Dutch West Indies WW2

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by ericnuyt
Especially the army in Surinam (some 5000 strong) gives an indication of what KNIL might have looked like if more or all orders had been fullfilled in time. Later the Dutch forces received small amounts of Lend-lease equipment.

Don't forget it was of vital importance to the Allies to have a defence force stationed in Surinam (Dutch Guiana). It was of strategic importance, not so much geographically but for its natural resources: throughout WW-II the Dutch Guiana mines produced 50% of the total U.S. demand for bauxite (raw material for the aluminium industry). Read more in Marmon-Herrington tanks: The Dutch Connection.