Tag Archives: Dutch Army Tanks

Dutch AMX Days

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It happened some 50 years ago. 1975, somewhere in the Netherlands.

Antitankwapen TOW mounted on the camouflaged superstructure of an AMX Pantser Rups Anti Tank (PRAT). The vehicle’s radio antenna is tilted to the side for a better field of view.

Defensiebladen Objectnummer 2044_061411

During the Cold War, the Dutch were big fans of the compact 15-ton French AMX tracked platform.

Big fans.

Staring in the 1960s they ordered no less than 800 assorted hulls including 26 of the tank killing PRATs seen above, 345 infantry carriers (PRI=Pantser Rups Infanterie, armed with the Browning M2HB heavy machine gun), 131 light tank (AMX-13 PRLTTK=Pantserrups Lichte Tanks), 82 self-propelled guns (PRA= Pantser Rups Artillerie) carrying the 105mm L30 howitzer, 67 mortar carrying AMX PRMRs, 46 PRGWT ambulance models, 46 PRVR cargo carriers, 34 engineering/recovery vehicles (PRB=Pantser Rups Berging), and a command (PRCO) version.

AMX-PRI and AMX-13 of the Dutch Army’s Armored Infantry Driving Training Centre (Pantser Infanterie Rij Opleiding Centrum, PIROC). 1963-1970 2155_032884

A pantserinfanteriecompagnie of AMX at the De Ruyter van Steveninck barracks in Oirschot, circa 1965. Dig those dismounted infantry squads, armed with a mix of FALs, FN MAGs, UZIs, and 90mm M20 Super Bazookas. 2001_N0003854-02

Billed as holding as many as three crewmen and 10 well-armed dismounts, it was anything but comfortable due to the low ceiling of its hull.

Dig those 1970s Dutch Army conscript hair standards. Official caption: Tijdens oefening PANTSERSPRONG in 1975 zitten infanteristen in een gepantserd rupsvoertuig AMX-PRI ( Pantser Rups Infanterie). De achterdeuren van het voertuig staan nog open. 2000_064611

The Dutch maintained their AMX fleet into the early 1980s when, going heavier, they were replaced with 889 M113s (YPR-765 in Dutch parlance) and 468 Leopard 1 series platforms, the latter of which replaced both the AMX-13 and British Centurion Mk5s.

Gevechtstank? Ja

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As we have covered before, the Dutch Army had some light mech units before WWII but after the conflict went all-in on combined arms units, first fielding MAP-program M4 Shermans:

Dutch Sherman M4A1E8 76mm HVSS gevechtstank 1955 NIMH AKL064735

And then purchasing 468 new Leopard 1s in the 1960s.

Twee cavaleristen in een Leopard 1V (Verbeterd) tank in een verdekte opstelling tijdens een oefening, vermoedelijk in West-Duitsland, circa 1984 NIMH

Followed by another 445 Leopard 2A4s (NL version which were all German but used Dutch radios, antenna bases, FN MAG machine guns, and smoke mortars) in the 1980s, then upgraded the latter to 2A5 and later 2A6 standard.

Een Leopard 2A5 in opstelling onder winterse omstandigheden. Op de tanktoren is een mondingsvlamnabootsingsinstallatie gemonteerd. November 1998. NIMH AKL052587

This also gave them a modicum of power projection overseas to its few remaining colonies, as seen in the 2006 shot of a Leo 2A6 landing on the beach in Curacao during Joint Caribbean Lion.

Then came a great tank-going-out-of-buisness sale, with the Dutch selling just about everything they had with tracks to five allied countries and in 2012 disbanding its last full-time armored unit. The sole tank unit at the disposal of the Netherlands is 17 leased Leopard 2A6s as part of a joint German/Dutch unit (the German 414th Panzer Battalion).

Now, it seems like the Dutch have seen the error of their ways, and want at least a full-strength tank battalion– which will cost something like $339 million a year, not counting the expense of new armor.