What did the Dutch Navy do in World War Two? | Netherlands Royal Fleet 1940-1945 

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I think they were mostly putting their boats into water and driving them around on the water

My grandfather was on the HMAS Perth when it went down. He survived, was taken prisoner by the Japanese for the rest of the war. He survived that too. He lived until 86 despite the long term impacts on his physical & mental health. He was the most gentle man I ever met.

So much love for the Dutch, always have had and always will do. Although past leaders from our respective countries have waged war on one another far too many times during our combined histories it’s clear that the British, the Dutch and the German people are so culturally similar. Another amazing video, thank you for all the hard work you put in to your amazing channel Hilbert.

The Dutch can be VERY determined. My relatives come to mind........

I was fortunate to have known an old Dutch naval veteran by the name of Steven Brosee Van Grunoe who served in the Dutch Royal Navy as a cook in the waters off Dutch Indonesia. His ship was sunk and he fought off sharks for days before being picked up by a Japanese destroyer. That ship was later torpedoed by an allied sub and he was eventually picked up by a Japanese fishing boat near Japan. After nearly beating him to death, he was sent to a P.O.W. camp outside of Nagasaki. He survived the atomic bombing because he was on the other side of a thick masonry wall when it went off.

The Tromp-class light cruisers (two were built) were in fact heavy destroyers, built to be the backbone of a destroyer squadron. Both (the Tromp and sister ship Jacob van Heemskerck) survived the 2nd World War. The Tromp and the destroyer Piet Hein didn't participade in the Java Sea battle, they were during the Battle of Badung Strait sunk (Piet Hein) and damaged but escaped to Australia for repairing (Tromp) The 3rd allied light cruiser in the Java Sea battle was the Australian HMAS Perth. I think there is somewhat more to say about the WW2 contribution of the Dutch navy to the allies, especially in the Mediterranean Sea. You mentioned at 5:31 the Gerard Callenburgh class destroyers. Not three but four of these were ordered for the Dutch Navy just before World War II. three came into German hands but only one, the Gerard Callenburgh, was finished and commissioned in the Nazi German navy as the ZH1. The other two, the Tjerk Hiddes (scuttled) and Philips van Almonde (demolished) just before they came into German hands, after that both were wreck scrapped. Also the Gerard Callenburgh was scuttled, but the Germans were able to salvage her. She was subsequently completed by Blohm & Voss, retaining most of the Dutch armament and equipment, and was commissioned as ZH1 on 11 October 1942. The fourth (in fact the second) Callenburgh class destroyer was the HNLMS Isaac Sweers, launched in March 1940 the Dutch were able to evacuate the unfinished ship to the UK were it was completed with six British 4-inch dual purpose guns. The Isaac Sweers was modern for her time, fast and the first Dutch ship to use radar to aim its AA-guns. She was part of the Allied flotilla of destroyers in the Mediterranean which torpedoed and sank two Italian cruisers on 13 December 1941 at the Battle of Cape Bon. She escorted the important convoy MW 8B to Malta in January 1942. During this mission the British destroyer Gurkha was torpedoed by the German submarine U-133. Isaac Sweers towed the stricken British destroyer through a field of burning oil and saved her entire crew of 240 sailors. They were taken to Tobruk. During Operation Torch, on 11 November 1942, along with HMS Porcupine, Isaac Sweers helped rescue 241 men from the ship Nieuw Zeeland (Dutch for New Zealand) a Dutch troop transport that had been torpedoed by a German submarine about 80 miles east of Gibraltar. On 13 November 1942, Isaac Sweers was hit by two torpedoes from the German submarine U-431, she sank with the loss of 108 of her 194 crew. See the RU-vid video: "The adventures and tragic sinking of the Dutch destroyer Hr.Ms. Isaac Sweers during WW-II in color!" A remarkable victory was made by the Dutch submarine O-21, which sank the German U-95 in a submarine-to-submarine fight a few hours' sail east of Gibraltar. The achievements of two elderly Dutch gunboats, the HNLMS Sumba and Floris, also deserve mention. Known in the British Navy as "The Terrible Twins" for their particularly daring actions during Operation Husky (the invasion of Sicily in 1943) and on June 6th, 1944 (D-Day) where they provided close fire support to landings at Gold and Utah beach. netherlandsnavy.nl/Special_twins.htm

I would like to add about the actions of a lone gunboat HNLMS Johan Maurits van Nassau, which provided supporting fire during the battle of the Afsluitdijk. The bunkers along the afsluitdijk did not have sufficient range to counter German artillery fire from positions near Makkum so at the closing days of the battle the Dutch navy sent out a ship to destroy the artillery position. On the same day the Dutch government surrendered and the gunboat attempted to make it's way to England but was sunk by Luftwaffe aircraft.

Fun fact: the Dutch submarine O24 was commanded by Piet de Jong. De Jong would later become prime minister of the Netherlands.

Serving under Admiral Helfrich was my grandfather: Lieutenant at Sea 1st Class H.F. Bach Kolling (1903-1972) of HRMS O19, serving from late 1941 until late 1943.

It must have been so hard for those Dutch sailors running around their ships in those wooden shoes.

Nice work from a fellow Dutchman. Thought would have mentioned the HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen as that is always a favorite story with it pretending to be a jungle.

It's funny how this all comes together but because I watched the movie Das Boot I really got into U-boats and the whole submarine aspect of world War II. Then after doing research about the American submarine forces I later figured out about the Dutch Navy. Keep in mind I'm French Irish American so it's entirely foreign to me quite literally. 😂 But as I learned about the exploits of the U-boats, the Gato class boats and the O class boats of the Dutch Navy I fell in love with the lesser known Navies of the world and especially Dutch naval culture. I think also recently by extension just Dutch culture in general.

You should also tell about the role of the Dutch merchant navy. They were important for allied logistic support and also got veteran status. I don't understand why they are so underrated.

Your channel is very unique, as it includes the history of sports teams, and history of nations. Great video.

De van Galen wasn't just bombed in harbour, but was sent to support the troops in Rotterdam and try to destroy the bridges in Rotterdam. It was basically sent on a suicide run up the river Maas. It just managed to tie itself to shore after being bombed on the Maas. Also have to mention that all later Bofors AA mounts used by the Allies were of Dutch design. Maybe a video about the Dutch merchant navy would be something to think about, or with other allied countries like Norway, a not to be forgotten aspect in British/allied early war effort. Also really enjoyed the video btw.

Looking at your thumbnail the Netherlands in 1940-1945 fielded at least 3 Soviet Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarines

Cool topic! Fingers crossed for a similar video about the Polish Navy. 😉

That messenger pling at 10:23 messed with me so bad

10:26 Photo taken from aircraft carrier IJN Zuikaku during the 1942 Indian Ocean Raid.

A really good video, I'm very glad you covered this subject as it is often too easily overlooked both in Dutch WW2 history but also internationally. I also commend you on your pronunciation of the Japanese ship names! I 'd really like it if you would end up covering the battle of the Java Sea, the lead up to it and the aftermath in more detail. There's many videos of this battle online but I have found most to be either filled with bias(Often against the Dutch), skim over many important details or just have a complete misunderstanding of the situation. What's really missing here is a video showing the perspective of the ABDACOM participants.

10:23 damn you Hilbert I thought that was me

Hello Hilbert. Very interesting. I commented before that my Royal Navy father missed his army brother in Singapore by one day as his brother was sent to the East Indies. My dad later sailed through there to Australia, after time in Singapore when there were still Japanese POW being told to "Double!" by all ranks. After going to rescue French Indochinese on a what he described as a rickety hospital ship, he rejoined his aircraft carrier which was later in Dutch service as HNLMS Karel Doorman and then later in Argentine Navy as ARA Veinticinco de Mayo including during the Falklands conflict.

excellent analysis

Hello, Hilbert. I just found your channel and love the Netherlands content. These types of scenarios with Dutch involvement are not as well documented or easy to locate in English, and I enjoy your style of presenting. I'll be watching lots more of your videos.

Very interesting to hear about the battle over Rotterdam

Great video but I think calling the Graf Spee a "Battleship" is stretching things a bit.

What did the Dutch Navy do in World War Two? The backstroke, mostly. Some of the Dutch subs served well.

interesting video, i have never seen anyone cover this before

My father , Ynze “Harry” Salm had an interesting war. Escaping from Den Helder in 1940, he was held in Portsmouth harbour through the blitz. He served on MTBs out of Curacao and as radio operator on the Jacob van Heemskerck. While in the Far East, he chatted up by morse, my mother a radio operator wren in the British radio station at Colombo. Hence me! He told me he never fired a shot or was fired upon throughout the war! He was most at danger being bombed by the Luftwaffe in Portsmouth harbour.

If they would make these World of Warship commercials a little shorter, I would probably watch one. They seem longer than the war.

Excellent, yes, I would like to see more videos along this area. I missed the dutch anthem., your trademark.

Love the names of their ships

You pronounce Dutch names quite well, uploader :)

I enjoy when Hilbert mentions the dutch

Just quietly, between you and i Hilbert; You misspelled Koninklijke Marine, and if you mean Royal Dutch Marines, then that would be Het Korps Mariniers. Hope it helps 💋

" there are much bigger and better Japanese ships just over the orizon. Let's make sure that we get into range of their big guns." Maybe not the best plan?

Wow, the Dutch had nuclear subs in 42. Nice thumbnail

Hey Hilbert, good content, but your editting on this video isn't quite up to your usual standard I'm afraid. There's a couple of rather jarring quick cuts in the audio, a couple of screen transitions/slide changes that hop back and forth, and at around 16:38 or so, we see your editting software pop up. The content of the video is great, but the slightly slapdash editting is a little off putting... maybe something to focus on for the next couple of videos, just to push the standard back up? Thanks 🙂

Have you a video on the princess Irene brigade?

The Dutch feel like such a versatile country.

I served as a US Army liaison and nuclear weapons officer attached to the First Netherlands Corps back in the late 70s. My Netherlands counterpart was Captain Klaus Van Der Veen. His father had been an officer aboard a Netherlands submarine that spent the war in the Pacific. Klaus was only 6 years old when the krauts invaded and he had many tales to tell of the war years.

Unknown to ABDA command Japanese torpedoes had extreme long range and a huge warhead. This was a Japanese secret weapon allied navies didn’t not counter till 1943

Too bad you did not include the roll of the HNLMS Flores and HNLMS Soemba also known as the "terrible twins".

You forgot the education of Dutch Navy officers at House Enys. The men were involved in minesweeping, convoying, radardevelopment. Aside of the officers there were many lower rank sailors in the UK and USA doing there duty.

saw you in Marc Rebillet chat 😏

I wonder what would have been if they were in 7 years war and WW1 as well? Interesting to look at eh?

The decision to appoint the Dutch East Indies Squadron to be in command was a typical Anglo Saxon incorrect command in control

Hilbert, perhaps you can still correct a spelling mistake 6:48 : it's not "Koninklijke Marijne" but Koninklijke Marine !!

6:46 'Marijne"?

I've never understood the value of going down with the ship. Being the last man to abandon ship, maybe (if you've decided the ship must be sunk so as not to fall into enemy hands) choosing the job of firing the explosives yourself, giving up your place in a lifeboat to a wounded sailor etc. yes, those are the sort of honourable/chivalrous actions you might expect from the captain or the other officers. But just staying aboard a sinking ship seems a stupid thing to do - and a waste of all your knowledge and experience that might be used more advantageously later on in the conflict. As they say, better to stay alive to fight another day....

Hearing a bloke with a 100% Teeside accent suddenly pronounce Dutch ship names and cities perfectly blew my tiny mind. Then hearing a Dutchman pronounce German in that same 'Boro accent... ik stond met de mond vol tanden.

hi Hilbert There is a problem with the video

The Dutch fleet was blown out of the water by the mighty Japanese navy.

🇺🇸Howdy brothers👋🏻 The Dutch built settlements all throughout Louisiana, if you see a town in La starting with De-…Its an old Dutch Settlement--Europeans are some tough as nails enterprising make things happen type of people…I love Us❤

Your dutch is great

Please visit Micahistory, it would mean a lot!

What did the Dutch sailors eat in the Pacific when they ran out of pickled Herring rations?

The most uncredited story of the dutch royal navy is the story of the dutch terrible twins. Hms flores and hms soemba. These 2 flotilla sister gunboats deserve the credit for their achievement on both landings during ww2 aspecialy since they where pretty outdated ( entered service in 1926) but nonetheless they where amazing. These are ships that deserve a spot on the list of world of warships in every version of the game. Just like the fokker d21 and the fokker g1 aeroplanes.

Kortom; de Nederlandse marine vond KAMIKAZE uit, en niet Japan.

what happend to portugal in ww2

2:45 You're not listing any submarines here but mention submarines later. What gives?

It got sunk

Pretending to be a small island and slip away.

You scoundrel! This was an extended plug for World of Warships! Bad form!

25 minute vid made 2 seconds, the dutch last about 5 seconds and sunk

Having trained in a Dutch naval base, they still maintain an impressive naval presence. Only second to Britain in western Europe in my opinion. Most impressive is not their capability, but their reluctance to use it. If needed, they are ready, but the mentality and politics is entirely benevolent. Long may it remain so!

They did thier duty to the best of thier ability.

Duck the low lands

They “donated” their inventions to the Allies and the axis?

This was just an excuse for a long commercial.

Holy shit how many languages do you speak. Based on the non english words that you spoke you could honestly through for a native dutch speaker based of off the pronounciation. And probably also for a japanese (from a native dutch who also speaks a bit of japanese)

Sink.

Actually if you're a competent officer it doesn't make sense tacticly to go down with your ship on purpose. Just saying.

helaas heeft WOWS de nederlandse marine helemaal gesloopt, de schepen in het spel zijn niet correct, ze hebben diverse schepen onrealistische eigenschappen gegeven, en andere zijn niet in het spel.

Leave it to 010 to strike fear in the Germans!

This video seems choppy...

Amongst many things, a Dutch Admiral's pig headed selfishness, led to the sinking of HMAS Perth, with all hands...

We had our peak as a Republic. The Orange royal family always invoked decline. Look at our history and you will agree.

I'm sorry but the Dutch task force leader was a little too reckless with the lives of his men. Brave but stupid is fine if it's just your own life but taking on a superior force with little or no chance of winning it's just plain stupid and prices the lives of those men far too cheaply. Definitely brave and definitely stupid.

My Dutch/Geordie friend. An interesting story but not your greatest editing or production. Just a thought

why is elon musk on the thumbnail?

Dutch didn’t surrender. America is a Dutch colony. If true the American wouldn’t of come to fight. America is a extension of Dutch territory

Was there a Dutch navy? 😂😂😂

Junkers???? The plane depicted is a Fokker T VIII! Don't think the Dutch air force had any Junkers planes.

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❤️🤍💙“We _____, we are the destroyers & will remain the destroyers. Nothing you do can ever meet our demands & needs. We will forever destroy because we want a world of our own”.-- 1921 Maurice Samuel