201 Engineer Combat
Group 1
201
Geniegevechtsgroep (201 Gnggp)
Unit |
Location |
Peace
Strength |
War
Strength |
Staff
and Staff Company
201 Engineer Combat Group [a] |
– |
– |
20/14/52/2
(88) |
102
Engineer Battalion [b] |
– |
– |
31/88/548/2 (669) |
107
Engineer Battalion [b] |
– |
– |
31/88/548/2 (669) |
223
Engineer Battalion [c] |
– |
– |
31/88/548/2 (669) |
155
Pontoon Bridge Company [d] |
– |
– |
5/20/132
(157) |
109 Diver Platoon [e] |
– |
– |
1/11/44
(56) |
212
Construction Machine Company [f] |
– |
– |
6/26/165
(197) |
227 Dump
Truck Company [g] |
– |
– |
5/15/165
(185) |
201 Engineer Combat Group Peace Strength: – | 201 Engineer Combat Group War Strength: 130/350/2202/8 (2690) |
Notes
a. | GRIM company, largely filled by mobilisable subunits that had fulfilled their active-duty period
in Staff and Staff Company, 101 Engineer Combat Group between four and
twenty
months prior to mobilisation.2 5 | b. | Filled by mobilisable
personnel from 103 Engineer Battalion (GRIM) after
their fourteen to sixteen-month RIM period in that unit had expired, up to eight years prior to mobilisation.2 5 | c. | The battalion's Staff and Support Company was 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. A, B and C Company were filled by mobilisable personnel from, respectively, 51, 52 and 53 Armoured Engineer Company (RIM) after
their fourteen to sixteen-month RIM period in those units had expired, up to eight years prior to mobilisation.2 5
| d. | GRIM company, largely
filled by mobilisable platoons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 105 Pontoon Bridge Company between four and
twenty
months prior to mobilisation.2 5 Equipped with German hollow-deck bridge materiel (Hohlplattenbrücke).3 | e | RIM platoon, filled by mobilisable teams that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 108 Diver Platoon between four and
twenty
months prior to mobilisation.2 5 | f. | GRIM company, largely
filled by mobilisable platoons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 102 Construction Machine Company between four and
twenty
months prior to mobilisation.2 5 | g. | GRIM company, largely
filled by mobilisable platoons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 107 Dump Truck Company between four and
twenty
months prior to mobilisation.2 5 |
Operational Role
In
wartime 201 Engineer Combat Group would be tasked with keeping open
tactically and logistically important roads in the Corps Rear Area. In addition, it was to prepare alternative
crossings across the Weser and Aller rivers, for which 105 and 155 Pontoon Bridge Company would be kept in reserve.4
_________________________________________________
1. | | It should be noted that the designation Engineer Combat
Group is somewhat delusive: this formation
type and its subordinate units were neither
designed
nor equipped for combat engineering; see for instance VS 5-154, I-1.
In 1975 the more adequate designation Geniegroep was
reverted to the previously used Geniegevechtsgroep,
apparently because it was an (internally) well established designation
and the new one caused confusion. NL-HaNA 2.13.110 inv. nr. 267,
Naamswijziging geniegevechtsgroep, 1975. | 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. | | Hoffenaar en Schoenmaker, Met
de blik, 195. Elands et al., 250 jaar, 192. | 4. | | Elands et al., op. cit.,
232-233. For the operations described 105 Pontoon Bridge Company would likely be placed under the
command of 201 Engineer Combat Group. Ibid.,
227. | 5. | | 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 Today, Military Review April 1982, 23-28. |
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