Netherlands East Indies Army Artillery

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

The standard gun used by the Koninklijke Nederlands Indies Leger (KNIL) or Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (RNIA) was the 75 mm L/30 Krupp M/1911.

Before WW 1 there were nothing secret about arms trades. Has anyone came across how many guns Krupp sold to NEI?

Were such guns license-produced in the Netherlands?

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

I had got valuable help, but the results were lost due to the hackers attack on June 30th.

Anyhow I start all over again. In 1941 there were three types of "modern" guns used by the Netherlands East Indies Army (Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger = KNIL).

1) 75 mm Field guns M/1911 Krupp L/30. Some 70 extant.
Of these 12 were modernized in 1933-34 with hard rubber tires. These were issued to 1st Field Arty Bn (A I Vd, Magelang, E Java).

In 1938-39 another 12 guns were modernized with preumatic air tires. These replaced the hard rubber M/1911-33 with 1st Field Arty Bn. 6x4 trucks. Type?

In Dec 1941 a Bty of 4 guns M/1911-33 ex-1st Field Arty Bn were sent to Timor-Dilly (1Lt de Winter). The other 8 guns ex-1st Field Arty Btn formed a semi-mobiele Arty Bn on Madoera Island.

In 1941 2nd Field Arty Btn (In 1927 reorganized as 2nd Mountain Arty Bn - see below) was reinstated in Timahi, W Java. This Bn was equipped with 12 M/1911 guns of the original type with wooden wheels ans steel bands.

2) 75 mm Mountain guns M/1922 Bofors L/19. There were 28 (32?)such guns bought from Sweden 1922-24. At least 16 were modernized with pneumatic air tires whilst it is known that at least 6 still had wooden wheels in 1942. The latter type was loaded on trucks.

There were in 1941 two Bns with this type of guns: 1st Mountain Arty Bn (A I Bg, Tjimahi/Cimai, W Java) and 2nd Mountain Arty Bn (A II Bg, Salatiga, M Java). 4x4 trucks Maple Leaf?

3) 105 mm Howitzer M/1924 Bofors L/22. There were 14 bought from Sweden in 1924-25. These had steel wheels with hard rubber tires. In service with 1st Howitzer Arty Bn (A I Hw, Weltevreden/Jakarta, W Java). 6x4 trucks. Type?

REGULAR UNITS

Thus there were in 1942:

1st Field Arty Bn 12-75 mm M/1911-38 (Malang, Maj Stenger)
2nd Field Arty Bn 12-75 mm M/1911 old type (Tjimahi, Cpt Hanssen)
1st Mountain Arty Bn 12-75 mm M/1922 (Tjimahi, Lcl Claassen)
2nd Mountain Arty Bn 12-75 mm M/1922 (Salatiga, Cpt Hendriksz)
1st Howitzer Arty Bn 12-105 mm M/1924 (Weltevreden, Maj Schmitz)

EMERGENCY UNITS

There were a number of emergency units motorized ad hoc:

1) Bty Dekker 3-75 mm M/1911 old type (Tjilatjap, Cpt Dekker). Formed Dec 1941 (?) from Depot Mobiele Artillerie (DMA)?

2) Bty van Praag 3-75 mm M/1911 old type (Semarang, 1Lt van Praag). Formed 22 Feb 1942 in Semarang by elements from 2nd Mountain Arty Bn.

3) 7th Mountain Bty 4-75 mm M/1922 old type (Cheribon, Cpt van der Linden. Formed Dec 1941 by 1st Mountain arty Bn and DMA Tjimahi.

4) Howitzer Section 2-105 mm M/1924 (Tjimahi) formed Feb 1942 (?) by DMA Tjimahi.

ALLIED UNITS

1) 2nd Bn 131 US Field Arty (Lcl Tharp, Texas National Guard) 12-75 mm M/1897 A 4. Two Btys with Australian "Blackforce" in Buitenzorg, one Bty in E Java. What type of trucks?

2) Australian 2/1 Heavy Bty 2-150 mm in "Sparrow Force" Timor-Koepang (Maj Mc Wilson). Type of guns? Type of trucks?

3) A British 4-75 mm Bty at Wijnkoopsbaai, W Java. I belive this is a misstake and that it was a KNIL Bty equipped with 75 mm M/1917 guns of British type made in USA during WW I.

50 such guns were sent from USA to Java and extant in DMA. They arrived without telescopic sights (were aboard another ship that never reached Java). Bandoeng Arsenal made emergency gun-laying devises for those. It is known that at least one Bty was tested at Batoedjadar Firing Range.

All information and corrections appreciated.

Stellan

CORRECTION July 3rd:

It seems that another Mountain Arty Bty (Cpt Ketelaar) was organized by DMA Tjimahi and elements of 2nd Mountain Arty Bn in Feb 1942 by using the training guns from DMA. This unit was sent to Tijater.

It was earlier believed that this was the 7th Mountain Bty, but possibly they were two different Btys.

[nuyt]

Glad you have learned to post them as well!
Cheers,
Nuyt

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

I was wrong. The Bofors mountain gun in Jakarta Army museum is on display. The only picture of a such gun with air rubber tires I have seen so far.

This gun belonged to 1st Mountain Arty Bn (Tjimahi, W Java) and was also used in the civil war 1946-50.

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

In 1936 this Catepillar-looking vehicle was used by the 1st Howitzer Bn (A I Hw, Batavia).

Which type is it?

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

A picture from 1927 when the KNIL Arty tested different traction. I think the halftrack is a Citroen.

Who could confirm that?

[nuyt]

The Caterpillar is a Caterpillar 20 model: there was one for each motorised battery in the 30's. The tractors were carried on trailers towed by trucks. Reports of the losses of a Japanese air attack against a counter attack by Group Bandung showed these were still operational by 1942.
KNIL had tested and ordered a large number (40?) of Praga tractors. These were to replace not only the Caterpillars but were needed to tow the heavy mortar units (30x12cm Brandts) ordered before the war. I believe both tractors and mortars were not delivered, but you never know. At least one Praga tractor was tested in Bandung in or around 1939.
Nuyt

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Stellan Bojerud
I think the halftrack is a Citroen. Who could confirm that?

Citroën-Kegresse halftrack, indeed. Can't tell you exactly which type, though.

H.