HomeOne Level Up Last updated: 02.02.2019

Limburg Provincial Military Command/Garrison Command
Provinciaal Militair Commando/Garnizoenscommando Limburg (PMC/GC LB)

Part I | Part II | Part III

520 Pelnatres893 Marpel tbv HQ AFCENT894 Marpel tbv HQ AFCENT519 Pelnatres51 Ciestnatres518 Pelnatres446 Pelnatres432 Pelnatres431 Pelnatres430 Pelnatres429 Pelnatres428 Pelnatres427 Pelnatres426 Pelnatres425 Pelnatres456 Grdpel435 Infbevcie Mbl364 Ltinfbevcie381 Infbevcie362 InfbevciePMC/GC LB16 Ciestnatres361 ZwinfbevcieSsvcie PMC/GC LB

Unit Location Peace Strength War Strength
Staff and Support Company
Limburg Provincial
Military Command/Garrison Command
Maastricht 6/17/2/24 (49) 45/35/93/20 (193)

435 Mobile Security Infantry Company [a] Breda 9/41/266 (316) 8/27/209 (244)

361 Heavy Security Infantry Company [b] 6/18/123 (147)
362 Heavy Security Infantry Company [c] 6/18/123 (147)
364 Light Security Infantry Company [d] 5/16/109 (130)
381 Security Infantry Company [e] 6/21/139 (166)
   
16 Company Staff, National Reserve Corps [f] [g] 2/4/17 (23)
51 Company Staff, National Reserve Corps [f] 2/4/17 (23)
   
425 (Weert) Platoon, National Reserve Corps 1/4/29 (34)
426 (Ysselsteyn) Platoon, National Reserve Corps 1/4/29 (34)
427 (Beek) Platoon, National Reserve Corps 1/4/29 (34)
428 (Beek) Platoon, National Reserve Corps 1/4/29 (34)
429 (Maastricht) Platoon, National Reserve Corps 1/4/29 (34)
430 (Roermond) Platoon, National Reserve Corps 1/4/29 (34)
431 (Venlo) Platoon, National Reserve Corps 1/4/29 (34)
432 (Maastricht) Platoon, National Reserve Corps 1/4/29 (34)
446 (Beek) Platoon, National Reserve Corps 1/4/29 (34)
518 (Wanssum) Platoon, National Reserve Corps 1/4/29 (34)
519 (Maastricht) Platoon, National Reserve Corps 1/4/29 (34)
520 (Wanssum) Platoon, National Reserve Corps 1/4/29 (34)

893 Military Constabulary Platoon (for HQ AFCENT) [h] 1/4/28 (33)
894 Military Constabulary Platoon (for HQ AFCENT) [h] 1/4/28 (33)
      
456 Burial Platoon [i] 1/2/16 (19)

Notes
 
a. Wartime organisation; under command of North Brabant Provincial Military Command/Garrison Command in peacetime. On NATO Simple Alert under operational control of Commander, Northern Army Group (COMNORTHAG). The company spent six months per year in Büren (GE), securing Special Ammunition Storage (SAS) Stöckerbusch where US nuclear warheads were stored. Their wartime role would probably be similar to that of the mobile security infantry companies of 1 (NL) Corps Artillery.1
b. Filled by mobilisable personnel that had fulfilled their active-duty period in A Company, 48 Armoured Infantry Battalion up to eight and a half years prior to mobilisation.2
c. Filled by mobilisable personnel that had fulfilled their active-duty period in B Company, 48 Armoured Infantry Battalion up to eight and a half years prior to mobilisation.2
d. Filled by mobilisable personnel from 436 Mobile Security Infantry Company (GRIM) after their fourteen to sixteen-month RIM period in that unit had expired, up to eight and a half years prior to mobilisation.2 7
e. Filled by mobilisable personnel that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 435 Mobile Security Infantry Company up to eight and a half years prior to mobilisation.2
f. National Reserve (NATRES) company staff would take three or more NATRES platoons under command. Other platoons would operate under the command of a security infantry company, or directly under the Provincial Military Commander/Garrison Commander.3
g. On mobilisation with three NATRES platoons under command of COMNORTHAG for security duties at the Joint Operations Centre (JOC) of NORTHAG/TWOATAF in the Cannerberg hill, Maastricht (wartime location). Also under command would be three of the provisional security platoons listed under Part III, which would be tasked with similar duties. In the second half of the 1980s the company commander would further receive a (conscript) Stinger platoon for this mission, equipped with FIM-92 Stinger man-portable air defence systems.4
h. Filled by mobilisable personnel from 202 Military Constabulary Squadron (GRIM) after their fourteen to sixteen-month RIM period in that unit had expired, up to eight and a half years prior to mobilisation.2 After mobilisation under command of Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Central Europe (CINCENT) as part of the International Military Police of Headquarters Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT). This headquarters had its wartime location in a hill in the Eifel.5 7
i. Filled by personnel from the general pool of mobilisable reserves (vrij-indeelbaar bestand) that had fulfilled their active-duty period in relevant functions up to eight and a half years prior to mobilisation.2



Part I | Part II | Part III


Kazco Mobcplx BeekKazco Mobcplx WeertKazco Mobcplx YsselsteynKazco Van HornekazerneKazco Frederik HendrikkazerneKazco Ernst CasimirkazerneKazco Tongerseweg 336Kazco Vrijthof 25

Unit Location Peace Strength War Strength
Barracks Command Beek Mobilisation Complex Beek (LB) -/-/-/3 (3) -/1/-/4 (5)
Barracks Command Weert Mobilisation Complex Weert -/-/-/3 (3) -/1/-/3 (4)
Barracks Command Ysselsteyn Mobilisation Complex Ysselsteyn -/-/-/6 (6) -/1/-/6 (7)
 
Barracks Command Vrijthof 25 Maastricht -/-/-/1 (1) -/-/-/1 (1)
Barracks Command Tongerseweg 336 Maastricht 1/3/-/3 (7) 1/3/-/3 (7)
Barracks Command Ernst Casimir Barracks Roermond 4/14/6/19 (43) 4/12/8/19 (43)
Barracks Command Frederik Hendrik Barracks Venlo 1/6/6/26 (39) 1/5/7/25 (38)
Barracks Command Van Horne Barracks Weert -/7/29/30 (66) -/6/8/30 (44)



Part I | Part II | Part III


58 Ciest Bevpels Bpiopl59 Ciest Bevpels Bpiopl299 Bevpel Bpiopl298 Bevpel Bpiopl297 Bevpel Bpiopl296 Bevpel Bpiopl295 Bevpel Bpiopl294 Bevpel Bpiopl

Unit Location Peace Strength War Strength
58 Security Company Staff (Professional Personnel in Training) [a] Breda 2/4/17 (23)
59 Security Company Staff (Professional Personnel in Training) [a] Breda 2/4/17 (23)
 
294 Security Platoon (Professional Personnel in Training) [a] Breda/Weert ~ 1/4/29 (34)
295 Security Platoon (Professional Personnel in Training) [a] Breda/Weert ~ 1/4/29 (34)
296 Security Platoon (Professional Personnel in Training) [a] Breda/Weert ~ 1/4/29 (34)
297 Security Platoon (Professional Personnel in Training) [a] Breda/Weert ~ 1/4/29 (34)
298 Security Platoon (Professional Personnel in Training) [a] Breda/Weert ~ 1/4/29 (34)
299 Security Platoon (Professional Personnel in Training) [a] Breda/Weert ~ 1/4/29 (34)
 
Limburg Provincial Military Command/Garrison Command Peace Strength: 12/47/43/115 (217)
Limburg Provincial Military Command/Garrison Command War Strength: 101/230/1273/111 (1715)

Note
 
a. These were provisional units, to be formed in the warning phase preceding actual mobilisation (likely: NATO Military Vigilance), from pupils of the Royal Military School (Koninklijke Militaire School, KMS) in Weert, the Special Officer Training Centre (Opleidingscentrum Officieren Speciale Diensten, OCOSD) in Breda and the Royal Military Academy (Koninklijke Militaire Academie, KMA), also in Breda. Unit strength and organisation were probably similar to that of NATRES units, as their role was more or less the same. In Limburg the platoons would secure the NATO Information and Communications System (NICS), located in a bunker in Maastricht, as well as the 'Missiehuis" in Cadier en Keer where NATO's European traffic control centre would be situated in wartime. Three platoons would operate under the command of 16 Company Staff NATRES (see Part I, note g). The provisional security units would be disbanded once the mobilisable security companies were available, after which their personnel would be reassigned through the regular personnel replacement system.6 

_________________________________________________

1. The company was deployed to the Belgian Kwartier Cortemarck Barracks in Büren during three two-month periods a year, each period being followed by a two-month period in Breda during which a unit of 13 (BE) Artillery Group would take over at SAS Stöckerbusch. In 1985 the company was the only Royal Army unit permanently assigned to facility security duties in peacetime; more than half of each two-month deployment consisted of a demanding regime of standing guard, patrolling and being on call. Oosterboer, op. cit., 177-180. Bevaart et al., Vijftig jaar, 119-120. Bremer, op. cit., 28-30. SAS Stöckerbusch was supervised by 27th (US) Ordnance Company, subordinate to 59th (US) Ordnance Brigade, headquartered in Pirmasens (GE), which brigade was responsible for the US Army's nuclear weapons in Europe. Hoffenaar, Van Hoof en De Moor, Vuur in beweging, 159-160. Website U.S. Army in Germany, 59th Ordnance Brigade. It is said that SAS Stöckerbusch stored W31 nuclear warheads for MIM-14 Nike Hercules surface-to-air missile systems (see for instance website Zone Interdite, USAr Büren), but this is not certain. Oosterboer, op. cit., 177.
2. 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.
3. VS 7-265, 13. Hoffenaar en Schoenmakers, November Romeo, 112-113.
4. Hoffenaar en Schoenmakers, op. cit., 138-139. Stinger platoon: this was not a standard organisation type in the Royal Army, the Stingers being incorporated in the armoured anti-aircraft artillery batteries. The platoon designation suggests a complement of nine Stinger systems. JOC NORTHAG/TWOATAF had its peacetime location in Mönchengladbach-Rheindalen (see NATO Command, Northern Army Group).
5. Wartime location Headquarters AFCENT: Felius, Einde Oefening, 210. In peacetime it was located in Brunssum. Ibid.
6. HTK 1983-1984, kamerstuknr. 18169 ondernr. 2 (Defensienota 1984-1993), 103. Hoffenaar en Schoenmakers, loc. cit. Bevaart, Kort maar Krachtig, 88-89. Anonymus, KMS, OCOSD en NATRES, 27. Platoon and group commanders would be chosen from OCOSD pupils, as these were sub-officers and reserve officers; their mobilisation role was part of their training as of 1985. The platoons would be filled out by KMS pupils (sub-officers in training), the company staffs would be formed with KMA pupils (officers in training). Unit strength and organisation probably similar to NATRES: in 1983-1984 NATRES had adopted the platoon organisation of the territorial security infantry companies, which indicates a wish for a standard unit type for this role. Hoffenaar en Schoenmakers, op. cit., 119-120, 143. The aforementioned anonymous article notes that all provisional security platoons would be placed under command of NATRES company staffs, which seems incorrect given the apparent presence of provisional company staffs. Disbandment: NL-HaNA 2.13.182 inv. nr. 546, Planningsmemorandum verdere uitbreiding NATRES d.d. 10 juni 1983, Bijlage A d.d. 12 maart 1981. The official order of battle shows these units as peacetime units (as I have done above), probably on the assumption that mobilisation would be timely, in advance of hostilities. They were scheduled to be disbanded on Telegram A, which was not part of the mobilisation telegram sequence. Telegram A would also disband the Hohne and Langemannshof Barrack Commandsthe Military Constabulary Detachments at the Netherlands embassies in East Berlin, Warsaw and Moscow, and the UN Infantry Company in Lebanon, so we may assume it signalled the breakout of war. NIMH 430, inv. nr. 54 (Slagorde KL stand 1 juli 1985). As actual personnel strengths are unknown these units are not included in the total peacetime strength above.
7. 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.