51 Armoured Brigade • 51 Pantserbrigade (51 Pabrig)

Last updated: 15.05.2017

51 Armoured Brigade
51 Pantserbrigade (51 Pabrig)

Unit	Main Equipment	Location	Peace Strength	War Strength
Staff and Staff Company 51 Armoured Brigade [a]		Stroe	2/2/1 (5)	32/34/148/2 (216)
12 Tank Battalion [b]	Leopard 1, Leopard 2	–	–	38/95/429/2 (564)
54 Tank Battalion [c]	Leopard 2	–	–	39/97/443/2 (581)
16 Armoured Infantry Battalion [d]	YPR-765	–	–	45/124/716/2 (887)
52 Armoured Engineer Company [e]		–	–	9/25/183 (217)
34 Field Artillery Battalion [f]	M109A2/A3	–	–	31/91/438/2 (562)
51 Brigade Supply Company [g]		–	–	8/27/208 (243)
51 Brigade Repair Company [h]		–	–	8/47/181 (236)
51 Brigade Medical Company [i]		–	–	19/21/144/2 (186)

51 Armoured Brigade Peace Strength: 2/2/1 (5)

51 Armoured Brigade War Strength: 229/561/2890/12 (3692)

Notes

a.	Filled out by mobilisable personnel that had fulfilled their active-duty period in Staff and Staff Company, 13 Armoured Brigade up to six and a half years prior to mobilisation.¹
b.	12 Tank Battalion (RIM) was transitioning from Leopard 1 to Leopard 2, whilst concurrently adopting a new organisation type (the old battalion organisation is described in detail here). A Squadron was re-equipped in March or April 1985, B Squadron in August 1985, and C Squadron and the Staff and Support Squadron in October 1985.² The battalion's war strength as shown is per 1 July 1985; when the re-equipment was completed its war strength was the same as that of 54 Tank Battalion. The battalion was filled by mobilisable squadrons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 43 Tank Battalion up to twenty months prior to mobilisation.^{3 4 5}
c.	RIM battalion, filled by mobilisable squadrons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 41 Tank Battalion up to twenty months prior to mobilisation.^{3 4 5} The battalion had transitioned from Leopard 1 to Leopard 2 and concurrently adopted the new organisation type during 1984, as follows: A Squadron in May or June, B Squadron in September or October, C Squadron and the Staff and Support Squadron in November or December.²
d.	RIM battalion, filled by mobilisable companies and platoons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 42 Armoured Infantry Battalion up to twenty months prior to mobilisation.^{1 4 5}
e	RIM company, until mid-1985 filled by mobilisable platoons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 13 Armoured Engineer Company between four and twenty months prior to mobilisation. From mid-1985 filled by 41 Armoured Engineer Company.^1 5
f.	RIM battalion, filled by mobilisable batteries that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 12 Field Artillery Battalion between four and twenty months prior to mobilisation.^1 5
g.	GRIM company, until mid-1985 largely filled by mobilisable platoons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 12 Brigade Supply Company between four and twenty months prior to mobilisation. From mid-1985 largely filled by 41 Brigade Supply Company.^1 5
h.	GRIM company, until mid-1985 largely filled by mobilisable platoons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 13 Brigade Repair Company between four and twenty months prior to mobilisation. From mid-1985 largely filled by 41 Brigade Repair Company.^1 5
i.	RIM company, until mid-1985 filled by mobilisable platoons that had fulfilled their active-duty period in 13 Brigade Medical Company between four and twenty months prior to mobilisation. From mid-1985 filled by 41 Brigade Medical Company.^{1 5}

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 149-6A d.d. 28 mei 1984. Ibid., Memorandum Realisatie Legerplan 149-6F d.d. 10 juli 1985.
3.		NIMH 205A/10, Aflossing van mobilisabele eenheden en -aanvullingen d.d. 17 juni 1985, Bijlage A1. Selles, Personele vulling, 457.
4.		As the active-duty parent battalion of this RIM battalion had no Short Leave company or squadron, its companies or squadrons would skip the usual four to six-month Short Leave period and pass straight into their RIM counterparts on completion of their active-duty period. The Short Leave period was added to the fourteen to sixteen-month RIM period, thus expanding the latter to up to twenty monhs.
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.