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Got a pm that some of you would like some more info about the Dutch Green Berets-the Korps Commandotroepen. This is the topic where you can ask anything you'd like about them.

Hello Dutch-Corporal,

As a matter of strict fact, I do have a couple of questions about the Commandotroepen and Dutch military in general. Do you have a link to or source on (preferably in English) the Dutch involvement in the Indonesian independence war and more interestingly (for me that is) on the 1962 conflict in New Guinea?

I am doing general research in support of an ongoing project about a related subject (the British war against Indonesia in Borneo) and am exploring different tangents.
With regards and thanks in advance!

Pasha

Why do you need a minimum of vmbo-C education (very low) to join the commandos and not anything else for the rest of the combat troops?

Pasha, the best you can do is contact the follwing organisation:
Vereniging Nederlands Nieuw-Guinea Militairen 1945-1962
Maasbandijk 11
5331 KB Kerkdriel
The Netherlands
telephone:0031-418-633475

Gary, why the KCT keeps the regulation about HighSchool certificates is the fact that they don't need Rambo's but strong, smart, self-disciplined people that can think on their own. Not "Sir, yes Sir" type of guys.

Hello Dutch-Corporal,

Thank you very much for that contact. Much appreciated!
Warm regards

Pasha

There was a thing on Discovery a while back about the Dutch Green Berets and their assault on a school and a train (plus hostages obviously) in the 80's They managed to free the school. The Train was a more difficult task, they used sound equipment to find the carrage being used by the terrorists and filled it through. They killed the terrorists and the hostages suffered minmal injuries.

Was this the right story, btw?

Rob

Dutch-Corporal wrote: Gary, why the KCT keeps the regulation about HighSchool certificates is the fact that they don't need Rambo's but strong, smart, self-disciplined people that can think on their own. Not "Sir, yes Sir" type of guys.

Yeah i know that but vmbo-C is next to nothing, only taking on those people would not not 'only give you smart people'. If they wanted smart people they would make it VWO only

RobT wrote:There was a thing on Discovery a while back about the Dutch Green Berets and their assault on a school and a train (plus hostages obviously) in the 80's They managed to free the school. The Train was a more difficult task, they used sound equipment to find the carrage being used by the terrorists and filled it through. They killed the terrorists and the hostages suffered minmal injuries.

Was this the right story, btw?

Rob

yes only it was the BBE (and its part of the marines) that did it

That's correct. The thing that you are referring to is the hijacking of the train at "De Punt" in 1977. It wasn't the KCT that ended it, but the BBE (stands for Bijzondere Bijstandseenheid-the Contra Terrorism unit of the Dutch Marines). And there were two hostages killed actually.

Gary, got your point. But you have to draw a line somewhere. If you ask a minimum of VWO, you get study-nerds...not commandos...

I though i read somewhere that there also where a couple of KCT'er active in the storming of the train

You'll here lots of rumours...so do I. But no, there weren't KCT'ers involved in this particular mission.