you all probably dont give a shit but does anyone know a tool to log back into an instagram account? I stupidly lost my login password. I appreciate any help you can offer me
@Jedidiah Elijah i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and I'm trying it out now. I see it takes quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
I was told that my great grandfather was KNIL. He was a Javanese, sent to and stationed in Sumatra, and met my great grandmother, a Minangnese. They gave birth to my grandmother in Bengkulu, which she eventually met my grandfather. And I think my grandfather was a part of Japanese propaganda PETA army, which then dissolved to the Indonesian national army, which in turns fought in revolution war against the Dutch reoccupation. He was awarded "Bintang Geriliya" (Guerilla Heroes Medalion) by the President Soekarno, and he served several other years in Indonesian army until 1960-something. He was buried in the Cemeteries of Heroes because of his award. So in my bloodline, I am both colonialist pribumi and nationalist. lol
That's extremely typical, actually. Thousands of native KNIL troopers took the offer to switch sides after the Japanese conquest in 1942 and formed the core of the officer and NCO corps of the pro-independence Indonesian army (not to mention affiliated militias) in 1945. Thousands more of KNIL members were assimilated into the TNI when they merged in 1949-50 (though this latter part was already mentioned in the video).
Enjoyed your series. My family is Dutch. My mother’s side was born and raised in Indonesia and worked for the company During Japanese occupant my mother, family were sent to POW camp . My mother father however was a bomber pilot (B-10 Martin) for the NEI . After the fall he was sent to the states to be retrained and came back to northern Australia to the 18NEI bomber squadron (B-25). He was killed (MIA) during the police action near the end of the war of independence. My grandmother never spoke about the war and for my mother not knowing her father has made me want to learn as much as I can. Thank you for taking the time to showing a unbiased point of view in your vid clips.
I love these channel because it's really open my mind! My grandfather was a soldier for Indonesian Army (TNI) and he said to me that he fought against the dutch when Indonesian National Revolution. He also did guerrilla war along with great general Soedirman if you know it. Well, what happened let it happen, let's think of it as a dark history of colonialism that we will never repeat. Long live good bilateral relationship between Indonesia-Netherland!
Another interesting fact is: African soldiers from Ghana (or back then the Gold Coast) also fought in the KNIL between 1831 and 1872 as the Dutch also owned Elmina in Ghana. Often these were slaves (n one occasion a prince, Kwasi Boachi) and after recruited they received a Dutch first and last name. After serving for the KNIL most stayed on Java, especially Semarang and Puworejo and intermarried with the local Javanese population. Their descendants look Javanese but are a bit darker with frizzy hair and they still carry their Dutch last name. The only documentary made about them is 'Vergeten Krijgers' (Forgotten Warriors) about the second generation Indo-Africans who fought in the WWII and ended up as prisoners of war building the Burma-Siam railways.
Very interesting to read, thanks for the comment. I always wondered what happened to these "black Dutchmen". I have to check out that documentary. You have family ties with Indonesia?
@@HistoryHustle ja, beide ouders zijn naar Nederland gekomen in de jaren 70/80. Thuis heb ik veel over geschiedenis gehoord, want mijn Indische oma is opgegroeid in een Japanse interneringskamp, is in Indonesië gebleven wanneer de meeste Indische Nederlanders repatrieerden naar Nederland, heeft de presidentschap van Soekarno en Soeharto meegemaakt, de coup van 1965, de opvolgende heksenjacht op communisten daarna en de invasie van Oost Timor. Uit de verhalen leer ik dat wreedheid geen bepaalde kleur of afkomst kent.
two of my great grandfathers were KNIL soldiers. They also served in Atjeh. My family members were really attached to the KNIL. We are from Minahassa/Manado.
@@HistoryHustle I live in Heidelberg, Germany now. Thanks for the video as well. Reminds me of my grandfathers' stories about our family. Oh, and the brother of my Grandfather served together with the Dutch army in Normandy during the WWII. The Minahassan people, according to my family stories, were quite pro Dutch. Even during the time of the Transfer of Sovereignty, Minahassa was about to be the 12th Province of the Netherlands, but unfortunately it didn't happen. You can probably make a research about this. Not many people would know this history, including the Indonesian people.
Jenry Elrich Cornelis Mandey according from indonesian history, soekarno said : all dutch colony is part of indonesia. So now all dutch colony are indonesia
In April 1942, following the final surrender of Dutch forces in the NEI, the Japanese released all native military personnel from prison camps. These included Indonesians, Filipinos and various other indigenous Asians formerly in colonial military services. The Japanese sought to validate their claim of liberating the Asian people from colonial rule. However, they did keep all native officers -- and both the Ambonese and Menadoese troops -- in POW camps. Their rational was that these troops were overwhelmingly christian, and therefore, too loyal to the Dutch cause to release. Thus, these troops remained in captivity until the end of the war. Indian troops in British service were also kept in POW camps, although the Japanese successfully recruited several thousand to serve in a nationalist Indian army formed (theoretically) to fight their British colonial masters.
Thank you. Please make note that there were 'Dutch' citizens, born and raised in Ned Indie, who joined the KNIL. Not only locals or men from mainland Holland. My grandfathers for example, both born and raised in Ned Indie, both joined the KNIL and Zeemacht as junior officers (KMA Bandung). And not only the men that fought in the KNIL were interned. Also all other 'Dutch' citizens (both my grandmas and the rest of the families). You ask why they would fight the politionele acties? Because to them it was their home. They have never been to Holland in their lives (maybe only for a leave or military knowledge trip). Than losing that and being interned again on ships to a cold, unwelcome Holland. The ashes of all my grandfathers and grandmothers is strewn now at the Indie Monument. And I tried to follow in their footsteps. First with joining the KL and now by immigrating to Canada.
@@HistoryHustle Unfortunately no, he had talked to his sister (my Grandmother) about it a little bit, but it was an awful experience for him (similar to America's Vietnam perhaps) I believe he probably had PTSD, but at the time he went undiagnosed. Now he and my grandma are all dead, so that information is gone. As government records become more available, perhaps someday I can find military papers released by the Dutch government
Hearing you pronounce "guerilla" has finally made me figure out why it is called "gerilya" in Indonesian while being pronounced "gerila" in Malay. It looks like Indonesian has preserved quite a bit of Dutch pronunciation in their loanwords while Malay preserved the English pronunciation.
hello, I'm Indonesian, I want to tell you a little, that in the past during the Dutch colonial period the army was divided into two, namely KNIL soldiers and PETA soldiers, KNIL soldiers who came from the Netherlands, and PETA soldiers from Indonesia who were taught by the Japanese at that time
I should advise you that a significant amount of the equipment used by the KNIL and the Dutch Army after WW2 was equipment left behind by the Canadians after the war and gifted to the Dutch. In return we got the Embassy in den Hague and the Canadian Residence in Wassenar
My grandfather was drafted during mobilization. He was sent to pow camp Kamioka in Japan to work in the tin and lead mines. He did not survive this ordeal and passed away on August 18th 1945.
Many Indonesian Military Founding Fathers were KNIL officer. Mr Oerip Soemohardjo is the one who ask the Revolutionary Government to develop Army to defend the independence. Mr AH Nasution one of our prominent military leader was KNIL Officer too. We could say that from KNIL we learn how to run an army and from PETA (Japanese formed-Militia) we learn how to fight
Good video man! Could you talk about the Minahasan side next? Alot of the Minahasan like the Ambonese fought as KNIL and even high ranking officers and even tried to make north sulawesi the 12th province of the Nederlands because of the large concentration of Indo-dutch/european population. Would be interesting hearing it from the other side of the story. Thx
History Hustle yes it is, unfortunately it wasn’t as mentioned as the other parts of Indonesia. There was also treaties in the 1680’s and on 1811 exclusively made between the VOC (1678) and the British on behalf of the Dutch Government (1811) with the people of Minahasa. The first was a treaty of collaboration and equality the second was in forming a coalition army to fight against the French troops in the Indies (Napoleonic era).
I am Australian and watched this video to find out more about the KNIL after reading about the Australian troops who fought in Indonesia particularly Ambon, Java and the West Papua. I noticed you didn't mention the massacres of Dutch and Australian prisoners on Ambon. I would have liked to have known more about the Dutch airforce and navy in the Netherlands East Indies. It was a good video none the less.
Thanks for your reply. The video is a broad overview about the KNIL and not about Australian units. I did make a more indepth video about the Dutch East Indies Campaign (it's an older one): ruclips.net/video/KJhKtx1SRnw/видео.html In 2022 I'll make a remake.
@@HistoryHustle The Dutch Airforce helped Australia after withdrawing to Darwin, but after the defeat of Japan the Australian government also supported Indonesian independence.
Hey, great video! I am currently working on a scale model project for a wargame and want to build some cargo / artillery tows. I want to use some type of exotic, indonesian animal that they actually used/still use for hard farm labor, hauling trees in woodlands and stuff like that. I was thinking of using the "sumatran elephant", and was wondering if there is any evidence of those elephants being used by the Indonesians under Dutch rule during WW2 (40-45ish) or even the KNIL officially using them in any instances? Or are there other non-european animals used in such fashion? Im guessing they had regular Mules, horses and Donkeys, but did they have some type of buffalo/bovine maybe? In any case, thank you! PS: not looking for any type of mechanical tow, such as tractors etc. Must be an animal/s.
Have seen horses and mules from the 1930s. Elephants and buffelos were used for sure but have not seen photos of these in the 1930s. Did see some photos from the late 1800s, early 1900s.
@@HistoryHustle Thank you! elephants it is then :D its also supposed to be fun to look at, and so few can plausibly explain an elephant in their army :D... May I ask some more, as you seem to be the one in the know? - Did the KNIL have those antiquated STAAL artillery guns, which were still around in the NL during the german invasion? - As i understand, the Dutch assimilated the local police forces etc to bolster the KNIL army in preparation for the japanese invasion, right? Would these units get KNIL green uniforms, helmets and those bamboo hats, or would they be deployed wearing their police uniforms? And to follow that up: did the police still wear that dark/blue uniform with white puttees and either those british police helmets or those french looking police hats? - There is an option to field unarmed men, or some only armed with pistols, and also make them shirkers, whcih means they are not actually looking to stay in the fight. Did the KNIL ever lack gear so badly they had to arm soldiers with only pistols, or not at all? OR was this rather a desperate attempt of fielding said police force without proper gear? or who were the people fielded unarmed / only with a side arm? no worries if you dont respond, i know its a ton of questions, but it would really help me and so far i was unable to find any answers online.
Fun fact the statute of the kingdom of the netherlands, the document which allowed oversea territories to become independent countries within the kingdom of the netherlands was made with Indonesia in mind. The creation of this regulation started in the second world war because the goverment realised that it would not be possible to maintain the same relationschip with its oversea territories as before. The thought was that Indonesia could gain its independents while keeping a few overlaying connections with the Netherlands. This never happend because Indonesia gained indepence before the document was ready. The document was completed later and aruba, curaçao en sint maarten did gain their independence under this statute and are still part of the kingdom that way. This was a consolation prize however for the dutch goverment because Indonesia was precieved as way more important.
Brilliant and interesting video! Keep up the good quality content plus as somebody mentioned in the comments, is there a shop or website that sells the kit or is it made by the people themselves? Also, any books you recommend?
Thanks for comment. The kit isn't for sale since it was made by reenactors themselves. As for books: Royal Netherlands East Indies Army 1936-42 (Men-at-Arms)
The KNIL looks like a very professional force from the pictures, only the equipment seems a little dated. Love the KNIL bamboo hats, would have bought one had I seen one while visiting Amsterdam. I did get two of the Metal Netherlands lions, slightly different from different periods.
A video about the Troepenmacht in Suriname TRIS would be also interesting and adapted to it which kind of Dutch troops or police were stationed in the Dutch Caribbean. Paramaribo was the capital of the Free Netherlands during world war II and the TRIS secured Dutch Guyana from the neighboured Vichy-French Guyana until it was liberated in 1943. It was the only Axis held territory on the American continent. I really appreciate how you're making these very interesting documentaries and how much effort you spend into research of information and picture material. 👍🏻
@@HistoryHustle Of course I know, that you know it, Steven. I just wanted you to know, that I know a bit of it. I've found some videos here on RUclips about Queen Juliana's visit in Dutch Guyana in 1943 a few months ago.
My grandfather immigrant from India...5 sons & 1 daughter born in Batavia...The ambonese elder are good but the youngster are naughty & beer drinker...but they make a good long lasting impression...Nothing like to be independence...Merdeka...
Dat boek in de achtergrond, "Roofstaat". Ik heb het gezien in de winkel maar kreeg van de titel zwaar het gevoel dat het een nog al bevooroordeelde opinie heeft over de gebeurtenissen. Heb het even open geslagen en kwam op de eerste bladzijdes die ik zag all morele oordelen zoals het toevoegen van woorden als "brutaal" wat niets aan het verhaal toevoegde. Maar zoals ik zei heb ik dus niet verder gelezen. Geeft het boek een beetje een neutrale weergave van de geschiedenis? Of is het te vooringenomen om een goede bron voor informatie te zijn op ziczelf.
ROOFSTAAT is - van wat ik ervan gelezen heb - vrij bevooroordeeld, zoals de titel al aangeeft. Ik vond het interessant om eens zo'n boek te lezen. Weliswaar heb ik bijvoorbeeld over het boek dat ik aanhaal in de video over de WIC meer gehaald. Het is ook waar je de nadruk op legt. Vertel je economische geschiedenis zul je minder snel over menselijk lijden spreken wanneer je schrijft over sociale geschiedenis.
As a reenactor I am actually currently searching for information on KNIL uniforms/places to buy some reproductions. You look great in your kit, was it all self-made?
@@HistoryHustle i ask cause i am wargamer and i want to build dutch east indies forces of the first stages of the pacific war. so i need to know if the dutch had special forces stationed there between 40-42. and if it is possible how their uniforms were :D thanks for your time answering me in the fist place
Mijn vader was knil militair ( opa ook trouwens) , ik heb nog een ( slechte) foto waarop mijn vader de betreffende hoed draagt. Bij mijn weten waren er twee varianten van , die van riet en een variant die iets met Australie heeft te maken. Verder heb ik het nog niet uitgezocht. Wederom bedankt voor alle informatie .
In the round table agreement, Indonesia paid for the war costs incurred by the Dutch. Therefore, since the Dutch apologized for their war crimes, the money had to be returned to Indonesia.
Hi,im from aceh my grandfather is the great defender, he died because got shooted by dutch tank And his body got burned under the bunker. It was his last story in this world😢
Just have seen the video my grandfather had served in the KNIL he traind to become a atellerie (artillerie) soldier but when when he got to java soerabaja his name was mixt up with some one else and get asnide as a kook and complained that he is from the atellerie company the notice the mistake and he severed for a for a few years on java ps he is and I'm also from harderwijk/hierden
Do you have any information in regards to the standard service rifles of the KNIL during the Aceh war or the period of 1860-1900? Its very hard to find any material both written and pictures on the Internet. I do have some old books on the Aceh war but still its very few information 🙏
Thanks Baya for the question and thanks Sander for the answer! The KNIL adopted the Hembrug M.95 at some point. For pictures, see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geweer_M._95 The Dutch army got this rifle in 1895 but I'm not sure when the colonial troops adopted it. Before that the Beaumont was used. From 1890 the 'Korps Marechaussee te voet' (literally "marshal corps on foot") was established. A contra guerrilla used for counter insurgency in Aceh. On both the Dutch and Indonesian wikipedia page there are some interesting pictures. Most of them were equiped with a sword (klewang) and M.95 carbine. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korps_Marechaussee_te_voet
@@HistoryHustle there is a picture of KNIL soldier just before WW1 (sadly no specific date) with the mostly m95 rifle and a few beaumont rifles and a mix of mostly the black /blue uniforms but a few grey green (garoet? ) uniforms in a book called: "Het Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger 1830-1950 , een terugblik Door H.L Zwitzer en C.A.Heshusius" so that show both were used (and even old uniforms) simultaneously for some time.
History Hustle yes i do know about the marechaussee corps and the use of the M95 repeating rifle licensed from Steyr I believe, what i meant was the rifle used in early aceh campaign like the 1st and 2nd invasion or even earlier 1860-1870 was the period of muzzle loading percussion cap rifles (i have no clue on what the dutch were using at the time) i have a picture from a book that shown that the marechaussee were using remington single action rifle (metal cartridges) and it says it’s newly distributed among the troops. Your insights in this matter are highly appreciated 🙏
My grandfather was sent as well after world war 2. He would only speak about how te left the netherlands and how he came back... he let out all the details in between. Must have been horrible
Hallo, mijn opa was een KNIL militair en ik ben momenteel lid van het X bataljon KNIL reenactmentgroep waar jij ook lid van was. Ik vind het een zeer interessant en informatieve video. Is hier ook een Nederlandstalige versie van?
Can u make a video about Minahasa? The Minahasa is participating in colonial army since the Java war and what know in KNIL, the Minahasan is in the same company with European. The Dutch enter Minahasa as an alliance (Verbond 1679) even though the Dutch break the agreement few times and resulting a war (Tondano War) but in 19th century The Dutch Christianize and give us equitable education.
That was quite interesting Here in Britain there isn't that much information available on the Dutch East Indies other than a brief mention It's all about Burma Singapore US island hopping ECT.
Interesting to read. Many KNIL fighters that surrendered ended up the Burma railway project. Actually, do you know this: was there a name for the British colonial forces in South East Asia? Or were most British soldiers draftees from the motherland?
@@HistoryHustle there were locally raised unit's made up of volunteers who were residents (planters office workers and suchlike) you could compare them to territorial army unit's at home or perhaps militia Of course India had a parallel army made up of volunteers with british and some indian officer's But in the far east britains possessions were mainly garrisoned by regular british army
Top deze video. Ik snap eindelijk hoe die knil hoeden er uit zagen. Klopt het dat er aan weerszijden drukkers zitten om ze om te flappen? En zo ja, hoe zit het dan met de cocarde? Is die te verplaatsen?
Don't forget the thousands of KNIL servicemembers who joined the pro-Japanese militias in 1942 and then became the nucleus of the new Indonesian army in 1945. If anything, the Indonesian officer and NCO corps during the war of independence was rather biased in favour of former KNIL members (as opposed to others who joined PETA or similar organisations without prior experience in the KNIL), especially after Nasution's faction won the internal power struggles in 1948. Nasution himself seemed to believe that former KNIL personnel would be the most capable of understanding his preference for a depoliticised, professional army that would help present Indonesia as a legitimate state in the negotiations, since he knew there was no way for either side to win the war by purely military means. Soeharto was one of these ex-KNIL personnel, for what it's worth. Although interestingly his auhoritarian regime from 1968 to 1998 was probably more influenced by the Imperial Japanese military government.
The British arrived in Surabaya to disarm the Japanese. The British did not allow the Dutch to return so things wouldn't stir up. Yet, it happened anyway. What caused the outbreak of violence between British and Indonesian nationalists is a topic that is debated. I shed some light on it in this vide: ruclips.net/video/JuvAlItkF4A/видео.html
Maybe a lot of Dutch people don't like what I want to share. My grandmother told, after homecoming he was drunk almost every day. If a dead Dutch soldier was found, the reprisals were horrific. Before the execution of of a so-called mission. They did drink oorlam with something mixed. Then they were ready to exterminate a whole kampong . They even let the freedom fighters eat little metal Dutch flags this was according to my grandmother. I have doubts, but if other people can do it, so can we. We must never forget.By the way this is about my great grandfather. Jan Egbert de Vries. It haunted him the rest of his life.
Thanks for sharing. I assume you refer to the "Politionele Acties". Sad to hear such an aftermath. Have you ever spoken to your grandfather about this?
@@HistoryHustle He was for a few years for the Pacificatie van Atjeh. Around the beginning of the 20th century.Not after ww2.What you said is true. How can you invade a country after you have been occupied for 5 years.
I live in Aceh. Interesting of KNIL particularly during Aceh War with Marechaussee unit. In Aceh we have Kerkhof Dutch Army Graveyard. If you mean to visit Aceh, please do not hesitate to contact me. Okay carry on..
Thanks for watching. I did visit Aceh in 2016 and made this video about the Aceh War on the graveyard location: ruclips.net/video/FfAot39z39I/видео.html
What is the producer of those replica KNIL uniform pieces? A video on the KNIL in Surinam (during WW2) and at Tarakan and Balikpapan would be interesting aswell! Or even Dutch new guinea in 1962.
The reproductions where made by a reenactment organisations. They have a facebook page: facebook.com/KNILVHM/ Much great ideas you offer there! Dutch New Guinea will be touched upon in a few days. Tarakan and Balikpapan are adressed in the video of the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies: ruclips.net/video/KJhKtx1SRnw/видео.html
@@HistoryHustle I already knew of that reenactment group but I didn't know that they made their own uniforms & equipment which is quite impressive. I actuall mean Tarakan in may of 1945 were the 2nd company of the 1st infantry Bataillon served with the Australiansand Balikpapan in July of 1945 were the 1st company of the 1st infantry Bataillon served with the 7th Australian division . Some of these were possibly liberated prisoners , some came from Australia (troops that went to Australia after the fall of the Dutch East indies ) and some came from the Dutch colonies in South America (mostly surinam).
@@sander7165 Interesting, didn't knew about the Surinam troops! I did made an episode about Borneo during WW II on the island of Labuan where Japan officially capitulated to the Australians: ruclips.net/video/tTmUrXo66uU/видео.html
@@HistoryHustle oh really interesting! I really like how you film on Location a lot of times! I am actually very interested in the rebirth of the KNIL after 1942 and the troops from surinam but there is not a lot of information available outside of A few books so the largely unknown topics(NEFIS,KNIL guerrillas in Timor and New guinea, ML-KNIL and even the Dutch navy in the pacific) get overshadowed by the history of The KNIL before 1942 and after 1945.
And how about the TRIS? The Troepenmacht Ruling In Surinam? Also a country with British and later Dutch guests. They STILL drive on the wrong side of the road, reminding us of London. Did you ever study the Dutch army in South America?
At about 9:50 "Why were the Dutch sent to engage in an occupation after having survived one under the Germans? In a word communism. Besides Dutch colonialism post WWII didn't last long there compared to communist domination in Asian countries that were so infected post WWII. It was a case of either Dutch or Chinese/Marxist domination and well Indonesia is markedly better off today because they didn't go the China/ Vietnam route. They went the South Korea, Japanese (ie western) route.
@@HistoryHustle Well no. Wat I mean is that communism might have established a stronger foothold in Indonesia had the Indonesians had colonial masters who were more brutal to them than were the Dutch who comparatively were not. You see communism was attractive to populations that were brutally mistreated or where there were gross disparities between ruling and working class. Clearly this didn't happen in Indonesia where such situations either did not exist or were minimized.
You said that the Indonesians where harassing the Dutch with guerilla tactics. Well yeah with that kind of tactics you are always going to put out damage to you enemy. But not in a way an real army would do. The Dutch where still far more superior (even when the natives finally got fire arms instead of spears and swords) in fighting a war against rebels. Just the same like every other rebellion. Rebels do damage to their enemy (mostly mental), the army/occupant strikes back with full blow.
After WW2, the Dutch didn't like another long war, therefore after the Second socalled Police Action they gave up. So in fact the Indonesian were succesfull with their guerilla tactics.
great videos , i stumbled upon your channel recently and love the information you are providing. i still feel embarrassed that we (the Netherlands) failed to keep our promise of establishing the R.M.S. as im certain many families have suffered for siding with the Dutch. i know there are others factors at play here too , like pressure from the British and the U.S.A. i feel like we did what we could for the Indonesian that were on "our" side, but knowing they were put in a former concentration camp still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Geo politics are a bitch ..
Politics can be nasty. Making a promise you cannot live up to is not the wisest thing to do. Speaking of those former concentration camp the Moluccans were put in. Obviously the used the barracks of these camps as shelter for these people, yet the conditions there of that time weren't like that of WWII of course.
@@HistoryHustle , very true, its must have been a logistical nightmare , and i understand they needed temporary housing fast. thanks for your reply :)!
@@HistoryHustle I like your channel and I did history for 2 years 2 very chaotic years. B I t yes the Klewang was a k I ND of hybrid between a western cavelerie sword and an Eastern sort thank you for not being know it all. If I make a mistake tell me I love how you tell it. People thought I was a teacher. Helaas. Good luck. My friend.
Actually dutch has attenpted to exile/ refugege soekarno and hatttato australia woried they would become pupet jepanse army but the ducth colonial governent oo late the japanese trop's movement too quick
Er zaten ook Ashanti krijgers in het KNIL. Het was een cadeauje van 1 van hun vorsten. In verhouding met andere Ashanti's was hun leven in de krijgsdienst vrij goed.
Why fight you ask? In retrospect, for the survival of we indos as a people. Now that all indos are diaspora a few generations removed, we will cease to exists as a distinct people in a few more.
@@HistoryHustle No I'm American. My Grandfather was a pastor for a Dutch congregation in Canada for a time, though. That was only for a few years, I think.
@@HistoryHustle Well to begin with I probably wouldn't exist. I don't know what the war was like but I don't think he'd have made a good soldier. Life turned out well in America, improving his station from the son of a poor tenant farm hand to a middle class pastor.
@@greenmagic8ball198 I found it amazing how lives could be so different. By moving to the states and building a new life there from scratch. You happen to speak any Dutch?
Many did , mostly ambonese/Moluccans and some went to the Netherlands after the Indonesian War of Independence but some stayed in Indonesia and some of them even served in the TNI (Indonesian army).
The story of Retired Major General Josef Muskita. Mollucan blood , born and bred, Ex Knil soldier that fought for indonesia republic in mollucan war. Against rms , ex knil led mollucan separatists. Legend has it that he had to kill ex knils soldiers which he was served together in the Knils, some even bears the same clan name as him, Muskita. He did mentioned his own father never talk to him again since the war ended. It was tragic story, but then again, the mollucan war was knils vs knils war..., almost all the republican forces sent there was in fact ex knils , pro republican ex knils need to prove their loyalty to the state by eradicating the last pro dutch insurgency mounted by ex knils.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rimbaud#Travels_(1875%E2%80%931880). One of the most influential innovator in french poetry. From wikipedia "In May 1876 he enlisted as a soldier in the Dutch Colonial Army[61] to get free passage to Java in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). Four months later he deserted and fled into the jungle. He managed to return incognito to France by ship; as a deserter he would have faced a Dutch firing squad had he been caught.[62]." Maybe you can confirm the death sentence had he been caught. Sounds a bit melodramatic. On another account I read ages ago reports he deserted on the way to DEI taking advantage of a stopover.
Useless army for big countries (colony),, East Indies is a biggest dutch Colony, and also Rich (Oil, Spices etc you know thats), but netherlands goverment give this colony with weak army, (They not defends their "special" Islands) And yap,,, nippon easy to occupy east indies. And why they (ned. Goverment) not give east indies a autonomous or freedom east indies?? Hmm They not approved 1 chance in Soetardjo petition.
I agree. In my opinion the biggest mistake the Dutch colonial government made was almost granting the Indonesians no form of autonomy. That explains why many Indonesians saw the Japanese as liberators. Contrary to the Americans in the Philippines were the local population was much less anti-American and therefore more anti-Japanese. It resultated in the fact that the decolonisation of the Philippines was peaceful instead of violent like in Indonesia.
also the Japanese are very clever in utilizing the moments, using "religion" and "local elements" they can persuade the Muslims and natives indies who rebelled against them to become part of the defense army in the Peta army and hisboelah army. although the Japanese colonial era was worse than the Dutch colonial era.
@@TitikMerahCh I'm happy you point that out. Many people sometimes think the Japanese were liberators. Although they presented themselves as such they wanted to subjugate many Asian people.
@@HistoryHustle to mr history hustle, make content difference race sundanese between javanese, exating the dutch dont know about ethic/race sunda they thing (dutch) sunda n java same culture in 18 century dutch only know sundanese is javanese life mountain/hingland in 20 century dutch new know sundanese n javanese difference or content why islamic state kartosuwiryo (darul islam indo) wanna made/built rules islamic nation in indo, they are (guirealla) in region forrest west java, or permesta in sumatra n sulawesi north n south won indepndnt free from jkrta they have support from US many they from army force, ok terima kasih (thx)
Want to learn more about the Dutch Home Army of 1940? Check out:
ruclips.net/video/-esy4KKhpdo/видео.html
you all probably dont give a shit but does anyone know a tool to log back into an instagram account?
I stupidly lost my login password. I appreciate any help you can offer me
@Desmond Simon Instablaster =)
@Jedidiah Elijah i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and I'm trying it out now.
I see it takes quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Jedidiah Elijah It worked and I actually got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D
Thank you so much you really help me out!
@Desmond Simon Happy to help :)
Fun fact former president of Indonesia soeharto is former KNIL Army
I did not know that, interesting!
Yeap he was...but then he also serves in peta japan. So he was seen more as peta guy rather than knil
@@eddsmokalot6200 Very nice to know more about Suharto! Thanks for posting.
Also, General Nasution, Colonel Evert Kawilarang and many more generals of TNI was KNIL soldiers.
Yeah...many of early Indonesia general were ex KNIL officers..but they were desserted when japan invade dutch east indies...
I was told that my great grandfather was KNIL. He was a Javanese, sent to and stationed in Sumatra, and met my great grandmother, a Minangnese. They gave birth to my grandmother in Bengkulu, which she eventually met my grandfather.
And I think my grandfather was a part of Japanese propaganda PETA army, which then dissolved to the Indonesian national army, which in turns fought in revolution war against the Dutch reoccupation. He was awarded "Bintang Geriliya" (Guerilla Heroes Medalion) by the President Soekarno, and he served several other years in Indonesian army until 1960-something. He was buried in the Cemeteries of Heroes because of his award.
So in my bloodline, I am both colonialist pribumi and nationalist. lol
Very interesting to read about this. Many thanks for sharing.
Well, they called Inlander lol
You must hate yourself
That's extremely typical, actually. Thousands of native KNIL troopers took the offer to switch sides after the Japanese conquest in 1942 and formed the core of the officer and NCO corps of the pro-independence Indonesian army (not to mention affiliated militias) in 1945. Thousands more of KNIL members were assimilated into the TNI when they merged in 1949-50 (though this latter part was already mentioned in the video).
Enjoyed your series. My family is Dutch. My mother’s side was born and raised in Indonesia and worked for the company During Japanese occupant my mother, family were sent to POW camp . My mother father however was a bomber pilot (B-10 Martin) for the NEI . After the fall he was sent to the states to be retrained and came back to northern Australia to the 18NEI bomber squadron (B-25). He was killed (MIA) during the police action near the end of the war of independence. My grandmother never spoke about the war and for my mother not knowing her father has made me want to learn as much as I can. Thank you for taking the time to showing a unbiased point of view in your vid clips.
You're welcome, Tim. And thanks for sharing this part of your family's history.
I love these channel because it's really open my mind! My grandfather was a soldier for Indonesian Army (TNI) and he said to me that he fought against the dutch when Indonesian National Revolution. He also did guerrilla war along with great general Soedirman if you know it. Well, what happened let it happen, let's think of it as a dark history of colonialism that we will never repeat. Long live good bilateral relationship between Indonesia-Netherland!
Thank you for your honest message. Very interesting to read.
Another interesting fact is: African soldiers from Ghana (or back then the Gold Coast) also fought in the KNIL between 1831 and 1872 as the Dutch also owned Elmina in Ghana. Often these were slaves (n one occasion a prince, Kwasi Boachi) and after recruited they received a Dutch first and last name. After serving for the KNIL most stayed on Java, especially Semarang and Puworejo and intermarried with the local Javanese population. Their descendants look Javanese but are a bit darker with frizzy hair and they still carry their Dutch last name.
The only documentary made about them is 'Vergeten Krijgers' (Forgotten Warriors) about the second generation Indo-Africans who fought in the WWII and ended up as prisoners of war building the Burma-Siam railways.
Very interesting to read, thanks for the comment. I always wondered what happened to these "black Dutchmen". I have to check out that documentary. You have family ties with Indonesia?
@@HistoryHustle ja, beide ouders zijn naar Nederland gekomen in de jaren 70/80. Thuis heb ik veel over geschiedenis gehoord, want mijn Indische oma is opgegroeid in een Japanse interneringskamp, is in Indonesië gebleven wanneer de meeste Indische Nederlanders repatrieerden naar Nederland, heeft de presidentschap van Soekarno en Soeharto meegemaakt, de coup van 1965, de opvolgende heksenjacht op communisten daarna en de invasie van Oost Timor. Uit de verhalen leer ik dat wreedheid geen bepaalde kleur of afkomst kent.
ah yeah slavery again... black people sold to Arabs and Westerners by other black people. Tragic indeed!
4:30 in javanese we call them as "londo ireng"
they actually come from my tribe
two of my great grandfathers were KNIL soldiers. They also served in Atjeh. My family members were really attached to the KNIL. We are from Minahassa/Manado.
Thanks for sharing! Very interesting. Where do you live now?
@@HistoryHustle I live in Heidelberg, Germany now. Thanks for the video as well. Reminds me of my grandfathers' stories about our family. Oh, and the brother of my Grandfather served together with the Dutch army in Normandy during the WWII. The Minahassan people, according to my family stories, were quite pro Dutch. Even during the time of the Transfer of Sovereignty, Minahassa was about to be the 12th Province of the Netherlands, but unfortunately it didn't happen. You can probably make a research about this. Not many people would know this history, including the Indonesian people.
@@dr_monday Very interesting, thanks for commenting. Something I love to dive into in the future.
Jenry Elrich Cornelis Mandey according from indonesian history, soekarno said : all dutch colony is part of indonesia. So now all dutch colony are indonesia
In April 1942, following the final surrender of Dutch forces in the NEI, the Japanese released all native military personnel from prison camps. These included Indonesians, Filipinos and various other indigenous Asians formerly in colonial military services. The Japanese sought to validate their claim of liberating the Asian people from colonial rule. However, they did keep all native officers -- and both the Ambonese and Menadoese troops -- in POW camps. Their rational was that these troops were overwhelmingly christian, and therefore, too loyal to the Dutch cause to release. Thus, these troops remained in captivity until the end of the war. Indian troops in British service were also kept in POW camps, although the Japanese successfully recruited several thousand to serve in a nationalist Indian army formed (theoretically) to fight their British colonial masters.
Thank you. Please make note that there were 'Dutch' citizens, born and raised in Ned Indie, who joined the KNIL. Not only locals or men from mainland Holland.
My grandfathers for example, both born and raised in Ned Indie, both joined the KNIL and Zeemacht as junior officers (KMA Bandung).
And not only the men that fought in the KNIL were interned. Also all other 'Dutch' citizens (both my grandmas and the rest of the families).
You ask why they would fight the politionele acties? Because to them it was their home. They have never been to Holland in their lives (maybe only for a leave or military knowledge trip). Than losing that and being interned again on ships to a cold, unwelcome Holland.
The ashes of all my grandfathers and grandmothers is strewn now at the Indie Monument.
And I tried to follow in their footsteps. First with joining the KL and now by immigrating to Canada.
Thanks for the additional information. Correct yes, also Dutch citizens (born and raised in the Indies) joined the KNIL.
i just discovered your excellent channel. im watching from jakarta as i visit my wife’s family, she is indonesian-chinese.
Interesting! Actually, I have a whole playlist about Indonesian history, it's right here:
ruclips.net/video/Od8mxfE0Ggk/видео.html
My grand uncle was drafted to fight in Indonesia right after WW2 as well. This is really interesting.
Thanks! Did he ever spoke about his experiences?
@@HistoryHustle Unfortunately no, he had talked to his sister (my Grandmother) about it a little bit, but it was an awful experience for him (similar to America's Vietnam perhaps) I believe he probably had PTSD, but at the time he went undiagnosed. Now he and my grandma are all dead, so that information is gone. As government records become more available, perhaps someday I can find military papers released by the Dutch government
Sad story. Perhaps in the future you can find more information. Good luck.
My great grandfather was in the KNIL I still have a picture of him
Interesting, before, during or after WWII?
@@HistoryHustle after the war, He fought against indonesian résistance/rebels after the japanese reign
@@HistoryHustle his rank was Kapitein
Ritmeester He ordered a group of about 40 people
Same bro..
So our grandfathers were fight each other during the Independence War. But it ended in KMB 1949
Hearing you pronounce "guerilla" has finally made me figure out why it is called "gerilya" in Indonesian while being pronounced "gerila" in Malay. It looks like Indonesian has preserved quite a bit of Dutch pronunciation in their loanwords while Malay preserved the English pronunciation.
Ok! Thanks for sharing.
👌 Thanx a lot for making this video about Dutch troops in Indonesia (the new name of East Indies). I really appreciate it
Thanks for your reply!
STEFAN - as ever so good and so interesting. This is how history ought to be done!
Thanks David!
hello, I'm Indonesian, I want to tell you a little, that in the past during the Dutch colonial period the army was divided into two, namely KNIL soldiers and PETA soldiers, KNIL soldiers who came from the Netherlands, and PETA soldiers from Indonesia who were taught by the Japanese at that time
I should advise you that a significant amount of the equipment used by the KNIL and the Dutch Army after WW2 was equipment left behind by the Canadians after the war and gifted to the Dutch. In return we got the Embassy in den Hague and the Canadian Residence in Wassenar
Didn't know this, thanks for sharing.
My grandfather was drafted during mobilization. He was sent to pow camp Kamioka in Japan to work in the tin and lead mines. He did not survive this ordeal and passed away on August 18th 1945.
Sad to hear. Thanks for sharing, Rick.
Many Indonesian Military Founding Fathers were KNIL officer. Mr Oerip Soemohardjo is the one who ask the Revolutionary Government to develop Army to defend the independence.
Mr AH Nasution one of our prominent military leader was KNIL Officer too.
We could say that from KNIL we learn how to run an army and from PETA (Japanese formed-Militia) we learn how to fight
Thanks for your reply!
Good video man! Could you talk about the Minahasan side next? Alot of the Minahasan like the Ambonese fought as KNIL and even high ranking officers and even tried to make north sulawesi the 12th province of the Nederlands because of the large concentration of Indo-dutch/european population. Would be interesting hearing it from the other side of the story. Thx
Hey Timothy, thank, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Minahasan side sounds interesting!
History Hustle yes it is, unfortunately it wasn’t as mentioned as the other parts of Indonesia. There was also treaties in the 1680’s and on 1811 exclusively made between the VOC (1678) and the British on behalf of the Dutch Government (1811) with the people of Minahasa. The first was a treaty of collaboration and equality the second was in forming a coalition army to fight against the French troops in the Indies (Napoleonic era).
minahasans also made a separate legion during the java (diponegoro) war
I am Australian and watched this video to find out more about the KNIL after reading about the Australian troops who fought in Indonesia particularly Ambon, Java and the West Papua. I noticed you didn't mention the massacres of Dutch and Australian prisoners on Ambon. I would have liked to have known more about the Dutch airforce and navy in the Netherlands East Indies. It was a good video none the less.
Thanks for your reply. The video is a broad overview about the KNIL and not about Australian units. I did make a more indepth video about the Dutch East Indies Campaign (it's an older one):
ruclips.net/video/KJhKtx1SRnw/видео.html
In 2022 I'll make a remake.
@@HistoryHustle The Dutch Airforce helped Australia after withdrawing to Darwin, but after the defeat of Japan the Australian government also supported Indonesian independence.
Mooi video! In het Bronbeek museum Arnhem zie je ook het verhaal van de KNIL.
Bedankt! Wil Bronbeek sowieso nog eens aandoen.
Really good video, keep up the great work Hustler!
Thank you!
Hey, great video!
I am currently working on a scale model project for a wargame and want to build some cargo / artillery tows. I want to use some type of exotic, indonesian animal that they actually used/still use for hard farm labor, hauling trees in woodlands and stuff like that. I was thinking of using the "sumatran elephant", and was wondering if there is any evidence of those elephants being used by the Indonesians under Dutch rule during WW2 (40-45ish) or even the KNIL officially using them in any instances?
Or are there other non-european animals used in such fashion? Im guessing they had regular Mules, horses and Donkeys, but did they have some type of buffalo/bovine maybe?
In any case, thank you!
PS: not looking for any type of mechanical tow, such as tractors etc. Must be an animal/s.
Have seen horses and mules from the 1930s. Elephants and buffelos were used for sure but have not seen photos of these in the 1930s. Did see some photos from the late 1800s, early 1900s.
@@HistoryHustle Thank you! elephants it is then :D its also supposed to be fun to look at, and so few can plausibly explain an elephant in their army :D... May I ask some more, as you seem to be the one in the know?
- Did the KNIL have those antiquated STAAL artillery guns, which were still around in the NL during the german invasion?
- As i understand, the Dutch assimilated the local police forces etc to bolster the KNIL army in preparation for the japanese invasion, right? Would these units get KNIL green uniforms, helmets and those bamboo hats, or would they be deployed wearing their police uniforms? And to follow that up: did the police still wear that dark/blue uniform with white puttees and either those british police helmets or those french looking police hats?
- There is an option to field unarmed men, or some only armed with pistols, and also make them shirkers, whcih means they are not actually looking to stay in the fight. Did the KNIL ever lack gear so badly they had to arm soldiers with only pistols, or not at all? OR was this rather a desperate attempt of fielding said police force without proper gear? or who were the people fielded unarmed / only with a side arm?
no worries if you dont respond, i know its a ton of questions, but it would really help me and so far i was unable to find any answers online.
Please do a separate video about the NEIAF! The Durch Air Force in Indonesia is a fascinating subject.
Not any time soon. Sorry.
Fun fact the statute of the kingdom of the netherlands, the document which allowed oversea territories to become independent countries within the kingdom of the netherlands was made with Indonesia in mind.
The creation of this regulation started in the second world war because the goverment realised that it would not be possible to maintain the same relationschip with its oversea territories as before.
The thought was that Indonesia could gain its independents while keeping a few overlaying connections with the Netherlands. This never happend because Indonesia gained indepence before the document was ready.
The document was completed later and aruba, curaçao en sint maarten did gain their independence under this statute and are still part of the kingdom that way. This was a consolation prize however for the dutch goverment because Indonesia was precieved as way more important.
Very interesting insight you give us there. Thanks for posting!
Brilliant and interesting video! Keep up the good quality content plus as somebody mentioned in the comments, is there a shop or website that sells the kit or is it made by the people themselves? Also, any books you recommend?
Thanks for comment. The kit isn't for sale since it was made by reenactors themselves. As for books:
Royal Netherlands East Indies Army 1936-42 (Men-at-Arms)
The uncle of my grandfather was in KNIL army, and he was from the dutch homeland
Thanks for sharing.
We're did you get the knil Reenactment uniform !? , My great grandfather (and his father) served in knil .
facebook.com/KNILVHM
@@HistoryHustle Do you also have a link to an actual store ? Or were these uniforms made by players themselves ?
@@LuigiBrotha Made by the reenactors, i have the same uniform.
My grandfather served in the KNIL, during the police actions.
He never spoke about it..
Thanks for sharing this.
Hi friends, I'm from Aceh and my great-grandfather was a warrior defending Aceh against KNIL 😎
Interesting! What do you know of this exactly? Love to know.
Super filmpje weer, mag ik vragen hoe je aan de KNIL hoed komt? Die mist nog in m'n verzameling maar is nergens te vinden...
Zijn niet meer voorradig. Sorry.
The KNIL looks like a very professional force from the pictures, only the equipment seems a little dated.
Love the KNIL bamboo hats, would have bought one had I seen one while visiting Amsterdam. I did get two of the Metal Netherlands lions, slightly different from different periods.
Believe so, yes.
You should do a video on the Dutch fleet and air force in the Indies.
Perhaps although my interests and expertise lies somewhere else.
My Opa was in the Dutch Air Force there and my mother born there.
4:33
Belanda hitam (Malay)
Londo Ireng (Java)
Walanda hideung (Sunda)
Interesting!
A video about the Troepenmacht in Suriname TRIS would be also interesting and adapted to it which kind of Dutch troops or police were stationed in the Dutch Caribbean. Paramaribo was the capital of the Free Netherlands during world war II and the TRIS secured Dutch Guyana from the neighboured Vichy-French Guyana until it was liberated in 1943. It was the only Axis held territory on the American continent. I really appreciate how you're making these very interesting documentaries and how much effort you spend into research of information and picture material. 👍🏻
Interesting, perhaps something for the future. Can't promise you when though.
@@HistoryHustle Of course I know, that you know it, Steven. I just wanted you to know, that I know a bit of it. I've found some videos here on RUclips about Queen Juliana's visit in Dutch Guyana in 1943 a few months ago.
👍
My grandfather immigrant from India...5 sons & 1 daughter born in Batavia...The ambonese elder are good but the youngster are naughty & beer drinker...but they make a good long lasting impression...Nothing like to be independence...Merdeka...
Thanks for sharing this.
Awesome video! I come here for history I have never heard, and this fits nicely.
Arc-a-PELL-igo though, not archi-pellago.
Thanks so much for the nice compliment Sean. And yes, my pronunciation isn't on point yet, working on it! Thanks for the advice!
@@HistoryHustle No problem, I wish I knew as many languages as you do.
Dat boek in de achtergrond, "Roofstaat". Ik heb het gezien in de winkel maar kreeg van de titel zwaar het gevoel dat het een nog al bevooroordeelde opinie heeft over de gebeurtenissen. Heb het even open geslagen en kwam op de eerste bladzijdes die ik zag all morele oordelen zoals het toevoegen van woorden als "brutaal" wat niets aan het verhaal toevoegde. Maar zoals ik zei heb ik dus niet verder gelezen.
Geeft het boek een beetje een neutrale weergave van de geschiedenis? Of is het te vooringenomen om een goede bron voor informatie te zijn op ziczelf.
ROOFSTAAT is - van wat ik ervan gelezen heb - vrij bevooroordeeld, zoals de titel al aangeeft. Ik vond het interessant om eens zo'n boek te lezen. Weliswaar heb ik bijvoorbeeld over het boek dat ik aanhaal in de video over de WIC meer gehaald. Het is ook waar je de nadruk op legt. Vertel je economische geschiedenis zul je minder snel over menselijk lijden spreken wanneer je schrijft over sociale geschiedenis.
Ja ik ken het....... uit de radicaal linkse hoek geredeneerd
Really like your content👍 Just well done.
Many thanks, Marc! Glad you like it.
As a reenactor I am actually currently searching for information on KNIL uniforms/places to buy some reproductions. You look great in your kit, was it all self-made?
hello did the knil had any special forces in its ranks? like marines or mountaineers ?
Yes, the Korps Marechaussee te voet. Hope to cover that in the future.
@@HistoryHustle i ask cause i am wargamer and i want to build dutch east indies forces of the first stages of the pacific war. so i need to know if the dutch had special forces stationed there between 40-42. and if it is possible how their uniforms were :D thanks for your time answering me in the fist place
A remarkable story of a Dutch foreign legion!
Thanks.
Mijn vader was knil militair ( opa ook trouwens) , ik heb nog een ( slechte) foto waarop mijn vader de betreffende hoed draagt. Bij mijn weten waren er twee varianten van , die van riet en een variant die iets met Australie heeft te maken. Verder heb ik het nog niet uitgezocht. Wederom bedankt voor alle informatie .
Dank voor je bericht!
In the round table agreement, Indonesia paid for the war costs incurred by the Dutch. Therefore, since the Dutch apologized for their war crimes, the money had to be returned to Indonesia.
I see.
Hi,im from aceh my grandfather is the great defender, he died because got shooted by dutch tank
And his body got burned under the bunker.
It was his last story in this world😢
Sad to hear. Did this happen in 194-1949 or earlier?
My great grandfather was an Indonesian resistance
Thanks for sharing.
Just have seen the video my grandfather had served in the KNIL he traind to become a atellerie (artillerie) soldier but when when he got to java soerabaja his name was mixt up with some one else and get asnide as a kook and complained that he is from the atellerie company the notice the mistake and he severed for a for a few years on java ps he is and I'm also from harderwijk/hierden
Interesting. Did he serve before or after WWII?
Do you have any information in regards to the standard service rifles of the KNIL during the Aceh war or the period of 1860-1900? Its very hard to find any material both written and pictures on the Internet. I do have some old books on the Aceh war but still its very few information 🙏
They used the the Beaumont rifle
Thanks Baya for the question and thanks Sander for the answer! The KNIL adopted the Hembrug M.95 at some point.
For pictures, see:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geweer_M._95
The Dutch army got this rifle in 1895 but I'm not sure when the colonial troops adopted it. Before that the Beaumont was used.
From 1890 the 'Korps Marechaussee te voet' (literally "marshal corps on foot") was established. A contra guerrilla used for counter insurgency in Aceh. On both the Dutch and Indonesian wikipedia page there are some interesting pictures. Most of them were equiped with a sword (klewang) and M.95 carbine.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korps_Marechaussee_te_voet
@@HistoryHustle there is a picture of KNIL soldier just before WW1 (sadly no specific date) with the mostly m95 rifle and a few beaumont rifles and a mix of mostly the black /blue uniforms but a few grey green (garoet? ) uniforms in a book called: "Het Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger 1830-1950 , een terugblik Door H.L Zwitzer en C.A.Heshusius" so that show both were used (and even old uniforms) simultaneously for some time.
@@sander7165 I could very well imagine that was the case. I used the photo book compiled by the same author: C.A.Heshusius.
History Hustle yes i do know about the marechaussee corps and the use of the M95 repeating rifle licensed from Steyr I believe, what i meant was the rifle used in early aceh campaign like the 1st and 2nd invasion or even earlier 1860-1870 was the period of muzzle loading percussion cap rifles (i have no clue on what the dutch were using at the time) i have a picture from a book that shown that the marechaussee were using remington single action rifle (metal cartridges) and it says it’s newly distributed among the troops. Your insights in this matter are highly appreciated 🙏
My grandfather was sent as well after world war 2.
He would only speak about how te left the netherlands and how he came back... he let out all the details in between. Must have been horrible
I can image! Thanks for sharing, Wim.
Can you tell more about the Ambonese Soldiers who were transported to The Netherlands?
ruclips.net/video/EjcNA06DSbI/видео.html
Hallo, mijn opa was een KNIL militair en ik ben momenteel lid van het X bataljon KNIL reenactmentgroep waar jij ook lid van was. Ik vind het een zeer interessant en informatieve video. Is hier ook een Nederlandstalige versie van?
Leuk om te horen. Geen Nederlandse versie helaas.
@@HistoryHustle Ah jammer maar het geeft niet. Leuk kanaal trouwens en je krijgt de groeten van Geert en Clasijn.
@@hssvludolphvanceulenoffici546 Groeten van Geert hier.
Can u make a video about Minahasa? The Minahasa is participating in colonial army since the Java war and what know in KNIL, the Minahasan is in the same company with European.
The Dutch enter Minahasa as an alliance (Verbond 1679) even though the Dutch break the agreement few times and resulting a war (Tondano War) but in 19th century The Dutch Christianize and give us equitable education.
Interesting, perhaps in the future.
That was quite interesting Here in Britain there isn't that much information available on the Dutch East Indies other than a brief mention It's all about Burma Singapore US island hopping ECT.
Interesting to read. Many KNIL fighters that surrendered ended up the Burma railway project. Actually, do you know this: was there a name for the British colonial forces in South East Asia? Or were most British soldiers draftees from the motherland?
@@HistoryHustle there were locally raised unit's made up of volunteers who were residents (planters office workers and suchlike) you could compare them to territorial army unit's at home or perhaps militia Of course India had a parallel army made up of volunteers with british and some indian officer's But in the far east britains possessions were mainly garrisoned by regular british army
Great video. One little thing. Marine = Marinier, Navy = Marine. As far as I know, Pearl Harbor is/was a Naval Base.
Thanks for the correction.
Where did your get you kit?
Local reenactment club.
Members of family were also drafted into the KNIL R.I.P
May they rest in peace, Davey.
Top deze video. Ik snap eindelijk hoe die knil hoeden er uit zagen. Klopt het dat er aan weerszijden drukkers zitten om ze om te flappen? En zo ja, hoe zit het dan met de cocarde? Is die te verplaatsen?
Kokarde zit vast en aan één kant. Wel zitten er aan beide kanten drukkers om beide zijdes op te flappen.
I wonder how the Dutch East India Company went bankrupt? 🤔 Keep it up Stefan!
Thanks for watching. I like the KNIL uniforms the best. About the VOC: corruption and a too rigid system were the main causes.
Because of competition, war against the English, wars in the settlements against the local people , corruption, mismanagement, distances
Don't forget the thousands of KNIL servicemembers who joined the pro-Japanese militias in 1942 and then became the nucleus of the new Indonesian army in 1945. If anything, the Indonesian officer and NCO corps during the war of independence was rather biased in favour of former KNIL members (as opposed to others who joined PETA or similar organisations without prior experience in the KNIL), especially after Nasution's faction won the internal power struggles in 1948. Nasution himself seemed to believe that former KNIL personnel would be the most capable of understanding his preference for a depoliticised, professional army that would help present Indonesia as a legitimate state in the negotiations, since he knew there was no way for either side to win the war by purely military means.
Soeharto was one of these ex-KNIL personnel, for what it's worth. Although interestingly his auhoritarian regime from 1968 to 1998 was probably more influenced by the Imperial Japanese military government.
Thanks for sharing.
Sorry, where did you get the reproduced Dutch bamboo hat?
Sold out.
@@HistoryHustle ah I see. Is there a site? Sorry, or an account? Do they sell the cockade as well?
Nope. Bought it from a re-enactment group that don't exist anymore I Believe. Can't help you.
Zeer intresant!
In welk gedeelte van Nederland woon je?
I ive in Utrecht.
@@HistoryHustle aha ik in Renswoude, op school heb ik dit ook gehad maar niet zo in detail
@@davidsnoek8686 Rond Renswoude is tijdens de meidagen van 1940 nog gevochten, meen ik!
@@HistoryHustle klopt, maar niet zoveel als het Grebbegebied zelf, maar wel wat.
History Hustle ga pls naar cals ijsselstein school
Where did you buy the knil hat so i can buy it for my colection
Sold out.
@@HistoryHustle nooooo
Were it not the British who started the fight against the Indonesian nationalists in Surabaya?
The British arrived in Surabaya to disarm the Japanese. The British did not allow the Dutch to return so things wouldn't stir up. Yet, it happened anyway. What caused the outbreak of violence between British and Indonesian nationalists is a topic that is debated. I shed some light on it in this vide:
ruclips.net/video/JuvAlItkF4A/видео.html
Maybe a lot of Dutch people don't like what I want to share. My grandmother told, after homecoming he was drunk almost every day. If a dead Dutch soldier was found, the reprisals were horrific. Before the execution of of a so-called mission. They did drink oorlam with something mixed.
Then they were ready to exterminate a whole kampong . They even let the freedom fighters eat little metal Dutch flags this was according to my grandmother.
I have doubts, but if other people can do it, so can we. We must never forget.By the way this is about my great grandfather. Jan Egbert de Vries. It haunted him the rest of his life.
Thanks for sharing. I assume you refer to the "Politionele Acties". Sad to hear such an aftermath. Have you ever spoken to your grandfather about this?
@@HistoryHustle
He was for a few years for the Pacificatie van Atjeh. Around the beginning of the 20th century.Not after ww2.What you said is true. How can you invade a country after you have been occupied for 5 years.
The story is about my great grandfather.The father of my grandmother.
Attrocities were commited on both sides. Don't hate yourself for the sins of your father Dutchie.
I live in Aceh. Interesting of KNIL particularly during Aceh War with Marechaussee unit. In Aceh we have Kerkhof Dutch Army Graveyard. If you mean to visit Aceh, please do not hesitate to contact me. Okay carry on..
Thanks for watching. I did visit Aceh in 2016 and made this video about the Aceh War on the graveyard location:
ruclips.net/video/FfAot39z39I/видео.html
@@HistoryHustle cool thank you carry on..
What is the producer of those replica KNIL uniform pieces? A video on the KNIL in Surinam (during WW2) and at Tarakan and Balikpapan would be interesting aswell! Or even Dutch new guinea in 1962.
The reproductions where made by a reenactment organisations. They have a facebook page:
facebook.com/KNILVHM/
Much great ideas you offer there! Dutch New Guinea will be touched upon in a few days. Tarakan and Balikpapan are adressed in the video of the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies:
ruclips.net/video/KJhKtx1SRnw/видео.html
@@HistoryHustle I already knew of that reenactment group but I didn't know that they made their own uniforms & equipment which is quite impressive.
I actuall mean Tarakan in may of 1945 were the 2nd company of the 1st infantry Bataillon served with the Australiansand Balikpapan in July of 1945 were the 1st company of the 1st infantry Bataillon served with the 7th Australian division . Some of these were possibly liberated prisoners , some came from Australia (troops that went to Australia after the fall of the Dutch East indies ) and some came from the Dutch colonies in South America (mostly surinam).
@@sander7165 Interesting, didn't knew about the Surinam troops! I did made an episode about Borneo during WW II on the island of Labuan where Japan officially capitulated to the Australians:
ruclips.net/video/tTmUrXo66uU/видео.html
@@HistoryHustle oh really interesting! I really like how you film on Location a lot of times!
I am actually very interested in the rebirth of the KNIL after 1942 and the troops from surinam but there is not a lot of information available outside of A few books so the largely unknown topics(NEFIS,KNIL guerrillas in Timor and New guinea, ML-KNIL and even the Dutch navy in the pacific) get overshadowed by the history of The KNIL before 1942 and after 1945.
And how about the TRIS? The Troepenmacht Ruling In Surinam? Also a country with British and later Dutch guests. They STILL drive on the wrong side of the road, reminding us of London. Did you ever study the Dutch army in South America?
Havent done that yet.
One of the Dutchmen I befriended in the MFO was from the Dutch East Indies.
Interesting!
At about 9:50 "Why were the Dutch sent to engage in an occupation after having survived one under the Germans? In a word communism. Besides Dutch colonialism post WWII didn't last long there compared to communist domination in Asian countries that were so infected post WWII. It was a case of either Dutch or Chinese/Marxist domination and well Indonesia is markedly better off today because they didn't go the China/ Vietnam route. They went the South Korea, Japanese (ie western) route.
I don't agree. Communism was there, but came around later. Here more about it:
ruclips.net/video/eMNcVXNFoGk/видео.html
@@HistoryHustle Well no. Wat I mean is that communism might have established a stronger foothold in Indonesia had the Indonesians had colonial masters who were more brutal to them than were the Dutch who comparatively were not. You see communism was attractive to populations that were brutally mistreated or where there were gross disparities between ruling and working class. Clearly this didn't happen in Indonesia where such situations either did not exist or were minimized.
Can anyone recommend any good books on the history of the Dutch East Indies?
Revolusi by Reybrouck. Dunno if there is an English version.
@@HistoryHustle thank you Stefan :)
You said that the Indonesians where harassing the Dutch with guerilla tactics. Well yeah with that kind of tactics you are always going to put out damage to you enemy. But not in a way an real army would do. The Dutch where still far more superior (even when the natives finally got fire arms instead of spears and swords) in fighting a war against rebels. Just the same like every other rebellion. Rebels do damage to their enemy (mostly mental), the army/occupant strikes back with full blow.
Correct, thanks for the additional information.
After WW2, the Dutch didn't like another long war, therefore after the Second socalled Police Action they gave up. So in fact the Indonesian were succesfull with their guerilla tactics.
Lets talk about Scouting in East Indies ....
Lol.
Ze vochten niet alleen op Java en Sumatra maar ook op de andere eilanden
Klopt, ik bedoel voornamelijk op Java en Sumatra. Zie hier het volledige verhaal:
ruclips.net/video/KJhKtx1SRnw/видео.html
The Dutch used the Divide et impera tactic against the East Indies (Indonesia Now)
They ruled more through indirect rule.
As long as I know local ex KNIL cannot join Indonesia army after 1949. Afterward they go to Netherland or become common civilian.
Indonesian KNIL fighter could be absorbed into the TNI but many didn't want to I believe.
great videos , i stumbled upon your channel recently and love the information you are providing.
i still feel embarrassed that we (the Netherlands) failed to keep our promise of establishing the R.M.S. as im certain many families have suffered for siding with the Dutch. i know there are others factors at play here too , like pressure from the British and the U.S.A. i feel like we did what we could for the Indonesian that were on "our" side, but knowing they were put in a former concentration camp still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Geo politics are a bitch ..
Politics can be nasty. Making a promise you cannot live up to is not the wisest thing to do. Speaking of those former concentration camp the Moluccans were put in. Obviously the used the barracks of these camps as shelter for these people, yet the conditions there of that time weren't like that of WWII of course.
@@HistoryHustle , very true, its must have been a logistical nightmare , and i understand they needed temporary housing fast. thanks for your reply :)!
You're welcome!
In the first place it was Indonesia who was against the establishing of a separate RMS and therefore the Dutch could not keep their promise.
My great grandfather served in the KNIL, He was of the military police.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing.
I served in van Heutsz and mij great grandfather was a commander in atjeh.The bush hat we have got from the Australians and the Klewang a in between
Thanks for sharing!
@@HistoryHustle I like your channel and I did history for 2 years 2 very chaotic years. B I t yes the Klewang was a k I ND of hybrid between a western cavelerie sword and an Eastern sort thank you for not being know it all. If I make a mistake tell me I love how you tell it. People thought I was a teacher. Helaas. Good luck. My friend.
Thanks Han! Hope you keep enjoying these videos.
Mijn vader zat bij de prinses Irene brigade tussen 46-49. Ik heb nog een stapel piepkleine foto’s ervan
Dank voor je bericht. PIB zal ik ooit nog bespreken. Weet nog niet wanneer.
Actually dutch has attenpted to exile/ refugege soekarno and hatttato australia woried they would become pupet jepanse army but the ducth colonial governent oo late the japanese trop's movement too quick
Indeed.
Na 1909 konden nog steeds andere europeanen zich aanmelden. Mijn opa's beide Duits hebben zich in 1909 en 1913 aangemeld.
Interessant!
Er zaten ook Ashanti krijgers in het KNIL. Het was een cadeauje van 1 van hun vorsten. In verhouding met andere Ashanti's was hun leven in de krijgsdienst vrij goed.
The french poet Arthur Rimbaud was soldier of KNIL.
Didn't know this.
Why fight you ask? In retrospect, for the survival of we indos as a people. Now that all indos are diaspora a few generations removed, we will cease to exists as a distinct people in a few more.
Quite interesting..long history ..made simple...
Thanks for your reply.
It is new search for me
Cool!
My Grandfather almost went to Indonesia as a draftee. Luckily queen Wilhelmina herself allowed him and his family to emigrate to America instead.
That is very interesting to read. So I guess you are Canadian with Dutch roots?
@@HistoryHustle No I'm American. My Grandfather was a pastor for a Dutch congregation in Canada for a time, though. That was only for a few years, I think.
@@greenmagic8ball198 Thanks for sharing. Think of how life for you would have been so different if your grandfather went to Indonesia.
@@HistoryHustle Well to begin with I probably wouldn't exist. I don't know what the war was like but I don't think he'd have made a good soldier. Life turned out well in America, improving his station from the son of a poor tenant farm hand to a middle class pastor.
@@greenmagic8ball198 I found it amazing how lives could be so different. By moving to the states and building a new life there from scratch. You happen to speak any Dutch?
Were there any indonesians that fought with the KNIL when the Dutch trying to restore control of the East Indies after WW2 ?
Many did , mostly ambonese/Moluccans and some went to the Netherlands after the Indonesian War of Independence but some stayed in Indonesia and some of them even served in the TNI (Indonesian army).
Sunday I will adress this. Sander, thanks for the heads-up :)
@@HistoryHustle haha ;) no problem!
I edit my comment because auto correct change Moluccans into Moroccans.
The story of Retired Major General Josef Muskita. Mollucan blood , born and bred, Ex Knil soldier that fought for indonesia republic in mollucan war. Against rms , ex knil led mollucan separatists. Legend has it that he had to kill ex knils soldiers which he was served together in the Knils, some even bears the same clan name as him, Muskita. He did mentioned his own father never talk to him again since the war ended.
It was tragic story, but then again, the mollucan war was knils vs knils war..., almost all the republican forces sent there was in fact ex knils , pro republican ex knils need to prove their loyalty to the state by eradicating the last pro dutch insurgency mounted by ex knils.
Arthur Rimbaud is famously a deserter of the KNIL.
Don't know him.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rimbaud#Travels_(1875%E2%80%931880). One of the most influential innovator in french poetry.
From wikipedia "In May 1876 he enlisted as a soldier in the Dutch Colonial Army[61] to get free passage to Java in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). Four months later he deserted and fled into the jungle. He managed to return incognito to France by ship; as a deserter he would have faced a Dutch firing squad had he been caught.[62]." Maybe you can confirm the death sentence had he been caught. Sounds a bit melodramatic. On another account I read ages ago reports he deserted on the way to DEI taking advantage of a stopover.
Thanks for sharing!
Banyak peninggalan Belanda di Indonesia perkebunan
"Many Dutch heritage in Indonesia are plantations"
Useless army for big countries (colony),,
East Indies is a biggest dutch Colony, and also Rich (Oil, Spices etc you know thats), but netherlands goverment give this colony with weak army,
(They not defends their "special" Islands)
And yap,,, nippon easy to occupy east indies.
And why they (ned. Goverment) not give east indies a autonomous or freedom east indies?? Hmm
They not approved 1 chance in Soetardjo petition.
I agree. In my opinion the biggest mistake the Dutch colonial government made was almost granting the Indonesians no form of autonomy. That explains why many Indonesians saw the Japanese as liberators. Contrary to the Americans in the Philippines were the local population was much less anti-American and therefore more anti-Japanese. It resultated in the fact that the decolonisation of the Philippines was peaceful instead of violent like in Indonesia.
also the Japanese are very clever in utilizing the moments, using "religion" and "local elements" they can persuade the Muslims and natives indies who rebelled against them to become part of the defense army in the Peta army and hisboelah army. although the Japanese colonial era was worse than the Dutch colonial era.
@@TitikMerahCh I'm happy you point that out. Many people sometimes think the Japanese were liberators. Although they presented themselves as such they wanted to subjugate many Asian people.
KNIL is Indonesian armed forces in WW2
Many Indonesians served in it yes.
@@HistoryHustle so this is why I always proud of my country because my country has a lot of unuque histories
My grandpa fought for the KNIL
You know any of his experiences?
Jesus the pitting on your rifle barrel
I know.
Marsose (many from mollucas) until now they work in night life jkt (guard club) debt collector
?
Not marsose, Etnic ambon (mollucas) work in many big city in indo not in dutch
@@jimmycr873 ok!
@@HistoryHustle to mr history hustle, make content difference race sundanese between javanese, exating the dutch dont know about ethic/race sunda they thing (dutch) sunda n java same culture in 18 century dutch only know sundanese is javanese life mountain/hingland in 20 century dutch new know sundanese n javanese difference or content why islamic state kartosuwiryo (darul islam indo) wanna made/built rules islamic nation in indo, they are (guirealla) in region forrest west java, or permesta in sumatra n sulawesi north n south won indepndnt free from jkrta they have support from US many they from army force, ok terima kasih (thx)
High praise to the KNIL!
ok
Knil, or better known as war criminals
Please explain.
Mijn opa heeft er bij gezet
Ok
Im the 100 liker! Yay
Thank you!
ik ben ook nederlands!
Some indonesians still long for the country to be back under dutch rule because it wasn't as corrupt as what it is now after independence
VOC
The KNIL was established several decades after the VOC was no more.