Between the devil and the deep blue sea - University of Canterbury

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the military units in being in case of future crises. 150 They were also used for guarding
buildings left empty after demobilisation. 151 Within time, the Marechaussee lost its military
jurisdictions completely and became a purely civilian police force whose primary focus was
on border security, while the Police Troop Corps have maintained military law and order in
the Netherlands' armed services until this day. 152
WHOEVER SAID "NAVY" MEANT "THE INDIES" 153
So far, most of the attention has been on the Anny, principally because it was by
far the largest military force in the country during the war, and controlled both the Navy and
recently-established Air Branch. Yet historically, the Netherlands had a strong naval
tradition. At the height of its Golden Age, its fleet ruled the waves, a true match for the
navies of other powers. The warships of the Dutch Republic protected the interests of a
burgeoning merchant class, whose mariners crossed the seven seas and established trading
posts everywhere from the sugar islands of the Caribbean to the spice islands of Indonesia.
The lime between the Navy and the Empire remained strong for centuries. Closer to home,
Dutch ships achieved impressive victories over Spanish and British fleets in the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries. But French occupation during the Napoleonic wars brought the
era of Dutch naval strength to a decisive end. Nonetheless, even after the French withdrew
in 1813, its empire and merchant marine remained impressive, the Netherlands' Navy,
however, was much reduced in size, and could no longer match those of its old rivals.
The naval arms race between Great Britain and Gennany after 1900 resulted in
major advances in technology and warship size and strength. The Dutch recognised that
they must try to keep up with such improvements in order not to render their fleet entirely
obsolete. Hence, naval budgets increased significantly between 1900 and 1914 and the fleet
was modernised where possible. 154 The Naval Staff even participated in their own version
of the classic "battleship versus torpedo-boat" debate: should they concentrate on a small
150 Wels, "[Review of] J. P. E. G. Smeets" p. 486.
151 Hoek, Belmapt averzicht pp. 89 - 90.
152 Kart Overzicht van de Geschiedenis van het Wapen p. 35.
153 "Wie marine zei, zei 'Indie''' (Fasseur, Wilhelmina p. 442).
154 R. Baetens, M. Bosscher, H. Reuchlin (eds.), Maritieme geschiedenis der Nederlandell. 4. Tweede helft
negentiende eel/wen twintigste eeuw, van 1850 -1870 to ca 1970. [Maritime history ofthe Netherlands. Volume 4.
Second half of the nineteenth century and twentieth century, from 1850 - 1870 to circa 1970] Bussum: De Boer
Maritiem, 1978, p. 318.