MartinFrost.ws Index Page |
. |
|
|
Special
forces of the Netherlands
Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid Korps Commandotroepen Brigade Speciale Beveiligingsopdrachten See also The Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid (Special Assistance Unit, BBE) is a Dutch counterterrorism unit. It is part of Netherlands Marine Corps and was founded in the 1970s after the Munich massacre at the Olympics on 5 September 1972, when eight Palestinian terrorists took nine Israeli athletes hostage and killed two others. Its motto is "Semper Paratus pro Justitia", which means "Always Ready for Justice".  Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid Today the unit has more than 150 members, all selected from the Marines. It has a professional reputation because of the many conflicts the unit has resolved. Members of the different units use different weapons for their tasks. Assault unit members use the Heckler & Koch MP5 and Colt Lawman .357 revolver or SIG-Sauer P-226. Snipers use either the FN FAL rifle, the H&K G3 MSG or the Steyr SSG. It is important to note, however, that members of BBE have been reluctant to use deadly force in the past, instead preferring to use methods that enable them to capture instead of kill. They have seen combat on a couple of occasions. In October of 1974 the BBE retook Scheveningen prison from interned Palestine terrorists using only stun grenades and hand-to-hand combat. This despite the fact that the terrorists were armed. Their most famous exploit was the June 11, 1977 simultaneous assault of a school-house and train seized by South Moluccan terrorists. During the short battle for the train, six terrorists were killed: unfortunately, two hostages were as well. However, in their action over 200 people had been freed (105 children and 98 adults had been captured between the two locations). One of the unique aspects of their assault was the use of air force F-104 Starfighters for a diversion. At midnight, right before the assault, two F-104's flew over the train at supersonic speed, the resulting sonic boom disoriented the terrorists, making their efforts to fight back less effective. Members of the BBE were in the Adriatic Sea ready to board vessels attempting to break the Serbian arms embargo in the early 1990s but were never used. The Korps Commandotroepen (KCT) is a unit of the Royal Netherlands Army and part of the special forces of the Netherlands. While it is approximate in size and composition to one of the standard infantry battalions, its role is significantly different. The KCT forms part of the Dutch military's special forces, with emphasis on special operations. These can be divided into special reconnaissance, offensive actions, direct action, military assistance and collateral activities. A few examples of special operations are patrol and reconnaissance missions, attacking enemy targets through ambushes, raids, and/or sabotage. The rescue of civilians and/or servicemen and counter-terrorism in crisis areas, final guidance of laser-guided ammunition and evacuation are part of the tasks. The KCT also has been tasked to give special military assistance to allied forces or to other units of the Royal Netherlands Army, Air Force and Navy. Because of its unique role, it serves as an independent unit, not directly attached to the four large brigades that make up the main part of the army. KCT is the biggest special operations force of the Netherlands alongside the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps. It has a professional reputation, because of the severe training that its members had to complete: the "elementaire commando opleiding" (basic commando training). The training is tough and very few recruits make it. The Corps was formed during the Second World War as 'the Dutch troop' and participated at the landings during D-Day. The Brigade Speciale Beveiligingsopdrachten (Brigade Special Protection tasks, BSB) is an special unit of the Koninklijke Marechaussee, the Dutch military police corps. The unit has a number of tasks. It is used as the arrest team of the Marechaussee, it used to protect important persons, it is used to observe criminals and for observation of events with certain risks. The BSB is a bridge between the Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid (BBE) of the Netherlands Marine Corps and the arrest teams of the Dutch police. Observation of 'dangerous' activists are frequently carried out by the BSB after request of the AIVD, the dutch intellligence service which itself is not armed. See also: Special Air Service (SAS) |
||
| meditations |
top |
|