps you can harass the Luftwaffe a bit

 

[oddman]

Just playing the poor Dutch gets you instant fans from Cheesehead-land, it seems
Well, good luck to you, sir. I doubt, though, whether mass manpower will suffice to hold off the Germans. We will see, though, we will see.

 

[Vanguard44]

Currently dealing with a massive hangover (fuck you student union) but will hopefully be able to throw up a post later today. However, would you people prefer:
1. A fluff post sometime in late 1937
2. Cutting to the chase and a proper post at Anschluss?

 

[unmerged(32135)]

Ah... 'Throwing up' a post, is it? I wonder, was that intentional?

I prefer one or more update posts. Are you producing enough militia? Which armies will defend which areas? Did you bother with AA? That sort of thing.

Good luck recovering and surviving the German onslaught!

-- Beppo

 

[Vanguard44]

Ah... 'Throwing up' a post, is it? I wonder, was that intentional?

I prefer one or more update posts. Are you producing enough militia? Which armies will defend which areas? Did you bother with AA? That sort of thing.

Ok, good idea.

Also that was unintentional. Anything that reminds me of last night is a no go

 

[Vanguard44]

Chapter 3: The Best Laid Plans of Dutchmen...

Since the conception of the Dutch People's Army and the gearing for war that the Netherlands had undertaken, the Dutch Army Command had drafted up dozens and dozens of plans, ranging from suggestions of offensives into the Helgoland and into Bremerhaven, to a "fortress Amsterdam" scenario. In the end, a much more moderate approach to defending the country was adopted: Defence Plan 22. Defence Plan 22 called for a reduced number of divisions; some forty militia formations and three or four regular army divisions, bolstered by KNIL troops, to contest bitterly the South of the country and the roads to Amsterdam and to hold only the necessary ground in the North of the country. Two army groups, Upper and Lower DVH Army respectively, would undertake this mission with limited assistance from what might become the Dutch airforce.

Nobody could ignore the mass armoured formations that Germany had been practising with and which had impressed many a European leader on their visits to Berlin, and it would take a particularly ignorant head of intelligence to fail to observe the workings of the Condor Legion in Spain, particularly the mass bombing efforts. It had become clear to the Dutch Army Command that any German invasion of their country would be a combined arms effort, involving large amounts of tanks, aircraft, and mounted infantry. To counter this, Defence Plan 22 planned to hold the least amount of ground necessary and to cluster as many formations together as possible. This would avoid German armoured spearheads surrounding entire divisions and destroying them piecemeal. Particular attention was paid to noticing areas of ground which made for easy movement for tanks and undertaking artillery and anti-tank exercises there.

Local DVH artillery cadres became experts at their terrain, but they also became experts at understanding the best tactics to defeat armoured vehicles. Firstly, it was important to understand where tanks and motorised forces would go. The main roads were of equal importance to less-paved areas of the country which were still capable of allowing passage to tracked vehicles. Dutch doctrine in the early years of the DVH warned of 'situational awareness'; that is, to cover one's back and be aware of enemy movements. The militia trained at tracking, reconnaissance, and ambush. Armed with only primitive anti-tank weapons, they hoped that keeping their heads 'in the game', so to speak, and not allowing them to become both tactically and strategically confused in the heat of battle would allow them to keep their advantage.

The DVH took every precaution to ensure that the only way the Germans could fight the Dutch in any potential scenario was bayonet to bayonet.

Strategically, Dutch doctrine did recognise that at some point, withdrawals would need to be made. They exercised the use of low-flying civilian aircraft to plot areas which were safe to move, and most importantly, practised in the transmission of radio. Signals became vitally important. Because there was so much ground to cover, brigades on the flanks of Corps territory were trained to be able to move quickly and efficiently to combat zones to plug any gaps. In the event of war, given enough warning, Defence Plan 22 allowed for significant mobility in all levels of hierarchy: essentially, the defence was static in all but name. Mobility gave three advantages; firstly, it allowed for more ground to be covered by less troops; secondly, it allowed the maximisation of firepower in a given area; and thirdly, it gave the impression of a larger force, which could be intimidating for any German armoured commander who might well be dissuaded from moving into a wasps nest.

Theoretically, of course.

Defence Plan 22: (Fullsize)​

Politically, the Dutch made their plans for a one on one fight with Germany, expecting nobody to come to their aid if it came to that, or that if they were to fight with allies, the British and French would be quite capable of shoring up the Belgian and French borders with Germany. On its own, the Netherlands never expected to be able to throw the Wehrmacht back across the border, but simply to inflict upon them casualties great enough to allow the Germans to offer a peace deal that would ensure Dutch independence, and to hold the enemy for a time long enough that would allow the League of Nations time to issue sanctions or more.

Because of Defence Plan 22's reduced manpower requests, it was thought that the plan could be completed by mid 1938. In early 1937, the Army Aviation Group, the Luchtvaartafdeeling, flying only civilian reconnaissance and signals aircraft, was promised that by 1939 she would have her own fighter aircraft, either of Dutch design or licensed from Anglosphere countries. 101 Squadron's Fokker D.XVII aircraft would begin rolling out of the assembly lines in 1938. Nonetheless, the Dutch Government still believed that if Germany was to make war on Europe once again, it would be no earlier than 1942.

 

[unmerged(34917)]

Good post, i really wonder what will happen when war starts.

 

[Vanguard44]

I want to write two posts for 1938, which I have almost finished playing ingame. Expect one to come later tonight and the next tomorrow. War posts will hopefully come on monday if not earlier.

 

[Veldmaarschalk]

Just a minor nit-pick

3. DVH Geweer-Divisie

Though 'rifle' = 'geweer' in Dutch, a division would never be called a 'Geweer-Divisie'. In Dutch military language it would be called a 'Fusilier-Divisie' or 'Tirailleur-Divisie' or if you want a fully Dutch name, it would be 'Schutters-Divisie'.