Light Aircraft Group
Groep
Lichte Vliegtuigen (GPLV) 1
Unit |
Main
Equipment |
Location |
Peace
Strength |
War
Strength |
Staff
and Staff Squadron
Light Aircraft Group |
|
Deelen |
26/45/38
(109)
|
28/65/63
(156) |
298
Light Aircraft Squadron |
24 x
Alouette III |
Soesterberg |
48/45/60
(153) |
56/50/77
(183) |
299
Light Aircraft Squadron |
24 x BO-105C |
Deelen |
48/45/60
(153) |
56/50/77
(183) |
300
Light Aircraft Squadron |
18 x
Alouette III
|
Deelen |
31/42/51
(124) |
38/39/65
(142) |
302
Light Aircraft Squadron [a] |
18 x
Alouette III |
– |
– |
44/43/74
(161) |
Maintenance
and Materiel Squadron |
|
Soesterberg |
6/95/70
(171) |
6/100/98
(204) |
Light
Aircraft Group Peace Strength: 159/272/279
(710) |
Light
Aircraft Group War Strength: 228/347/454
(1029) |
Note
a. |
Filled by mobilisable
personnel that had
served in 299 Light
Aircraft Squadron up to eight and a half years prior to mobilisation.2 |
Operational
Role
The
GPLV helicopter fleet, comprising twenty-four BO-105C and seventy-two
Alouette III
helicopters, was operated by the Royal Air Force and
owned
by the Royal Army.3 Falling under the
Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force in
peacetime, the GPLV's operational role was to
fly scouting, liaison and light transport missions for 1
(NL)
Corps, under which command they would fall in wartime. 300
Squadron provided the Helicopter Type and
Theatre Conversion, the Elementary Tactical Helicopter Course and the
Advanced Tactical Helicopter Course for 298 and 299 Squadron.4
_________________________________________________
1. |
|
In some
Army documents the somewhat cumbersome abbreviation "Gpltvltgn"is used. |
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. |
|
Pilots
and technicians belonged to the Royal Air Force; it may therefore be
that these are not included in the strengths above. |
4. |
|
For this
paragraph: Helfferich, Nederlandse
Koninklijke, 50,
127-135. Helfferich,
Squadrons
(1983), 71. Helfferich,
Squadrons
(1994), 109-128. De Jong, Vlucht, 215,
279-286,
395-396. |
|