Royal Army Medical Command
1
Geneeskundig
Commando
Koninklijke Landmacht (GCKL)
| Unit |
Location |
Peace
Strength |
War
Strength |
Staff
and Staff Company
Royal Army Medical Command |
Deventer |
20/15/3/14 (52)
|
31/36/66/14 (147) |
| Royal
Army Medical Command Peace Strength: 20/15/3/14
(52) |
| Royal Medical
Command War Strength: 968/1161/4881/149
(7159)
|
Operational Role and Reorganisation
2
In
wartime Royal Army Medical Command would
primarily be
responsible for
- the
higher-echelon medical treatment of wounded Royal Army, Royal
Navy
and Royal Air Force personnel either based in or evacuated to the
Netherlands;
- providing
limited medical support to NATO
forces passing through or stationed in the Netherlands;
- medical
materiel support to Royal Army and Royal Air Force
units in the Netherlands;
- lower-echelon
medical support to territorial Royal Army units.
Higher-echelon
medical treatment basically comprised
definitive, specialist treatment in mostly static hospital
facilities well in the rear of the Combat Zone (i.e. in the Communications Zone).3
Both military and civilian hospitals would be employed; their capacity
would be expanded and
a number of military barracks would be converted into
emergency
hospitals.
In peacetime Royal Army Medical Command formed the Royal
Army's territorial medical service.
Since
its formation in 1976 the Command's wartime higher-echelon interservice
role was almost permanently under study, which probably
explains the organisation being marked as "provisional" in the official
1985 orders of battle. In 1988 Royal Army Medical
Command
was converted into Armed
Forces Medical Command (Geneeskundig Commando Krijgsmacht, GCK); this
reorganisation included the transfer of the Command's materiel support
capacity
to National Logistic Command and the
transfer of its lower-echelon medical capacity to National Territorial Command.4
_________________________________________________
| 1. |
|
Under
functional command (onder functioneel bevel) of the Inspector of Royal
Army Medical Services. Onder functioneel bevel: a separate command
relationship giving a commander or functionary a task-specific
authority over a unit not under his command. VS 2-7200, 24. IGDKL fell
under the Minister
of Defence in peacetime and would come under Commander-in-Chief
of the Army on mobilisation. |
| 2. |
|
Hoffenaar en
Schoenmaker, Met de blik,
300. Anonymus, 5 Jaar,
20-22. |
| 3. |
|
NL-HaNA
2.13.182, inv. nr. 633, Structuurplan Geneeskundige Verzorging
Krijgsmacht (oorlogstijd) d.d. 23 april 1985, Hoofdstuk VII. The
lower-echelon medical support system of 1 (NL) Corps is outlined in 102
Medical Group, Operational Role. |
| 4. |
|
Almost
permanently under study: see for example NL-HaNA 2.13.110, inv. nrs.
103, 1425; and NL-HaNA 2.13.182, inv. nrs. 588, 614 and 633; comprising
studies and plans from the period 1978-1985. Provisional: "voorshands
interim organisatie". NIMH 430, inv. nr. 54 (Slagorde KL stand 1 juli
1985), Blad O. Ibid., inv. nr. 55 (Slagorde KL stand 23 december 1985),
Blad O. For the reorganisation leading to Armed Forces Medical
Command see for example NL-HaNA 2.13.182, inv. nrs. 711, 748
(1987-1988) and Feijen, Herstructurering,
312-313. Feijen notes that at that time (1989) the reorganisation was
still "far from completed". Ibid., 308. See also 102 Medical
Group, Reorganisation 1988-1992.
|
|