304 Infantry
Brigade
304
Infanteriebrigade (304 Infbrig)
Unit |
Main
Equipment |
Location |
Peace
Strength |
War
Strength |
Staff
and Staff Company
304 Infantry Brigade [a] |
|
– |
– |
21/24/127/2
(174) |
303
Light Reconnaissance Squadron [b] |
|
– |
– |
7/22/105
(134) |
304
Light Reconnaissance Squadron [c] |
|
– |
– |
7/22/105
(134) |
319
Infantry Battalion [d] |
|
– |
– |
34/117/597/2
(750) |
321
Infantry
Battalion [e] |
|
– |
– |
34/117/597/2
(750) |
322
Infantry Battalion [f] |
|
– |
– |
34/117/597/2
(750) |
325
Infantry
Battalion [g] |
|
– |
– |
34/117/597/2
(750) |
304
Horse
Artillery Battalion
[h] |
M101A1 |
– |
– |
44/105/407/2
(558) |
423
Light Transport Company [i] |
|
– |
– |
5/16/141
(162) |
424
Light Transport Company [j] |
|
– |
– |
5/16/141
(162) |
304
Infantry Brigade Peace Strength: – |
304
Infantry Brigade War Strength: 225/673/3414/12
(4324) |
Notes
a. |
Filled
by mobilisable
personnel
that had fulfilled their active-duty period in Staff and Staff
Company, 43
Armoured Infantry Brigade
up to five and a half years prior to
mobilisation.1 |
b. |
Filled by mobilisable
personnel from 53 Reconnaissance Squadron (RIM) (disbanded
in 19832)
after their fourteen to sixteen-month RIM period in that unit had
expired, up to eight years prior to mobilisation. After 1987 filled by
A Squadron, 105
Reconnaissance Battalion (RIM).1
6 |
c. |
Filled
by mobilisable
personnel from A Squadron, 105
Reconnaissance Battalion (RIM)
after their fourteen to sixteen-month RIM period in that unit had
expired, up to eight years prior to mobilisation.1
6 |
d. |
Filled by mobilisable
personnel that had fulfilled their active-duty period
in 41
Armoured
Infantry Battalion up to
eight and a half years prior to mobilisation.1 |
e. |
Filled by mobilisable
personnel that had fulfilled their active-duty period
in 12
Armoured
Infantry Battalion up to
eight and a half years prior to mobilisation.1 |
f. |
Filled by mobilisable
personnel that had fulfilled their active-duty period
in 11
Armoured
Infantry Battalion up to
eight and a half years prior to mobilisation.1 |
g. |
Filled by mobilisable
personnel that had fulfilled their active-duty period
in 43
Armoured
Infantry Battalion up to
eight and a half years prior to mobilisation.1 |
h. |
Filled by mobilisable
personnel from 13
Horse Artillery Battalion (RIM)
after their fourteen to sixteen-month RIM period in that unit had
expired, up to
eight years prior to mobilisation.1
6 Organised
similarly to the field artillery battalion M114A1,
with a staff and support battery and three
field
batteries. Each field battery had 6 x M101A1 towed howitzer 105 mm. The
battalion probably had one
brigade liaison group,
four battalion liaison groups, and twelve forward observation groups
(one for each infantry company).3 |
i. |
Filled
by personnel from the
general pool of mobilisable
reserves
(vrij-indeelbaar bestand) that had fulfilled their active-duty
period in relevant functions up to twelve and a half years prior to mobilisation.1
These companies enabled the brigade to (re)deploy in one move.
Each
company had three platoons, each probably with 20 x three-tonne truck
(DAF
YA-314 or perhaps YA-328) and 1 x DAF YA-314 with one-tonne trailer.4 |
Operational Role
Together with 302 Infantry Brigade and 305 Commando Battalion this brigade
formed the mobile general reserve of National Territorial Commander.
Missions might include reinforcement of Provincial Military Commands or
dealing with enemy airborne forces. 304 Infantry Brigade would operate
south of the major rivers
(approximately Waal-Nieuwe Maas) from positions around vulnerable
points in the west-east Lines of Communications (LOCs). If needed
the brigade would be called upon to
secure the vital Maas river crossings against enemy
airborne operations.5
_________________________________________________
1. |
|
NIMH 205A/10,
Aflossing van
mobilisabele eenheden en
-aanvullingen d.d. 27 mei 1980. Ibid., d.d. 11 november 1983.
Ibid., d.d. 17
juni 1985. |
2. |
|
NL-HaNA
2.13.182, inv. nr. 514, Planningsmemorandum Reorganisatie Tank- en
Verkenningseenheden d.d. 1 november 1982, Bijlage
I-B. |
3. |
|
VS
6-20/1, 3-4. |
4. |
|
Capacity: Geerts, De
territoriale beveiliging,
313. Organisation and equipment outline: Website
Geschiedenis Bevoorrading en
Transport, 105 Transportbataljon. |
5. |
|
Felius, Einde oefening,
207-208, 211. Hoffenaar en Schoenmaker, Met de blik, 326. Geerts, op. cit., 311. Line of
communications: "A route, either land, water, and/or air, which
connects an operating military force with a base of operations and
along which supplies and military forces move." US
Department of Defense Dictionary, 253. |
6. |
|
RIM was
the Dutch acronym for Direct Influx into Mobilisable Units (Rechtstreekse
Instroming in Mobilisabele Eenheden). GRIM was a variant of
this system, meaning "Largely RIM" (Grotendeels
Rechtstreekse Instroming in Mobilisabele Eenheden).
For a survey of the
Royal Army's unit filling and reserve system see Gijsbers, Blik
in de smidse, 2222-2231;
Selles,
Personele
vulling;
Berghuijs, Opleiding,
14-23. In English: Isby and Kamps, Armies,
341-343; Sorrell, Je
Maintiendrai, 94-96; Van
Vuren, The
Royal Netherlands Army Today, Military Review April 1982, 23-28. |
|