In this article I would like to focus your attention on the commitment of the Dutch military contingents as they served in the allied army during the War of Austrian Succession (W.A.S). Not because their actions were so heroic that they should deserve a special place in military history, but more because little is known about it amongst our members and readers.

There has been much discussion on the (bad) quality of the Dutch army during this period and even more on the (bad) leadership. However it's not the prime goal of this article to highlight these aspects. Instead I want to concentrate on:

• a description of the main actions involving these troops; some brief and some more comprehensive
• the orders of battle during the main actions of the W.A.S.
• the development and organisation of the Dutch army during the period 1740-1748
• the uniforms of the Dutch troops
  [Editor's Note: the last two items listed above will be covered in Volume 8 Issue No. 3]

I am aware of the fact that this is not a definitive and all encompusing article on the subject. There are several reasons for this. First I have been obliged to work within a limited amount of space, although I'm very grateful to Jim Purky for the unusual great amount of space he allowed me for this article. However this is intended to be an introduction in the subject, so it can't be too exhaustive.

Second, I still haven't been able yet to study all the resolutions of the States-General and other Dutch sources to make the information as complete as possible. Finally I haven't received the information I ordered by Juan Sanchez in Spain, from the Seven Years War Study Group. As I heard from Jim, I'm not the only one who hasn't succeeded in contacting Juan this year. Fortunately I've discovered in time where the vital information is available in The Netherlands and have sent Jim the required amendments to my story.

As far as the subsidy-troops are concerned, I haven't dealt with them in detail, since they didn't form an integral part of the States Army. If there is some interest, I can deal with them in a further article. I hope that other members can help me to complete this study, by adding missing information or by correcting errors. [Editor- send such information to me and I will forward to Peter]

From a wargamer's point of view however I think that I have provided a good start for gaming the period. The main goal of this article is to give a reasonable general outline of the role of the Dutch troops during the W.A.S. and to describe their organization and appearance. I think it makes more sense to deal with certain aspects or actions in more detail in future issues. For those interested I can supply full-length descriptions of most sieges and battles of this period for future articles in our Journal. However this will depend on the interest amongst the readers.

Also I would like to make an appeal to the boardgame-designers. The allied campaigns in Flanders during the W.A.S. offer a great challenge, I think, for a boardgame. The years 1745, 1746, and 1747 offer splendid siege-campaigns with several opportunities for pitched battles, involving troops of several nations and lots of diplomacy. As far as I know there are not any games available yet on the market covering this period. Despite the fact that I am not an ardent boardgamer, I would be one of the first to buy one.

Let's have a start now with the story, beginning with a brief political outline.

Preliminary Events

When the hostilities known as as the W.A.S. commenced in 1741, the Dutch Republic was very reluctant to fullfill its obligations with Austria, consequent on the Treaty of Vienna in 1732 and the Pragmatic Sanction. During this period, the Republic was without without a Stadtholder for the second time and was ruled by Regents. They favoured a policy of neutrality, supported in this by a majority of the 7 Provinces. The States-General needed 2 years to agree upon a military aid of 20,000 troops, which came too late to take part in the battle of Dettingen (June 1743).

When France formally declared war on England and Austria in the Spring of 1744, the Republic-territory was still respected by the French king Louis XV. Instead of supporting Maria Theresa, the Republic sent 6,000 troops (an obligation under a Treaty of 1719) with 10 ships to England to assist the British government in countermatching a renewed Jacobite threat. As you may know the latter were in turn supported by the French.

This half-heartedness of the Dutch policy finally compelled the French to invade the Austrian Netherlands. This territory was protected by the so-called barrier-towns. The 3rd Barrier-Treaty of 1715 had provided the Dutch Republic with the privilege to garrison certain towns in the (now Austrian) southern Provinces of the Netherlands, as a security against French aggression. The barriertowns were: Namur, Tournai, Menen, Waasten, Yper, Veurne, Dendermonde and the fortress Knokke. However, when the French invaded the Southern Netherlands in May 1744, it soon became clear that this barrier was unable to stop the French.

See MAP 1 for an overall geographic impression of the war theatre in the Austrian Netherlands. This map is important for the remainder of the story.

Dutch Commitment War of Austrian Succession

Introduction and Preliminaries
1744: First Hostilities in Flanders
1745: Conquest of Flanders
1746: Further Conquests of Austrian Netherlands
Battle of Rocour: 11 October 1746
1747: Dutch Republic Threatened
Battle of Laffelt: 2 July 1747
Siege of Bergen-op Zoom
1748: Maastrict and the End of the War