Dutch Forces - Little Dutch Boy

Little Dutch Boy

Dutch Forces - Little Dutch Boy
With Gavin Van Rossum

To make up for a quiet political failure and slow national strangulation in the Second World War, the Dutch nation was very keen to not allow future generations of Europeans to have to suffer in turn. They worked with other Western European nations to rebuild and support each other against future threats and are a founding state in NATO. 

As a strong part of the modern defence of Europe against the Soviet menace, they forward staged their troops in the FRG, especially their best-maintained brigades. These conscripted troops trained to operate as the ‘left-hand’ northern flank of NORTHAG, within the 1 Netherland Corps and coordinating with CENTAG’s Germans, Americans and Canadians to their right flank and LANDJUT’s Danes and other forces on their left

When World War Three began in August 1985, Dutch troops were in the front lines fighting often within a few dozen clogs klicks of their barracks, denying the arrogance of the Soviets, Poles, Czechs and East Germans who would try to force their political methods on the world.

The Dutch were often navigating a picky political channel to provision equipment for their forces, sometimes choosing American man-packed LAWs, ATGMs & IFV’s, Swedish Recoilless rifles, Belgian Rifles and GPMGs (FN FAL and MAG). These mostly successful choices were backed by staunch German AFVs, which greatly aided their efficiency while working alongside or integrated within German formations in the field. In Battlefront’s Team Yankee tabletop game this translates to a tough professional Force with some very hard hitting peleton’s (platoons) as Units in your Tank Eskadron, Pantserinfanterie Compagnie ( Mech Inf) or Verkennings Eskadron (Recon) Formations.

Little Dutch Boy

Force Strengths
Being NATO professionals, the 1(NL) Corps has a proud ‘Is Hit On’ of 4+ with good drills on taking cover and applying firepower without making your unit an obvious target. Having the dependable and mobile Leopard 2 at their disposal backed up by the excellent PTRL ‘Gepard’ and other high quality and effective equipment makes them a force to challenge the Warsaw Pact steamroller.. They can build tabletop armies of all sorts, ranging from Heavy Armour, Medium Mech Inf, Light Armour with loads of firepower with Leo 1’s, PRATs, PRTLs, YPR-765s, nice cheap Heavy Mortars & solid 155mm M109s, backed up by BO-105s & Tornados or any other NATO Support such as A-10s or the dangerous French Gazelles & Mirages. With a steady but not excessive supply of Morale and Courage, the Dutch will hang on to their lines in the right places and with a lot of mobility they can bend like a tulip when an enemy is too strong then flex at an enemy’s weak spot. 

Challenges For The Dutch Player
As the Dutch haven't had a strong military tradition for their land forces for a long while, they are not quite as experienced or staunch as the British, neither are they expecting to be fighting for their homeland like the Germans, so their Courage and Morale is 4+ across their forces. In Free Nations the Dutch are not yet able to field their elite Marines with honourable service for 320 years (in 1985) or special forces such as Korps Commandotroepen (KCT). The Dutch may need a more violent Allied Formation to work with, perhaps US Marines from LANDJUT! This would give you a Heavy Infantry force to really put the clog in and kick out any invaders from your lands. As with all forces, if you take too much of the fancy equipment like NATO Support which doesn’t hold your Force on the table, you may find yourself with insufficient fingers to keep the leaks plugged in your dykes. 

Dutch Force 1 - Northern Storm

Leopard 2 Tank Eskadron  
Leopard 2 Tank Peloton HQ
10 Points

Leopard 2 (x 1)

 

Leopard 2 Tank Peloton 40 Points
Leopard 2 (x 4)  
Leopard 2 Tank Peloton 30 Points
Leopard 2 (x 3)  
YPR-765 Pantserfanterie 9 Points
GPMG team with M72 anti-tank (x 4)  
Carl Gustav anti-tank team (x 3)  
M47 Dragon missile team (x 2)  
YPR-765 (x 4)  
M113 C&V Verkennings Ploeg 2 Points
M113 C&V (x 2)   
PRTL Pantserluchdoel Peloton 6 Points
PRTL (x 3)   
Allied Support  
LARS Raketenwerfer Batterie 3 Points
LARS (x 2)   

This is one of the heaviest forces the Dutch can bring to bear on any particular Warsaw Pact problem area along the frontline. The force is based around a Heavy Armour formation of superior Leopard 2A4 tanks operating alongside a supporting Recce and Mech-Inf screen, backed up by the best German SPAAA and some medium rocket support to keep enemy infantry and soft-skin head’s down. This force would benefit from always choosing an aggressive Attack posture to have more of the force on table from the start of the game, unless you have a cunning plan to sucker-punch your opponent’s posture choice. 

Dutch Force 2 Little Dutch Boy

Leopard 1 Tank Eskadron  
Leopard 1 Tank Peloton HQ
3 Points

Leopard 1 (x 1)

 

Leopard 1 Tank Peloton 12 Points
Leopard 1 (x 4)  
Leopard 1 Tank Peloton 12 Points
Leopard 1 (x 4)  
Leopard 1 Tank Peloton 12 Points
Leopard 1 (x 4)  
Leopard 1 Tank Peloton 12 Points
Leopard 1 (x 4)  
YPR-765 Pantserifanterie Compagnie  
YPR-765 Pantserifanterie Compagnie HQ 1 Point
FA: rifle team (x 1)  
YPR-765 (x 1)  
YPR-765 Pantserinfanterie 9 Points
GPMG team with M72 anti-tank (x 4)  
Carl Gustav anti-tank team (x 3)  
M47 Dragon missile team (x 2)  
YPR-765 (x 4)  
YPR-765 Pantserinfanterie 9 Points
GPMG team with M72 anti-tank (x 4)  
Carl Gustav anti-tank team (x 3)  
M47 Dragon missile team (x 2)  
YPR-765 (x 4)  
YPR-765 PRAT Anti-tank Peloton 6 Points
YPR-765 PRAT (x 4)  
YPR-765 Pantserinfanterie 9 Points
GPMG team with M72 anti-tank (x 4)  
Carl Gustav anti-tank team (x 3)  
M47 Dragon missile team (x 2)  
YPR-765 (x 4)  
M113 C&V Verkennings Ploeg 2 Points
M113 C&V (x 2)   
PRTL Pantserluchdoel Peloton 6 Points
PRTL (x 3)   
Support  
M109 Veldartillerie 7 Points
M109 (x 3)   
Allied Support  
Tornado Strike Flight  8 Points
Tornado (x 4)   

Twin mobile formations, matching a full Eskadron of Leopard 1’s with a solid clump of cloggies mechanised Dutchmen in their excellent IFV the YPR-765.

With LAWs, Carl Gustavs, Dragons and YPR-765’s, these Dutch Mechanised Infantry will not be shifted easily on defence, acting as a dyke to keep the Soviet sea away from the nice farms and windmills. Reinforced by the ITOW equipped PRAT these medium Infantry will earn their keep.

Little Dutch Boy Little Dutch Boy

This Leopard 1 Eskadron’s ability to put out 34 x AT19/FP2+ shots out to 40”/100cm at their Tactical speed of 10”/25cm, or even when coming around the corner (or to flank) 14”/35cm for a Stabilised +1 to hit, these project a great threat to hold enemy forces back from your lines, while you can also push these Peletons forward to force their way into a position that is not too lethal for them. The Leo 1’s are also supplemented with copious amounts of AT8 fire from the YPRs and M113 C&V’s, which will threaten non MBT vehicles including Helicopters and release your 105mm fire to targets that deserve it.

I hope you choose to play the Dutch in Team Yankee, they are great fun and quite a competitive force. I look forward to seeing the Team Yankee community pick up this force and not only paint up the crisp new models to the usual high standard but also post up their list builds  and AARs for us all to enjoy, learn from or improve on. Make sure to always have some nice sharp aged Gouda, Dutch Licorice or even herring to get the most from the experience.
~Gavin

References:
NATO's Northern Army Group Wartime Order of Battle 1985...