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History
The Korps Commandotroepen (Special Forces Regiment) of the Royal Netherlands Army has a proud heritage spanning more than 70 years. It traces its origins to March 22, 1942, when 48 Dutch volunteers started intensive training at the Basic Commando Training Centre at Achnacarry, Scotland. Once finished, these special forces of No. 2 (Dutch) Troop of the No. 10 Inter- Allied Commando, participated in operation Market Garden (Nijmegen, Eindhoven and Arnhem) and operation Infatuate (Vhssingen and Westkapelle) in the European theatre, late in 1944. A limited number of Dutch commandos also gained combat experience during World War II in Southeast Asia as part of the 3rd Special Service Brigade during operations in Arakan (Burma).
Coincidentally in the Far East, a Netherlands Special Organisation (Korps Insulinde) was founded mid 1942. Under the auspices of the British Special Operations Executive, these troops conducted operations against Japanese occupying forces in the Netherlands East Indies. Operations in the East Indies were resumed following the Japanese capitulation with the Dutch government deciding to reassert its authority over the archipelago. After a number of post-war reorganizations, RNLA special forces capability had been consolidated in a Special Troops Regiment by late 1948. This combat unit was used in a series of succesful airborne operations against Indonesian nationalist forces at Djokjakarta and in mid-Sumatra.
In 1950, the Special Troops Regiment took up residence in the Engelbrecht van Nassau Barracks in Roosendaal where it is still situated today and was renamed into 'Korps Commandotroepen, also known as KCT. During the Cold War, the main emphasis for the KCT was providing special reconnaissance for the 1st Netherlands Army Corps, which was responsible for defending...