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Dutch paratrooper insignia of WW2 and right after


Tonomachi
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Here is the only WW2 era Dutch paratrooper insignia that I own which was worn by the free Dutch who escaped to England after their country was occupied by Nazi Germany in 1940. This was worn on the right shoulder by volunteers from the Princes Irene Brigade who were incorporated into the No. 2 (Dutch) Troop No. 10 (Inter-allied) Commandos during WW2. I believe this was manufactured in the UK. There have been a number of copies made of this patch.

 

 

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On the other side of the globe in what is now Indonesia the KNIL (Netherlands East Indies Colonial Army) were now on their own after the defeat and occupation of the Netherlands. The KNIL were defeated and the Dutch East Indies occupied by the Japanese. After the war in 1946 the Dutch tried to reestablish their colony in the East Indies however the local inhabitants had already claimed their independence. The KNIL fought a police action against rebels or freedom fighters for 4 years but eventually the Dutch under pressure from the UN and USA recognized their independence. The KNIL had airborne troops fighting during these 4 years as I'm not sure if they existed during WW2.

 

This first Dutch East Indies paratrooper wing was designed in 1946 and was to be worn on the left chest but they were supposedly never issued and held in storage for a couple of years. Once they were issued out in 1948 they were worn as a beret badge. The circular base ring was supposed to be used to hang daggers from to denote combat jumps but apparently this was never done. If I am getting any of these details wrong feel free to correct me for the benefit of all. There were a number of copies of this badge produced.

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I always thought this was a WW2 era piece but that is only possible if the KNIL had paratroopers during WW2 which I am not certain of.

 

 

 

 

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Here is another that has an applied metal backing that you see on WW2 era British paratrooper wings. So is this a WW2 era piece or a post war KNIL wing worn between 1946 through 1950?

 

 

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This is a KNIL "Special Troops" paratrooper wing which I know very little about.

 

 

 

 

 

A common misconception, but this wing has nothing to do with Special Troops or even Airborne. It is a wing for the 'Officier Speciale Dienst' of the ML-KNIL (Militaire Luchtvaart Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger, Netherlands East-Indies Airforce). Apparently my grandfather was issued one but it has been long gone. A rare wing indeed!

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A common misconception, but this wing has nothing to do with Special Troops or even Airborne. It is a wing for the 'Officier Speciale Dienst' of the ML-KNIL (Militaire Luchtvaart Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger, Netherlands East-Indies Airforce). Apparently my grandfather was issued one but it has been long gone. A rare wing indeed!

Many thanks for the correction.

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