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53 Armoured Infantry Brigade
53 Pantserinfanteriebrigade (53 Painfbrig)

53 Briggnkcie14 Painfbat53 Bevocie Painfbrig53 Hrstcie Painfbrig13 Afdra53 Pagncie58 Tkbat53 Paatcie46 PainfbatStstcie 53 Painfbrig53 Painfbrig

Unit Main Equipment Location Peace Strength War Strength
Staff and Staff Company
53 Armoured Infantry Brigade [a]
                  Harderwijk 2/2/1 (5)
32/34/148/2 (216)
14 Armoured Infantry Battalion [b] YPR-765 45/124/716/2 (887)
46 Armoured Infantry Battalion [c] YPR-765 45/124/716/2 (887)
53 Armoured Antitank Company [d] YPR-765 PRAT 9/26/135 (170)
58 Tank Battalion [e] Centurion Mk 5/2 36/96/433/2 (567)
53 Armoured Engineer Company [f]                     9/25/183 (217)
13 Horse Artillery Battalion [g] M109A2/A3 31/91/438/2 (562)
53 Brigade Supply Company [h]                         8/27/225 (260)
53 Brigade Repair Company [i]                         8/49/196 (253)
53 Brigade Medical Company [j]                       19/21/144/2 (186)

53 Armoured Infantry Brigade Peace Strength: 2/2/1 (5)
53 Armoured Infantry Brigade War Strength: 242/617/3334/12 (4205)

Notes

a. Filled out by mobilisable personnel that had fulfilled their active-duty period in Staff and Staff Company, 12 Armoured Infantry Brigade up to six and a half years prior to mobilisation.1
b. RIM battalion, filled by mobilisable companies and platoons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 17 Armoured Infantry Battalion between four and twenty months prior to mobilisation.1 4
c. RIM battalion, filled by mobilisable companies and platoons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 47 Armoured Infantry Battalion between four and twenty months prior to mobilisation.1 4
d. RIM company, filled by mobilisable platoons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 12 Armoured Antitank Company between four and twenty months prior to mobilisation.1 4
e 58 Tank Battalion (RIM) was to transition from Centurion Mk 5/2 to Leopard 1V as a whole in October 1987, concurrently adopting a new organisation type which would add a fourth tank squadron to the battalion's war strength (the old battalion organisation is described in detail here). This is per the planning of July 1985; given the persistence of the problems with the Leopard 1 upgrading programme and the delays these had already caused it is quite possible that further delays occurred. The last Leopard 1V was delivered on 16 December 1987, however.2 A, B and C Squadron were each filled by a mobilisable squadron that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 59 Tank Battalion between four and twenty months prior to mobilisation. D Squadron, not falling under the RIM system, would be filled by the personnel of A Squadron for ten months after their 14 to 16-month RIM period in that unit had expired.3 4
f. RIM company, filled by mobilisable platoons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 12 Armoured Engineer Company between four and twenty months prior to mobilisation.1 4
g. RIM battalion, filled by mobilisable batteries that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 11 Horse Artillery Battalion between four and twenty months prior to mobilisation.1 4
h. GRIM company, largely filled by mobilisable platoons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 13 Brigade Supply Company between four and twenty months prior to mobilisation.1 4
i. GRIM company, largely filled by mobilisable platoons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 12 Brigade Repair Company between four and twenty months prior to mobilisation.1 4
j. RIM company, filled by mobilisable platoons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 12 Brigade Medical Company between four and twenty months prior to mobilisation.1 4

Combat Formations

Following the Royal Army's tactical doctrine and established modus operandi the brigade would not fight in the organic order of battle displayed above but form combined-arms battle groups, as illustrated in Unit Organisation and Equipment, Mixed Battalions and Company Teams.

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1. NIMH 205A/10, Aflossing van mobilisabele eenheden en -aanvullingen d.d. 27 mei 1980. Ibid., d.d. 11 november 1983. Ibid., d.d. 17 juni 1985.
2. SSA-MvD, CLAS/BLS 7486, Memorandum Realisatie Legerplan 149-4E d.d. 10 juli 1985. According to the initial planning of 1982, 52 Tank Battalion was to transition between March and September 1985, with D Squadron to be added in March 1986. Ibid., Planningsmemorandum Instroming Leopard 1V, Leopard 2 (etc.) d.d. 29 december 1982. The last Leopard 1V delivered: Smit, Leopard 1, 95-96. For a detailed analysis of the problems with the Leopard 1 upgrading programme and their consequences, see NL-HaNA 2.13.182, inv. nr. 682, Aantekening DMKL "Het wapensysteem Leopard 1V" d.d. 28 augustus 1986, 6-8; HTK 1989-1990, kamerstuknr. 21610 ondernr. 2 (Rapport Leopardtanks Algemene Rekenkamer), 52-61, 68-71; Smit, Leopard 1, 95-100.
3. NIMH 205A/10, Aflossing van mobilisabele eenheden en -aanvullingen d.d. 17 juni 1985, Bijlage A1. Previous to that A Squadron, 58 Tank Battalion would have fulfilled their active-duty period as A Squadron, 59 Tank Battalion. Ibid. The ten-month cycle of D Squadron: Selles, Personele vulling, 457.
4. RIM was the Dutch acronym for Direct Influx into Mobilisable Units (Rechtstreekse Instroming in Mobilisabele Eenheden). GRIM was a variant of this system, meaning "Largely RIM" (Grotendeels Rechtstreekse Instroming in Mobilisabele Eenheden). For a survey of the Royal Army's unit filling and reserve system see Gijsbers, Blik in de smidse, 2222-2231; Selles, Personele vulling; Berghuijs, Opleiding, 14-23. In English: Isby and Kamps, Armies, 341-343; Sorrell, Je Maintiendrai, 94-96; Van Vuren, The Royal Netherlands Army TodayMilitary Review April 1982, 23-28.